Airana, Airana,

For why of Mad King gifts you’ve bragged…!

Oh Airana, Oh Airana,

Why, by the folly you were hagged…!

As was Mad King strolling through this town,

Was All as clown, with crown thrown,

As all kids were all around,

And all smiles, no teeth shown.

By a pain was crowd driven,

Tired faces, scarred limbs,

But this Mad King here enliven

Town, for a fun is there exists.

When a King was selling smiles,

One a gaze was thrown at him,

For one did know her desires,

That this King was there to bring.

And she knew what clown was hiding,

And she followed him again.

As the red sun still was idling,

She approached a King with threat.

“For a Mad King to be dancing,

Throwing candies at the fools,

Bringing grins when troops advancing,

Throwing bodies into fires, tools!

But what fairness is this,

When a parent sees their son

That in Praeryne his path leads

And his life for that is done.

Oh, you King, you bloody clown,

What would be if I just scream?

Tell them “Oh, the King is now

Here, at your very whim!”

And the King was standing there,

Gone is fire, cold returns.

And Airana, trapped by his glare,

Felt like skin now lively burns.

“What is the name of yours, my dear?”

“Airana, my King!.. Please spare me…”

“Get up, Airana. Whats to fear?

You wisest words has reached thus we.

I am indeed a tyrant’s picture,

The Blood and Tears, what have you know

But if I didn’t tear the veil

You would be gone then long ago.

But you are wiser one, you not?

Then gift I have one here for you.

See, this Mirror here in this spot,

Will paint an art of you in lieu.

For it, you see, It springs a beauty

To this one person whomst it holds.

To see you shining is my duty,

How well your mind and body molds.

But there a catch to gift I offer

If you return to me, do not.

The gift is truly yours proper -

Until the days your body rot.”

The Mad Kind vanished then and there,

For Airana has got her gift.

She gave a Mirror deepest stare,

And then perfection gazed from the rift.

“The King was talking truth! It works!”

Airana shouted to the gods.

“Now, let’s bring this town to my doors,

For this beauty is above mere twats!”

She went to town’s square inn,

“I want more ham! Where are the drinks?”

The suitors flocking with the grin,

But Airana was playing lynx.

“Oh, not you, you’ll get your coins?”

She was attracting all attention.

For her, those sleazy were the burdened sight,

Until a mayor got a mention.

Her plan sprung up almost right then,

That mayor was a man of wealth.

She waited for a moment, when

With guards there walking’s man himself.

“Ah! My leg is hurt, I’m bleeding out!

Please help me, kind men.”

The ruse that day was not for naught -

One glance, and mayor fell right there and then.

“Of course my dear, hold my hand.

We’ll get you treatment quickly.”

And so, in mansion she was hastily let

And so, she was there living sickly.

Then time has passed, and winters came

The mayor was enticed.

The beauty from the dreams were there -

What more he could’ve asked?

For all the brilliance she had, her guard was bound to fall,

The mayor was back then espoused.

The wife has heard about the hoe,

And plan was born to crash that course.

For Ball there came that Mad King wanted,

Was Fun and Bright for all involved.

And mayor was invited shortly,

And Airana was told to flow.

A little dress, a silver shoes,

And everything was there to move.

She left to floor with happy news,

Not seeing stares, full of doom.

When time has come to dance in pairs,

Man's wife excused herself to room.

When Airana stepped to claim what’s theirs,

She couldn’t force a leg to move.

“What’s wrong my dear? What troubles you?”

The mayor asked his lover.

Too bad for man, who stayed true

The face was all she got.

“Just feeling ill, my dear, no

Worry should you have in here.”

As she was saying that, perturbed

An omen has appeared.

“The news! The news! The mayor’s wife

Has found him with the lover!

She is a maneater in her life,

The men were all her over!”

The ball exploded into laughter,

Airana felt the blot.

For now everyone there after

Knew what she was not.

She ran away that night in shame,

Embarrassed and defeated.

The glued shoes sure felt like weight,

The silver was deflated.

She ran back there where Mad King passed,

And begged for him to cometh.

But only silence was her guard,

The earth was deaf to cowards.

“I beg you King, I’ve learned my lesson!

I need no gift of yours!

My mind fell to prides treason,

I’ve never felt the worst!”

“I tell you then, no gift returns

For I don’t love a folly.

Besides, you pride is still back there,

Have learned your lesson truly?”

“Yes, yes, O King, regret is here!

I swear all my life to you!

Just take it and away from here,

This lesson will stay in me for sure!”

The Mad King laughed, as he was pleased.

“I see. You truly did remember.

But rules are rules, and I insist.

The Mirror’s yours forever.

For when a path to riches paved,

Be ready to look back.

For there are monsters in those waves,

That want to see yours wreck.

That said, you blame it on the crowd -

They laugh at you instead.

For whose truly is the clown?

For throwing what you already had.

You saw me in the crowd, laughing.

Why did not you laugh along?

I would have given you a wisdom -

And a chair at my court.

