‘Eva, are you up there?’ Greybeard’s voice came up to her from below. When she didn’t answer, she heard the old airship’s bear start to climb up to the attic, puffing. She got up and met him at the top of the ladder. “What have you got there?” he asked when she had climbed down and handed him the map. ‘I found it in a suitcase,’ she said. “Turn it over.” He did so and looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand?” Without a word, Eva pulled up her trouser leg and presented a stocking. He looked back and forth between the patterned back and her feet. Suddenly his bushy eyebrows rose. “Well?” was all he said. Then he turned the page and studied it closely. They stood in the hallway in silence for several minutes. Again and again, Greybeard uttered expressions of astonishment: ‘Oh,’ or ‘Could it really…’ Then he rolled up the parchment with a flourish and looked at his foster daughter. ‘Come on, little one, I’ll go put on the kettle.’
The old captain muttered to himself thoughtfully, holding the map tightly in his hands. Eva followed him down the creaky stairs to the kitchen, where the familiar scent of cinnamon herb and a light touch of old wood hung in the air. As the water began to boil, they sat down and Greybeard carefully placed the map on the table. The lines on it shimmered in the flickering light of the fire, and Eva could see that his gaze slid into the distance for a moment.
‚What I’m going to tell you now is, above all, a fairy tale – yes, a folk tale, but one in which many people used to believe. It has since been almost forgotten and only old air captains like me still remember it. It is called the Tale of the Heart of Heaven.‘ He let the words sink in as he stood up and poured the boiling water over the windflower tea. Then he poured them two cups, but he didn’t speak again until he had poured himself a generous dash of thunderstorm mead. He loved the spicy drink, made from the electrifying honey of cloud bees that nested in the storm regions. The mead gave the drinker an invigorating feeling of warmth and energy, as if a small thunderstorm were raging in the chest – and that was exactly what he seemed to need right now, as he took a hearty gulp.
‘The Heart of Heaven is said to be not only a legendary source of immeasurable power, but also the artefact that holds the Cloud Islands together as such,’ he continued. ’It is said that without the heart, the islands would drift apart and, in the worst case, fall from the sky. Nowadays, hardly anyone believes that, but if there was ever a time when the heart’s power waned, it would be ours. The ties between the Cloud Islands are weakening, while the pirates are growing in strength. Many are even talking about an impending war between the northern and southern islands for control of Goldendale.’ Eva leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. ’But what does that have to do with the map? And why does the pattern look like the one on my stocking?’
Greybeard put down her cup and sat down with a deep sigh. ‘This is the part that surprises even me. Do you see the golden lines here?’ He pointed to the shimmering connections that ran like veins across the map. ‘The legend says that you have to follow the golden thread to find the heart. Here, do you see the tangle in the corner? It is actually a thread. And here, on this unnamed island…’ “A golden heart!” Eva exclaimed in amazement. Greybeard nodded. “So I have reason to suspect that this map shows the way to the heart of heaven. But what that has to do with your stockings…” He tapped the back of the map with a thick finger. ’The pattern could be a clue, but I can’t guess what.’
Her heart beat faster. ‘Does that mean that with this map you could… so I could find the Heart of Heaven?’ The captain smiled wryly. ‘Slow down, girl. It’s just a story. Who knows if this isn’t the work of a bored cartographer who took the Heart of Heaven as inspiration. And even if the legend is true, the path that is drawn here is very risky. Look here – it passes through Nightshade, among other places.’ The mention of the abandoned city sent a shiver down Eva’s spine. “I don’t want to know what awaits you there. And here” – he pointed to the map – “in the storm zones, there are tremendous dangers lurking.” ’And why don’t we just sail directly to the mark with the heart?’ ‘That would be the easiest, of course, but I don’t know which island it is – it must be somewhere in the higher layers of the air. And as is the case with a good treasure map, you have to follow the path as it is drawn. If it is the heart that awaits you at the end of this path, you will not reach it without a test.’
Eva took a deep sip of her tea and felt a tingling of anticipation run over her skin. ‘I think I’m ready.’ Greybeard leaned back, his face lined with worry. ‘You’re a good pilot, no question. But the path I see marked here requires in-depth navigational knowledge.’ ‘Can’t you come with me?’ He looked at her for a long time. ‘I’m no longer strong enough. For this route, you need good support, very good support that you can trust. Because one thing I know for sure: if this map is real, it will interest more people than just the two of us.’