Ferra tightened the leather wraps around her calloused knuckles, resting her newly rewired hammer against the rim of her anvil.
Ferra struck the repaired hammer lightly against the anvil horn and listened for a clean ring before taking it back into the foundry.
During the hours before sunrise, she replaced her scorched connection with tightly braided copper coils and insulated amber dampers.
In her vest pocket, the resonance sample Hajin provided rested securely inside a padded crystal socket, pulsing with steady golden warmth.
"The draft is rising in the flue, Mistress," Boran reported from the canyon ledge, holding a pair of iron tongs.
"Keldan restarted his pre-heaters ten minutes ago... the chimney smoke turned a foul, sickly shade of purple."
"Then the rat is back in his cage," the forgemistress growled, hoisting her hammer onto her shoulder with grim satisfaction.
"Stay behind the outer retaining wall, lads... this time, nobody stops until the main boiler is cold scrap!"