But alas, you ran ahead -

Blackmailing and seducing.

For what good your diamond is?

If it was dirty and repulsive.

I have no need for you today,

Not ever, for that matter.

I’ve said all there is to say -

Go wallow in a gutter.”

The Mad King left her in a ditch,

All crying and resentful.

Perhaps, she could’ve been rich -

But pride was unforgetful.

Airana, Airana,

For why of Mad King gifts you’ve bragged…!

Oh Airana, Oh Airana,

Why, by the folly you were hagged…!

There was a silence for a moment. The first to speak up was Irfan.

“That… that was a very nice ballad. Your singing is amazing.”

“Thank ya, mate. Wait, why are all of you staring at me like courtesans at a merchant?!”

“Waiting for a next song, I bet!” Henry cheerfully raised up a bottle. “Come on, Duncan, I know you want to!”

Everyone in the room joined in cheering, clapping, and asking for another song. Except for Joe. He didn’t want to leave a fine company, but it felt like hours had passed since he was in that room. He has his own duties, after all.

Joe quietly stood up and slowly walked closer to a door frame. Nobody paid any attention until he stepped into the frame - then he felt like someone was watching him. He turned his head around. Irfan was watching him leave. When their eyes met, the pale man raised his eyebrows.

I need to go, Joseph whispered. He waved to Irfan.

“Vampire” seemed to have understood a message. Joe received a nod as an answer. A pale man turned back to a Duncan.

*****

“What is going… right. Of course.”

Hard to believe that the fight with a ship was barely an hour and a bit ago. The Medical had five injured members of the crew in it, with doctor Roth and Pat changing bandages and carefully pulling out pieces of lead. The stench was terrible, but somewhat bearable, even though when Joe made a step into the room, he almost threw up. The less said about anguished screams and moans, the better.

The doctor’s eyes noticed him for a second, before going back to a task at hand. Then, after a moment, Roth snapped his gaze to Joe again.

“Joseph! Great timing! Come here, and hold down this man…” Roth put both of his hands on his shoulders, being really careful and trying not to touch any bandages, “…right there. Now, both of you, hold him still.”

The poor crew member was a part of the same pale race, as Irfan. Joe saw a piece of lead poking through bandages, stuck in his forehead, and a nauseating feeling rose up in his stomach. He fought it off, trying to focus only on holding a man - which wasn’t easy, as his convulsions and erratic movements made it that much worse.

Luckily, Pat was there to help. As they were holding him down, Roth poured a bit of a weird yellowish drink on a spoon and let it down into man’s mouth. The man was still shaking for a while before his breath steadied and body calmed down.

Joe and Pat let go of the body. Joseph glanced to a bottle with a yellow drink in it and met Roth’s gaze.

“Poulchenlya Extract. Lowers pain, calms down the nervous system, and helps to put dangerous patients to sleep. Very damaging in high doses.” Was the answer to Joe’s silent question.

Three of them looked around the room.

“Well, look at that. Five more this morning, when a few hours back we had almost no space for injured. Talk about piracy being a profitable business.”

“As in, deathmage business?” Pat interjected.

Roth grimaced.

“Deathmages are usually cleaning after themselves, otherwise Daemon Interceptors quickly shut them down. No such luck in the Threshold.”

“Daemon Interceptors?” Joe didn’t like the sound of that.

Pat answered instead.

“They have an official name, but everyone just that calls them by that one. They are a military group that specializes in daemon and rogue Mages hunting.”

“A deathmage that doesn’t clean up is considered rogue?”

“Indeed.” That was Roth. “A good thing too I’d say, because some… beings they can create are nasty, filthy, and very, very deadly. Especially if it’s impossible to destroy physically.”

“Like ghosts?” Well, that wasn’t getting any better. Bullets and flesh are one thing, but how do you defeat an image? An image that can hurt you, no less.

Roth scratched his neck.

“Ghosts can be reasonable enough… there are worse things, Joe, but this is not the time, nor the place for that. Did you want anything?”

Right.

“I wanted to ask for some books, doc.”

“The books?” Roth glanced at the door. “Sure, I have some in my room, on the left across the hall. For studying, I presume?”

“Absolutely correct.”

The ship doctor smiled.

“Well, that’s no problem. I mostly have books on medicine, biology and anatomy, though. No history, or anything else that could help.”

“I heard Captain got some. I also heard crew had a few lying around.”

“Sorry, Joseph, I am mostly stuck in a Medbay, you see. There is always more work to be done, so I can’t do much to help you.”

Roth’s smile faded slightly. Joe could completely understand him. How many deaths and injuries has he seen in his life? Even one death was enough to knock a spirit out of Joe…

And then he caused several more with his own hands, by his own volition.

“You’ve been more than helpful enough, doctor. From the moment I woke up, I wouldn’t dare to ask for more than you’ve already done for me. You have a lot on your plate, and I don’t want to be a bother.”

It seems that he did succeed in bringing some of the Spirit back in the doctor’s eyes.