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Merchants of the Silent Shore

Chapter II

"You really need more sleep." The frizzy looking tabby with a large set of round spectacles put down the lantern on the counter next to him and grabbed a handful of dried leaves of a plant that smelled somewhat like peppermint with a hint of vanilla. He turned in his seat and grabbed a granite mortar and pestle, depositing the leaves and then beginning to grind them. "I know that three hours of sleep is normal for you, but it isn't healthy." He gave a sideways glance to his patient, a red fox with a black line of fur running from his tear ducts to the bridge of his nose.

His patient was sitting still in the corner of the room which was filled with shelves of books and had all kinds of herbs hanging on the walls alongside jars of remedies that could cure anything from aching joints to even plague if it was caught early enough. It all gave the candle lit room the smell that reminded the fox of his grandmother's home. She had a massive spice room that made the whole home smell.

"I don't have time for sleep," The fox stifled a yawn and then crossed his arms. His tail twitched behind him, a few strands of fur falling to the ground.

The doctor frowned. "You're going to look mangy before long if you keep losing fur like that and I can tell you now that it isn't mites." He ground the leaves until it was a fine powder that filled the room with its refreshing smell. Happy with the result, he emptied the pestle onto a sheet of thin paper. He used his paws to lift the edges of the paper and collect the dust into a fist-sized mound in the center.

"I don't need my looks to keep doing what I need to." The fox scratched his neck. More fur came away. He itched all over as if he was covered in mites, but the doctor was right, it was just lack of sleep. He hadn't had a full night's rest in over a year. As much as he would love to go home at sunset to his wife and his sweet daughter and then leave only once the sun was up, his duties were too important.

The doctor folded up the edges of the paper, bringing the corners together and then tipped it. The dust slid down the narrow crevice that was created and into a waiting jar. A few flicks of the claw got the last few stubborn flecks off the paper. A stone lid was placed on the jar and then the jar was set onto the table.

"You may not care about how you look, but the people do." The doctor took off his glasses and set them aside. "They need a leader that they can look to and see confidence, not this." He reached out and wiped off some fur from the fox's shoulder. "Don't let anyone else see you like this. The Church will take anything they can get to slander your name. We've both seen what they can do once they have what they need." The tabby was concerned for his old friend's well being. The war had taken a lot from everyone, but he was most concerned about him.

The fox gave a weak smile and grabbed a hold of the cat's paw, giving it a firm squeeze. "I'll be careful. I'm aware of what's at stake. Don't go thinking that I've gone blind yet." The two chuckled and the fox let go of the cat's paw. "Still. Thank you for your concern. It's nice to know that I still have friends left and not just followers."

The cat grabbed the jar and handed it to the fox. "Don't mention it. It's my job as your physician to care. Now, I need you to make time for sleep and then brew this into a tea and drink two cups before you go to sleep. It will help you stay asleep."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do." The fox hopped off of his seat with the jar clutched to his chest and walked out of the room.

The cat shook his head. He knew that the fox would try it one night, find that he slept longer than his liking and then never do it again. "He's going to work himself to death," The cat said to himself. "One day I wonder if Edwin Kelm will ever stop." He then smiled. "Stopping has never been his thing." He then went back to work. There was rumor that some new form of smallpox had appeared out in the trenches, ravaging the men. The cat had much work to do if he was going to stop it before it spread to the camps farther back.

Edwin Kelm walked briskly away from the doctor's small house and down the road towards his own. Friendly faces greeted him along the way and he did his best to reply to each and every one of them, but Carrenall was the second largest city on the continent after Melur, but it lacked the overabundance of space. The streets were packed with people, all minding their own business which usually ended up being food.

With the war going sourly and most of the fertile land a war zone, food was scarce. As much as possible was imported from the Guild States, but the high prices that the Farming Guilds charged made it hard to import enough food to feed everyone after the soldiers got their fill.

Ed was met with many thin faces, but they all looked at him with hope. They believed that he would pull through in the end because he had done so in the past and it tore at the fox to know that they relied on him. He wasn't sure if he could fulfill his promise this time. A promise of a land free of the Church and their false teachings where anyone could live unprosecuted and free.

The fox ended up on a larger street, heading uphill towards an array of larger and finely built homes of stone. Soldiers lined these streets, their armor made of leather bands with steels plates to protect the chest and arms. This was the officer's district. Once it had been where the clergy lived, but such people had been forced out long ago. Now the military leaders of the Rebellion lived there. All heretics in the eyes of the Church.

Ed nodded to the guards as he walked by and turned past a gate at a house about halfway up the hill. It was identical to all of the others except that it was less furnished. Ed could have taken the manor at the top of the hill that laid barren of life, but he didn't want to appear greedy. He was fighting for the people, not to fill his pockets with gold and his life with glamor. This house was perfectly fine.

"Papa!" A small light orange fox in a skirt ran out of the house, bursting through the doors. "Papa!"

Ed grinned and knelt down, carefully setting down the jar with his herbal medicine in it. "Annalys!" He said. "My sweet little Sugar Plum." He embraces the kit as she barreled into his arms. Her small arms wrapped around his neck and he lifted her up into the air and twirled her around and then set her back down.

