Simon and I stand on the pier in Kivs, the cold ocean breeze making the world seem calm while we watch the last human ship make its way back home with a handful of magic crystals.

  ‘How long before they come back here?’ I ask Simon.

  ‘A month at best, maybe longer depending on the crew.’

  ‘Why would that matter?’

  Simon shrugs, ‘I dunno, I don’t know how humans do things regarding sailing. I’m a diplomat, not a fisherman.’

  I chuckle at his joke. Good to see that he has a funny bone in his body outside of work. And to give him credit, he has been more serious and less eccentric in his new job. His serious demeanour makes the other Dogs have more respect for him, or at least they recognise his authority.

  The ocean’s waves clash against each other, and seagulls squawk as they dive into the water and emerge with a fish in their beak. I wonder if there is food in the waves; perhaps we can get something out of there.

  ‘When will the dodads arrive?’

  ‘A week, maybe more.’ Simon replies. ‘They’ll be here any day now, but they are easy to talk to compared to the humans. So, I don’t believe we’ll face any issues when we do negotiate.’

  That’s good at least. I don’t want to deal with another political hiccup. As we make our way out of the docs, we glance at some Cinari work on the docks, being watched over by my Dogs, forcing them to repair the damaged ships in Kivs. Simon notices the injustice, his face turning sour.

  ‘It doesn’t have to be like this.’ I say to him sympathetically.

  ‘It shouldn’t, none of this should’ve happened.’ He pauses, staring at his people’s forced servitude under my leadership. ‘I’ve never liked slavery; I always knew it was an outdated and unsustainable practice. Sooner or later we’ll need to change, but well, the war changed that.’

  ‘I didn’t know there were Cinari opposing my people’s servitude.’

  ‘Not a lot of people do, it was a fringe political party made up of mostly students, but we have some people in the military and the council who agreed with us, or at least sympathetic. Though we still didn’t have the numbers. Nor do we have an idea of how to end slavery on this island.’

  I raise a brow, ‘surely it couldn’t be hard. Just let us go and…’

  ‘And what?’ Simon interrupts me. ‘You have nowhere to live, we can’t dump you all off in some random spot on the planet, and we won’t give back the Shatler Islands. The main struggle we face is what to do with your people.’

  ‘All of that, just so you don’t have to live with us?’

  Simon opens his mouth but cuts himself off, perhaps stomped on something or perhaps regretful. ‘Yeah, but in the end it doesn’t matter. When news broke out that we were at war against your people, the party disbanded. I would be lying if I said your kind didn’t spark a nationalistic anger among my peers.’

  I frown, my mouth bitter. ‘A group that says they want my kind free, but turning back on that claim as soon as my people fought back never had my best interest.’

  ‘Hey! We tried something at least. You have to give us some credit.’

  ‘Okay, what did you do?’

  ‘I used to organise a few protests outside the palace for over ten years. Demanding the end to slavery, I got arrested a few times as well.’

  ‘Protest?’

  ‘You know. An organised effort by people to put pressure on the government to make changes to benefit the people. While we are an Empire, we do have some democratic elements through the council. The Empress just makes sure that the system runs smoothly. With a protest, we chant demands and threaten not to vote for them in the next council election.’

  I scoff, ten years and they did that. ‘So you just shout at them and hope for the best?’

  ‘We don’t hope, we do! It works better if our membership were larger, but so far it was the best we could do at the time.’

  ‘No, it wasn’t.’ I point to Simon, the dockworkers below. ‘Do you think they’ll particularly care about a few protests? No, they won’t. Just making noise doesn’t do anything besides making a buzz. Even less so if you are shouting at those in towers and couldn’t hear you.’

  ‘That’s not true!’ Simon rebuts, ‘we did generate some noise and pressure on my government. We made politicians concerned and even discussed the issue, but it just takes time.’

  ‘And how long do I need to wait before anything can get done? A week, a month, years, decades, centuries? How long do I need to wait before I take matters into my own hands? Over ten years ago, I was just a child whose parents had left to die. If my people didn’t fight back, do I need to wait for another ten years? Do I need to be middle-aged while my kids slave away?’

  Simon tries to respond, but I cut him off before he can continue, just so I can make my point clear.

  ‘Your protest did nothing for my people. There comes a point where you have to take matters into your own hands and fight those who are in the wrong. You can’t just shout when my people are being slaughtered. You have to take arms and kill them.’

  He frowns at my reply, unsatisfied with my answer. ‘I thought you wanted both of our people to live in harmony.’

