THE FIRST SPARK

AUTHOR’S POV

The water stopped flowing shortly after midday.

At first, Elena assumed someone had simply forgotten to refill the storage tanks. Haven's water system was old, and the pipes had been patched so many times that she had lost count. Every few days, something needed repairing, tightening, or replacing.

But when she went to check the main storage barrel, she found it nearly empty.

She opened the tap.

Nothing came out.

Not even a drop.

"That's not good," Garrick muttered beside her.

"No, it isn't."

Elena crouched beside the pipe and examined the connections. The main line ran from a spring farther up the mountain, passing through a series of old channels before reaching Haven. They had cleaned the filters and repaired two leaks since taking over the settlement, but the system had never been reliable.

Now, with the Blackthorn survivors arriving, the situation had become more urgent.

They needed water for drinking, cooking, cleaning wounds, and keeping the infirmary sanitary. Without a steady supply, their carefully organized routines would begin to fall apart within a day.

"How much water remains in storage?" she asked.

"Enough for drinking until tomorrow morning, if everyone is careful. Less if we include cooking and the infirmary."

Elena straightened.

"Then we need to find the problem before sunset."

Garrick rubbed the back of his neck.

"The main line runs through the lower ravine. If a section has collapsed, we might need to replace part of it."

"How long would that take?"

"Depends on the damage. A few hours if we're lucky. Longer if the ground has shifted."

"And if we're not lucky?"

"We carry water from the spring until we can repair it."

Elena looked toward the mountain path.

The spring was not far from Haven, but the route crossed a narrow stretch of ground where a landslide had damaged the old maintenance path. The last time they had inspected it, Garrick had warned her that the slope was unstable.

Sending a team to investigate was necessary.

Sending a team without understanding the danger was foolish.

"Get two people to bring the repair tools," she instructed. "I'll inspect the lower section with them."

Garrick frowned.

"You're going yourself?"

"I'm the one who knows how the system was repaired last time."

"You can explain it to the team."

"And if the damage is more complicated than we expect, we'll waste time going back and forth."

"We can't afford to lose you to a collapsed hillside."

Elena gave him a tired look.

"And we can't afford to lose our water supply. I'll be careful."

Garrick did not appear convinced, but he nodded and went to gather the tools.

Elena returned to the infirmary long enough to inform Lydia of the problem. They agreed to ration the stored water until the supply was restored, using boiled water for essential medical procedures and postponing unnecessary cleaning.

Then Elena collected her gloves, a small toolkit, and a coil of rope.

She was crossing the yard when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Where are you going?"