If I may beg you to remember your pains
inflicted by cowards, fools, and the ones
who flee your embrace, then I shall sing
of black-hearted treason, highest of crimes,
and he who bore the grim lash of justice,
cold-hearted Lessok, a bloody caste comrade.
Lessok pursued him, the one they called Maithoh
who had drunk deep of the mind-numbing wine
and tasted strange drugs, the slayers of reason
and found a taste for such things, came into the thrall
of the smoke-shrouded city, he sold secrets for more.
Mindless Maithoh had fled down to the lowest wards
and Lessok pursued him, walked with measured steps
went with prudent caution, went without haste.
Lessok searched for a witness, one who had seen
the traitor's retreat, seen where he had fled
and he found such a witness, he was halfway to treason.
Lessok spoke to that witness, his voice cold and clear.
"Speak now my comrade, and tell me the truth.
You have seen a man fleeing, men call him Maithoh
though you may not know him by name, you've seen his face
marred by decay, with a mouth full of rot
and with eyes that are empty, surely you've seen him?"
And the witness whispered words tinged with fear,
"Stalwart spear-comrade, I can see in your face
you have no lack of courage, fear does not hold you.
Not so for us all. I fear the cruel wrath
of the one that you seek, and those he calls friends.
What if you fail, what if long time reveals me
and Maithoh longs for revenge? Then I would perish
and serve our spires no more, so I beg indulgence.
Let me hold my silence, go ask another
who has seen where he went, and get your answer
from one without fear. Such men will assist you."
Lessok took a long breath, banished his anger
turned his mind on itself, maintained his control
and spoke to the coward, spoke with calm words.
"Quivering comrade, you need not have fear.
The traitor will perish, that much I can swear
and you shall live safely, for that is the duty
of the bloody caste comrades, and we do not fail."
With tears in his eyes, the witness addressed him,
with fear in his voice, the witness gave his reply.
"Noble shield-comrade, I think it is doubtless
that you mean what you say, and yet I feel fear.
Will you have mercy on me, and let me be silent,
I who wish only to serve in the safest of ways?"
Calming his wrath, Lessok spoke again softly
with ice in his voice, he spoke one more time.
"Fear is improper, you must cast it aside
lest it make you serve poorly. It cannot rule you.
Now speak what you saw, and now speak it quickly
or I shall do my grim duty, do you know what that is?
I shall grasp your hand tightly, and ask you again
what you have seen, and if you are still silent
I shall take your finger, and snap one small bone
and then in your pain, I shall ask you again
what you have seen, and if you are still silent
I shall do it again, and snap a second small bone.
If still you are silent, then I'll know the truth
that you lied before, that you are no coward
and some other thought has held your lips closed
and I shall take the knife that I wear on my belt
slide it under your nails, lever them upwards
one at a time, until at last you shall yield.
Duty demands that, and my duty binds me
though I weep in my heart to cause such a pain
to a comrade of Hallifax, it shall be done.
So speak, my comrade, and tell me the truth
that we two need not suffer, speak out at once."
Then at last he learned where Maithoh had gone,
the witness spoke quickly, said all that he knew
and Lessok left him in silence, returned to the chase.
He soon found the traitor, he had not fled far
he favored concealment over swift flight
but Lessok soon found him, his senses were keen.
When Maithoh saw him, he broke down in tears
and spoke to cold-hearted Lessok, pleaded for life.
"Comrade, my comrade, you who I can call brother
not for blood's sake, but by our shared devotion
to our sweetest mother, to our shining spires.
I have done a foul thing, I shall not deny it
for lies do not become me, and truth is still sweet
to a heart such as mine, I swear it is so.
I repent what I have done, deep in my heart
for I know it was evil, temptation held me
I submitted to vice, my soul was too weak.
Yet I am appalled by the things I have done
and still wish to serve, that I might make amends
for my black crimes. I beg you to let it be so."
Lessok regarded him coldly, and spoke his soft words.
"Our high laws have spoken. Would you deny them?
There are no exceptions, that is well known.
Our laws are heartless, and so they are pure.
They were shaped by pure reason and they are not tempted
by the foul fleeting passions that prey on us all
and lead us to folly, to chaos, and strife.
No, traitor Maithoh, do not plead for my mercy
for I cannot grant it. Did you never learn
that a law we ignore at our kind heart's urgings
is no law at all? I shall weep for your death
but it must be so. Law and order prevail.
If you would serve, if that is your desire
then one task lies before you, here is your duty.
Lay down your life gently, do not resist me,
die with all haste and return to the wheel."
Maithoh paused for only a moment, then spoke a reply
with hate in his voice and wrath in his eyes.
