It had almost been a year since Hawk left his home behind. He drifted away from his family clan and tried to forget the magic that had ruined him. The elf named “Hawk” was not even real. Hawk was a character, played by an actor who had long since lost himself to the role. It was his greatest illusion. He didn’t have to be himself anymore. Hawk was fake, but Hawk was free.

When he made himself anew, he got to choose what the world would see. He made his skin pale like some of the humans and got rid of his outrageous hair, opting for subtle black. It might give him away, but he decided to keep his purple eyes. Deep down, he was afraid of forgetting himself. Accusing, those eyes would look back at him in the mirror. It wasn’t enough to feel the truth, sometimes, he needed to see it.

Hawk was most proud of the wings he created. They were glossy black hawk wings. Together, they made an elegant cape to balance the bright colors of his purple robes and dress coats. They made him look like a strong elf. However, the wings were useless, much like the real ones beneath the illusion.

Despite trying, not everything could be left behind in Watzelland. When he left his country, he had unknowingly carried hundreds of stowaways along with him. The people were called Silkins. They were constructs made by the mages of the past, much like the Chlorophanes.

Silkins built entire communities around their chosen mage. It was like Hawk was a merchant ship, and the Silkins were the crew, maintaining him and using his magical strength to create and sell their goods. They had been with him for years, but he had never seen them before.

Hawk’s entourage of Silkins proved to be inseparable from his person. They looked like ordinary spiders, except that they were not entirely corporeal. The creatures were made after the breaking of the sky, modeled after the weaving limbs of the Overseer. Because they have revealed themselves to him in his time of need, he gained the ability to see the Silkins.

They were all staying at the biggest inn in Emral Town, so that Hawk might have some time to recuperate his funds. It did not help that he let himself get robbed in the last city. At his table in the corner, he spent each evening performing a little show using his water magic to make wobbly puppets. It was enjoyable enough, touching on a dream from his childhood, but it didn’t make much money. The Silkin’s trading alone brought in the income of a small town. He was overshadowed.

The night when the news of the monster attack in Vera City reached him, he was not up to performing. Hawk was sitting at his usual round table away from the inn receptionist desk. He had set the news paper under his drink glass. The elder Silkins had run lines out from the drink to get their own share. He could hear the elders laughing and carrying on while the children ran about the inn jumping and gliding from table to table. Moonlight from the window sharpened the lines around his frown.

Hawk’s eyes were dark and downcast as he manipulated water between his hands. His Silkin friend perceptive as always, noticed the way he moved it about like a lame toy. “Hawk how long are you going to sit about like this?” He heard the voice loud and clear, despite not seeing Spinner. “The others are awaiting orders. Anything will do. Tell us what town we are going to next. Give us something to fix. We can’t be still for long.”

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“You all seem to be doing just fine on your own. I still don’t understand why you need me,” Hawk said with a yawn, letting his water run off the table.

“I’ll be honest with you right now, because the other’s certainly wont be. Right now, it isn’t about what we need. You’re the one that needs us.” Spinner was never one to hold anything back, but Hawk did not need to feel like more of a burden. It was too much to have a whole village relying on him. It reminded him of home, and he wasn’t going to let anyone dictate his choices again. Sometimes he wished that the Silkin’s had just remained hidden to him. Things would be simpler.

“Alright Mister Spinner, if I am so dependent on you, then what do you think I should do?” he said in the sassiest tone he could manage.

“It’s not my place to command you.”

“Smart kid,” Hawk said, grinning back into Spinner’s expressionless black eyes.

Hawk knew that Spinner was only looking out for his family. It had been very hard for the Silkins before they found him. Spinner liked to argue with everyone, but he held back pushing Hawk. Come to think of it, no one really argued with him.

Watching the little one skittering away did disappoint him. He had to give the kid something. Despite him and his family choosing Hawk, he felt like he still had to earn the Silkins. They were the only people he could trust and Spinner deserved better.

Hawk flicked his straw around his glass, disrupting the elder’s drinking lines. The spiders looked irritable, until they saw who they were dealing with. They hid their fangs.

“Elders, I apologize for interrupting your festivities but I have something to say.” All the Silkins in the room went silent. Spinner froze, but he did not look at Hawk. “I’ve been thinking….” The young ones laughter filled his pause. “Yes, actually thinking a lot about all of you. When the Spix family traveled across Watzelland, they were looking for one of the most powerful mages in the world. I’m happy to say that you only fell a little short from getting a monarch; you got me instead.”

Bouts of tiny laughs filled the tavern, resonating under the wood ceilings. Hawk laughed inside too. For all the other’s knew about him, he was only a simple mage. That was anything but the truth.

“Ok, ok, everyone relax,” he said bringing his hands down to the table. “We are close to the ocean, and some of the greatest warriors in the world. You Silkin’s love making bets, so I’m going to give you something to go crazy over. Our next order of business is to go to the Finne Islands.” He let that sink in before continuing. “Once we get there, I’m going to fight. I’ll duel everyone I can. I’ll make a name for Hawk, and all of you Silkins are going to make a ton of money!”

The barkeeper at the inn was wiping down a glass. He looked at Hawk like he was crazy. He definitely was, though not for talking to invisible creatures. At his triumphant announcement, the Silkins were dancing and cheering. If only the inn keepers could hear it. The sound of hope and joy.

Spinner looked back at him with what Hawk thought was concern, but then he saw him rubbing his stripy orange and yellow legs together. Spinner always did that when he was thinking about money. Hawk wanted to give everything to them. After all, they had saved his life.

One of the elders spoke up, “those islands are very isolated. Mind telling us how we are going to get there?”

At that moment, a gust of wind blew into the inn as a giant Chlorophane ducked under the double doors. The Silkins mouths were agape. It must have been fate itself. Hawk clapped his hands with excitement.

“That’s our ticket. I’ll go talk to him.”