The bridge was folded against the far wall.
I saw that before I saw what stood between us and its release.
We had come through the split gallery in single file, following the service marks Tovin confirmed from his earlier work. The passage opened onto a ledge around a broad inner chamber. Below the ledge, a shallow sunken floor held broken posts and the remains of old practice fittings.
Beyond them lay a deeper gap. The folded bridge hung on its far side, with thick hinges fixed into sound stone. Behind it, an open arch led toward the outer service stair. That was the direction help was trying to reach.
On our side, a narrow walkway curved left around the sunken floor toward a separate platform. A lever stood on it inside a waist-high frame. A cable ran from the lever housing across the gap to the bridge mechanism.
