March To The Capital

Chapter 35: Mercy to My Enemy (Alex)

After the battle of Bunker Hill, we move across the countryside, taking over towns and villages in our quest to find any mines or plantations to free our fellow slaves, capturing any Cinari along the way.
We don't have anywhere to house our captives, so we came up with a quick solution. Wooden cages. The wooden cages spread across the field, packed with Cinari as they rub against each other in their confined spaces, their filth mixing with their tears and blood.
At times, we pour buckets of warm water on them to remove the stench, but that doesn't stop the diseases.
Their coughs and wheezes echo throughout the days and nights as they wiggle around in their cages, trying to get what room is left.
We separated them into three different groups, one for the men, one for women, and the other for their children.
I can't stand their children crying as they beg to see their mothers or fathers. It sends chills down my spine. They sound just like us when we called for our parents in the mines.
Today I have to look after them. They are under my guard, and I hate every second of it. The injustice shouldn't continue on like this, this is too similar to our life on the mines. Other Dogs feel the same way. Well, I can only hope they do.
A woman cries while she shakes the bars of the cage. 'Samantha! Samantha, where are you? Please help me find my baby.'
A Dog slaps her hands with a stick.
'Keep shouting and I'll make sure your daughter will be served as your next meal.'
The woman gasp in horror, hushing her cries with her hands while tears pour down her face.
I cannot let this stand anymore.
I head over to the woman. She looks at me, too terrified to say a word.
'Excuse me, ma'am. I will reunite you with your daughter. Can you tell me what she looks like?'
She rubs her eyes as a smile forms from her lips, showing me a glimmer of hope. 'She wears a little red dress, with a flower headband. She was with me before you took us apart.'
'I'll find her. You have my word on it.'
'Thank you. By the Gods, thank you!' She whimpers, crying tears of joy as I make my way to the children's section.
It isn't hard to find the child as she is still wearing her little red dress and dirty flower headband.
'Are you Samantha?' I ask the child.
She looks back at me, shaking at my presence. 'Ye... yes, mister.'
'I'm here to take you to your mother. Do you want to see her, little one?'
The child's face lights up with a beautiful smile. She reminds me of May in a way.
'Yes, please,' she whispers.
I take her hand as I lead her out of the cage to be with her mother. A Dog looks at me in confusion.
'I didn't know you enjoy the little ones. I thought their adults would be good enough,' he comments with a snarky chuckle.
'I'm not taking her for my pleasure, comrade. I'm doing what we should've done long ago.'
As I get close to the kid's mother. She stretches her arms through the cage to her kin.
'My baby!' She cries as her daughter rushes to her, burying her face into her mum's chest as they are finally reunited with each other.
The other Cinari look at me, confused at what I have done, at the random act of kindness and compassion towards their kind.
Some Dogs growl, snarl as if I have sided with the people that enslaved us.
'What do you think you're doing?' Max growls while she draws her spear. 'You dare help our enemy? Have you gone mad?'
'No, this act is not helping the enemy. This is merely an act of compassion,' I tell her. I won't allow her abuse of the Cinari to continue.
Max growls. 'These beasts don't deserve compassion. Not after what they have done to us!'
'So we must be like them? Enslave them, separate their children from their mothers? If we are going to win our freedom, we should strive to be better than them, not follow their barbaric example!'
'Have you lost your way? They need to suffer what we have suffered. To feel the hurt that we have experienced. Now, if you don't kill that child in front of its mother. I will!'
I place my hand on my sword as she takes a step closer. Max grins, eager for a fight.
'Are you willing to betray your people? For the likes of these monsters?'
The Cinari stare at me, all silent, waiting for me to make a choice.
'I am not betraying my people. They're in captivity under my supervision. I am showing them what we are, that we are not monsters or slaves. But free men and women.'
'Kill them or I-'
'No!' I interrupt her. 'I will fight for our freedom. I will kill as many Cinari as necessary to guarantee that. That doesn't mean I will take part in their barbarism.'
Max scoffs as she signals the Dogs to me. 'Arrest him. We'll hang this traitor tomorrow morning.'
The other Dogs stand there, looking blankly at her. Some take a step towards me, but others block their way with their hands on their weapons. Both sides stare each other down, but none dare to make the first move.
'Don't just stand there! Arrest him!' Max shouts again.
'Enough, Max. If you don't leave now, I'll put you in a wooden cage until the war is over.'
'This isn't over Alex. I'll make you regret this, sooner or later.' She leaves the prisoner's camp, snarling at any Dog she paces.
Some Dog's walk off with her in disapproval of my choice.
'Thank you. Gods bless your kind soul,' the mother says to me.
'It's the least I can do.'
I walk over to the head guard of the facility.
'Make sure every child is with their parent and expand the cages so they are not so cramped together.' I say to him.
The guard Dog nods as he gives the order to the others to organise the cages again.
The smiles and the cheers of parents reuniting with their love ones puts a smile on my face. The kid in the red dress waves at me as she stands near her mother.
A young white maned Dog walks up to me. 'Thank you for the order. We never thought you would care about their suffering. Some of us were opposed to the whole thing. I never liked this... I don't know how someone would.'
'Don't thank me yet, soldier. We still have a long way to go before this all ends. For now, just make sure the parents are with their children.' The soldier nods before heading off to help with the others. This doesn't seem much, but, it is better than nothing.

