The Register and the Road

Reka, her fingers stained with ink, handed Gammar the register of entries into the town. The Commander of the Guards opened it at the latest page and immediately spotted a blank space: a cart had entered, its load had been counted, but its place of origin had not been recorded. Lekun, a small dark-haired man who had copied out the report, explained that the gate guard had told him nothing unusual had been noticed. “I didn't ask whether it was unusual,” Gammar replied. “I asked where it came from.” The request seemed modest until someone tried to answer it. Reka set the incomplete sheet aside without filling the gap with a guess. Lekun undertook to question the guard as soon as the shift ended. “Nothing happened,” he observed. “I hope so,” said Gammar. He closed the register. “Our job is to find out what happened even on the days when nothing happens.”