Ravel Two showed its low ledge on the third crossing bell. Holl counted two lamps where the house crews needed three.
House Twelve had lost its floor signal.
He locked both shortened fingers outside the brake teeth and brought Ty's cradle to the roadback skin. Ravel Two passed below them with its houses bolted along a gray hide ridge. Each roof faced the migration roadback now. By the next bell, every front door would become a floor.
Todd clipped Parel's copied strip to the forward rope. The copper groove pointed toward the dark house between the two working lamps.
Jade took the rear line. Nessa stood beside her with an empty chain loop around the wrist where the field finger usually hung. Vessa had kept the plated joint inside livestock escrow. Nessa had crossed half the roadback without looking back at the animal deck.
"Right hand takes yellow. The rest stays inside."
Ty closed four fingers around the line.
"I have four useful fingers and a strong dislike of open crossings."
