Each day for two weeks, Tamza walked King Edgar around Vaasar, answering his questions, pointing out landmarks, showing him the artisan quarters, the Scribery where the scribes had invented a way to mark animal skin to record daily life, as well as the Record of Relics building where they kept interesting objects from their past. Each night, she danced for him. Sometimes just for him, sometimes in front of his high-ranking men. She repeatedly asked to see her bears, but was forbidden. Edgar assured her they were being taken care of, that his soldiers threw food over the enclosure fence.

Edgar was alert, suspicious, cautious. His reactions to any threat to his life were like lightning, instinctive. She tried again to smother him with a cushion, attempted to wrap her scarf around his neck to strangle him. Once she tried to pull his dagger, as she learnt his short sword was called, from its scabbard on his sword belt whilst she danced for him, but he caught her before she’d even drawn it a finger’s width out and had shook his head slowly.

Before she knew it, weeks had passed. And with every day that went by, Tamza’s will faltered, her courage waned.

Every walk around the town ended in the same place, by the sea. Edgar liked to check in on progress at the new boatyard, the original burnt to the ground. It was slowly being cleared and rebuilt, larger, to make bigger boats that would venture into the Sarenky Sea.

They were sat on the open rooftop of what used to be a thriving public eatery, looking over the harbour. Edgar gazed towards the frothy ocean. “Soon we’ll be conquering out there.”

Tamza, familiar now with conversing with this man, asked, “Why are you so obsessed with the sea? There is nothing out there but death and sadness.”

He snorted. “How would you know?”

“I had three older brothers, they went to sea. The eldest leaving his wife and two children behind. They went off to conquer the Sarenky, to find new lands, new peoples, on an adventure.” Tamza paused, remembering. It almost broke my mother’s heart, to say goodbye to them. But she wasn’t going to tell Edgar that. “They set off early one morning, the entire town crowded around the harbour to see them off. The biggest boat we had made, the furthest any Vaasarian dared to go. Our fishermen stayed close to the harbour. We watched as the boat, manned by twenty of our bravest men, disappeared out to sea.”

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Tamza took a deep breath, noted how Edgar was listening eagerly, hanging off her every word, and continued. “One week later a man washed up in a small row boat, he had left with my brothers. He was half starved and in shock. He couldn’t speak, only shook his head when asked of the others, and wept. This man died a day later. The sea claimed them all. My three brothers, dead.” And that did break my mother’s heart. She died a month later. Her death nearly broke my father. But he was strong, for me.

Edgar gazed at her and said, “Our boats will be better.”

Tamza pointed towards the boatyard, at the buzzing activity there. The Ferts scurried around one man, a Vaasarian, following his commands. A Fert soldier stood behind the boatbuilder, a sword in his back. Dabecki lounged to one side, no doubt drunk, translating. “Your men follow the instructions of the Vaasarian boatbuilder Farouk, he is who built our boat.”

Edgar shrugged. “That is so, but we will improve on his designs. You know, you Vaasarians are smarter than I thought. I should’ve kept more of you alive.”

“You regret the massacre?”

“No. I have Lian-by-Sea. I find your people curious with your many Gods and love for your rulers. I’m the God amongst my people, and I’d rather they fear me. This town is chaotically built, yes, but it is remarkable in its own way. If I’d realised you wouldn’t put up much of a fight, we could’ve taken it differently. Kept more people alive. But I assumed you’d battle or rebel, like the peoples I conquered in Fertilian. The only way to make them kneel is violence. You lot would’ve knelt if I’d asked, I’m sure.” He laughed at that, but Tamza was disgusted.

Edgar stood and walked over to the edge of the roof. It was a sheer drop down to the rocks below. He contemplated the sea, his back to Tamza.

She stood, crept forward and held out her hands.

A shove is all it will take!

She moved closer, fingertips hovering a hair’s breadth from the monster’s back.

Tamza hesitated. Fear rattled her insides, paralysing her. I can’t do it, I can’t take another’s life. She recoiled.

Coward. I’ve failed you father.