  ‘I do, the difference is I am willing to kill those who enslaved me to make it happen. Remember, I’m not fighting the Cinari people, I’m fighting the guards and the people who kept me in chains for most of my life.’

  ‘And how are you going to end my people's slavery?’

  ‘By doing what your Empire failed to do, by giving your people a voice. That's why you are here.’

  Simon sighs, nodding along to himself. ‘Let’s go back home, we have a long week ahead of us.’

  He walks off, and I stand behind a bit to take in the scenery. I wonder what it will be like to live out on the sea. Maybe once this is all over, I’ll take up sailing as a hobby. Syndy might even like it here.

  After three days of travelling back to the Crystal Kingdom. I make my way to Syndy’s workshop. I want to surprise her and give her a kind welcome, even though it will be difficult to do so without some sort of risk on my end. There is no doubt she’ll grab a hammer and whack me over the head if she thinks someone snuck up behind her. She is the sort of person who attacks first and asks questions later. However, it is better to simply go in without any theatrics.

  My hand grips the door handle, and I take a deep breath as my mind rushes back into the conversation we had a while ago. How that alone created so many sleepless nights, and the silence between us. It isn’t easy; by all means, it does change and muddy our relationship. To request death when all else fails, to be a father to kill their own child and wife. I don’t blame her; it is the right thing to ask in times like these. That doesn’t mean I am able to handle it right now, not when positive change is around the corner.

  I head inside, overhearing the sounds of kids’ chatter and laughter. I peer around the corner to see Cinari and Dog kids playing together. Sharing wooden toys like it is always normal. I can’t help but smile, my heart warming at the remarkable sight. I silently laugh to myself, remembering the time when I used to play with chains and broken tools as a kid. But to see them like this, that is the future I want, a future we all need.

  Syndy sits on a stool, supervising the children. She’s happy, but I can’t help but notice the sadness behind her eyes. Syndy looks at her belly intently. She reaches out to touch it, but retreats her hand at the last second.

  The mechanical clock rattles on the table, a small device Syndy made. I remember her telling me how the gears on the clock fascinated her. So she copied it and made a small alarm out of it. Even if it only goes off every thirty minutes.

  ‘Alright, time to go home now.’ The kids groan at her announcement, some wanting to stay just for a bit longer. But they eventually listen to her and make their way back home, walking past me like I wasn’t even there.

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  The moment everyone leaves the room, and when she thinks she is truly alone. She picks up a toy duck and examines it, thinking to herself in sorrow.

  I knock, announcing my presence to her. She smiles to welcome me, but that dies down as soon as it is formed.

  ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ Syndy says to me.

  ‘Okay, I suppose. How was your day? I see the little ones had some fun.’

  ‘That they did,’ she chuckles while she rubs her thumb on a toy duck. It is clear that there are a lot of things on her mind.

  ‘Is there something you want to talk about?’ I ask, seeing if she needs help.

  ‘No,’ she lies. ‘Just thinking, not much on my end besides the usual job.’

  I nod along, knowing there is not much I can do. I can’t make her talk if she doesn’t want to. The best anyone can do is just be there. Maybe even make her day just a bit better.

  ‘We are getting a shipment of food soon, while we might be on rations for a time. It’s good to know that we won’t have to live on them forever.’ I say, trying to strike up a conversation.

  ‘But we are still on rations, it doesn’t make things any better.’ She cynically replies, and I can’t blame her.

  Then, an idea comes to mind. ‘Good thing is we are not focusing on the shipments, I’m organising a few people to start catching fish.’

  ‘Fish? I’ve heard they have scales like a lizard or a snake. Are they even food?’

  I chuckle, trying to lift her spirits. ‘Yes, darling, they are, and you’ll eat some soon. I haven’t tried one myself, but I heard it's tasty. So, how about when we get our first batch, I’ll cook some for both of us. Give me time, and I’ll even learn and maybe surprise you. It might not be your favourite craving, but it should be good enough.’

  She smiles, and a glint of hope shines through her eyes. ‘I like that plan.’

  I want to walk up to her to embrace and kiss her. But before I can, Thorgan walks into the room demanding my attention.

  ‘May we have a moment?’ He says to me.

  Syndy looks away, upset, knowing that I need to leave to do my job. I want to tell him to leave, but I know the news the old man has for me. I wave my goodbyes to her while we head outside. Duty calls, and I have to see what he needs of me, even if it forces me to sacrifice quality time.

  ‘Lay it out to me.’ I sharply say to him, my voice sounding harsher than usual.

  ‘I’ve talked with some Dogs in Max’s army, and to be safe, I even caught up with the local guards.’ Thorgan looks around, checking for any unwanted eyes and ears. ‘I did as you asked, so far, support for Max is split. Some think she is cruel, or that undermining your leadership is necessary to prevent the Cinari from getting better treatment.’

