Chapter 35

~Erik~

"How red was his face?" Davidson's fingers gripped his pint glass, the knuckles blazing white. Gathered in the tavern around him the rest of my build crew plus Gallo and Nadir leaned forward in the lantern's limited light. "Come on, you can't leave it there, Master Erik!"

Seated on the stool my back resting against the corner, I pretended to brush off some debris from the gray wool vest I wore over my thick wool Henley. Soon, soon I could invest in the attire I longed for. But for now, Reed's gift remained reserved for those important moments when I had need to impress. Here, in this tavern, toasting the victory with my crew was not that time. These men had sweat and bled beside me. A suit would have been a barrier.

The demands for details grew more insistent.

I held my hand up. Their was immediate silence.

"Have you ever seen the inside of a ripe tomato?" They nodded. "VanHollus's cheeks were as bright and plump as any I have ever seen. Eyes as angry as a tiger who lost his rabbit of a meal to the talons of the eagle he never saw. Huffing and puffing in great lungfuls of air at nearly the cost of the buttons on his vest. I pity the vest for the strain it undertook. The poor man needs a tailor better suited to dressing an aristo-crass of his leisure."

O'Hennesey rolled his eyes, placing his hand on his chest. "What I wouldn't've given to have been there. To have seen how angry his untouchableness was when Hart called for your deed. You earned the honor to witness his foundations being shaken to the core. That was all your brilliant design."

"I did not build it alone, Gentlemen." Lifting the glass of whiskey, I nodded. "A good part of this victory goes to the ambitions of this crew." Albrecht and O'Hennesey cast prideful glances at their respective men.

"A pox on VanHollus and his ilk!"

"Someone should shoot that turkey and stuff his carcass."

"Gentlemen." I interjected with mock solemnity. "Take care, for we owe that man a debt of gratitude."

They stared blankly at me as I took a long sip from the glass, savoring the strong vintage. I eyed my glass for a moment before lifting it high with a smile. "I propose a toast to VanHollus."

The men darted confused glances at one another. In a gradual tide they half-heartedly lifted their pints.

"Truly we owe this man tribute. For we began this venture with a goal in mind, to prove to VanHollus that he does not have the power to control this island, nor the men whose livelihoods were threatened to be buried on the whim of his judgment against their bosses." The whole lot of their faces soured. "Men like me eager to utilize hard won skills. When VanHollus chose me as the target of his game, he failed to realize the consequences of his imminent failure. In his arrogant haste, he opened up an unprecedented opportunity for us all, which you men were wise enough to seize. Not only has VanHollus's cocksure demeanor resulted in his failure to claim a contract, it has done so in the most public way possible with a childish display that, thanks to Gallo's keen ears, we are privy to. Your salute, my vital friend, is forthcoming! I digress … throughout this year all VanHollus has achieved is revealing the kind of man he truly is. His company will suffer from it. For, a man's worth is deemed by his character. VanHollus may display the finery of a peacock, but that is the most destructive cuckoo I have seen in all my travels. And so, say I to VanHollus, thank you for such a fine public display to bring the attention of the social elite our way. For even before departing from Hart's bank I had no less than three men approaching me for contracts for the next building season."

Their eyes widened, hungry and full of hope. They thrust their glasses into the air. "Three cheers for VanHollus!" And we all drank deeply.

"Let me tell you something else that men like VanHollus do not understand, men who sit idle pulling the strings of the world without a thought of the consequences. Empires are built by the men who bleed for them. The only way to ensure a dream withstands the torrents of time is to lay the foundation in hard work and skills. Anything less and the accomplishment is not worth recognition. We stand on the cusp of my ambition, that Shadowcrest Industries becomes synonymous with quality."

A few of the men looked at each other and murmured, "Synon … "

Albrecht replied, "It means to define it. Master Erik wants us to be the best in this city."

"We are the best." I placed my bare hand, still raw from the blisters that were not permitted to fully heal all through the summer, on Albrecht's shoulder. "And we shall prove it! This is not something I can do alone. My dream is too vast for that. But if every man here, and the ones who join our ranks over the winter, share the same ambition, than men like VanHollus can insult us from dawn and dusk … no one else will be listening. They will be dazzled by our works! That is what I mean to achieve."

In a deafening cheer, they rose to their feet, applauding and clinking their glasses. Reaching into my pocket, I waved Gallo to me and in the commotion placed a small sack of coins into his hands.

"I owe you so much more than that. For truly, without your keen whispers it would have been far more troubling staying ahead of VanHollus. You are an intricate part of this victory and I would be remiss in not saying so."

