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Aleuta.

Four days passed since Cloud had found herself locked up in what was unmistakably an Aleutan dungeon. Never in her life was she forced to sit still in one place for so long. She spent her days pacing around the cell, barely restraining herself from screaming and kicking the wooden door.

The cell was round and cave-like, and did not allow for more than ten steps in each direction. Twice a day some water and a loaf of bread were pushed through the slit in the door by a mute guard. It was her only distraction from the forced monotony.

In the middle of the cell floor was a hole the size of a grown-up man. An iron grid covered up the opening. Cloud had heard rumours about the Aleutan dungeons and knew what the hole was for. This was how Aeutans got rid of the unwanted prisoners.

The floor had a round cone shape, inverted toward the outside. With the grid removed, falling asleep meant rolling down and falling out into the death. The prisoners would spend days without sleep but the end was always the same. Through the grid, Cloud could see the sharp protruding edges of the mountain wall below and did not want to think of how many lives they had taken.

In the night, Cloud was kept awake by the cold wind howling through the grid holes and the rattling of her own teeth. The stony floor was covered with the little straw that had not been blown away by the wind.

She only had the cloths on her that she wore the day she was taken from Leivrat, meant for warmer climate beneath the mountain. Up here, they did nothing to protect her from the cold and wind, and she froze miserably. Still, the opening in the floor was a welcome sight to Cloud. Through the grid she could see freedom. It made the feeling of the walls closing in on her slightly more bearable.

With the passing days, Cloud had plenty of time to think about the events that had gotten her where she was now. Many times a day she called for Aerus, hoping that he might be somewhere in a nearby cell. That she was not a sole prisoner, she deduced from occasional cries for help and moans that reached her. Yet, she never heard any response from her friend and fears for his life and her inability to help, made her heart ache.

What is it that was stolen from the Aleutans? This was the question that puzzled Cloud most while she paced the cell. It must be something so valuable that even an Aleutan Minister would descend to Leivrat. Only Aleutan guards ever set foot in the old city of Veilys. And how could the Aleutans possibly know that Aerus was the one who stole from them? Her friend does not have the brains to conceive an idea to do something as risky as this. And that without telling her first about it.

Something was not right.

The feeling that the stranger's and Aerus's disappearance were somehow related only increased the more she considered it. Suddenly it made sense to her why Aerus still had the coin bag on him when he returned. She even jumped to her feet when the thought struck her. The stranger took Aerus and made him steal from the Aleutans! The coin bag was a payment. Of course she could not be sure, but nothing else made sense and this was the best explanation she could think of.

She remembered seeing Aerus's broken nails and cuts and bruises covering his entire body. There were rumours that it was possible to climb the mountain all the way to Aleuta and back again in three-four days. The same amount of time that her friend's disappearance lasted. It was said, the Aleutans guarded the paths well. Trained eagles, with sharp eyes able to see clearly day and night, hunted the mountain ridge. Nobody in their sane mind would ever dare to get anywhere near Aleuta uninvited.

Yet, remembering the stranger and the frightening feeling he left her with, Cloud knew that Aleutan defenses would not deter him. The fact that Aerus did not remember what had happen to him, confirmed Cloud's suspicion that he had been used for some foul purpose and had been made to forget it.

There and then, she decided that she would find the stranger and make him pay for what he did to Aerus. But first she needed to get out of the dungeon. And she could only hope that she got out of here alive and while still young enough to take her revenge. There was of course the possibility of her leaving the cell as a feeble ancient who no longer remembered her own name. She prayed to the Creators that they prevent her from such a lot.

One early morning, the door swung opened without a warning and two Aleutan guards came in. Their faces looked unfamiliar, but they were clad same as the guards that took her from Leivrat. Behind them hovered the face of a shorter man, who held a lantern with a shaking hand.

