An Island for a Cloud

5.4 How to save a friend

The night had already fully descended by the time Cloud finally found her way out of the old collapsing tunnels underneath the library. She ran home as fast as she could through the deserted streets, all the while reflecting on what Gaulot had advised her to do. He must be a man who did not value friendships, she concluded. Nothing would ever make Cloud give up on her friend. All her memories of Leivrat were filled with running, playing, fighting, laughing, and crying with this boy. She would absolutely never give up on Aerus. Even if she had to cross Ailarin a hundred times, she would do it for him.

As it turned out, she did not have to go far, then Aerus found his way back to her. Cloud was about to climb up her whip and vault herself inside her home through the usual window, when she sensed that she was not alone. A dark shadow emerged from behind the tree. It alarmed her at first, but then she recognized Aerus's slim figure. He slowly walked towards her, then stumbled and almost fell into her arms.

"Granny..." he whispered through his cracked dry lips. He was covered with dirt head to toe, his garment in tatters. His arms, knees and face were bruised and covered with deep bloody cuts.

"What happened to you? Where have you been?" She was shocked to see him in such a pitiful state. The boy only groaned, leaning heavily on her.

"...a bad day... for a good thief..." he whispered.

"It's alright. You are safe now." She dragged him to the door and up the stairs.

On the next day, Cloud woke up sitting in a chair next to the bed where Aerus slept; her hand still holding his. She had stayed by his side the entire night washing the sweat off of his face, listening to his every move and every breath. Aerus had had fever throughout the night and now and then he spoke. However, she soon gave up on trying to make any sense of it.

She touched his forehead and was relieved to note that his fever has subdued. He did not look as bad as the night before.

"He will come around", she told her grandfather, who gave her a concerned look. As much as he pretended to dislike Aerus, the boy had grown on him.. She could sense that her gradfather suspected that she knew more about Aerus's disappearance that she had shared, but he chose not to comment. And she was thankfulf or that.

Aerus's sisters, pleased to see their brother back, anxiously waited for him to wake up. They bounced on the bed and cheered happily when he finally opened his eyes. When questioned about the last couple of days, it turned out that Aerus did not remember anything about his whereabouts since his disappearance. He remembered leaving Cloud at her home and going back to his. He remembered standing outside his house and from then on nothing at all. That sounded awafully familiar to Cloud. Tedus had described the same.

With her grandfather's help, she cleaned Aerus's wounds and dressed him in fresh cloths. None of his bones appeared to be broken. On some of his fingers the nails were completely gone. Cloud winced at that and silently prayed that he had not been tortured.

When Aerus finished his breakfast, he could not wait to go home to his mother. They took his sisters with them and slowly walked back to the slams where he called home. As soon as Cloud's grandfather was out of earshot, she showed Aerus the coin bag, which she had found on him. Not even one coin was missing. This was at least some comfort, they concluded. If the stranger was involved in Aerus's disappearance, would he not have taken his coin bag back? They were both puzzled at that.

Aerus's mother broke out in tears as soon as she laid eyes on her eldest son. And his other siblings clung onto him laughing and crying loudly.

"I thought I will die without ever seeing you again, my boy!" his mother whispered through heavy coughing. The few days of anxiety took their toll on her. Aerus looked at Cloud and they both knew that she would not live another day. He fell to his knees and embraced her.