Chapter 9: The Leech and the Engineer
"Elera, take this. Go buy some meat and vegetables," I said, handing her a few coins. "We're going to have a feast tonight."
She nodded eagerly and ran off toward the food stalls. Finn and I headed toward the hardware section to buy the construction tools we needed for the renovation.
Suddenly, a familiar, grating voice pierced the air.
"Asher! My best pal!"
I turned to see a man swaggering toward us. It was Gareth. In Asher's memories, this guy was his "best friend." In reality, he was a leech—a parasite who only showed up to suck every drop of money Asher had before disappearing.
"I heard the rumors!" Gareth grinned, his eyes gleaming with greed. "They say you won 50 silver coins! Why didn't you tell your best friend?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He looked down at Finn with disgust. "And what are you doing dragging these good-for-nothing siblings around?"
Smack.
He cuffed Finn on the back of the head. It was a casual, cruel habit. Finn flinched, trembling. He was too terrified to move; in the past, Gareth used to beat him up just for fun, and the old Asher would just laugh.
"Anyway, listen," Gareth continued, ignoring Finn's fear. "I found this incredible game. Your money is guaranteed to double! There is no way we can lose. Hand it over, and—"
He reached for Finn, intending to shove him aside again.
My hand shot out and clamped around Gareth's wrist.
"H-huh?" Gareth looked at me, confused. He tried to pull his hand back, but my grip was like iron.
"I told you," I said, my voice low and cold. "Everything changes from today."
"Asher? What are you—"
"I don't want to go to your game. And listen closely, Gareth. If I see a piece of trash like you near my brother or sister again… I will kill you."
The murderous intent in my eyes was real. Gareth turned pale. He realized instantly that the drunkard he could easily manipulate was gone. He yanked his hand free, stumbled back, and ran away in fear without looking back.
Finn looked up at me, his eyes wide with awe. I patted his shoulder. "Let's get those tools."
After buying the hammers and saws, we passed by a massive construction site near the river. A crowd had gathered. They were trying to build a stone arch bridge, but it was a disaster.
"Pull! Pull!" the foreman shouted.
Every time they tried to remove the wooden supports, the stones would slip, and the bridge threatened to collapse.
"You're doing it wrong," I said loudly, walking up to the edge. "The angle of the stress distribution is off."
The workers stopped. A man in fine clothes stormed over. It was Nicola Brine, the most respected engineer in the nation. He looked furious that a commoner dared to critique him.
"You think you know better than me?" Nicola spat. "If you know how to do it, then do it. But if you fail to fix it, I will rip your head off for wasting my time."
"And if it doesn't fall?" I asked calmly. "What do I get?"
Nicola scoffed. "If you fix this mess? I'll give you 150 silver coins."
"Deal."
I climbed onto the wooden scaffolding. I examined the center of the arch. The workers had cut the stones smoothly, but they hadn't accounted for the settling weight.
"Pull the ropes!" I commanded.
As the workers hoisted the stones slightly, I picked up four rough, jagged pieces of rock from the ground—rubble they had discarded. I climbed to the apex of the arch and jammed the jagged rocks into the gaps between the keystones.
"Drop the bridge!" I yelled.
The workers hesitated, looking at Nicola.
"Do it!" Nicola ordered, sweating.
They released the ropes. The wooden supports fell away. The massive stone structure groaned… settled… and locked into place perfectly. The four jagged rocks acted as wedges, distributing the weight evenly.
The bridge stood firm.
Silence fell over the construction site. Nicola Brine's jaw dropped. The workers stared at me as if I were a wizard.
I hopped down, dusted off my hands, and walked up to the stunned engineer.
"150 silver," I said, holding out my hand.
Wordlessly, he handed over the heavy bag of coins. I took the money, grabbed my tools, and signaled to Finn.
"Let's go home, Finn."