"Slave of the spires, I'll show you the truth
if words will not sway you, I'll break your mind
and shatter your thoughts and show you strange sights
and madness will take you, I shall make it so."
Then treacherous Maithoh tossed strange dust in the air
from a small pouch, it glittered gold in the light
and both breathed it in, Maithoh and Lessok.
Maithoh turned and he fled, his instincts ruled him
fear urged him onward, that fear without thinking
that drives beasts of the woods away from the hunter,
mindless fear ruled him, and he fled away.
Madness reached out for Lessok, grasped at his mind
as the strange drug took hold, bending his senses.
It showed him strange sights of blood and of slaughter
and rioting colours, bright lights and deep shadows
and creatures of terror, of blood-spilling death.
All that was mingled with sights that were fairer
of flesh and of life, which could bring desire
if they were not mingled with horror and blood.
It was more than sight that plagued cold-hearted Lessok
he heard the sea in his ears, the shriek of the wind
and the bleating of sheep being led to the slaughter.
And he smelled decay, the scent filled the air
and mingled quite freely with the heady perfumes
of the desert-bound harlots, and beyond that
he felt smoke in his lungs, burning and stinging,
it was a plague on the senses, a pox on his mind.
Lessok fell to his knees, he clutched at his head
as he felt madness coming, he felt the grim fear
of losing his mind, of shedding all virtue.
It could not be so, for he longed to serve
and mind-breaking madness is the death of all duty
the worst of all passion, he knew that was true.
He measured his breathing, took his breath slowly
as he had been taught as a child, long years ago
that he might make his soul still, conquer the madness
and rule over his mind as all good men do.
His panic faded, but his senses resisted
plagued him with falsehoods, sought to lead him astray.
He sought a distraction, turned his mind inward
that he might recall what he knew to be true
and ignore all the lies that danced in his senses.
He pondered the past, the sweet recollections
of those who served long ago, done their tasks well
and were rightly honored for the deeds they had done.
He thought of the paragons, and their fine example
their virtues and deeds, that he might remember
the virtues he had, and fight off the madness.
He thought of wise Thairee, the Skypainter's shard
she who had brought new sounds to the spires,
new instruments of her own devising
which had at first seemed quite inharmonious
but which had proven, in the fullness of time
that their voices were sweet, and that their tones
were revealed to be lovely, all they had required
was some measure of practice, finely-honed skill.
It had taken long years for her innovations
to take their final shape, and in that time
she had heard their ten thousand strange sounds.
During her experimentation, she had not gone mad.
With this recollection he focused his mind
against the dozen strange tones he heard in his head
and knew they would not harm him, they were not real
and if true tones had been harmless to Thairee,
why would false tones drive him mad? They were no threat.
Then he thought of brave Tetek, no stranger to war
who devised the shield wall, first ordered the lines
of spear-comrades in battle, banished confusion
from the blood-flooded fields of death-bringing war.
He had known the truth, that the carrion stench
of death and of pain, the screams of the wounded
and the terrors of war need not beget madness
if a mind could be trained to keep calm in the fight
and trust in his comrades, then order could prevail
even there, in the fierce grasp of grim war.
With that thought in his mind Lessok rallied his senses
and cast the madness aside, trusted his training,
focused his mind on what he knew to be certain
and ignored all the rest, thought of his duty.
Lessok rose up on his feet, grasped his spear tightly
and turned to his task, he began his pursuit
and ran with great haste and with a clear mind.
He soon found his foe, Maithoh moved without haste
for the drug still held his mind, so he was senseless
and had fled in a panic, fled without direction,
fleeing in circles, he had not fled very far.
Lessok addressed him, spoke in his cold voice,
"Now, traitor Maithoh, now stand and be ended
for the deeds you have done have earned you grim death,
as the law has decreed, so it must be."
Having spoken those words, Lessok struck out with his spear
pieced Maithoh's legs, the traitor fell to his knees.
Then cold-hearted Lessok laid his spear on the ground
and grasped Maithoh firmly, that he might be punished
in the traditional way. Lessok bound his arms tightly
and without any words brought him to the path's edge
and turned his eyes for a moment to the unfeeling sky.
Then his mind turned to action, Lessok grasped the wings
which had once been white, but had long been neglected
in favor of treason, and had many dark stains.
Lessok took those wings in his hand, and drawing a knife
cut each one away from the foul traitor's shoulders
and laid them down gently as he spoke soft words.
"Treacherous Maithoh, you have been condemned
in accord with the law, now your death has come.
As the law has decreed, I bring you your end
Lessok has killed you, now return to the wheel."
Speaking those words, looking down at the sky
he cast the treacherous Maithoh into empty air
and cast the bloody wings down after their master
who fell from the spires in drug-addled silence.