Their sudden appearance made Cloud hesitate at first. She had barely slept that night, just like any other night before, and only dozed off for a bit when light chased away the darkness and bitter cold. At first, she felt unrestrained joy from seeing other living beings, even if they were her enemies. Her hesitation cost her a chance to escape, then the door stood wide open behind the three figures.

Without a word, the guards threw a brown bag over her head and her arms were roughly tied behind her back. She was grabbed on both sides and dragged out of the cell. She heard the door being pulled shut and a key turning in its rusty lock. She no longer heard the wind and neither felt the chilly air about her, the steady companions of her lonely seclude.

She screamed for the men to let her go and kicked about her. They continued to drag her with a determined silence. They took her through long corridors, then stairs. Up and up, then corridors again. It was getting warmer, but she almost wished it wasn't. The air was pregnant with humidity and mouldy stuffiness. It was hard to breathe.

And then suddenly it all changed.

They left the dungeon behind and the air became fresher and for an instant she thought that she was standing in the middle of a flower field. Different scents were fighting for her attention. It was nothing like Leivrat!

She was still too absorbed with the novelty of it, when they stopped and she heard a knock on the door.

"We brought the Dust Girl," the man to her right announced. It took Cloud a moment to realize that by the Dust Girl they meant no other than her. She heard muffled steps and then the door swung open. A shove in the back made Cloud take a few steps forward.

"Release her and wait outside," a female voice commanded. It sounded somewhere very close to Cloud.

The guards released their grip and removed the rope that tied her hands at the back. She heard their retreating footsteps and the closing of the boor behind her. Cloud immediately pulled the bag from her head and what she saw next took her completely by surprise.

A tall and sinister looking woman was standing before her. Her face was so close, that Cloud could even feel her breath on her skin. Cloud took a step back to ease discomfort and only managed to gape at her with an open mouth.

With a long chilling look, the woman sized Cloud up and down and the line of her mouth twisted in disapproval. Cloud immediately took a dislike to the woman. She quickly gave herself a glance over and noticed that her cloths were dirty and ripped in some places. Still, she hardly deserved the look the strange woman kept throwing her.

Cloud raised her head higher in defiance, and in turn, looked the woman demonstratively up and down. She was a Veilys like Cloud, but she did not look like anyone she had ever seen. A white dress covered the woman head to toe and it reminded Cloud of the dresses the female Creators wore on the mosaic ceiling of the old library in Leivrat. Her face looked delicate and there were traces of former beauty, but it was buried underneath of a layer of bitterness and something else that Cloud could not name.

The woman's hair barely reached her chin. Cloud had only ever seen children with short hair. Seeing it on a grown-up woman, made Cloud want to giggle at the silliness of the look. Why would a woman ever wear her hair short? Cloud puzzled.

Tired of the eye-battle, Cloud glanced around the room and almost forgot all about the tall woman, when she noticed something that made her open her mouth again but this time in amazement.

Two little female creatures were standing huddled before a large basin filled with water. At first, Cloud thought that these were just children. Then she noticed their green hair and looked down at her own braid of the same colour. She locked her gaze on their faces and realized that they were grown-up women, only very small in stature.

Could they be the Flizers her grandfather had told her so much about? It was well known that Aleutans used female Flizers as their servants. The longer she stared at them, the more scared of her the girls became. They slouched more, trying to make themselves smaller than they already were, desperate to escape her attention.

Cloud was so absorbed with her discovery that she did not notice she was spoken to until she felt a slap on her cheek. Her hand flew up to her face to cover the aching part. Somewhere deep within she felt anger rising and running through her veins.

"You better pay attention when I talk to you," commanded the woman with a voice used to obedience. "Who are you?"

As someone who had never been slapped before, Cloud hesitated in astonishment. If they were in Leivrat, Cloud would have long jumped at the woman and pulled out every single of her hair stumps. However, the novelty of her surroundings and the recent surprises held her back from her natural tendency to solve "disagreements".

"I...," attempted to say Cloud. Her voice quivered and it annoyed her. She rubbed her hurting cheek and said more firmly, "I'm Cloud from Leivrat."

