The morning of the silence came slowly. It did not arrive with a noise but rather with a heavy feeling that settled into the bones of every living thing in the valley. For months the people of Castra had forgotten what it was like to have silence. Their nights had been filled with the rumble of the Gamma Core and the clicking of the logic relays in the upper scriptorium. Their days had been controlled by the loud synchronized bells that signaled the changing of the shifts. When the sun finally rose over the crags on that late June morning it showed a city that felt more like a big empty museum than a free settlement.Karl sat on the stone steps of the registry keep his hands in the pockets of his dirty coat. The metal parts he had carried in his kit were scattered around his boots useless now that the power was out. The air was cold a reminder that the valleys artificial climate had collapsed when the quarantine protocol started. His breath misted slightly in the air rising up toward

The heat of July arrived like a blanket covering the limestone floor of the canyon. For the time since the lights went out in the high scriptorium the air in the lower tier smelled like damp earth and wild mint. The pine forests were taking over the imperial rail lines. The great winter was. The valley looked like a green cradle, separate from the rest of the world.Karl spent his mornings at the edge of the agricultural shelf. He was working on a sluice gate using an iron draw-knife to shape a piece of ash wood. The wood was easy to work with. It smelled nice. Karl did not look up when the shadow of the resonance tower fell across his workbench. The tower was covered in vines.You are cutting the mortise deep a voice called out from the path. Karl stopped the knife. Turned his head. Malachai was walking down the irrigation trail his long grey beard tucked into his belt.Malachai said, If you don't leave wood on the shoulder the water pressure will split the grain before the first aut

The scout-wain went down the pass really slowly. It was like sinking into a cold grey mist. The old imperial highway was. The scout-wains big rubber tires made a lot of noise on it. The air was heavy and wet. It smelled like old salt and oil. The Salt and the Iron smell was everywhere. When the wind came from the west you could hear the ocean. It was a sound that felt like it was shaking the ground.Karl held the iron frame of the window. He looked at the buildings along the rail line. The Salt and the Iron were around these buildings. They were like tombstones. The buildings were made of concrete and titanium. They used to make things like caps and copper switches.. Now they just looked old and broken. The green vines had grown up the walls. They looked like they were made of fleshy scales.Behind the scout-wain the wooden sledges made a scraping noise. The people from the tiers walked quietly. They wore leather jackets. Carried torches. The torches made a sound in the salt air. They

The iron ship called the Sovereign was pulling into Pier Seven. It was making a lot of noise as it bumped against the posts. The ropes that were protecting the ship were getting. Making a loud screaming sound. The water in the harbor was getting all churned up. Spraying everywhere. The people standing around were getting wet. They were all dressed in clothes because it was cold.Karl was standing near the front of a vehicle. He was holding a wrench and looking at the ship. The ship was really big. Had a lot of cargo on it. It was built a time ago when a lot of ships were being made. The man in charge of the ship was coming down a ladder. He was wearing a coat and a hat. He had a beard and was looking around at everyone.My name is Captain Vance he said in a voice. I am in charge of the Sovereign. We came from the south. We were sailing for fourteen days. We saw your signal. Came here. Who is in charge of the machinesKarl stepped forward. He was wearing an apron and had a wrench in hi

The day after the big pipe broke started with a pale light that had trouble getting through the thick fog over the coast. The thirty days that the local office gave them did not feel like a break. More like a clock ticking away making them feel anxious. However Station Four did not show any signs of worry. It was busy with the sound of people working hard to survive with the noise of tools the roar of the big furnace and the ringing of blacksmiths shaping hot iron.Karl stood on the platform a big area that used to be the waiting room for the old trains. The ceiling was amazing with a curved roof made of iron and thousands of glass panels. But over the years many of the panels had broken due to winds salt spray and the vibrations from the trains. The remaining glass was covered in a layer of dirt blocking out the sun and making the platform cold and dark.This was where they had to plant the potatoes. The mountain areas were too cold and windy for the seeds and if they planted them ou