The Fall of Vaasar

Chapter 14

"Tamza?" Maryam's voice echoed across the hall where the Vaasarian Usefuls were still being kept.

It was cold in there, and the prisoners had made a sleeping area along the back of the hall, opposite the high square windows, where they could huddle together for warmth. Maryam sat up on her rags in one corner, and others stirred at the disturbance.

The moonlight filtered through the windows and Tamza squinted in the direction of the voice.

"Over here, Tamza." Maryam waved. Tamza went to her and the woman next to Maryam shuffled so Tamza could sit next to the healer.

Maryam hugged her tight and whispered, "We thought you were dead."

Tamza rested her head on the healer's shoulder. "I'm still alive, but they killed Ursah-bear."

"Why?"

"She killed Dabecki, and then eight more soldiers. They had her cub trapped."

Maryam sighed. "Nothing but death."

"I enchanted the King. I had the chance to kill him, but couldn't do it. I thought I could influence him with my enchantment, but it's not working and I don't have the tools or the ideas of how to cause his death. He is cautious and suspicious of me, even though he is under my spell. I disobeyed him tonight and he sent me here. My enchantment is failing, I've run out of time."

"We are all out of time, my dear."

"What do you mean, Maryam?"

"You cannot see in this darkness, but there are only fifty of us left. The Fert king brought his workers along to learn skills off our people. Once those skills have been passed on, we are no longer useful. Leeching our knowledge and destroying us one by one. I am fortunate, my healing ability to knit flesh, bone and muscles back together cannot be replicated. I spend my days healing Fert soldiers and workers with cuts or worse, and my evenings healing Vaasarians who have been beaten by those same Fert soldiers. I'm exhausted. We are all exhausted."

"So few of us left..." Tamza mumbled, shocked. "I should've killed Edgar many weeks ago... And then Burrington, and then Orpey. All of them, enchanted and dead."

"And then what, Tamza?" Maryam asked sharply.

Tamza was startled by the hard tone and didn't reply.

"And then what?" Maryam insisted.

Tamza hadn't thought about what happened after their deaths. She wanted everything to return to how it was, for her bears to be safe, for her father to be alive again. It was a foolish dream. Meekly she replied, "I... I don't know."

"Vaasar will never be the same, Tamza. Vaasar is no more. The Parchaders are not coming, and even if they do – will any of us still be alive? Doubtful. Tomorrow night, we will be no more."

"What?"

Maryam's mouth came close to Tamza's ear and barely audible she said, "I have permission to gather herbs from the palace gardens and from the edges of the woods to use in my healing. I have been gathering one plant in particular, and tending to it in the small workshop they have granted me. It is ready, and I have more than enough. I have been slowly smuggling it in." She patted a roll of rags that was acting as her pillow. "I could've been at peace weeks ago, but I've been making enough for everyone. How could I go knowing these people, my people, remained behind in so much pain? So, tomorrow night, we poison ourselves. We've all agreed. You can join us, if you wish. If not, you will be the only Vaasarian left alive, now Dabecki is gone."

"Poison..."

"Yes. We are miserable, we want to be with our kin again, with our Gods. Vaasar has fallen. It is no longer ours, we do not belong here." Maryam's voice was low, tired, dejected. It sounded old.