Chapter 989: Nana Refuses Ty as the Key

Nana came off the east stair as the brake handle jumped. She caught it before the chain slipped a tooth; the captive sled had reached the freight gate, its front shoe pressed against the main bar.

Every shove from inside made the brake chain twitch through the iron box beside the rail. A backward curl was cut into the brass collar of its handle.

Nana knew that mark from beneath Ty’s cloth. Its groove ran to the main bar’s catch. Elithira could lift the bar by seating her authority there, but Ty would fall under the old contract until the route challenge closed.

The person inside the cage pointed at its lower hinge, then put their hand on the inside latch.

"The sled is loading the gate; can you lift its inside catch?" Nana called.

"I can pull the door inward if you ease the chain first."

Nana pressed the brake handle down. The chain drew taut around the sled’s axle. The cage stopped rocking, but its front shoe stayed against the gate. Her split index seam caught a burr on the handle; she turned her grip and held on with her palm. There was no safe place to set the handle down. A new jerk would send the whole cage harder against the bar.

Under the table, a square pin held the manual catch down. Its sleeve had folded inward, trapping it at an angle. A chain from the gate ran over the counterweight. The pin had to slide sideways before the weight could lift the bar; the table would lose its only manual stop. If the sled stayed pressed against the gate, the pin would shear inside the sleeve.

Nana tried the pin with her damaged hand. It shifted less than a fingernail. A bright scrape opened along the metal seam. She let the pin go before the sleeve took skin with it. The hand closed as far as it could, then stalled. She opened it again and took the square head between thumb and palm.

Boots descended the long stair behind her. Elithira came around the cut with her sword still at her hip, taking the last step sideways to clear its guard from the wall. The red wire behind the hilt drew it toward the marked groove. Elithira held the guard shut with her thumb; the wire had left a red line across her palm.

"Seat my guard in that groove and the bar lifts now. The old contract claims Ty until the route challenge closes," Elithira said.

Nana kept her weight on the brake. "Keep the guard closed while I reach the service pin."

The captive pressed their shoulder against the cage door. "The cage latch is under my elbow; give me room to pull it toward me."

Elithira looked at the bent sleeve, then slid one shoulder under the table’s crossbar. The wire tightened against her palm. "Tell me when the chain eases, and I’ll hold the box level."

The table gave a short lurch. Nana drove the brake down before the chain could jump loose. The sled had more weight than she expected. A worn scrape ran along the gate bar where the shoe had struck it on earlier trips. The chain’s jerk hit the handle and jarred her thumb.

"I need the front shoe off the bar. Can you draw the door inward when I slacken the chain?"

"My shoulder can take one pull before it gives out."

Nana eased the brake one tooth. The sled rolled back a finger’s width. The chain slackened, and the front shoe lifted clear of the main bar. The captive pulled the cage latch toward their chest. It moved, but the main bar still held the cage door shut. Their elbow slipped off the door, and the cage rocked forward against the lock again.

Nana reached beneath the table again. This time, the square pin gave under her thumb. It traveled half its length, then wedged in the bent sleeve. The counterweight chain tightened above them; the sled slid forward and took the slack back. The captive jammed their right heel against the door and shoved, keeping the front shoe from loading the bar fully.

"Keep holding the door; the pin is halfway out."

"My arm is clear, so pull before the chain tightens."

Elithira’s shoulder bowed under the crossbar. The table tilted toward the gate. She set her heel against the wall and shoved upward. Her sword guard struck iron; the wire pulled hard across her palm.

Nana put her good hand on the pin. The other hand stayed on the brake, its seam split wider now. The cage rocked toward the bar. She pressed the lever down and hauled at the pin in the same breath.

The pin bent at the sleeve’s mouth. Nana changed her angle, dragging it sideways instead of straight out. Elithira held the box level. Inside the cage, the captive pulled the door in with both hands.

The pin snapped at the sleeve’s mouth. Its broken outer half jammed crosswise in the service control; the inner half tore free. Nana caught the brake before the cage could roll into the open gate.

The counterweight dropped into its well, lifting the main bar. The sled remained on its brake while the captive drew the cage latch up and pulled the door inward; Nana caught its edge before it swung against their injured arm.

Nana held the door while they stepped onto the stair. Their left arm stayed tight against their ribs. They stood still until both feet held. She drove the brake lever down until its ratchet caught, then tested the chain’s pull. The sled held behind the raised gate. Nana offered her forearm; the stranger took it for one step, then released her as soon as their weight settled.

The stranger moved to the service rail and tested it with their good hand.

The table shuddered around the broken pin. Nana returned to the brake and eased the handle upward just far enough to watch the broken half shift crosswise in the sleeve. The chain tightened; the gate bar stayed raised. She tried the square pin from the outer edge, but it had broken flush and left nothing to pull. She lowered the handle until the ratchet caught again. The sled held behind the gate, but the table could no longer stop another load or lower the bar. The gate would stay raised until a repair crew replaced the catch and tested the table.

"I’ll take the service rail on my feet; the cage door puts my bad arm against its hinge."

"The cage stays here; keep your good hand on the rail while I take the next stair."

The stranger studied the iron tracks. "The service rail reaches the account yard; I saw Rillhold stamped at its next table, though I don’t know who waits there."

Nana opened the recovery order she’d taken from the far landing. Cava Dren was to be returned to Rillhold. The blade holder was to be preserved. She folded the slip along its old crease and tucked it into her belt.

Elithira tested her palm against the sword guard. The wire had cut a red line across it. "The long stair stays open, so we can reach that table on foot."

Nana left the backward groove unseated. She took the Rillhold-marked service rail with the stranger; Elithira turned for the long stair, thumb pressed across the guard’s clasp. Both routes led around the freight well to its far table.

The next landing ended above a dry freight well. A brass tag on the far table read RILLHOLD. Between the two landings, a hinged bridge hung tilted above the gap. Its chain ran over a pulley; on the far track, a hook beneath the loaded sled caught a link and lifted the bridge as the sled moved. A slack bight sagged from the near run beside a deep-notched cleat bolted into the stone.

The stranger reached the landing first and caught the chain’s slack bight with their right hand. Their injured left stayed tight against their ribs. They hauled down, and the bridge lowered a little toward the stair.

"I can hold the chain, but you need to test the span."

Nana watched the bridge’s edge rise as the far sled pulled. The stranger held the chain with one good arm; if it slipped, the bridge would swing overhead again.

"Seat one link in that notch; I’ll cross first and test."

The stranger braced against the wall and pulled the bight down. They hooked one link over the cleat and caught the next in its deep notch. The bridge lowered against the far sled’s pull and held.

Nana crossed first, one hand on the side rail. The bridge flexed beneath her, then stopped. She tested its edge with her boot from the far landing. The cleat held.

The stranger followed, using their right hand on the rail and keeping their injured left close to their ribs. The cleat groaned under the load but kept the bridge down.

The Rillhold tag swung when Nana stepped off the bridge. Elithira came onto the far landing from the long stair, her thumb still across the guard’s clasp. The stranger followed Nana only after she tested the bridge; then all three took the service stair down, Elithira carrying Ty’s sealed authority behind them.