He tugged on his neck scarf with a grin. "Hearing how you waltzed into his vault to prove it wasn't secure was reward beyond price. You hit that bleeder where it counts the most and though he's likely to try, I don't think he'll be getting back up again. It was an honor, Sir. A real honor and I look forward to the coming years."

I inclined my head. "You intend to remain an informant of mine?"

"Heh, keep telling me stories the likes of that and it'll be my pleasure! That's something in short supply, pleasure. Take it where I can get, thank you very much."

I raised my glass, "Indeed. Then, a toast to you, my invisible friend."

He chuckled, lifting his pint glass. "I'll bleed those entitled pricks any way I can. If a bleeder so much as takes a shit you will hear of it."

"Colourful." I took a sip of the whiskey. Loyalty. With that alone, a man can build and destroy empires. Next summer this city would learn.

~Nadir~

Days had passed since Erik's victory celebration with his crew. For some foolish reason I had assumed he would rest. Yet, I discovered the apartment was empty nearly as often as before, Erik only present late at night, vanishing once more in the mornings before I rose. It was true, he had contracts to secure, but none of those would begin until the spring. I considered that at least one of his tasks would have been repaying Reed for his generous investment from the funds he had received from Hart. Though I had not been privy to the amount, Erik assured me it had been a wise investment. His mens' previous concerns for working without pay were quite unfounded! Though he had been using Reed's investment to pay their weekly labor, they too would be receiving something from Hart's payment.

I was halfway up the last flight of stairs when an hysterical ruckus hastened me. It was coming from our apartment.

"Erik!" I fell into the doorway, the hinges practically rusted remnants with only a memory of being metal. Immediately I was greeted by the sight of Erik doubled over on the floor. He was shaking … trembling. The sound between his gasps were impossible to place. I bent down, my hand wrapping his upper arm. "What's wrong?" Had he been trying to quit his opium? Had someone hurt him? There was no sign of a struggle. I narrowed my eyes, listening to the strangest sound I had ever heard.

Erik was … laughing.

On his hands and knees, the man was consumed with mirth to the point of tears streaming through the eye holes of his mask. Gasping for air, he clung to me, holding up a hand to show he was trying to collect himself and clearly failing.

"Good heavens, what has taken hold of you?"

But I was forced to wait several minutes as Erik's hysterical laughing fit refused to be mastered. At last he brought himself to his knees, holding on to my arms as he faced me gulping in air. "Nadir, Nadir, Nadir! Once in a great long while the stars align!"

He was shaking he was so excited. "Yes … well, I should love to know what it is the stars have done. For your reaction, it must be something."

Patting one of my shoulders he collected his breath again. "Oh it is, it is, my loyal friend. My trusted friend!" Erik was positively … giddy! "Reed has been repaid."

"Yes, well, of course he has been."

"The men have all been paid in full, with a little extra to keep them loyal through the winter."

"Of course, and I am sure they appreciated that." None of that was cause enough for this euphoric condition, certainly not in Erik!

"New carts have been ordered, along with wood to construct more cranes." Words flowed faster by the moment.

"Yes, Erik. Your business is growing, like you said that it would." Beneath my hand I felt the racing cadence of this heartbeat carried away on a maddening pace. "What is it, Erik?"

Grasping my arms so tightly it threatened to snap my bones, he stared me right in the eyes. "There was enough left over. I commissioned the casements."

The casements? I cocked my head, the English word unusual to my ear. Then I remembered, it was a certain type of window.

A window? For Allah's sake since when was something as simple as glass and wood worthy of such an unabashed breakdown.

When I continued to stare blankly, he shook me til my teeth rattled. "Do you not know what this means?"

I shook my head.

Erik released me and flung his hands up into the air. "In two days time we are leaving the Bowery. Forever!"

I forgot to breathe. Falling forward onto my hands, I gasped for air before I too dissolved into joyous laughter.

Climbing to his feet, he held his arms high as he strolled through the wretched little living space. "Say goodbye to this reeking tenement of crumbled hopes and dreams. Leave behind this dismal waste of a building unfit for even a rat to dwell in! Nadir … in two days time we will be free, living on land I own in fresh air, far from the prying eyes of society. Privacy!"

I thrust my hand toward the door and gasped out, "No more endless flights of narrow stairs! Hahah!"

Leaning out the window, Erik hung his fingers on the wood frame. "I will not miss this. Not for how hard I have worked for this goal!"

Even in my own euphoria, I could not fail to see the half-healed condition of his hands. The price he had paid to ensure victory. To unshackle himself from the stigma of Bowery immigrant … I looked at my own hands merely coated in soot.

Two days … may they past swiftly.