Nolaka made his way towards his father's hut, much like he always did when he could no longer stand the looks he received from those around him. Like his father, he possessed the ability to see the spider's web. While being able to see the future to a point was useful. Here in the moment, it caused nothing but heartache for him. Nolaka could not make a single meaningful connection with any of his tribe besides his father and mother. The knots of choice were always very dark when he tried. Nolaka's first lesson with his father was darker: the knot the worse the outcome for the seer and those around him. The only bright spot he could see was when outsiders would come ashore in time. Sadly, he couldn't see much past this knot as the spider's twin the hawk would not let him share any further past that knot.

  Nolaka made his way inside his father's hut, lighting an incense burner and bowing his head regarding his mother, who was busy smoking chunks of wild game. Once she returned his greeting, she waved him on to the altar. Dedicated to the many spirits that lived among the stars and the shepherds of his people after they chose not to abandon their creator where his father sat.

  Approaching in quiet respect, Nolaka sank to his knees and cut his palm with the ritual knife. Dropping twelve drops of blood into the bowl on the altar before cleansing the knife. It was as he finished the rite that his father spoke, "Tell me my son what troubles your heart and weighs down your lifesong."

  "The weight of being unable to connect with the others of the tribe has grown heavy on me once more."

  "I see. My belief persists: the hawk spirit Orlas shields the spider spirit's web, these two having been at odds since their punishment in the great war. The question is why every path is dark within the tribe but bright out to sea. Remember, a darkened choice can still lead to brighter things."

  Nolaka sighed. This was a very common debate between the two men. He often wished he could believe what his father said, but this was different. Each saw the web in their own way. His father could see six or four knots down the web on most things, but for Nolaka, he could only see two. The only exception to this rule was when his father tried to look down Nolaka's paths, Orlas would appear and block him, saying Nolaka must make his choice when the time comes, and it would affect the entire tribes in the Trickster's lands.

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  Nolaka bore the weight of his tribe's misfortunes. His close relationship with a tribesman who died—whether from illness, a hunting accident, or tribal conflict—amplified the stress of his youth. What he didn't have the heart to tell his father was the more he had tried, the worse the outcome for those involved became. The spirits had clarified that he would need to avoid these dark knots for the time being as he finished up his rite.

  Nolaka lit the blood in the bowl with incense. The magic ignited, then died down into sea-scented smoke. The hut vanished, and he was chained to a ship's helm, an ethereal spider on his shoulder. A raging storm, dark as an obsidian gem, battled the surrounding sea as he steered the ship towards his ancestral lands. Drops of rain came down in harsh torrents, chilling him to the bone. High on the mast of the ship sat Orlas, who let out an earsplitting cry before flapping her wings and lunging at the spider on Nolaka's shoulder. The vision blurred for a moment, and something tugged. Back on a different ship, and free to move this time, he saw a blond woman with fiery green eyes yelling at the other women. He couldn't hear what she was saying, and he had a metal collar around his neck. It was when her eyes landed on him; he felt a thrill of excitement course through him before he was suddenly back at the altar in his father's hut. The ceremonial bowl shattered to pieces. The feeling of his father's harsh gaze and a heavy firm grip on his shoulder centered Nolaka after the visions he had just seen.

  "Are you alright Nolaka?" asked his father.

  Taking several moments to understand what he had just witnessed, Nolaka turned to face his father. "I don't know, father but I think I now understand why the knot leading to the sea is bright and the others are not. It allows us freedom from the dark ship that keeps us trapped in our lands."

  ##

  The Trickster opened his eyes and smirked as he released the spider spirit threads that made up his prison. He had long ago learned the trick of manipulating the spider's web. Tapping a finger against his chin in thought, Trickster wondered how he could use what he knew. Shifting through the threads of time Trickster smiled that boy would do nicely indeed all it would take is a few nudges here and there he could break out of this prison sadly he loses his entertainment of seeing those of his creations that betrayed him suffer through the season changes and the pain it caused Duri. But being free to cause greater mischief would be worth it in his mind. Reaching out to Nolaka's, Bella's, and those that would chase the girl strings, he began the delicate task of weaving together a meeting of the two. The Trickster laughed as he thought of the moment; he was free. How the gods and spirits reactions to the fact it was their little games in mortal affairs that would bring about his freedom.