22 The Beas (1/2)

Li sat on one end of a round table. It reminded him of a coffee table except the people of Soleil didn't regularly drink coffee. That was a rare import from the west and reserved for the aristocracy or wealthy. Instead, he took a wooden cup in his hand and sipped some beer.

It tasted like wheat-flavored water. Far more diluted than modern beer, but Li had never drunk beer for the taste anyway, so he just drank it in appreciation of the fact that the builder was willing to pour out a glass for him.

The builder sat opposite from Li and he downed his beer in one big gulp before taking a shaking hand to take a pitcher and refill the foamy golden liquid as quickly as it had gone.

Li raised a brow. ”We're still negotiating here, you know. You can't get all drunk on me now.”

”Apologies, sir, just easing the nerves,” said the builder.

”You always call people sir? My name's Li, and I'm getting a little tired of just calling you, well, 'you'.”

”Charles, sir, and forgive me, it's habit from working a service job.” The builder took a sip of his beer.

”If you don't mind, I'd still like to call you sir. Professionalism and all.”

”Fine by me.” Li shrugged. ”It won't make me ask for any less, though.”

”I'm fine with that, sir,” said the builder as his eyes wandered again.

”You're still worried? Relax. You're in the comfort and privacy of your home,” said Li as his eyes

wandered, taking in the builder's cottage. It lay at the very edge of the main road, right when the dusty path merged with the towering trees of the Winterwood. Despite its relative remoteness, its walls were built with brick and its roofs shingled with tiles. In contrast, the average cottage made do with mud brick walls and thatch roofing. ”This is a surprisingly nice place, too. Build it yourself?”

Charles nodded several times as he flashed his chipped-tooth smile. ”Aye, sir. All my handiwork. And me crew, of course. They're as important as my hands.”

”Your crew must miss you. I can't imagine you can go to work with this whole monster situation.”

”Another reason why I beseech you for your aid, sir. My crew, they're talented with their hands, but they need someone to give them directions. Without me, they lose focus. A few days gone, aye, they can manage, but a week? Just two days ago, they botched a roof repair. Big hole in the roof – a thunderstrike – and they patched it up right beautifully but used the wrong wood. Soft wood. Already starting to rot.”

”Then it's best we get this over with quickly, no? Every second you spend holed up in here is a second you lose making money.” Li moved his beer aside. ”Let's get this straight. What are you putting on the table for me to solve your problem?”

”Anything.”

Zero hesitation. Li nodded slowly as he read the builder's expression. Charles truly was desperate. His wide eyes, even in his own home, shifted about with wary energy, as if the beast was about to just burst through the walls and claw at his throat. Dark bags that spoke of sleeplessness underlined each of his eyes. His fingers tapped rapidly against the beer mug he held close to his chest.

”Okay, now I don't understand. If you're this desperate, why haven't you moved out yet?” said Li. He was going to just keep pressuring Charles, laying out what he wanted and then telling him that he had to do it all unless he wanted to face constant torment, but his sheer desperation was pitiable. ”You could move closer to the city. That's where you have most of your business, isn't it?”

”The land closer to the city is much too expensive, I'm afraid,” said Charles. ”The crown does subsidize much of the price of land for those wishing to land to farmland, but I come from a line of craftsmen, sir. I've no idea how to farm.”