The bridge to Duskencliff lay before them in ghostly silence. The wind had died down and seemed to be holding its breath as Eva, Finn, Nora and Leander carefully took their first steps onto the half-ruined structure. Below them, the fog shrouded a bottomless abyss, from which a soft whisper occasionally rose. ‘I don’t like it,’ murmured Nora, pulling her cloak tighter around her. “It’s too quiet.” “Would you like it better if you could hear something?” replied Eva, her voice tense.
When they reached the end of the bridge, Nightshade lay before them – a dilapidated yet magnificent silhouette of towers, domes and narrow alleys that stretched like a labyrinthine network across the crescent-shaped island. The entrance was flanked by two stone pillars, on which characters were emblazoned. Now the ravages of time had made them illegible. ‘This was once the entrance gate,’ explained Leander, who apparently felt obliged to play tour guide. ‘We are now officially in Nightshade. If you don’t mind me asking, what is the purpose of your journey?’ He had asked them this question several times in the last few days, and each time Eva had skilfully avoided answering it. Now she had to come clean. The nobleman had proven to be a useful travel companion and even though she still didn’t quite trust him, she had to trust him. They needed his help more than ever in these ruins. ‘You know anyway that we have an Orbis Arcanum,’ she replied, regretting it the next moment when she noticed a glint in Leander’s eye. ‘We have a clue: ‘Per aspera ad astra’ and we are looking for a very old place or one that has a special meaning for the city.’ “I don’t need to think about that for long,” he said. “That must be the historical weather station of the Meteorological Institute. It is also the oldest facility of its kind on the entire Cloud Islands and the place where the disaster that destroyed Nightshade originated.” Eva nodded. ‘Can you take us there?’ The nobleman made a slight curtsy. ’It would be my pleasure.’
The streets were covered by a reflective pavement that, even in its decay, gave the impression that it might once have reflected the light of the stars. But today it was covered by moss and a thin layer of dust. The buildings on either side of the street rose up crookedly, their facades adorned with filigree decorations that bore witness to a former high culture. Many of the walls had collapsed, and through the broken windows one could see the remains of furniture and weathered tapestries. A wide avenue led towards the central square, which was dominated by a gigantic tower. Its upper third was broken off, but even in its incompleteness it was still imposing. ‘The Great Tower,’ Eva murmured when she saw it. ‘The library was there, wasn’t it?’ Leander nodded, his eyes fixed on the remains of the structure. ‘A place of great knowledge. Today, of course, only a shadow of its former glory.’
As they approached the central square, the oppressive silence was broken by a strange echo. It was as if their steps were being reflected by invisible walls, but there was no one there but them. Eva felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she looked nervously over her shoulder. ‘It feels like something is watching us,’ Nora whispered, clutching her tool bag tightly. Finn scanned the area, his hand close to the hilt of the sailor’s knife that he now wore openly on his belt. “Just the wind,” he said softly, but his eyes remained alert. Leander walked at the front, seemingly unimpressed by the eerie surroundings. He seemed to know exactly where they were going and led the group through the narrow alley that led away from the main square. ‘The weather station is a little outside the city centre,’ he explained over his shoulder. ‘The ancient meteorologists needed a place with unhindered access to the currents in the sky.’
The alley opened into another square, smaller but equally deserted. In the middle stood a half-ruined fountain, with vines growing out of the ground and looking like long, dark fingers. On the other side rose the building that Leander had described as the weather station: a flat structure with a tall glass dome, most of the panes of which were broken. Faded mosaics depicting swirling clouds and raging winds could be seen on the walls. ‘This is it,’ said Leander, his voice almost reverent. Eva paused for a moment and looked at the structure. It was impressive, but also oppressive. She couldn’t say whether it was the architecture itself or the history associated with it, but something about it frightened her. ‘So, how do we get in?’ asked Finn, his voice muffled by the cold of the square. Leander threw him a smile. ‘There should be an open side door. The old scientists placed more emphasis on functionality than on security.’
They found the door in question after a short search. It was slightly warped and took both of them to open it. Inside, they were greeted by a labyrinth of shelves, dusty equipment and old, yellowed maps. In the middle of the room stood a massive device – the star clock, the centrepiece of the weather station. ‘This is the centre of ancient research,’ Leander explained. He stepped forward and ran his hand over the delicate engravings on the device. “They used this apparatus to control the winds, analyse weather phenomena and map the celestial currents.” “But why is all this still here?” Nora asked. ’If the city was abandoned, why didn’t anyone take this stuff with them?’ Leander shrugged. ‘Maybe it was too big, too bulky. Or maybe it’s still needed.’ A wry smile crossed his face, but Eva noticed how he paused for a moment at his own words. Finn stopped what he was doing, bent down, and picked up something from the ground. It was a map. ‘This… this looks like a relatively recent map of the Cloud Islands,’ he said in amazement. His eyes narrowed, and he gave Leander a suspicious look. ‘What do you mean by, “It’s still needed”?’
Before the nobleman could answer, a strange noise sounded from the other side of the room – a faint, scraping sound that froze the group in their tracks. Eva instinctively reached for her stocking and even Leander seemed briefly to lose his composure. ‘Night shadows – I hope you know how to stay quiet,’