Even in the middle of the night, the candles combined with the white paint light up the hallways as if it were morning. It’s eerie. Maybe Lee is afraid of the dark, or perhaps it is just the natural consequences of having everything in white. I should stop thinking about it. As soon as it is morning, I’m leaving this place for good.

  Olivia waits near the entrance of my room, keeping her head down and refusing to look at me. She grasps a set of paintbrushes in her hands, holding them tightly to give her some semblance of comfort.

  ‘Are you going to hurt me?’ She says to me, her voice trembling at the implications.

  ‘No, I won't.’

  She doesn’t seem convinced, nor can I blame her. At a glance, I can see that her feet and legs are covered in dirt and mud. I never see a Dog wear shoes, or any kind of footwear for that matter. I wonder, did we take away their shoes, or are their feet naturally capable of handling rough terrain? Another method to control and hurt them for our benefit?

  It doesn’t matter, I walk inside and grab my own towel to pass it to the kid. ‘Get inside and have a bath. I’ll stay out here and give you some privacy.’

  Olivia takes it as an order and heads inside my room, closing the door behind me without saying a word. Shaking like she understands what is expected of her and what might happen.

  From the other end of the hallway, Dana rushes up to me with a sense of urgency. My heart skips a beat, yet my gut tells me that she isn’t dangerous. She isn’t rushing up to me to end my life; she is rushing up to me to beg. But beg for what?

  Dana bows to me to introduce herself again. ‘Master Regali, I'd like to talk to you.’

  ‘Speak your mind.’

  Dana looks around before she lowers her own voice. ‘Sir, I want to make an offer. Olivia… she, she’s mine. She’s my daughter.’

  Ah shit! By the Gods, in front of her own mother. She watched how her daughter was treated, how she was argued over by two elves over who would have first dibs.

  ‘She’s too young,’ Dana pleads. ‘Please, I beg you, pick me instead. I might be older, but I am…’ Dana reaches for the top of her maid outfit to expose herself to me, I place my hand on hers to stop her. There is no need to do it.

  ‘No, it’s fine.’

  She looks at me in defeat, her eyes beginning to water. The Dog can’t speak, her mouth unable to move. Though if she could, it would be please.

  ‘I’m not going to do anything to her. She’s having a bath, but if you wish, you can talk to her. Now is your chance.’

  Dana takes a step back, glaring at me as if I am dangerous to her. ‘Why?’

  What can I say? Is it because it is the right thing to do? Because I know this is wrong? I can’t, I can’t find a justification to explain my actions without undermining or making my Empire look like the villain. What will even be an acceptable answer? This is what I am fighting for. It is what I am sending thousands to their deaths to preserve. Yet for all of that, a sound doesn’t leave my lips to explain anything to her. There is nothing for me to say.

  ‘I’ll give you thirty minutes, no more, no less.’ My voice remains stern as I open the door for her to go inside.

  Dana is hesitant, but soon enters the room to reunite with her daughter. It’s good to give them some time to themselves, they need it after today.

  I sit across from the door to my room. My back slides down the wall until my bum hits the ground. This is different from Bravens Mine. The place from memory was savage and brutal to the slaves. Reeking of death, as pregnant women take their own lives to escape a life of torment. Working to the bone till they are nothing but husk.

  Here, this is a different kind of hell. The slaves here are not working to produce my Empire raw resources. They are here for the pleasures of hedonists. Their bodies are well taken care of, so they can be used and played with like a child’s doll. The Dogs face a different kind of torment, one that isn’t bloody nor deadly. They face a slower, crueller death. The death of the soul.

  Lee isn’t the only person who does this; there are more of them. And they all flaunt their wealth while trading in the flesh of the Dogs. They should be hanged for what they are doing!

  However, I have to be real. This is what my Empire built. We built it for a reason. Perhaps, this is a better fate than what the Dogs used to have. Maybe by bringing them out of their homes, we saved them from the worst aspects of their very nature. I saw how they butchered my people, I read reports on how they feast on our flesh and enslaved children to do their bidding. There has to be an inherent evil within their kind; there must be a reason why we put them in chains. It makes no sense why we wouldn’t enslave them! Is this why we allow ourselves to forget about why we enslaved their kind? Is it because they are monsters deep down? It has to be the case. There is no other way. They must be monsters that we need to take control of, even if what we are doing is evil… we have to be the better option. There is no other way. There just isn’t.

  My throat tickles, my stomach bloats the more I think about it. I jump to my feet to lean into a potted plant to puke inside of it. By the Gods, why is this happening? What have I done to deserve this?

