Yet the clouds surrounded about the mixture, the dragons’ lairs above the oceans, rough skies. We sat on a ship in the oceans, trading the currents for our former positions, bickering, the crew amongst us, wearing bright colored clothing and masks that covered our head most of the time, as so that the men and women appeared alike.

And below, the clouds would roll across the water. The sun would make things seem warmer than they really are on board, despite our multiple layers of clothing. We could sometimes board on land, meeting up at a distant tower above the clouds, so we would descend past the surface into the undercuts.