(In Prinylas, in a bedroom, Ivan and Erica were talking while lying on their bed.)

(Erica said,)


I love you and I have proven it to you so many times.
Maybe it would be healthy if we would remain simple
Peasants to work in the fields; I miss this life sometimes.
You're my man and I listen to you, '' she drew her wimple.


(Ivan said,)



''Sometimes, you're exhausted, '' '' I'm afraid of getting sick, ''
''All the time, I need to protect you; it's hard for you to live
On your own, '' '' you make a lot of money; you want them quick, ''
''I'm like my aunt, but I also find a nice way to give;


(Ivan continued…)



I like to build a wealth, not just to spend them for my needs, ''
''This is why you sold everything you had in Russia and
Started a business elsewhere; you followed your instinct leads;
You don't think positively when you don't have the needed funds, ''


(Erica replied. Ivan asked her…)



''Do you suggest this is the reason why my Turkish store burned?
I've told you that after I had returned from Russia, someone
Threatened me near the border and took my fur I had earned.
It could be the nun's ex-husband, '' ''It could be anyone, ''



(…suggested Erica. Ivan replied..)



''It could be another fur trader; anyway, there is
A disruption in the business conditions; Naimah has
The same opinion; I started doing business,
'Cause I wanted a big family, but my life became a haze, ''



(Erica was a great observer.)



''Because you started to get into some risky affairs, ''
''Are you talking about the gold? '' ''Yes, '' ''I needed new
Relationships; all remained to this nun for her future years
Was this gold, which had been deposited to the bank, ’’ ‘’It’s true, ’’



(….concluded Erica. Ivan continued…)



‘’ She met me and gave me the map and the document
That empowered me to accompany the messenger
To Russia after traveling across the continent.
I would receive twelve kilos of gold for this adventure.




She had sent an act to one of her friends living in England
Authorizing him to take the gold out from the bank
And to pay a messenger to bring it home, '' '' I understand.
''She wrote about some security conditions, '' ''That ship sank,



(Erica continued…)



But maybe the sailors had been killed before sinking.’’
‘’I have to tell you a secret, '' '' Why do we go to Portugal? ''
''Because I fear of that person who fired my shop after taking
My fur; with the remaining money I opened this life portal-




I bought our trip; I couldn't turn back to talk to the nun.
I should meet the messenger; '' ''Why have you created problems? ''
''Because Frederick didn't keep his word; he preferred to run.
He had promised me to stay two weeks in Athens before I embarked.''



(Erica asked him…)



''Why did he change his mind? '' ''Because of what had happened in
Selanik; He concluded that he had been chased by the pirates.
I needed time to go to give the map, '' Ivan said with a grin.
'' To wait for me to come back, you would stay there in silence.''



(Erica should stay on the ship to wait for Ivan. She said…)



''Maybe that pirate followed us and killed the messenger.
Let's think positively, '' '' He took the gold; we need protection.
Moreover, the nun told me that she hadn't informed her
Ex-husband about the gold because of losing his affection.




This woman wants to donate her gold in exchange for freedom.
The map is vital to her as the commission is to me.''
'' The messenger came with his servant in this garden of Eden.
Why didn't they take the ship? '' ''To watch it sailing on the sea! ''



(…exclaimed Ivan and continued…)



If something had happened to the gold, he would have asked
The authorities to investigate the missing, ’’ ‘’ At least,
He should verify this transport in the port of Constanta.
Imagine how some poisoned thoughts could spoil the hope's feast! ’’



(… exclaimed Erica. Ivan asked…)



'' Where do you know this from? '' '' I've read his journal, '' '' I must go
To tell the governor everything I know and to ask him
To help me, '' ''This nun is very important to you; although
You don't say it, you do it; means not making money on a whim.''




'' I understood the idea of freedom in life,
Especially for a woman; I wanted to fight against
An old, Russian mentality; started with an inner strife
While hoping to find some ways to achieve true happiness.''



(Ivan continued….)



'' Don't forget that I overcame my own human condition.
''I think it is also about the faith that spurred you; read
Some chapters aloud for me before sleeping; your diction
Is nice, '' ''Hope it's not philosophical; don't turn in the bed! ''



(‘’Just a little, ’’ replied Erica and fell asleep.)

(..To be continued…)

Poem by Marieta Maglas

Match the sleep up to the fire,
Words alight in bareface glow.
Take your knees and hold them tight,
Tonight's the night that Dragons fight.

By the river lives are woven;
Fabric soft and hugs the skin.
As the shadows dance about,
Throw their arms and scream and shout.

Froth at the shore - take care!
Who'll hold you back from the tale?
Don't lose any grief.
Each story's a thief.