  ‘She still has supporters.’

  ‘Devoted fanatics more like it! Max is a known cut-throat for a reason; the woman was always hungry for power the moment she took over her plantation. Possibly before she became a chief. Some like her, others are growing tired of her lies.’

  Interesting, so even before I’ve sent Thorgan out to bring in some allies. She isn’t well-liked, now that is something I can use. ‘You mentioned lies? Do you know what kind?’

  Thorgan shrugs, ‘I don’t know, so far it’s just a few minor things. However, I believe they don’t like her view of the world and what she wants to do to the Cinari. Most want revenge and justice for what happened to us, but that doesn’t mean constant slaughter. But I’ll let you know when I find out.’

  I take a breath, hoping what he finds isn’t a big deal. Dirt on Max is good to have, but if that dirt is something more than I can handle, well, that will make things worse.

  ‘I’ll head back to my office. I’ll see you shortly, Thorgan.’ We went our separate ways if the short conversation never happened. I’ll head to my office to get to work while he walks off to his quarters to rest. Now that I know that I have supporters, I can start planning to better the lives of the Cinari by using the people who are against her or are directly on my side. Better to have the right tools to win on the political stage than an all-out war between us.

  While it is good to catch up with people, duty calls after being absent for a few days, and my cold desk welcomes me with a mound of letters. I went over to it, my hands tracing through every envelope. Burdens of rulership, reading the contents of what they might entail. I know some are going to be bad news, others might give me a glimpse of hope.

  Yet one letter on my office desk catches my eye, the handwriting so poorly done that it couldn’t be mistaken for a child’s. I think the name is meant to be Mathew, though it could also be Maverick with how the letters are written.

  Without much to do, I open the letter to reveal its contents, expecting something bizarre. Yet I can’t help but smile at the crude picture of a Dog and Cinari standing together holding hands. Above the two figures is a simple message, “We fwends now. From Mindas”. I hope that is the case still.

  Still, it is nothing. It isn’t news or reports that give me a scope on what is going on. I like it. I’m not sure why I do, but I know that I do enjoy looking at it. Though I am even more surprised that a kid was able to sneak their letter to me.

  Before I can power through all of my mail, Simon walks into my room. From his expression, I can tell he has something important to share with me.

  ‘Have a moment?’ He says. Yeah, he does have something important.

  ‘I always have a moment.’ I put the drawing in my desk drawer, sighing at the potential frustration that I will need to deal with. Hopefully, the dodads didn’t arrive early as expected.

  ‘My people in Letharus Mine, well, they want to make some demands. I think you remember what that place is like.’

  ‘It’s hard to forget.’ I reply, surprised that I have to hear that name again. The first mine we have liberated. Damn, it feels like a distant memory. ‘What are their demands?’

  ‘To put it simply, they are unsatisfied with their enslavement. They want to work under better conditions, better food, living conditions, everything. They're the first slaves, and they don’t want to be forgotten.’

  I shake my head, ‘they’re not forgotten, I was the one who made them slaves.’

  Simon frowns, disgusted at my casual response. ‘For someone who claims to fight against slavery, it is odd to see you enslave my people.’

  A fair response, it isn’t something I take pleasure in. ‘I didn’t have much of a choice. When we got to Mindas, most of my people just wanted to butcher every Cinari and eat them afterwards. Marak was very eager to just kill them. I knew I couldn’t just spare the people there, so I…’

  ‘Made my people slaves to avoid your king from butchering them.’ He finishes my sentence, though from his voice, he still doesn’t approve of it.

  ‘The circumstances were not favourable, I know it isn’t right. But we can change that,’ I stand up from my chair and grab whatever I need. ‘We’ll go there, Thorgan will come with me since he has experience as a chief of a mine. So if there is anyone who will know how to improve living conditions while not removing the system, it will be him. We both want to end slavery, but we both know we can’t just do it without putting ourselves at risk. You must trust in the process, especially when there are people who would kill us if we try to make things better too quickly.’

  Simon doesn’t respond, but he gives a nod of approval. However, I can tell that he doesn’t like what we heard, how casual his people’s slavery comes across to me. I suppose I am just used to it, the horrors of what servitude brings.

  ‘We’ll leave in an hour, it is wise to solve this issue before the dodads turn up.’

  ‘I agree,’ Simon walks off. I look out of my window to face Syndy’s workshop. Perhaps it is best to say goodbye, but… I don’t know. I’ll just get a messenger down to give her a heads-up.