Exhausted, Eva brushed her hair out of her forehead. ‘Nora!’ she called through the smoke, ‘Where are you?’ One of the portholes on the side of the ship opened and a flood of auburn curls emerged. Her friend pulled down her goggles, and Eva had to grin because her eyes were the only part of her face that was still free of soot. ‘I really need to eat something, otherwise I’ll pass out,’ she said, ‘will you come with me?’ ‘Nah,’ Nora replied, ‘I’m nearly finished. You go ahead, I’ll come later.’ ‘All right, I’ll be in the Helmsman then.’ Nora laughed: ‘Where else?’
Dear Reader – don’t be startled! Yes, it’s me again, the author of these lines and your guide through the world of the Cloud Islands. Allow me to insert a few explanatory words. Eva, like most of the young Nimbusheimers, was drawn to adventure. And where could you find more of that than among pilots, blitz catchers, Leviathan commanders, sky divers and navigators? Of course, you can walk around the streets looking for the specific uniforms and emblems to get into conversation with these professions. But it was of course easier with a sip of firebreeze or windtea in the Merry Helmsman. The cosy inn in the nightlife district of Nimbusheim delighted its customers with good home cooking and freshly tapped drinks; only a few tourists found their way here and a young girl like Eva could come and go without attracting attention. She would probably have had a harder time in pure seafarers‘ pubs like The Wire & Nozzle or The Drunken Seagull – and everyone with any decency stayed away from dives like The Broken Wing or Dionysus’ Cask.
As I mentioned earlier, I visited these places myself during my research and soaked up their unique atmosphere. So I can well understand the fascination that Eva must have felt when she was a guest there – it’s easy to become part of this special world. You sit there, unsuspectingly sipping your moonshinewine, and suddenly a conversation begins somewhere that draws you in. I imagine that this is how it was that day, when for once Eva was not trying to secretly eavesdrop on the stories of a Tempestarius or quiz one of the Wind Rider pilots. She was probably sitting at one of the scarred wooden tables, poking a fork into a hot potato. But on this day, it wasn’t a conversation, but an argument that made her sit up and take notice.
A loud bang startled Eva. A mug, which had previously been filled with beer, slid across the floor and came to rest under her table. In the next moment, a torrent of angry words followed. Eva raised her head and saw a burly captain with broad shoulders grab another man by the collar. The man he was attacking was younger, slim and had ash-blonde hair that fell into his face in messy strands. His face remained calm, almost bored, but his eyes flashed with anger.
‘Listen up, you skinny runt! This is my place – it always has been and always will be! So you get the hell out of my way as soon as I show up!’ The tall man shook the shorter man as if he wanted to knock out a feather duster. ‘And that was my beer,’ replied the blonde man in a calm voice. His words were as brief as his gestures. It was hard to tell whether he was being provocative or simply didn’t feel like explaining himself. The captain was turning red with anger. Fists would be flying any second. The other guests of the Merry Helmsman seemed completely unimpressed by this, some of them only glanced over as they continued to sip their drinks or indifferently munched their food. Bar fights were not uncommon in Nimbusheim.
Eva, however, couldn’t help but watch. The skinny guy didn’t stand a chance against the giant, that was obvious. But the lining of his coat had caught her attention. Steel-grey like a storm cloud, interspersed with strands of bright yellow. A storm-zone navigator. Before she could think about it any further, she pushed her chair back, stood up and marched resolutely over to the two of them.
‘Listen,’ she said to the captain. Do you need to behave like this? This is the ‚Merry‘ Helmsman, after all.‘ No reaction. She sighed. Some people simply had no sense of humour. ‘All right, I’ve tried to be nice,’ she said. ‘Let him go or I’ll fetch the landlady. And we both know that this seat has been yours for the longest time if you’re causing trouble here.‘ She looked defiantly at the big man. He had obviously been shocked into silence by the way a girl half his size was talking to him. However, the mention of the landlady seemed to have the desired effect, as he reluctantly let go of the blonde navigator. He then came close to Eva and scrutinised her face, as if he wanted to memorise every detail. She held his gaze – and held her breath, because the other smelled of a mixture of garlic and lots of Firebreeze. Finally, the man mumbled something unintelligible and dropped to his seat at the counter.
Eva turned to the blonde, but he had already left. On the threshold outside, she caught up with him and held him by the sleeve. ‘The word “thank you” isn’t in your vocabulary, is it?’ He studied her for a moment, his grey-blue eyes both sharp and cautious. ‘Thank you,’ he finally said, straightening his crumpled collar. ‘You’re welcome,’ Eva replied. ‘You’re a storm navigator?’ she added, to keep him from thinking the conversation was over. ‘Yes,’ he said. Eva plucked up her courage. ‘You could have landed yourself in a lot of trouble back there,’ she said. ‘I think that merits a favour.’
‘What kind of favour?’ ‘I need someone like you. For a journey.’ Now she had piqued his curiosity, because one of his eyebrows had risen in question. ‘What would a girl like you be wanting in the storm zones?’ ‘I’ll tell you later. Do you accept the job?’ He looked at her silently, searching for a sign that she was joking. But Eva returned his serious gaze. After a while, he snorted and shook his head. ‘I don’t work for strangers.’
‘Then it’s a good thing I’m not a stranger,’ she replied, holding out her hand. ‘Hello, my name is Eva.’ He stared at the hand for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and reluctantly shook it. ‘Finn. But that doesn’t mean I’ll help you.’ Eva grinned. ‘Oh, we’ll see about that.’