A Long Road Chapter 16 Ficbit – Flood Control

He’d never been this far west. So many trees.

Though apparently there were fewer now near the village than there had been weeks ago. Fresh stumps trailed uphill into the forest, and there were a dozen new lean-tos against fresh rock walls, sheltering green wood to dry for later-

Alberich tore his gaze from new stonework, studying the trail of stumps again. Huh.

:Chosen?:

:Either the Wen have good foresters, or Rabbit Hole does and they have helped,: Alberich noted. :The people here cleared roots and all for the new buildings, but left the roots in every slope. And the trees they chose to cut-:

:When the spring rains come, the earth’s going to stay put,: Kellen followed his thought. :If resentful energy flows like water, and the way they handled the river-ghosts it likely does….:

:Then they have studied how water flows, how to divert it, and how to keep it from running wild,: Alberich finished. :What floods will come, will be guided away from the road.:

As a captain who’d had to bring troops across every kind of terrain, he approved. Yet as a Herald and Weaponsmaster who knew how much loss Wei Wuxian had suffered, he had to wonder at how easy good roads made it to bring troops in without warning.

:Oh, I’d bet it wouldn’t be nearly so easy for enemies.: Kantor’s mindvoice was desert-dry. :I’d bet, in fact, that there are traps and pitfalls about this whole town that we’ve never even seen before. Most of his enemies can fly.:

Hmm. And how much did Rabbit Hole know of those enemies? For all that the town elders were busy with the Queen’s Own and making sure everyone would have lodging, they were keeping a very close eye on the Nie. And Lan Wangji.

Though those eyes softened when Wei Wuxian’s smaller bundle blinked at the Lan cultivator and lit up. “Rich-gege!”