Mirror, mirror
Said the queen
Self-conscious,
Not wanting to be seen

Mirror, mirror
Every day
Urging wrinkles
Not to stay

Mirror, mirror
She was taught
If she was ugly
She was naught

Mirror, mirror
She cannot feel
Emotions ruin
Her appeal

Mirror, mirror
She feels dead
To the husband
In her bed

Mirror, mirror
Her heart is failing
Her lungs are gasping
Her kidneys wailing

Mirror, mirror
The doctor said
She has a growth
In her head

Mirror, mirror
She cannot stand
But she's still the most
Beautiful in the land

Mirror, mirror
But not anymore
Her place taken
By the child of a *****

Mirror, mirror
She needs a heart
The child has one
There's a start

Mirror, mirror
She's in so much pain
She doesn't know
How to be humane

Mirror, mirror
The child is dead
The heart is weak
But she has fed

Mirror, mirror
The heart has failed
There is no other
That ship has sailed

Mirror, mirror
She is desperate to live
She finds a corrupt magicker
And gives all she can give

Mirror, mirror
She feeds on death
Each soul she takes
Lies in every breath

Mirror, mirror
She carves words in her skin
EVIL, VAMPYR
DEMON, SIN

Mirror, mirror
She moans in the night
Her husband sleeps in a separate bed
Yet still quakes in fright

Mirror, mirror
The child is not dead
All the lives she has taken
When she could have taken one instead

Mirror, mirror
Look at her now
Twisted and broken
Macabre magick on her brow

Mirror, mirror
The child must pay
Perhaps her soul will be redeemed
It is the only way

The pirate quartermaster, Maro, saw two galliots
Coming towards the carrack; the first one had ten cannons.
To start the maneuver on the carrack, he asked his pilots.
They were attacked by a volley of fire; maniac in action,



Maro caught up with this army and replied with another
Volley of fire, but he had to retire the carrack.
Then, the army came alongside it and fought in a smother.
This assault was preceded by some flurries of the bullet attacks.



Using the muskets and some small arms designed for superior
Accuracy, the army could leap from ship to ship;
Once the ships had met, the battle had been waged; ulterior,
They used long polearms and swords which were kept on their hips.



The first galliot approached and used the bowsprit,
A protrusion which was angled upward from the bow,
To charge the flank of the carrack; some pirates wanted to quit.
The bowsprit penetrated the breeze upper the low



Waist of the opened deck, in the middle; it could be used
As a connection between the ships; a part of the army
Fiercely attacked the pirates making them be confused.
The ships collided; raw in front of the enemy,



The hidden soldiers started to shoot; they held the fire
At a close range; this ship was narrow for the artillery,
But into saving some honest lives they had to inquire.
These guns were placed on the centerline by the military.



The pirates turned to the opposite direction, but they were
Attacked by the second galliot equipped in the same way.
The bandits could barely put up a resistance; their deaths were near.
The fight had lasted until it was all done in their play.



The first galliot caught the carrack with the help of
The other one; Maro ordered one of his crew to cut
A small hole in the carrack to make this ship sink thereof
And to hurry the soldiers to save the hostages, but



They would need to know if there was a way to swim to the shore.
They abandoned quickly the carrack; the result of the fight
Was the victory of the army, stopping the devil's roar.
They took three pirates captive; three escaped in the waters' night.



The governor had the loyalty of a gentleman
While keeping his word in front of Frederick and while
Dedicating himself to protecting any merchant
And any passenger; they disembarked on that emerald isle.


(Frederick, Pedro, Naimah, Miguel, Cruz, Ivan, Pedra, Chiara, Francesca and the remained crew went to Prinylas. Cruz was injured but still alive. At least, while having tears in his eyes, Frederick embraced his junior who looked exactly like him. The child smiled and touched his father’s face with his little hand. Geraldine embraced Frederick and kissed him while crying.)


The governor had built frigates and galliots to maintain
Safety on the coast and to guard them against the invasions.
Then, he sent them to capture the pirate ships hoping to gain
Peace, wealth and a good fortune for the future generations.
(To be continued…)

Poem by Marieta Maglas

If each and every grain were a
Year,
Than every knock would be an
Episode,
So came the story that is my
Door.

And,

One – was the loudest pound,
“Authority,”
When the P.D.’d nearly warped
Hinge,
So came my first night in the
Clink.

Two, three, and four – Love, only
Love,
And one of two later;
SLAM!
Or one silent escape, fled and
Sundered.

Five – was the knock that never came.

Six – “tap, tap, tap,”
Mom,
It must have been my mom, or rather,
Obligation
And she’d swear to my sisters, “he’s
Ok.”

Seven, eight, and nine – Deliveries,
Disguise,
Pizza, Chinese, pizza and not so
Famished
Anymore; fuel for the guts, guzzle for the
Words.

Ten – came a' “gamechanger,”
Tear-smeared-mascara,
And two hands atop your
Abdomen;
I knew atop the water your freckles,
You’d never need knock again.

So if each and every grain were a
Year,
Than every knock would be an
Episode,
And this would be the story, that’d ever
Be our door.

Ivan thought that the stranger followed him; why should he?
If the stranger had been a Russian one, it would have been
Perfectly obvious for him where the meeting had to be
Placed, but maybe this stranger had accidentally heard them when




They had talked; in this case, the stranger didn't know their secret,
But the surveillance was the only way to find out.
This was why this stranger embarked on their ship; apart,
The real surveillants were chameleons, beyond this doubt.




