by Ian Dimmock.

The wind tore through the trees like raging waves of air. No where on the island was safe, even the large hills to the South which usually halted powerful winds were simply bi-passed by this gale, being drawn to the North-East of the island, towards the small village, with an intent to damage it and the crop fields.

The trees being beaten from left to right creaking under the pressure of what was shoving against it was nothing compared to the sound of the wind rattling through the village. Not even the sea of leaves which had now come into creation, separating the green from brown on the trees measured up to the horror this wind caused the village.

Even stone seemed to rattle and shake, scared of the wind battering against it. The people within the shaking stone tomb could only cower in a basement or corner comforting there children and shielding them against the evil air seeping in through newly formed cracks in the wall.

Wood stood no chance against the air, carts had been uplifted into the air by the wind being swept into the Northern sea. Wooden window hinges were now splinters caught in a wind of carts, farming tools and the occasional thatched roof.

Through all the chaos the wind caused in the helpless village two sounds roared through the air. Two sounds which even this wind could not silence nor compare to despite its demon like echo as it smashed against things. The first, a high pitched wail as the mothers and fathers of the village helplessly tried to calm there children who wailed out against the wind shouting and crying not understanding how something so simple as a weather condition could cause so much fear.

The second sound was more audible from the fields surrounding the wounded town which used to hold crops such as corn, all of which had been dragged kicking and screaming from the ground, up rooted by the wind. This was the sound of speech, two of them, in the belly of this wind beast, standing talking in a field.

Zan Sabre finally met the stare of the man in front of him. They were only one metre apart but even that was a task, he looked like a walking shadow. The wind attacking the island and his village was trying to stop them but both men stood firm, feet dug into the dirt.

The wind had not subsided and now it was raining too. The speed of the wind made each individual raindrop feel like a dagger across Zans pale, old face but his gaze did not move from the darkened image of the other man. Nor did the sting of the dagger raindrops on the rest of his body hinder him, the stinging in his arms and legs would subside in time as he grew used to the pain it caused.

Ignoring the wind, rain and pain, he scanned the person stood one metre away from him. Average build and weight, probably about his height - 5ft 9 - all his face apart from eyes were shielded by a black cloth, encased in shadow. This cloth covered his whole body it only halted before boots, gauntlets and to shape around the light leather body armour he wore. Now damp it stuck to his form but the man didnt care.

"Shall we begin?"

The man Zan studied had said it so quickly and softly he wasnt sure if he really heard it. The wind made any sound appear to come at you from every direction at once, their gaze still laid on each others face.

Zan moved one leg back and dug the tip of his metal plated boot into the ground, like a pivot point, the now weakened ground easily being pushed aside to take the shape of his boot. Bringing one clenched fist away from his chest elongated and moving his other to his side straight and horizontal he spoke as calmly as he could without the wind causing a quiver;

"Why come here now? Why could you not just leave me alone to live out my life as I see fit?"

The wind had made the tone of his voice alternate, he couldnt help that. Zan didnt want any of this. Theyd had storms before but never like this squall, never so bad the whole village was at risk, he should be in the town padding the feeble helpless walls of his home and protecting his son. But just as the storm picked up, he had sensed this mans presence and knew the time had come.

"You hid for quite some time Zan and when I finally find you, youve become the feeble old man that stands before me."

The mans voice, still like a whisper on the wind.

"What would killing me achieve?" Zan said, searching for logic to use, "I have left the life behind that you wish to kill me for, leave me to live out my days..."

Zan trailed off as a realisation came across him. What was he doing? The memories of that life flooded back to him, there was no point in trying to reason with this man. He sighed inwardly, a sort of small, simple, helpless sigh. Had he really let all this happen? He knew what will happen, his thoughts dwelling on his sons future.

For the first time since he had found the man his stare had moved to the ground at his feet, watching the individual grass stands being savaged by the wind being picked up by the air and then blown along to god knows where. Sighing and closing his eyes he suddenly knew how much he left unfinished. He was a fool but there was one last chance, a chance he now embraced, he had to kill this man, the man who had come to kill him.

Opening his eyes he moved his head upwards, fighting the wind to once again meet the stare of the man who had come to kill him but the body of the man was no longer there, just more leaves, grass and corn shoots caught in the wind, like a mini cyclone.

Damn!

