Night Watch Vector

Night fell over the study, but the map contours from earlier remained in my thoughts. I moved from the oak table up to the high windowsill to verify the outer sightlines toward the northern ridge. Beside the heavy sash, an old brass drafting divider sat wedged upright in the wooden runner, its sharp needle caught in dried paint. I braced my boots against the sill, slid the flat spine of my sword against the steel hinge, and levered once. The pivot yielded with a dry click. I laid the instrument flat across the painted timber, its pointed tips aligned precisely with the distant river bluff beyond the glass. A reliable bearing established.