Chương 56: CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: THE THIRD WINTER PREPARES ITSELF

October brought the preparation rhythm that Marcus had now run twice — the grain assessment, the woodpile calculation, the garrison readiness review, the medical supply inventory. The rhythm was more efficient in the third year than it had been in the first or second, because the institutional knowledge was now held by multiple people rather than by one person running parallel calculations. Marta's numbers were produced automatically, without Marcus having to ask.

Hollis's garrison review was in his inbox on the first of October, as it was every October. Washington's pharmaceutical inventory was formatted for comparison with the previous year's figures, showing consumption rates and production projections. Okafor's medical readiness assessment covered the specific vulnerabilities of the coming winter based on the patterns she had been tracking. Marcus read all of them and aggregated them into the picture he presented to the council in the second week of October.

"Better than last year," he said.

"Better than the year before in most categories." He paused.

"Not adequate in two. The garrison is at twenty-eight plus Hargrove's ten. We're below the number Hollis has identified as optimal for the northern defense scenario. And the pharmaceutical operation's tier two capacity is still below the demand I project for a hard winter."

"The garrison gap closes in spring," Hollis said.

"The recruitment pipeline is producing — I have six candidates in assessment currently, three of whom I expect to qualify. With the ten from Hargrove we're at thirty-eight. That's not optimal but it's significantly better."

"The pharmaceutical gap," Washington said.

"I need two things. The still is at capacity for the current distillation method — I need a second unit to expand tier two production. And I need a consistent supply of one specific plant compound that I've been sourcing through the market and that has seasonal availability issues." She paused.

"The second still Briggs can build in two weeks. The compound supply is a cultivation question — I need to start growing the plant rather than gathering it." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Where?" Marcus said.

"The kitchen garden behind the castle has the right light and drainage," Washington said.

"And there's a corner of the south field that Briggs assessed as low-productivity for grain that would work well."

"Both approved," Marcus said.

"Talk to Aldwin about the kitchen garden and to the field steward about the south corner." The meeting continued through the standard agenda. Midway through the security discussion, Hollis raised a point that Marcus had been expecting.

"The winter incursion pattern from last year," Hollis said.

"The scouting behavior. I want to add a forward observation post to the northern patrol circuit — a fixed position closer to the Ironfen boundary, staffed by two soldiers in rotation, with a signal capability to the main garrison."

"What does the Ironwyrm think about that?" Danny said, from his end of the table. Everyone looked at him.

"It's been monitoring the Adversary's behavior continuously," Danny said.

"If we're adding a forward position, it should know — because it might have intelligence that changes the optimal location." He paused.

"We have an alliance. We should use it."

"I'll raise it at the next meeting," Marcus said. He looked at Hollis.

"Hold the final positioning until after that conversation."

"Noted," Hollis said. After the session, Danny waited until the room emptied and then said to Marcus: "I want to come to the next Ironwyrm meeting."

"You came to the first one," Marcus said.

"I want to come to all of them," Danny said.

"Not as an observer. As a participant." Marcus looked at him. He was twelve years old in body, with a craftsman's hands and a teacher's eyes and the specific gravity of someone who had been doing important work long enough that the work had become part of how he was built. He had been on the council for two months. He had been part of the organization since the beginning in the way that only someone who had grown up in it rather than joined it could be part of something.

"Why?" Marcus said. Not to challenge — to understand the reasoning.

"Because the Ironwyrm is the thing in this situation that I understand best," Danny said.

"Not the politics, not the military questions, not the governance. But the Ironwyrm — a mind that doesn't fit the categories the world provides, that was something in one context and is something different in another context, that is figuring out what it is in the form it has—" he paused "—I understand that specifically." Marcus was quiet for a moment.

"Yes," he said.

"You come to all of them."