The day is near its end, and I hate to keep my love waiting. However, I think she will forgive me when I visit this Simon person first.

  The dungeons are never used; even when we captured the kingdom, the place was just a storage area for their paintings and marble sculptures. Marak made sure to clear the place out so we can put it into use, even if that means we will destroy the art that was once there.

  A shame, really. I wanted this one piece that was destroyed the day after we took the city. It was a painting of mountains during a sunrise, its radiant orange sun complementing the snowy ground. What I like about it is the way it was painted, as it was very thick with paint, creating a kind of depth. I wanted to give it to Syndy, but Marak demanded that we burn them all. To him, none of their culture should survive. They are a rot of our society, a rot he must purge.

  The guard opens the door for me as I enter the dungeon, and my footsteps echo in the dark halls made of stone. The metal bars are black with a hint of rust on their surface. On the floors of the cells is straw, a form of bedding and comfort for the prisoners.

  Simon smiles as he notices me without his shirt on, so he can expect it. The only thing he finds is a hole in both of his sleeves. What is strange about him is the scars under each of his breasts. They look way too precise to be scars from work or battle. Maybe it is medicinal? Either way, it is a strange procedure.

  ‘It's a pleasure to meet you here. I thought you’d be having fun somewhere else.’ He jokes.

  ‘I don’t expect someone to find enjoyment behind bars.’ Nor do I expect him to smile about it.

  He shrugs after putting his shirt on, ‘I’m just happy you didn’t kill me,’ he claps his hands. ‘So, what do you want to know?’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘What do you want to know? You know, you came here for some reason. Do you have any questions for me to answer? Maybe you want to know something about the outside world? Hell, I’ll gladly tell you all about it.’

  ‘Why are you really here?’

  Simon is taken aback by my question, as if there is something he wants to admit. ‘Well, you know the main reasons. Long story short, you created a geopolitical mess for the Cinaris Empire. Having our former slaves beat us and take over the South, that is, honestly, a remarkable achievement. So, the world wants to know what you really are, whether you are part of our Empire or you are independent.’

  I cross my arms, ‘why does that really matter?’

  ‘Unlike other nations, our Empire united the world and created an international community. There, we created laws that everyone must follow, even if they are not members of our community. However, creating something good made us a lot of enemies.’ He chuckles to himself, as if it is a form of pride to him. ‘By the Gods, even our allies don’t necessarily like us. So if we appear weak or we face some sort of struggle. Some ambitious person or nation will swoop in and take advantage of the whole situation to elevate their standing on the geopolitical stage. You’ll be surprised with the lengths some people will go through just to appear better than us.’ He looks at how I will respond, though his body makes him appear uncomfortable, making him speak once more to drown out the silence. ‘And I always want to be a Cinari diplomat to represent my Empire here.’

  At least they are honest about it, even if his intentions are self-centred in some way. ‘So, who will come here?’

  ‘Not entirely sure, honestly.’ Simon bitterly admits. ‘If you want my honest opinion, the only people on their way now would be a representative of the Dragonna Empire and most likely one from Ishtu, as they are usually the ones that will send ambassadors the moment they think a bad situation will benefit them. If the war continues for another year, you will have a representative from every corner of the world. An ambassador of the Golden Tower, an envoy of the Obnatic Republic, and maybe a few more here and there. My Empire did its best to contain information from spreading about the war for over ten months. I won’t be surprised if some nations never hear of our war at all in a decade to come.’

  ‘In the end, we might be talking to only those two. Will they be interested in trading?’

  Simon chuckles to himself, ‘the humans will gladly trade if it means they make money. The bugs, on the other hand.’ He makes a ridiculous face to mock the concept of trade between our peoples. ‘They are poor for a reason; they can’t even invent the wheel, so don’t expect them to trade with you anything meaningful besides maybe a bucket of sand and a canteen of water. What matters the most is proving to them that you shouldn’t be invaded and that you are conducting a civil war. The humans might be tricky, as they are actively building the largest empire known to the world. They are expansionist and are only driven to grow; thankfully, they are only interested in uniting the human kingdoms within their own continent. The dodads, on the other hand, are skittish and easy to please. Hundreds of years ago, they were once considered a threat and the reason for The Collapse, which created the Forgotten Era. Now they are docile after we force them into submission. If you just tell them that you are going to be kind to them, they’ll generally leave you alone.’