"You're home early," He bopped him playfully on the nose with her finger. "You're never home early."

"Uncle Aldo made me come home early," Ed said and returned the bop with his nose.

"Really!" He squeed.

Ed nodded. "Says I don't get enough sleep, so he sent me home to get more."

"He's right. You always come home late and I try to stay up, but I just can't. Then you go before I even wake up." Her voice turned solemn for a moment, her tail dropping for a moment.

Ed felt tears at the edge of his eyes, but he willed them away. He knew that it was hard on her. She just wanted to be with him. He hardly got to spend time with her anymore.

Just as quickly as it had faded, Annalys' playful nature and goodwill returned. "Momma's made stew for us tonight." She tugged on her father's arm and he had to quickly scoop up the jar or risk leaving it behind as he let the kit guide him indoors. "She got fresh carrots this time. Fresh Carrots!"

Ed had to awkwardly shuffle and bend over while he was pulled due to the height difference. It put a kink in his back, but he didn't complain. This was quality time with his family and for a moment he felt like everything was normal. Back in the time when there was no war going on and he had been oblivious to the lies he and everyone else had been fed for generations by the Church. It was a simpler time and it was times like these that made his wish that he had never started the rebellion. Maybe ignorance really was bliss.

"Momma!" Annalys yelled out. "Pappa's home early. Uncle Aldo made him come home early."

Ed looked up to see a vixen appear in the hallway from the kitchen. She was wearing a tattered apron and holding a ladle in hand. Her once vibrant, sunset orange fur was fading and she had dark worry lines across her face. She hid a slouch whenever anyone was around to see her and Ed could tell she was doing that now. War hit even those who never held a sword and even then, she was more beautiful now than ever to Ed.

"Aldo, hmm?" She placed her hands of her hips. "Sometimes I think that he has more sense than you do. Maybe you should let him take over."

"Hello, Elrie." She let go of Annalys' paw and gave his wife a hug. He gave her an extra long squeeze until his daughter began tugging at the corner of his shirt.

"No fair. I want a hug." She reached up and Ed pulled her up into a hug between him and Elrie. She curled up into a ball and snuggled up against both of their bodies.

Elrie gave Ed a lick across the nose. "Dinner's ready."

"Stew." Annalys reminded Ed.

"With fresh carrots." Ed finished for her.

Ed couldn't remember the last time he had time to sit down and eat dinner with his family. Just the three of them around their small table that they had brought all the way from their old home in Melur. The hardy old thing of oak had been in his family for a long time. It was the family heirloom, not some necklace or another piece of jewelry. He could see small cuts in the wood from times when it was used as a cutting board. Tonight it was the dining table.

Elrie had set a pot of the bubbling stew of meat and vegetables, thickened with fat from the local butcher shop in the center. She made rice as well and each individual had a bowl of that as well. That was it. Normally a meal would have many side dishes, but no once could afford to indulge, so it was just stew and rice.

"It's delicious, El," Ed said as he spooned a mix of stew and rice into his mouth. It was just so good to have hot food. He had spent months at a time on the front lines before, keeping morale up and he did not envy their meals. Often cold since it was hard to even get firewood to them and it was mostly old bread with meat so salty that it dried the mouth instantly. Sandwiches were a favorite the last time he was there.

"Mm-hmm." Annalys nodded and ate with the vigor of a starving person or in this case, a fox with a high metabolism.

"I try." Elrie wasn't too proud of it. She had tried her best to make her mother's recipe, but she didn't have enough ingredients which made it taste bland to her, but it still made her happy to see it being enjoyed by her two most treasured people in the world. She had no regrets about where she was because at the end of it all, she still had them.

Ed heard the edge of disappointment in her voice and he understood. Elrie was from the Guild States where everything was available in great quantity. She was used to foods that had ingredients from all around the world. He used to joke that whenever she cooked, she brought the world to the table and that had always made her very happy to hear. He dreamed of the day that he could say that to her again.

"Are you going to be staying long?" Elrie asked Ed as he finished off his bowl and was reaching to get another.

"I think so," He answered.

He ears flattened a bit. It wasn't for sure. Anything could happen and it would drag him away from her for another night.

Ed winced at that and set the bowl down, having only half filled it. "I have some meetings tomorrow, but nothing so important that they can't be pushed until later." He internally cringed because his schedule was actually completely filled. Pushing anything back would shift his entire life back hours. It was worth it. For his family.

"We can spend all day together!" Annalys threw up her arms in excitement. She was going to be able to play for so long with her father and that made her so happy.

"Not all day," Ed corrected her, not wanting to make a promise that he would have to break. "But, I will spend every moment I can with you." He pinched her cheek lightly.

She swatted at the hand that was pinching her with a smile and broke down into giggles and Ed reached over to tickle her.

"Not at the table," Elrie said sternly. "I don't want any of this getting on the ground or you're both going to clean it up."

"Yes, mother." They said in unison with grins.

