The Iron Revolution Chapter 57: The Gunpowder Project

Chapter 57: The Gunpowder Project

Godric was waiting for the order before Beorn had finished the turn away from the guardroom.

"I want two squads near the main gate by morning," Beorn said. "When the soldiers move on the blockade, I want them to find us already there."

"The reserves are already low," Godric said.

"I know."

Godric absorbed completely, without continuing it. He had stated the fact because it was relevant. It had been received. That was all to it.

They walked east through the garrison quarter. The morning was past pre-dawn and still thin, the city atmosphere at a reduced intensity of a population that had been under intermittent violence for days and was treating the current peace as provisional.

A militia post was visible at the corner ahead, two n on it, both turning to track the approaching group before recognizing Godric and settling back.

Aestrith was on Beorn’s right side. She kept her pace with his without adjusting for conversation. After a minute she said, "How do you know they’ll act."

Beorn looked at the street ahead. "They’re not martyrs. They took a posting in the Badlands because it was assigned to them, not because they have strong feelings about Coss."

He kept his pace even. "It isn’t a threat to them personally. They’re already in the Badlands. What the dispatch does is create a nad record in the capital’s administrative office."

"And?"

"And their families are still in Dunvarre," he said. "A nad man recorded as traitor has a wife or a mother or a brother back in the capital. When it becos know their family mber has disgraced himself, they will pay the price by proxy. Not that it’s a cri to share blood with a criminal, but society doesn’t care before judging."

He could see from the corner of his eye that she was working through this.

"I grew up in that court," he said. "A treason annotation on a garrison soldier is a catastrophe for the household he left behind."

"So you blackmailed them with their families," Aestrith said, but not in a tone that implied accusation.

He shrugged.

She made a sound that was not quite a snicker but was close to it, and they walked through the garrison quarter into the residential district’s western side without bringing the topic again.

The residential district in the morning had the cautious resumption of life. A food cart was already running on the north street, protected by the militia stationed nearby.

He spotted a runner at the next post and looked at one of his guards, who understood the gesture and moved to collect the man.

The runner arrived at Beorn’s side without ceremony and fell into pace with their walk.

"Find Dunna," Beorn said. "Tell him I need to know how quickly a convoy can be put together for a second mine site. Tell him I need the answer today, not at his convenience, and that a militia escort will be available so he should not factor the road risk into his thinking."

The runner engraved the ssage on his mind, and separated from the group.

Godric was still walking. He had the orders he needed. He looked at Beorn, who gave a brief nod, and Godric turned at the next road and took his own route back toward the garrison quarter.

The street opened sowhat in the residential district’s middle section, and for a stretch of thirty yards the ambient noise was primarily the cart traffic resuming on the secondary streets and the distant signal activity at the nearby gate.

Aestrith walked beside him and said nothing, which was her way of indicating that she knew there was more coming.

"There’s a second project," Beorn said.

"Let

guess. This other mine?"

"The mine is connected to the second project," he said. "A nitre source."

He looked at the street ahead. "They are salt crystals, white, forming around organic matter near old water lines. There’s a reasonable chance we will find so in this other mine."

"And what do you do with nitre."

"You combine it with charcoal and sulfur in the right proportions and you create sothing that burns very fast in a confined space," he said. "The energy release is rapid enough to accelerate a projectile significantly faster than a crossbow can."

Aestrith was quiet for three steps. He let the silence work.

"So the project is a weapon?" she said.

"The prototype of one, a rudintary version."

He kept his tone even, the volu he used to explain the engine chanics or the cent formula. What the thing is, here is how it works, here is what it can do. "The Hollow Hound skirmish on the mine road cost five dead because the pack was capable to reach the militia before they were shot down. This weapon, when properly done, can decimate an entire charge like that one before it even becos a threat."

She thought about this. He could see her working through it, analytically.

"And this requires the foundry," she said.

"The casting precision required for a reliable tube is a similar complication as the engine bore," he said. "Actually more demanding, because the pressure involved is higher and the tolerance for flaw is lower. A failed result may kill a soldier."

"Got it. My job will be to make sure these n don’t die with their new toy."

"Yours and Tam," he said. "With proper training, she can test a casting for internal flaws before it goes into use. I can’t do that with any other tool available to us."

She looked at him.

"This seems like a rushed project," she said.

"It is," he confird. "But we cannot expect the world to always match with our expectations." He paused. "The conflict with Coss is one reason to rush for more firepower. There’s also sothing else I’m worried about."

She absorbed this for a long mont. The street continued its routine past them, a woman pulling a handcart across the road’s far end who glanced at Beorn’s guards and kept moving, the citadel’s south wing visible ahead above the roofline.

"Whatever you want," Aestrith said, looking at the road ahead.

He said nothing. That was the answer.