Hawk was all ready to go. After bathing and straightening out his scraggly hair, he returned to his room and devoured a huge meal that the Silkins had waiting for him. Then, he changed into his favorite three-piece suit.

  It was a layered outfit consisting of a deep purple coat and pants. Under the coat he wore a dark blue waistcoat with light blue designs. For the final layer, a light pink shirt rested over his chest. It was all brought together with a lavender belt and tie. And thanks to the Silkins, not a thread was out of place.

  “I am so glad you had this one shipped in,” Hawk said walking into the common room. “It’s one thing to be a vagabond, and another to actually look the part.”

  “We’re glad, sir,” said an elder, climbing over the ceiling. “That’s one of our nicer designs for sure. Love to see you wear it out.”

  The common room had become a mill of activity. Silkins had spread out, weaving new fabrics to sell. All of the silk sheets started out pure white. In later stages of production, another Silkin would pass over them with magic dyes, enchanted to never fade. Hawk was impressed with what they had been able to do in such a short time.

  “I know Spinner already talked to you all about this, but do you really want to go? It seems like you really got something going here. I would hate to disrupt all that,” Hawk said, clasping his hands.

  Spinner climbed up the back of a chair, so Hawk could hear him better. “Hey,” he called out, waving his limbs in the air. “It’s alright, sir, really. I already talked to the Silkins that have been into town. They found a guy that is willing to take us to the islands; we were only waiting for you to wake up before we bought tickets.”

  “Really,” Hawk replied, incredulous. “Looking around this place, I would have never guessed you would still be looking to leave.”

  “Well, we gotta keep moving. Usually if we are still, it means something bad has happened. And nothing like this has taken place for awhile, thank the Overseer.”

  Hawk grimaced and said under his breath, “What about the time when you found me?”

  “What?” Spinner asked, twirling down a line.

  Hawk ignored his asking, wishing he hadn’t said anything. “So how long until we are ready to go?” Hawk asked.

  The head elder crawled out from the dinning room. “If you are ready, sir, we can leave right now.”

  Hawk looked around their pent house, concerned. The place was a mess of string. Lines were shooting off from every surface. They could not be thinking about leaving it like this. It would not bring good attention to Hawk, to be a known carrier of a Silkin clan.

  “I can see your concern,” the head elder said. “We haven’t been in one place for so long, so I don’t blame you for not knowing. As soon as we stop supplying the lines with magic, they will dissolve, leaving no trace of us. As for the goods, some of them will be loaded onto the ship with us, the others will be sold here or shipped back to Vera City.”

  Spinner hopped up to Hawk’s shoulder. “Not a bad deal right? Now, I’m ready to go, are you?”

  Hawk thought about crossing the Dread Sea in his dreams. It was time to do it for real and he was ready. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  All of the Silkin’s stopped sewing and began packing their works-in-progress into a large bag. Hawk sealed the bag and flung it over his other shoulder. The Silkins skittered into the bag, or rode in Hawk’s pockets.

  On the way out the door, Hawk picked up his sword and grabbed the key hanging near the entrance. Downstairs, he handed off the key to the fairy woman working behind the desk. The fairy took the key and leaned on it like a cain. She eyed Hawk suspiciously.

  “Excuse me,” she said, stopping Hawk in his tracks. “You seem familiar, do I know you?”

  Hawk shrugged.

  “No, I swear. Something about you reminds me of someone,” she said fluttering up to get a better look. “I think I’ve seen you in a textbook before.”

  “That’s weird,” Hawk laughed, brushing her off. He moved towards the front of the inn.

  The fairy followed along him. “I’m sorry, sir. That’s such an odd thing for me to say, but you really reminded me of someone. I can’t quite place your face.”

  “It’s unlikely that we have met before,” Hawk said, pushing himself out the door to keep it that way.

  “Well, thank you for your patronage,” she yelled as the door cut her off.

  Hawk left the inn behind and wound down steep paths towards the docks. When Spinner asked him about the fairy again, he only shrugged. Some fairies could be quite perceptive. That was one of the reasons that leaving Watzelland had been such a good idea.

  At the edge of the Dread Sea, the docks stretched from one end of the town to the other. It was late in the day, so few ships were left tethered to the dock. There were no fishing vessels. As far as anyone knew, the Dread Sea did not hold life. Aside from that, there were giant shipping vessels carrying numerous goods. And a separate section housed war ships that could carry multiple full grown draconians. Near them was a ship yard repairing a boat that look like it had been burned.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Hawk turned his attention away from the burned ship towards a couple of ferries that lined the dock. They had sun-worn sails that were light green and blue. People were already filling themselves into a line.

  When he joined them in line, a dampness that was neither salty nor tropical filled his lungs. While waiting, he tried to guess at what it was. With Spinner’s input, he decided that the Dread Sea smelled like a dank cave.

  Finally, the reached the ticket master. Spinner prompted him to grab their ticket out from their bag. Entering its abyss, the other Silkins passed it into his hand. The family behind him had gotten impatient.

  He handed over his ticket and apologized, saying, “sorry everyone, its a very deep bag.”

  They glowered at Hawk. He did not take Verlassians to be in such a hurry. Maybe they still took issue with the Fae. In any case, it didn’t concern him too much. He was on the ferry, so he was all good to go.

