The stack on the desk had grown since last week.
Heinrich's notation on the top page was as efficient as ever. Three words. Two figures. Then a summary that organized everything beneath it. Beorn didn't need anyone to tell him what it meant. Heinrich had already come, already done the work, and already left.
That routine had become part of the winter without either of them ever discussing it. Reports waited before Beorn arrived, leaving the morning free for decisions instead of briefings.
The sounds of the foundry drifted through the window despite the early hour. The first shift had begun before dawn, and the steady rhythm had become as familiar as the boots echoing through the corridor outside. Cold still clung to the stone wall. It would take several more hours before the building gave that heat back.
Beorn took his seat and opened the ledger beside the stack.
The first document was Heinrich's updated census cross-reference.
