By the time the sun set, Cloud had already been long waiting in the courtyard of the old ruined library. It was said, that this was one of the oldest structures in the city. She looked up at the old broken light blue glass in the arched windows. Finely crafted wrought iron work graced the balcony railings. Curved steps led to a graceful archway hovering over the main passage, only half of the door still hanging on the rusty iron hooks, the other nowhere to be seen. Cloud, walked up the stairs, covered with dry leaves and broken branches. She looked up at the hand painted tiles that decorated the ceiling, depicting the glory of the Four Creators.

They were all here: Lord Lukus, stared down on her looking solemn in his golden robe. He was the creator of the Arkehons and the Nehalen. Arkehons, who preferred night to day, and who hid in their Labyrinth of Thornes and had not left its safety since the rise of Aleuta. The Nehalen, half species of water and half species of the air, who had built Waterese, the magnificent city on a lake. Cloud had seen it once as a child and remembered the palaces of Waterese with walls made out of water and finely polished white stone. As a child, she was fascinated by the city's sparkling against the blue sky. Even the memory of it made her smile now.

Next to Lord Lukus was depicted Lady Retsa. She appeared benignant and merciful to Cloud, her light grey dress made her look like a ray of light in a dark chamber. She was the creator of the Voltris and the Skaults. Voltris lived in the city of Mara Barag, on the Western shore of Ailarin. Cloud had seen it, too. Their homes, dotted the water along the coast like mushrooms, half submerged in water and half seemingly floating above. Voltris were also known as Pearldivers, then they could remain under the water for a long period of time, allowing them to dive deep for pearls. Pearls were in high demand in Aleuta and that had made the Voltris very wealthy.

Skaults, the Forest Children, on the other hand were a mystery to Cloud. Just like the Arkehons, they had withdrawn into their forest stronghold of Skara Brae, yet while Arkehons still maintained trading routes open with the rest of the inhabitants of the island, the Skaults completely shut themselves off. Anyone who ever entered their lands, never returned. For many generations, Aleuta attempted to bend them to its rule, yet they persevered. During their travels, Cloud's grandparents always made sure to make a big circle around their forest, then Skaults had little love for Veilys. And the ring of poisonous plants that grew around their forest, made it impenetrable for anyone who tried. Then it was said that the sweet scent emitted by the plants, dimmed the wits and made one forget everything they knew and become like a suckling babe again – helpless and lost.

Next came Lord Erbis. He was depicted as broad-shouldered and emanating physical strength, the golden robe tight on his muscular body. He was the creator of the Orvats and the Sanduls. Where Sanduls, the inhabitants of Sumi Sandul, city in the desert, were the embodiment of beauty, the Orvats were the embodiment of physical strength. Although Orvats valued peace above all, they were easily angered and once that happened, one was better off keeping the distance. The Orvats were a river folk, who had built Rarrah Gigidi on what once was a swamp. It was a city criss-crossed by canals and it laid to the north west, between Leivrat and the Labyrinth of Thornes.

Last came Lady Ekara, who gave life to the Veilys and the Flizers. Cloud had never seen a Flizer, even though they were closest to the Veilys in kind. She had heard many stories about female Flizers serving in Aleuta, and chose to believe it, then everything she knew about the Aleutans told her that they grew up with servants, used to command. Cloud looked closer at Lady Ekara's image, and she had a feeling that she reminded her of the woman from the vision she had when the stranger touched her. Those piercing eyes, the long black hair...

Cloud never saw them coming. Two pairs of hands grabbed her roughly and a black bag was thrown over her head. She felt a sharp pain explode on the back of her neck and all went dark.

Cloud woke up in shock when a bucket with cold water was showered over her. She found herself lying on the ground and it took her a few moments to get back to her senses. She was in a dimly lit empty chamber. The moldy smell and the stuffy air told her that she was somewhere beneath the ground. Startled and slipping on the puddle of water, she quickly moved closer to the wall, away from the two dark-hooded figures that towered over her.

Her gaze wandered from one figure to another, yet both their faces were hidden underneath the hoods of their dark cloaks, revealing little. One of them held a lantern, yet it shed little light. Somewhere behind the two figures she notices the outline of a door. The escape route if she needed one. She felt the chill come through the doorway like a last deadly breath, penetrating her drenched cloths and biting her skin.

A voice spoke and it brought her attention to the man standing to her right.

"You were looking for me?" If she did not know better, she would have thought that the voice sounded almost friendly. Cloud used the wall for support and straightened up, her gaze fixed on the one who spoke. The man's voice sounded muffled and it was hard for her to guess his age.

"Yes. I need your help... sir... Gaulot. My friend disappeared three days ago..." she began summaning her bravery.

"Veilys disappear every day," said the man with an edge creeping into his voice.

"His name is Aerus. He might have sought you out," she said with a firm voice. Her grandfather had thought her to never show fear, then those of power crave it the most and seek to destroy those who are weak. Never let them see it, her grandfather had cautioned her all her life.

"No one by that name looked for me," Gaulot replied. At that her heart sank. Yet there was more she needed to know.