  Eventually, Dana leaves the room with a gentle smile on her lips. Discreetly, I move away from the potted plant to pretend I didn’t empty the contents of my dinner into it.

  ‘Need anything?’ I say to her with a commanding voice.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispers to me.

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For what you are doing.’ She closes the door behind her before continuing. ‘I always wondered if there are other good Cinari in this world, if there are those who will show us kindness. And I am right, there are some.’

  This isn’t kindness. I came here for business and nothing more. I just… I just don’t know.

  ‘How is she doing?’

  ‘Olivia? She’s doing well. She was scared when you chose her, and I was too. But you surprised me. It is strange to see a Cinari lie for us.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘I saw people come and go from here. Some make deals, others seek pleasure. They all lie, but they lie to further their schemes and desires. Never have they lied for us.’

  I frown. What does she even mean? That I am some sort of monolith? ‘Why are you telling me this?’

  Dana pauses before she returns with a shrug. ‘Because you’re not like them. You didn’t punish us for a mistake, you didn’t scream or hit us if we suggested something else, and you are kind while expecting nothing.’ She reaches for her pocket and hands me a sealed letter. ‘I want you to have them. But please, read it when you take Olivia away from here.’

  She can write? Shouldn’t it be forbidden for them to learn our language? I suppose she learned it from Lee. ‘Are you sure you want me to take her?’

  ‘I overheard what you told Master Lee. You want to buy a slave. I trust you won’t hurt her. Most of all, I trust you can take her away from here and that you’ll never return here with her.’

  ‘What will you do once she is gone?’

  She looks down at her hands, ‘I’ll pack her stuff up.’ She deflects the question before heading off. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, Master Regali.’

  I’ll see you too. I hope they said their final goodbyes. I want to pray that what I am doing is righteous, but I’m unsure if it is. Taking a child away from the grasp of their mothers is deemed a sin in the eyes of the Gods. Yet, it seems that this sin is ignored regarding the Dogs.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The Dogs are sapient; they can think, they can feel, yet why are they below us? The dodads are also sapient, yet we find a reason to justify our routine genocides in their home. Maybe the Dogs weren’t favoured by the Gods, perhaps, they were never given their love as being our equals like goblins, qwell, ratatins, or humans. But why? Why didn’t the Gods share their love and grace with the Dogs?

  In the morning, I waste no time in grabbing my stuff. It seems Huson and the Outriders feel the same way, as they already line up outside of the mansion. The carriage doors are wide open with Huson standing next to it as a formality, though it is clear from his posture that he wants me to hurry things up so we can all get out of here. But we have one more thing to finalise.

  ‘I hope you enjoyed last night’s dessert.’ Lee says with his hands behind his back. Besides him is Dana, visibly upset while she tightly holds onto Olivia’s hand.

  With a fake smile, I shake Lee’s hand. Disgusted, I have to share the same air as him. ‘The pleasure is all mine. Now, the transaction.’

  Lee smirks as he hands me the papers, making Olivia’s ownership be transferred to me. Everything seems to be in order, her birthdate and her birth number, which is P-13:5. I sign the papers and the check for Lee, making Olivia my own personal slave.

  Dana forms a faint smile, though it dies as soon as she looks at her daughter’s emerald green eyes. It will be the last time they will ever see each other, and I will be the reason they are separated.

  Huson glares at me, furious that I bought a child slave from a creep. I can see why he sees it that way. It doesn't help that I have to be silent about it, as the risk of word getting out about the deal I have with Lee and how I get it will put everything at risk. I trust him, but I can’t trust him with that.

  I gesture to Olivia to get in the carriage, ‘get in, we’ll be leaving soon.’

  She hugs her mum for a bit. I can tell her to get a move on, but I believe it is the right thing to have them say their goodbyes. Even if their goodbyes are not spoken with words.

  Olivia picks up her single bag of art supplies and some clothing before she slowly heads towards the carriage.

  ‘Well, General.’ Lee butts in. ‘I’ll make sure to deliver the supplies to you, as we have agreed. I’ll also spend some money to bring in some mercenaries to defend my property. No offence, of course, I just want your soldiers to focus on the Dogs while I have some people focus on protecting what we need to win this war.’

  I hope his actions are as good as his word, because I will have no problem killing him and seizing his family’s assets for myself. But for now, I'd better head off.

  ‘That is good to hear, and I’ll promise to lobby with you when the time comes.’