"Cloud? Is that how you call yourself?" snapped the woman.

"It's my name..."

But the woman would have none of it.

"It's a lie. You have been given another name at birth. What is your true name?"

Cloud was many things, but a liar she was not. And it struck her deeply that this wicked woman accused her of being one. One thing Cloud knew with absolute certainty to be true - that her name was Cloud.

"This is the only name I know," responded Cloud, stubbornness ringing in every word. She saw woman's eyes searching for the truth in her face.

"Yes, that is the only name you know," she admitted at last. She raised her hand up reaching for Cloud's face and her slender fingers dug into the girl's chin. "What use does the Minister have for Cloud from Leivrat?" she interrogated.

Cloud hissed through her clenched teeth, "Believe me, this is the last place I..."

"Answer the question!" commanded the woman.

"I don't know," responded Cloud clenching her fists. She tolerated another moment of the woman's inquisitive gaze until she finally let go.

As if losing interest in Cloud, the woman turned to face the two Flizers. They immediately began shaking with fright.

"You two. Come here." The girls approached bowing to both of them. Cloud used the moment of respite to scan the room for escape routes. The only window had a grid. The only other opening was the door behind her with the waiting guards outside.

"Yes, Most Reverend!" Cloud heart the Flizers say. That sounded like the woman was someone very important.

"Wash her and put that dress on her." She nodded in the direction of neatly folded brown dress lying by the basin. It looked like the dresses the Flizer girls wore.

The girls immediately took hold of Cloud's hands on both sides and tried to lead her toward the basin. She didn't move from the spot.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Cloud asked. The woman ignored her and walked to the window.

"If she is not in the basin next time I turn you two will each get twenty lashes," threw the woman over her shoulder.

Both girls immediately looked at Cloud with plea in their eyes. The fear on their faces told Cloud that the thread was real and she gave up any thoughts of resistance. The woman was not going to give Cloud any answers, that was plain to see, and so she let herself be taken to the basin. The girls began pulling on her clothes, however, Cloud who was used to bathing alone, tried to stop them.

"Please!"

"You have to let us do it," begged the girls.

"No talk!" barked the woman. It was enough to make the two little Flizers tremble anew. Reluctantly Cloud obeyed and allowed to be undressed.

After many days locked up and unwashed, she could not stop smiling as she lowered herself into the basin and felt the hot water closing around her. She breathed in the scent steaming from the fragrant oils the Flizers put inside. Cloud tried to help, but they whispered "Please, please" and she gave up. One girl rubbed her arms and legs. The other washed her hair. Her fingers skillfully combing out the snags. But then she suddenly stopped.

"Most Reverend, lice" said the girl. Cloud flashed red up to the ears. Her grandmother had always ensured she would never have lice. But of course she had it now. Wasn't she rotting in the dungeons without any means to clean herself for days?

When the woman turned to look at her, an even more disgusted expression on her face appeared. Cloud had to bite her lip to stop herself from saying anything to her defense. Somehow she sensed the woman did not care to listen.

"What are you waiting for? Rid her of those." And with that she turned back to look out of the window.

The Flizer girl grabbed one of the many bottles placed by the basin and began generously applying some powder on Cloud's long hair. Judging how skilled the girls were, they must be used to doing this.

As soon as they finished, Cloud was toweled dry and dressed. The dress was made of a much finer fabric than anything she had ever touched in Leivrat. She looked at her old cloths lying in a pile by the basin and missed her home.

"Most Reverend?" called one of the girls as soon as Cloud was ready. The woman turned and gave her an inspecting look. Without another word, she walked toward the door. Cloud wasn't sure what was expected of her now. The girls motioned to her to go after the woman who never looked back to see if Cloud was following her. Cloud snatched her old cloths and quickly hugged the two girls who almost dropped dead thinking she meant them harm. Only when Cloud turned to wave to them at the door, the girls relaxed slightly and even smiled.

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Note from the writer:

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