Read Online Suriax by Amanda Young - Free Book Online

the cooling rack.
    “That sounds wonderful,” Kern replied,
handing her some coins. He broke a piece of warm bread and took in
a deep, satisfied breath. The woman put a bowl of butter by his
plate and went back to her work. Kern ate slowly, taking seconds
when his first loaf was gone, and watched the people come and go.
Most stopped for a few minutes, exchanging a few words about their
families as they picked up enough bread and other baked goods to
last the day. A young elven boy came in through the back door and
began helping the old woman. She tousled his hair affectionately
and handed him some dough to knead. They worked in synchronized
silence, each anticipating the other’s movements and needs. “Could
you take down the supplies for the next batch?” the woman
asked.
    “Sure, Grandmother,” the boy answered. He
pulled out a step ladder and grabbed a large bag of flour from the
top shelf of a wooden cabinet. As small as the shop was, most of
the storage was vertical.
    The front door opened, and the boy stopped, a
look of dread and thinly veiled anger on his face. Four men, a mix
of half elves and humans, came in, snickering, They grabbed food
off the display shelves and ate without paying. The old woman
turned her gaze down, her cheerful spirit gone. “There you are,”
one of the men said. “You’re late.”
    “I’m helping my grandmother.”
    “Business must be very good if you can afford
full rent.” The woman’s eyes shot open with panic.”
    “You rotten son of a . . .”
    “Alnerand, no,” The woman put a hand on the
boy’s arm to stop him from advancing on the intruders.
    The door opened, a young girl humming to
herself as she entered. One look at the men inside and she turned
and left without a word. The leader of the group smiled. “Or we
could just stay here until you are done.”
    “Just go,” the old lady said.
    “Grandmother . . .”
    “I’ll be fine. You can go.”
    The boy ripped off his apron and left with
the men. The old lady went back to her work, stepping up on the
ladder to reach her pans. Kern rushed to her side. “Let me.” She
smiled gratefully and indicated the items she still needed.
    “Thank you. I’m sorry you had to see all
that. I can see you aren’t from around here.” She looked pointedly
at his clothes. “What brings you to Aleria?”
    “Visiting family,” he answered honestly. “Who
were those men?” Kern took at seat at the counter and accepted a
sweet roll and warm mead.
    The woman wiped the sweat from her brow and
got back to work on baking. “The main one is our landlord.
Originally his father owned the apartments where we live, but when
he died, his son took over. He forces every family to provide one
member as free labor in his other businesses and for personal
projects, or he dramatically increases the rent to the point where
no one can pay it.”
    “Why don’t you move?”
    “I’ve lived there all my life. Besides, there
is no where else I can afford to live. He owns many of the
apartments in the city, and the apartments he doesn’t own are much
too expensive. His father was a good, kind man. He knew what we
could afford and didn’t charge any more. But none of us had any
contracts in writing. On months where we could pay more, we would.
On those months where money was tight, he would let the rent slide.
He was an honorable man and we were all grateful for him. His son
is nothing like him. Without a contract, he could charge whatever
he wanted, and he does. None of us noticed it at first. He said he
would keep our rent the same, but he started to ask for free help
on his projects. Of course none of us argued at first. We were
accustomed to the give and take relationship we had before. It
wasn’t long before he began “asking” for help every day. Then he
stopped asking. Anyone who said they couldn’t work for him was
immediately given a new lease to sign, one with a rent triple the
current amount. But just listen to me go on and on.