  ‘A pleasure to hear.’ Lee walks back into his mansion while he waves me off.

  Dana stays behind, watching while I enter my carriage to leave the estate. She stands there, not moving or waving us off. I have wounded her, given her a fate that is worse than death. I’ve taken her child away from her. It might be the right thing to do, but the truth is, I still hurt her.

  Silence fills the air. Huson glares at me with his arms crossed. Olivia, in the meantime, looks over her art supplies, counting what she has and what she doesn’t.

  ‘Why did you get the kid?’ Huson demands. He needs an answer, and by all means, he deserves it.

  ‘It’s to get her out of there.’ I admit to him that, while not a straightforward answer, it is at least a truthful one. There is no point in lying about what happened.

  He turns to Olivia, disgusted that a Dog is in his presence. ‘Kid, what is your name?’

  She looks up to him, straightening herself in his presence to respond to his question in a sophisticated tone. ‘My name is Olivia, but my birth number is P-13:5. My mother is Dana, also known as C-3:13.’

  With a satisfying nod, he turns back to me. ‘You know, Dogs are frowned upon in the palace, and what are you planning to do with her?’

  ‘She’s a painter, I can use a portrait of myself.’

  He leans back into his chair, his arms crossed in disapproval. ‘Just keep that mutt away from me and we’ll be fine.’

  I will, there won’t be any problem once we get back to the palace.

  Taking a deep breath, I look at the letter Dana gave me last night. Opening it to look through the contents. For my heart to grow heavy with the message for me to go over.

  To Master Regali,

  Please, do not read this out to my daughter. I need to write to you first.

  I don’t know what sort of man you are or why you chose the path you walk on. But I want to thank you. You have given my daughter a chance to live and to be far away from men who will use her for their own satisfaction. For this, I am forever in your debt. But I think we both know I won’t be able to pay you back.

  For most of my life, I’ve lived as a servant for Nathan and his family. As a child, I was routinely forced on. My womanhood was constantly sold off like any sort of commodity. They degraded me. Used me at every turn, and I was forbidden to speak up or fight back. When I had Olivia, I dreaded my pregnancy. I knew she would be subjected to the same torment I have to go through. The Lee family forced me to carry her to term. I had no means to prevent her from entering this world. I was too weak.

  Like any mother, I tried to make the world easy for her. I did my best to shield her from the worst the world had to offer. She deserved to keep her youth and innocence for as long as possible. My Olivia never deserved to be born. She should be given the world instead of being robbed of one.

  But you stopped it. You had given her a chance to escape this nightmare. I know the world would never be kind to her, even if she is away from here, as she is a slave by blood. Nor do I doubt she could fully comprehend what it all means and how much good you’ve given her. Yet unlike others who entered the estate, you did what no other Cinari gave me. Hope. I trust you will do your best to look after her. To be kind when no one would.

  By tonight, I will be dead. For years, I wanted to end my life ever since she was born, but I never took the chance because my Olivia needed me. You might not understand, maybe you think I am selfish for doing this. But for all of my life, I never experienced peace. Never at the hands of my masters or the world my feet rest on. Tonight, I can. I will soon know what it is like to be free and find peace of my own choosing. Don’t feel sad or guilty about my choice. I want to thank you. You gave me the opportunity to walk away from this world and to end this never-ending pain. If you do feel sorry, just know I forgive you. The world would never know, nor would it understand. But I forgive you. You gave a mother hope in her heart and a chance for her daughter to have a better future, where mine was stolen.

  I only have one wish. Never return here. Whatever you do, do not tell Olivia I am gone. Not until she is ready. If she asks, just say I still love her and wish her the best. I want her to know she is my world, and I will always have her close to my heart. Even if my world is taken away, I know she is under the watch of a good man. I love her and will miss her smile the second she leaves the estate.

  When she is capable of reading, and you feel she is ready. Allow her to read this letter. She deserves to know what happened to her mother and her final thoughts.

  To my daughter. Be strong. When you read this, I want you to know that you were never a burden. I wasn’t sad that I had you. I was scared that I was about to bring you into a world that never loved you. I rarely mentioned your father, but you have his eyes, and he would also be proud of you. You were always my world, my dear Olivia. My wonder I cherish with all my heart. It will be years before you learn of my fate, but in those years, I hope Master Regali was kind and fair to you. When you grow to become your own woman, and with every birthday I would never attend to. Just know I will always be in your heart. I will always be with you, my Olivia.

  Goodbye, and may the world be kind to you both.