"The stranger who came to town. You had your man on him..." she said. Gaulot raised his hand to silence her.

"There are many strangers in this town. And I am interested in all of them."

"This one was different. He was dressed in black and had his face hidden..." she said, undeterred by the sharpness of Gaulot's voice.

"Let me guess. You and your friend were behind that little dusk cracker distraction at the market three days ago and you relieved the man of his coin bag? You thought your friend might have come to me with it?" he asked amused.

There was no point in denying it. She nodded.

"You had the man watched. Do you know anything about his whereabouts?" She immediately regretted she asked. She could almost feel the tension increasing around her. The man quickly stepped forward and grabbed her by the neck. He was so fast, she did not as much as raised an arm to protect herself. Pressed hard against the wall, she was barely touching the ground and was struggling to breathe. All she could do was grab Gaulot's glove-covered wrist and pray that if he killed her it would be quick.

"Tell me what you know about him," Gaulot commanded, fury in his voice, tired at last to be the one questions by a child.

She tried to speak, but nothing came out. His fingers dug into her skin, demanding an answer. She didn't fight it. She should have been afraid, but all she could think of was the dark mask in front of her. She looked straight into the two holes where his eyes were. She realized late that she should not be staring at him like that.

He released her just as quickly as he had grabbed her and she fell to the ground grasping for breath. Coughing, she pulled herself up again, her hands massaging her hurting neck. Her mind working on ways to still turn the situation in her favour.

"It is true. We stole his purse. He hurt one of our friends. Whoever the man is, he is not one of us, nor is he an Outsider. He is strong and fast," she said remembering the scene at the market. "He carried weapons with him, maybe swords. No one would dare to come to Leivrat armed. And underneath his mask there were no eyes, only emptiness. That is all I know. Now it is your turn."

"What made you think that you could demand information from me, little girl?" he asked amused by her boldness. "Everything has a price. You better learn this while you are still young so you may live long enough to get old. You did not share anything I did not know before. You wasted my time and that is not something I take lightly."

"I'm sorry..." she volunteered. Another of her grandfather's lessons: when things get bad, apologize and get out.

"A sorry is worth nothing! It gives you nothing and you can't exchange it for anything," the man said, studying her. Cloud did not allow the fear to show on her face and was thankful for the dimness of the chamber that concealed her struggle to keep her face steady.

"I can tell you are brave," she heard Gaulot say. "Not much good will it do you. Bravery is nothing if you don't use it wisely. I am inclined to give you what you came for, however. What can you offer in return?"

"Nothing. I don't have anything. I am so..." She quickly checked herself and said instead, "I should not have troubled you." She gave the door a quick glance. If she was fast enough, she could probably make it.

"Ay, you shouldn't have." He looked her up and down. "There is maybe nothing you can give me now. But I am patient and as it happens I am a collector of favours. Sometimes favours turn out to be more precious than anything else." Somehow she had the feeling that doubt had crept in his voice. "Will you give me the promise of a future favour, little girl?"

Cloud knew the value of favours, but she was not planning to stay in Leivrat too long. She would leave it soon and their paths will never cross again. Besides, she could hardly say no. Her friend's life might depend on it and she wasn't sure she would get out of here alive if she declined.

"I promise," she heard herself say with a small, thin voice.

"Very well then. Your life for a favour." Gaulot folded his arms in front of him and looked her over top to bottom. "Strange as it is, I don't know anything about the man. I had him followed the day he was seen at the market, where he never bought anything. Everyone buys something at the Leivratan market. But not him. After the trick with the cracker, he vanished. And then nothing. My men lost any trace of him."

She heard anger in Gaulot's voice and could not think of any reason not to believe him. She felt tricked, then the information he gave her did not bring her closer to finding Aerus, but the favour was already given.

"If the stranger took your friend, you will never find him. He is likely dead by now. Better you forget the boy," Gaulot advised her.

"No. I will find him." she replied stubbornly.

"Suit yourself, little girl," he said sounding amused and turned to leave. The lantern light went out and the two figures dissolved in the shadows.

*****

"Didn't you let her go off too easily? I saw you punish others for much less than wasting your time."

"The girl amused me. She is strong-willed and feisty. Nothing like her father," replied Gaulot.

"You knew him?"

"A little. The man was afraid of his own shadow, never liked the kind of him. He was a very boisterous lad and spoke before thinking. It had come a time when he began going around telling everyone that he knew my secrets, that fool. Few words in the right ear and the mountain got him. Aleutan guards be thanked. I warned him, but he was never the smart one. It is a mystery to me how someone as wimpy and craven as him fathered a daughter like her. The Creators are funny indeed."

"In any case, we are not any closer to discovering who that stranger was."

"We have to keep searching. Something tells me he is no longer in Leivrat," replied Gaulot. "Send word to all our friends around Ailarin and tell them to keep their eyes and ears open. I want to hear every rumour."

"Do you think he is...?"

"That is exactly what I fear he is..."

*************

Note from the writer:

Thank you very much for reading the chapter. If you liked it, please consider giving it a vote :) Thank you very much in advance!