Some hours later, Ed laid down on his bed with a hot cup of tea in hand. He looked over to his right where Annalys was laying, her eyes closed and a pillow clutched tightly to his chest. She had a lot of energy and had demanded play for hours, but once she was out, she was out like a stone.

"I miss these moments," Elrie came out of the powder room in a nightgown. She sat down on the other side of the bed. "Just the three of us. No war. No politics. Just us."

"I do to." Ed took a sip from the tea and frowned. Despite its alluring smell, it was bitter and tasted like root. He set down the cup, thinking that he would just throw it back in one go right before going to sleep. "We'll have it again."

"When?" Elrie asked the question that had been at the back of her own throat so many times only to be swallowed back down again. "I don't want her growing up under this shadow."

"Soon," Ed promised. He had a feeling that it was coming to an end, but he had no idea who was going to win. The Guild States were meeting with an envoy from the Church to discuss exclusive trade rights. If it went through, then it would be the end of the Rebellion. It lived on the trade from the Guild States. No one else would open their borders.

If it did go through though, Ed had backup plans in place. It would be extreme and maybe even suicidal to the cause, but his contact on the inside of the Guild States was confident that it would work with enough support, which was why he was sending Velchak, the Pillar of Stone. A lot was going to happen in the next few weeks.

"What are you thinking about?" Elrie asked, recognizing the face that Ed always made whenever he was deep in thought.

He looked over at her and then at their daughter. "I'm thinking about the future."

Ed woke up to shaking.

"Wake up!" Annalys shook her father's arm. She was too small to shake his entire body, but it didn't stop her from trying. She grabbed him by the arms and shook, ignoring his fur problem that left patches of fur falling to the ground.

"I'm up." He waved his arms around, trying to get her to stop. "I'm up." He sat up and stretched his arms out. His head felt clearer that it had in months. That tea had really worked.

"You promised that you would play with me and now you've slept in," Annalys whined now that there was someone to whine to. "We've got to play!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Ed shook his head and wiped the gunk out of his eyes. It was bright in the room which was strange. It was normally pitch black whenever he woke up since he was an early bird. The sun must have been up for some time with just how much of it was getting in through the window.

Ed got up and changed into a comfortable shirt and pants all the while Annalys was doing her best to goad him to move faster. She was afraid that if he was too slow, he would have to go before he could play.

They played for just over an hour before the courier arrived.

"Who's that?" Annalys pointed from the front lawn towards the stag that was getting off of his horse with a satchel on his side.

Ed looked worriedly at Annalys. "Stay here," He told her and met with courier just outside of the gate.

"Sir," He gave a salute and then reached into his satchel and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "Message for you." He handed it to Ed and waited patiently.

"Is this it?" Ed asked and the courier nodded and Ed opened the message.

-The Messenger has left Melur and is heading towards the Guild States-

Ed's heart sunk. He had heard of this Messenger from the Gods. A hoax, no doubt, but it was gaining traction in all of the wrong places. Nations that had sworn support for the rebellion were starting slip after news of the Messenger had spread far and wide. It was rumored that he had weapons that no one, not even a mage could hope to stand up against and had wiped out and an entire army of corrupted by himself. Ed doubted as much, not many had made it through the portal to the other side before it was forced closed, but there was always a pinch of truth with each rumor. The Church was going to use him to push the negotiations forwards faster. This required immediate action.

"Do you have to go?" Annalys asked from across the yard.

"I'm afraid so." He said back to her. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned back to the courier.

"Everyone is expected to meet at the Hall, sir." The courier said without breaking stiff military posture.

"I'll be there."

The Hall used to be a church, but now it was a command center for the Rebellion. All symbols of the Church had been torn down and replaced with maps of supply routes and troop movements. The pews were now covered in crates of weapons and where the priest's podium used to be was a massive table that had two dozen seats around it, most of them filled now.

"The negotiations are going to fail." A tiger with only one arm yelled out, slamming his one hand into the table, shaking everything on it. "If there was any chance before, it's gone now."

"Are you saying that you actually believe that this Messenger has any merit?" A calm looking white rabbit with gray fur said. "He has none. Why should be be concerned."

"He has enough that the Church is letting him go," Edwin said. He was trying to diffuse the situation. Tensions had been really high since the failed portal attempt. Everyone was having their doubts and the threat of losing trade with the Guild States was throwing everyone at each other's throats. "He could very well sway the negotiations away from us even more."

"We are ssstruggling to make paymentsss." A snake, his bottom half coiled around the chair spoke, his tongue flickering out of his mouth at the end of each sentence. "The minesss are running dry of preshousss gold."

"We need to act now," The tiger stood up this time.

"Please sit." Edwin motioned with his paw. He didn't need everyone to start standing up.

The tiger looked at him for a moment before adjusting the straps on his chest piece and sitting down. "We can't sit idly by."

"We won't" Edwin assured everyone. "Our contact in the Guild States says that he's ready to act if the negotiations go poorly for us."

"You keep telling us about this contact you have. Who is he?" The rabbit asked.

"I would prefer not so say his name for his own safety, but I can assure you that he is reliable. Enough so that I have sent special instructions to him. If we are to rely on our backup plan then he is to kill the Messenger."