  Forgotten Era? What is he talking about? Maybe it is something about their history, whatever it is, I doubt it is important to me right now. It is good to hear that one of them is at least interested in trade, and if they are constantly expanding, they will at least want some supplies. I might get something out of the dodads, though, from Simon, it seems they are not that great to invest in.

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  But for now, I need to understand him as a person. He seems clever, but intelligence is only as good and useful if he is willing to cooperate with me. Let’s see how he is with sharing important information.

  ‘You seem knowledgeable. What can you tell me about this place?’

  ‘The Crystal Kingdom?’ He thinks for a moment, ‘well the place isn’t actually a kingdom. It’s the name given by the locals because most of the place is made with magic crystals. One of the rarest and most valuable materials we have on this island.’

  ‘What makes that stuff so special?’ I ask, the only thing I know about this stuff is it can go through anything, is nearly indestructible, and it can bring down their sky demons. It does look pretty, however, I doubt there is anything else special about that material. But I might learn something from him.

  ‘Cinaris is the only place that has access to the crystals, except for Ishtu and Alcador. Though really, the bugs never use it, and that is if they know how to mine the crystals. While no one knows what Alcador is doing with the crystals or if they even have a deposit, it is mostly a rumour that they do. But to be fair, no one really knows what that isolated country is doing nowadays. Personally, I think they are just spreading false information to anyone outside of their fortified mountain to make themselves appear more dangerous than they actually are. Regardless, the crystal is really rare, and no one knows how it really works. The only theory about what it is is that the stuff is just a byproduct of magic. Well, when the world had magic.’

  So the material is valuable. If no one has it, I can use it as a deal to promise me ships and even food. I will make sure to keep its hidden properties hidden from the world. Best to pretend it is a magical rock rather than a deadly weapon.

  But there is one question I need to know, one where I can try to understand why we are all here. ‘What about my people? Why did you enslave us?’

  Simon sighs as he shakes his head. ‘Mate, you are asking me about something that happened four hundred years ago. I don’t know why you were enslaved, what your people were like before or anything, really. I doubt even our best historians will know as well.’

  ‘I ask why, not what my people were like back then.’

  ‘You did, well, I have a few theories. At the time, the Empire was going through a labour shortage, and your people were our neighbours, so, naturally, our Empire conquered your lands and took your people as slaves. Another theory is that at one point we were political enemies, though I am unsure why.’

  ‘What do you mean you are unsure why?’

  ‘Again, no one knows what your people were like back then. I mean, you were known as Lycans. But still, it is ancient history at this point, and I don’t know much about it.’

  Fair enough, a shame he doesn’t know, though it hurts that it seems the world forgot about our history. I’ll never know what my ancestors were like, how they lived and what they were like as a people. However, if they can see us, I hope they can be proud of how far we’ve come.

  I signal the guard to come towards me. I’m finished with our meeting. ‘Have someone set up a room for him, he’ll serve as a representative for his people.’

  The guard looks hesitant, though they are not foolish enough to question my orders as they nod before heading off.

  Simon smiles brightly, ‘so I’ll leave this cell? It seems my day is getting a lot better.’

  ‘Not today,’ I coldly admit to him. ‘Tomorrow you’ll leave this cell and work for me, but just know that you will be watched and under guard. We are still at war with your Empire, and most of my people do not trust you.’

  ‘I can understand that, but you trust me at least?’

  Honestly, I am unsure if I do. But from my short interaction with him, I can’t say he comes off as a serious threat, but as a potential ally.

  ‘As of now, no. But I do want to improve that over time.’

  Simon reaches his hand through his cell. ‘Then, I hope to be at your service.’

  I shake his hand; it might seem like a formality, but I believe it can lead to something special in the future. To me, I see this as a deal for a better future.