  Aboard the ferry, Hawk settled himself on a bench facing out to sea. He set his bag of silk and Silkins between his legs. When the last people had boarded the ferry, the gangway was pulled up. Dark smoke billowed out from the ship’s exhaust and they began sailing away.

  Hawk looked back on the Emerald Coast. Falling behind a stretch of black sea, the coast became a fuzzy line of vivid green. Far off to one side he could see it pick up into sheer cliffs.

  Hawk pulled his bag over to the railing bordering the ship. He looked over the edge at the sea below. Inky water lapped against the tear-forged hull of the ferry. The glowing tear gems allowed them to pass safely over the Dread Sea.

  While he had long since left behind the idea of having a home, sailing away from the mainland had an effect on Hawk. The first time he left home, he had abandoned everything. It was hard to forget now. He held onto his amulet, trying to stifle thoughts of his family. Nothing could reflect upon the Dread Sea, but Hawk could swear that he saw the young eyes of a lost man staring back at him.

  Hawk returned to his seat where he could watch the Finne Island approaching. The Islands clustered on the horizon against the setting sun. The elder tree rose out from the main island, as tall as a mountain. It’s leaves reflected rainbow colors in the orange glow. The ancient mages who had brought it into being, may have made the most beautiful thing in the world.

  The Silkin’s came out for a look. The invisible beings climbed up to the roof of the ferry enclosure and took over the railings. Everyone was in awe as the elder tree cut the fading light into golden rays. Before the Dread Sea could fall into complete darkness the ferry hit the dock.

  Here they were at the sovereign state of the Chlorophanes: the Finne Islands. Towering Chlorophanes roped in the ferry and rolled in a gangplank. Hawk hefted his bag off the ferry with everyone else. A twiggy porter welcomed him to Oak Port, the capital city of the islands, and offered to carry his bag. Hawk accepted his offer, with an up-front tip.

  “I work with the Honey Inn, would you like to go there for lodging?” the porter asked him. The young man already wrapped his branches around Hawk’s bag.

  “Sounds like a fine place to me,” Hawk replied. “But first, you have to tell me about the magic tournaments here.”

  The young man’s almond eyes brightened with enthusiasm as he led Hawk into the city. “Of course sir, the games are going to be huge this year. I heard that the King of Verlass was going to be flying in tomorrow. Other rulers may be following him too. I’m sure the betting is going to be outstanding. If you’d like, I know some folks at the Inn that could help you set up your bets.”

  The two of them turned onto Arena Avenue. Crowning the hill was the only major walls in the whole city: Vincent Park Arena. It was designed to look like a cut tree-trunk on the outside. On it’s own, it was enormous, but next to the elder tree, it looked like a cut branch. Both were marvelous works of magical engineering.

  Hawk straightened his purple jacket. “I’m actually looking to compete.”

  “Oh!” The porter exclaimed to acknowledge himself as a fool. “I didn’t think, sir. Well, I guess you are not too late. Sign ups are posted everywhere until noon tomorrow. The early phases of the games are open to everyone according to your mage level. If you make it to the later stages, you’ll be playing for the prize.”

  Hawk’s pointed ears twitched. Spinner on his shoulder was rubbing his limbs together. He smiled, they were both thinking the same thing. “So, what is this prize? I’ve not heard of it.”

  The porter guided them through a street market. Decorated carts on the sides of the streets advertised various teas and broths. Few locals tried to sell solid foods to tourist market. Hawk had been warned about eating Chlorophane cooking. Coming from a species that didn’t need to eat, their creations were more experimental than edible.

  “If you are competing, I’m surprised no one told you. Some mages from Watzelland have been working with people over on the islands build some sort of gate.” The porter readjusted the slipping bag. “Anyways, the promotional on the games say that the winners of each category will receive one of the first slip cards.” He crossed onto Bean Street. “They said that the cards will allow their holders to travel from anywhere to any city with a gate.”

  Having a magical item like that would allow Hawk to stay on the move and avoid notice indefinitely. He was only finding more reasons not to hold anything back and win the competitions. Admitting his faults, Hawk hasn’t been actively training for a long time, but he felt confidence in the experience he gained through his travels. He was also certain that the Silkins were going to make off with some great bets. It was sure to be an enriching experience for all.

  By the time the pair reached the Honey Inn, it was dark. Golden lights illuminated a beautiful building that was built like a tall, lacquered log cabin. It was nestled between five-story-tall pine trees. They entered into the inn, once again paying out for the best room. The porter took Hawk’s bag to the room for the Silkin’s to begin setting up. Hawk walked over to a notice board in the lounge and pulled a sign-up sheet out of a letter box.

  He filled it out:

  Name: Hawk Lee

  Junior or Senior

  Select Mage Level (Seniors must be Mage+):

  Novice; Apprentice; Mage; Grand Mage; Archmage; Monarch

  Element: Water

  Arch Weapon: None

  Affiliation: None

  Hawk signed off on the waiver attached to the back of the form, and pulled off the tournament schedule. His tournament would begin in two days with an event designed to weed out the vast amount of applicants before the main game would be set. He slid the completed form into another box besides the board. It was that easy. He was in.

  There was little time to prepare himself to compete. Hawk could not risk heavy training before a tournament. The best thing he could do was to scope out the arena, his opponents, and review.

  Tomorrow his preparation will begin.