As the sun goes down, I head to my tent to catch some sleep. Upon entering my tent I find Syndy siting on my sleeping bag with her arms folded.
'Syndy? What are you doing here?' I ask politely.
'I was looking at the light spears and the wreckage of the sky demon. Then I heard what happened. What you have done to the Cinari.'
My heart sinks. Is she here to say what I did was wrong? That we should make the Cinari suffer?
'What do you want to know about it?'
'You tell me, Alex.'
'I... We shouldn't let this continue. I'm tired of making them suffer, even if they are directly involved with our slavery. We shouldn't do what they have done to us. We should be better than them, show them we deserve our freedom.'
'And you intend to do that peacefully?'
'No! We will fight for it if we have to. But we can fight ethically, Syndy. They already know what we have gone through. We don't have to make them go through it. Nor should it happen again.'
She interjects. 'Why not?'
'Because then we would be just like them.'
Syndy pauses as she reaches for her pocket to pull out broken shard of magic crystal.
'They have done horrible things to me, Alex. They... used me. How can I forgive them for what they have done?'
'You don't have to forgive them, Syndy. We will bring those who did wrong to justice, but not every Cinari is a slaver. Some are kids, innocent of the evils their parents have done. I promise we will bring down whoever has done harm to our people, but we shouldn't let them live their lives as slaves as well.'
'Would Marak do the same?'
'I... I don't know. Maybe he will free them and we can live as equals.'
Syndy gently takes my hand to place the shard of a broken light spear on my palm.
'And what will you do if he doesn't?'
I keep my mouth shut. I don't know what I will do. What can I do if he doesn't free the Cinari?
'Dust used to talk about you and Marak. Always saying how you two are leaders. He also told me you have a good heart. Alex... everyone wants to know what we will do after this war. How we will live and what we will do with the Cinari. I'm scared, Alex. I'm scared that we can never live a life outside of war or slavery.'
I sigh. For the past few weeks, I've been asking myself the same question. What will we do after this war? What will Dad want us to do? Will he end slavery or continue it under new management?
'This war will end Syndy, we will be free. I promise to end slavery on this island. But for this to happen, we have to live with the Cinari as equals.'
Syndy's eyes start to water. 'I want to believe you. But after what they have done, how could we be equals?'
I caress her face as to rub away her tears. 'We become equals by ending slavery and bringing those who participate in it to justice. We can all rebuild together. Not as one race or nation, but as a people. But it has to start now, and I want to start it with you.'
Syndy smiles. 'Promise?'
'Always.'