To Serve or Protect - Tales From the Kingdom of the Red Sun

Intallment 3

Installment 3

Tamira stood at the head of the wide table with her advisors lining either side like rows of potted plants, neatly planted between wide rows in the wood, they were differentiated only by the garb of their native cultures. There were dozens of them packed into the Great Hall creating a sweltering air of body heat despite the arched ceiling. Their eyes focused on her, wanting, curious, waiting with bated breath for her to speak.

 Under the flowing blue gown, Tamira's fur bristled and her knees trembled. Herbivores and carnivores alike studied her with pointed stares as though what would come from her lips would determine their future and the future of their families. This is what she paid them for, from the city's treasury. They answered to her, of course they expected command and direction and prepared to offer their views and advice on matters.

 She took a deep breath, feeling the pinch of her corset. This was her duty, to lead and be a driving force of her city. She could do this. Deep breath. . .

 And begin: “I called you here,” her voice was firm, strong even to her over sensitive ears. “Because we have an issue that could unsettle the fabric of our city-- I say our city because it is all of us affected by this. From the common street urchin to the highest noble, of every gender and species--”

 “Even the smoothies?” Someone guffawed. “Unlikely!”

 Tamira's right eye twitched. “You. Stand up and identify yourself.”

 No one moved.

 She inhaled deeply through her nose. She could handle this, she just needed to keep composed. Patience was a virtue, she could be virtuous if she tried. Just a little patience. . .”

 Finally, reluctantly, a jackal stood. Her finance minister.

 “I will not say this again so listen well. My father believed that all species had a right to a voice in the lands which they resided in. That they be treated fairly and with due respect. We extended that very same courtesy to your kind when we took in the refugees fleeing from the south, did we not Minister Mcshawl?”

 He shifted slightly, his black coat catching sheen in the torchlight. “Yes, my Lady. For which we're grateful.”

 “We are beholden to those we rule over as much as long as we are fit to rule them. Choose whether you serve or protect, you cannot do both. . . Do I make myself clear?”

 “I--”

 “I believe what the Minister is saying--” Richard stood up and straightened out his frock. Tamira blinked, when had he come in? “is that racial tensions of all types will always exist and we must be aware of the differences we can't change.” He flashed a smile directly at her. “We can celebrate our differences as much as our similarities, can't we, Minister?”

 He eyed the human, bared his teeth for just a second. Abruptly he laughed. “Right! Right you are!”

 The muscles between Tamira's shoulders loosened. “Since I know none of you have met my new aide, allow me to introduce mister Richard of Toth. . .” At the confused looks she received she nodded. “Toth, sent here as a. . . good will gift by the Princess herself. I expect you to treat him as you would me.”

 “You're going to make me blush, my Lady, but if we might return to the matter at hand?”

 Tamira slid her hands behind her back and clasped them there, suddenly feeling exposed as the eyes of her advisors settled on her once more. “Lumax has been offering local merchants bars of Star Iron to have them reduce costs for ten months. This is going to result in massive and sweeping changes in the balance of our economy. Merchants have already started reducing their workforce of local labor and paying those they do employ significantly less than they were earning even a month ago” She clenched her wrist tightly behind her back. “I need not stress this more strongly that if we loose our labor force because merchants and employers are unwilling to pay them a living wage, we will be insolvent within four seasons.”

 No one said anything.

 “Further to that and more importantly still, we do not have the resources to compete with that kind of offer. Of the dozen merchants myself and mister Richard investigated, all had been made the same offer and were even given down payments on request. For those not familiar, Lumax is the most powerful economic city-state in the entire Kingdom. What we make in four seasons their Baron would spend on a common dinner for guests. . .” She took a deep breath. “We are in need of solutions, ideas, the who and how and most importantly why.”

 Typically affairs like this would have the entire hall in an uproar of noise. One advisor would blame the direct opposite of their purview; the labor minister would blame low demand, the trade minister would blame high tariffs and the tax collector would blame lowered trade. So when no one said anything, the hair on Tamira's neck bristled at stiff attention.

 Someone coughed in the crowd.

 “My Lady, if I may?” Richard stood.

 “Please.”

 “I've been doing a cursory investigation in my off hours and so far, we've come to the conclusion that Lumax is offering these merchants incentives that would deliberately cripple us--”

 “But why? They're a staunch ally and they use our trade routes regularly. They need our port--” she frowned. “You are not seriously suggesting that they plan to take over our ports, are you?”

 “I'm afraid I don't know, everything points to a concerted effort to lower income for the commoners and labor unions by using market forces and doing it in such a way that, if we were to interfere, we'd--” he eyed her with an uncertain expression. “ah. . .”

 “We,” she nodded sternly.

 “We would be made to look as though we were trying to stifle or control the market.”

 “Mmm. . .”

 “We could hire some of our own labor unions.” Her financial advisor, an overweight badger with a tendency to stain his own coat with sweat, murmured. “It would be costly but it's not the first time we've done so.”

 “We haven't the money for ten months! Even tapping into the gold reserves, we'd be broke!”

 One voice ran into another and soon Tamira found herself standing in a maelstrom of sound and noise. Arguments, gripes, accusations and all manner of conversations in between. She stood there, silent and simply took it all in, knowing it would be some time before they were ready to have a more controlled conversation about the problem.

 From the deepest recesses of her mind she heard a tiny whisper in a voice not at all her own. “You're being played.”

# # # #

Thank you very much for downloading this piece of my fiction, I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. If you would like to check out some of my other works, including those set in this world and others, you can find them at http://johnenright.info