One of those pirates searching for secrets had a red birthmark
On his face; to follow Fargo, they were walking for some hours.
They started a talk while one of their dogs began to bark
''To identify a tail, look at the footprints, those flowers




Can make the dogs lose the scent trail; '' '' each flower might have
A different scent, telling the dog it has been visited
By some insects; here, their path is divided into two halves.''
''Someone left them, and another one is dead or invalid.''




'' That person returned; look, he moved frequently between crowded
And empty places: this makes him conspicuous, '' '' It's a man.''
''Someone else followed them, '' ''I don’t see well, the sun is clouded, ''
'' I don't trust this lady, Chiara, '' ' I understood her plan.''




''She paid our chief, Quintus, to **** Lucca, '' ''He was lucky
To be hired by two persons to do his job on the same ship.''
''Quintus made his intentions very clear; he is a plucky
Man; '' one of them touched a footprint with his finger tip.




'' Quintus's intention was to loot and to arrive before
Frederick besides Syracuse to wait and hit the carrack.''
''Quintus will **** Marco after trying to find out whether
He's their man or not, '' ''They have fallen under our attack.''




'' Chiara paid Quintus to **** Francesca, '' '' Look at the village! ''
''This must be the messenger's house; it's midnight; let's enter
To find the documents like in the midst of a pillage, ''
'' All are like babies in a deep sleep, '' ''I long for adventure! ''




(They found the documents, but they didn't take them because they needed to hunt the connection person. They exited the house.)




'' Let's tell Quintus that these gold bars came from London to go
To a Russian rich lady living as a nun, '' ''One
Of them used Fargo to be here, but she didn't let him know.''
''Now, he cannot return back to us; his future is done.''




''When one of us leaves our crew, he becomes a stupid man
In the arms of any woman, '' ''Which one do you think is
Involved in the gold's story? '' ''I don't know, but I know the plan.''
''They are four; we'll find soon, '' ''Round in my head, these events whizz.''




(The pirates killed the messenger on the beach, but they did not know where he had lived.
The messenger knew the person who had to give him the gold, and therefore, had no documents on him.
The person bringing the gold traveled while providing maximum security, but secretly he was afraid of the pirates.)




Meanwhile, Quintus did not know where the gold had come from
Nor where the messenger was living, and therefore, he killed
Marco; then, after the returning of his people, he sent them
To tell all the pirates that the onslaught should be stopped.



Erica knew about the village and influenced
Fargo to go in that direction; Ivan had told her
The name of the village and where the messenger's house was placed,
But she didn't know the information that man could confer.




Chiara wanted Lucca to die because he was the sole
Heir of an immense fortune after the death of his parents.
She also wanted Francesca's death, but she lost control
Thinking that she lost the asset in the light of those events.



(..To be continued…)

Poem by Marieta Maglas

I yearn for tea
Amongst the tales of Xinxian.
So came a flood teased
The scent of Maojian.
Puffs, over placid lake, and
Whispered crooked mountains,
Alone, the windswept pine cone,
And amiss, the plateau she wept;

Tears when I remember an uncle,
Old man “Magic,” long gone,
And his story of
Love led suicide; Aggregate,
One lonely island “now.”
So spoke two solid oaks,
The remains, and the hum
Atop tip and tongue,
Locals and love –

For each and every time a
Young man kisses
His fair maiden,
More pale, one chance,
Subtle, the future, in stone,
The frightful things that
Sometimes happen.

I’d watch that saga if I could,
But I can’t;
I’m an active participant
And tomorrow,
I’d be wrapped up in some
Other tale, tumult or tease?
A hero, or villain?
Either way, I’d be happy
And for some time –

I knew the danger in just,
“That,” and perhaps you will too,
When you stumble off the stone,
Or follow your own path,
Wary the map of course,
Where there be dragons,
There be treasures and tragedy,
I promise, and when you do,
I only hope you
Share your story with me.

Hanging turtles and
Netted birds of amenity
Dangle from her
Left hip like jewels ‘neath a,
“Ming,” ear as she traverses
Mountains beholden kitchens
And one more rise come setting splendor.
Supper may be atop the right, pelvis,
But opposite and left,
Rests the flask, bitter in chase of sanity.

I’m sure the scant pebble
Rattling in between
Her stomach and sorrow
Was nothing more than
A desperate thirst opposed the
Blister born benevolence,
Thirst opposed execution
And a coin converted spirit opposed,
“Xie xie,” (thank you), a platitude,
As heads clip pavement,
Blood pales a gutter,
Or soon-to-be feast’s final throes,
A bleeding and breeding for other,
Leading jitter-beholden mice to flee,
For they may be next
So future’s victuals arrive
Unhindered.

All and assumptive, assistance and rendered,
She walks away with only this –
Everyone’s emaciated
And the butcher on the street is still a butcher,
A peddler, a savior, and butcher again;
A source, be it left, right or wrong,
In need of a drink, as we all are,
With only the means, “take me to the sip,”
And by dollar come pocket born you.