Ansidrion on Yhako

            The next morning, Yhako required to meet with merchants for the as’shelik business, so he was out of the house as soon as the sun had risen.  It was rare, in those days, for me to have a moment alone with Ansidrion, as Yhako was in the home at nearly all times.  We took breakfast together, and I started right in on satisfying my curiosity.  “What does your Brotherhood plan?”  I asked.  “When you give them your night, what comes of it?”

            Ansidrion seemed to glowed at the mere mention of the Brotherhood.  “Well, dofit, just this night previous we found ourselves planning the evatarr.”  He paused, waiting for me to ask what this term meant.  I merely shrugged, so he continued.  “The evatarr comes from the Gringellic ewitterada, which, along with the tarbhasht, was perhaps the most important weapon of their revolution.  It is a commercial action, in which a person avoids giving his business to those who oppose him.”

            “Oppose him?”  I asked.  “Oppose him how?”

            “By holding opposing political views, of course.  The supporters of the Yiffen revolution avoided buying products from known supporters of the existing tyrannical government.”

            “I suppose this provides more resources for revolutionaries, while preventing them from falling into the hands of the oppressors?”

            “Precisely that,” Ansidrion said, nodding.  “And when the guilds of Rakka held all of the governing power in their hands, at the height of the revolution, the financial incentives of siding with the revolutionaries proved decisive.  The larger guilds supported the revolution, while those that did not faced an ewitterada so harsh that they failed, and were eventually overran by pro-revolutionary guild members.”

            “But our guilds are nowhere near as strong.  Most businesses in Ilepya are not even organized into guilds; how can an evatarr accomplish anything here?”

            “We do not need guilds, Federan.  We will merely compile a list of the families who have acted against us, and instruct our allies to avoid their businesses.  This list will even reach our allies abroad, and the people of Hillea and Rakka will not trade with them either.”

            “It does sound like quite a burden for our opponents.  Perhaps some of their businesses might be ruined, while others might be convinced to withdraw their support for the government.”  We were silent for a moment, as Ansidrion nodded with pride.  “But what if we can find no alternative to our opponents?”

            Ansidrion frowned at me.  “What is this?  What do you mean?”

            “What is every known family in a certain business opposes us?  The Doliths are an example—they produce all of the red beans in this part of the country.  Shall we no longer eat them?”

            “Of course we shall not!”

            “And what if we were to discover that every tailor from here to Pondital supported the government against us?”

            “Then we would learn to sew our own clothes.”

            I shook my head.  “I am not sure if you will convince many people to abandon their accustomed trades.”

            “It is not unreasonable to ask that people temporarily surrender a few luxuries for a cause as important as this,” Ansidrion scoffed.  “It is but a small sacrifice.  Perhaps you shall buy your bread from the enemy, but I know not where you will find your cash, as not a dorvdiyar from Father’s business will fall into their hands.”

            “Ansidrion, this is not what I intend.  Of course I will comply with it.  It is merely that—”

            “That you do not believe in it.”

            “But if you say it has worked before, so I shall trust you that it will work again, and I wish you the best of luck in it,” I said, attempting to recover his good will.”

            “Good,” he said brusquely, ripping a loaf of bread in two.

            The morning had only just begun and I had already alienated Ansidrion.  We had another hour or two alone, and I wanted to make the best of them.  We had not been particularly close since I first moved Ilepya, but I wanted to rectify that, and I had seen this morning as the perfect opportunity.  “I had not meant to challenge you, I merely wanted to understand.  There are many things that you understand better than I, after all.”  Flattery did not seem to have its desired effect; he gnawed on his bread, but his forehead remained furrowed.  “Yhako, for one, is a subject I should leave up to you to explain.  Do you believe he is content with his studies alone?”

            Ansidrion continued chewing.  Then, after a moment, he swallowed and raised his eyebrows.  “You mean to say his studies and his business?”

            “Yes, I suppose I do.  Is he content with this, what he has, forever?  I know that I desire to do greater things in my life, and you have already begun to undertake them by way of the Brotherhood.  Shall Yhako accomplish nothing more than reading and writing?”

            Ansidrion sighed.  “I believe he wants nothing more.  Yhako has always seen himself as a prophet.”  At this I smiled, recalling Yhako’s words about Ansidrion’s desired prophecy just the week before.  “He believes that he will achieve his most important accomplishments through his letters.  He is full of wisdom, as you know, and he believes that all he must do to change the world is to find the proper way of letting it out.  Let actions for others, he feels, for everyone is capable of action, but only few are capable of word.”

            “Do you believe as much?  Will he be satisfied in the end?  Will he accomplish anything?”

            “Federan, I wish you could have known Sirlay.”  Was I dreaming?  This seemed to be the exact conversation I had had the previous week, merely with my brothers switched.  “Yes, you know him through his letters, but he was much more than that.  He was a brilliant man; a man who could form an argument faster than you could pose your question.  Yhako and I were in awe of him in our youth, and now look at the shadow he casts over us.  He is a hero in a foreign land, and will probably soon be thought of as a hero here.  He has already accomplished all he ever can in life, and yet he has done more than I think I might ever do.”

            “Should that not inspire Yhako to do more with himself?  If Sirlay is his hero, should he not attempt to accomplish all Sirlay has?”

            “But firstly, Sirlay was always a student.  Sirlay loved reading, and as you have seen, he was quite a prolific writer.  Sirlay’s singular quest in life was the search of knowledge, and so Yhako has decided to pursue the same.”