Zan collected his thoughts, he couldnt listen for his attacker due to the evil wind but could only try to second guess his movements, he had to sense them. Turning on his pivot foot Zan twisted his body round to face the opposite direction bringing his other leg into contact with the shoulder of his attacker who crashed to the ground to the left, the grass and mud forming round his body creating a subtle hole.

The attacker didnt give Zan enough time to congratulate himself on being able to sense the movements he made as he leapt back on one hand which dug into the mud below him as he back flipped to his feet. Grass and mud now slipped down his back making his damp black clothes look more brown. Zan couldnt see the mans mouth, it being hidden under damp black cloth but could tell he was grinning, his cheek bones were raised almost crushing his dark eyes.

The eyes!

Another memory Zan had forgotten or perhaps forced away was the deep godless eyes of these men. No pupils, no iris, just a sea of black. He hadnt seen it before, even though they were only a metre apart, the wind and rain too strong for him to get an accurate view of his eyes. The surrounding facial features were the only way he could be sure it was eyes he now saw and not just pockets of shadow. Normal eyes reflected some light, if you look into someone's eyes you will see yourself looking back but these dark eyes seemed to swallow or absorb everything and reject nothing.

"That was a test, a test to make sure you still had some of the power. I wont be playing this time old man."

Even the words made him cringe, the power, Zan and tried to run away from that, hiding on this island in a quiet farming town to raise a family but now it had once again caught up with him. Now being able to sense the mans movements he reawakened as much of the power as he could, his aura becoming stronger. The wind no longer effected him, not anymore. His aura made the environment around him fold and move away, that was how the man was able to back flip with such precision even in such a gale.

Zan was ready this time, he watched as his attackers image appeared to flicker and vanish, he had mastered speed. Zan leapt to his right again spinning on his pivot foot just in time to catch another flickering image of the man round the head, his image dissipated into vertical lines, undamaged.

The man was already behind Zan before he had a chance to turn and attempt to counter, he smashed the old mans back with the elbow of his left hand, using his right to add pressure to the blow by pushing against the left hands knuckle. Zan could only stumble forward, his feet getting stuck in even more mud. From the knees down he was brown, the mud sticking to his clothes. He looked up but lost all sense of direction as a fist was firmly planted on his left cheek making his face numb, what strength!

He was now in a hole, as far as he could tell. Zan could feel his cheek already begin to bruise, touching it with his brown mud ridden hand only made it sting more but it was human reaction to touch the wounded area. The daggers of rain seemed once again to hurt, his aura fading, allowing the wind and rain to hinder him once again. He made a feeble attempt at sensing the mans location, hopeless.

"Was that it old man? Was that your valiant attempt to stop me completing my task?!" Said the voice once again on the wind, "This is the great achievement? This is the task that has taken me so long to do?! You have done nothing but test my patience old man, fight back!"

Concentration was impossible now, the shooting pain in his cheek and back coupled with the constant pain of the rain and the deafening howl of the wind made it too difficult. He could tell his attacker had vanished again, moving at unfathomable speeds through the rain but could not pin point him.

And there it was, the palm of a hand placed in front of his feeble, bruised face. He wasnt sure what it was at first, once again the weather had swallowed all detail and with eyes stinging from rain everything was but a shadow, different shades of black and grey shifting about like sand granules caught by a light sea wave.

But there it was, a steel gauntlet made of copper tainted black with smears of mud and grass hanging from the hand. From the wrist down the gauntlet disappeared under the black cloth but Zan could just make out what looked like extra padding, to add more power to his strikes no doubt, in any fighting tournament he would have been disqualified for that. If only this was just a game, a referee would call out the match was over, Zans attacker declared the winner, theyd bow to each other then walk away.

There was no walking away from this though.

His attackers palm flattened as his fingers stretched and elongated out from each other pushing against the copper restraint of the gauntlets. From the centre of his palm a small dark purple light appeared. It grew into a small sphere like shape drawing in small almost see through purple beams of energy. Zans attacker had mastered something which he didnt even know was possible with the power. He knew speed and strength increased but being able to summon aura into a physical form shocked and scared him.

The dark purple ball continued to grow, the raindrops seemed to burn or fade away as they came into contact with its edges and the wind seemed to do nothing to it. Looking into the centre of this purple ball Zan could see millions of small beads of light floating around within the sphere absorbing the purple beams from outside, allowing the sphere to grow in power, preparing to unleash its power which would most likely kill Zan.

"Its over old man, I expecting at least a fight from you, oh well, youve done nothing but disappoint me."

The rain and wind seemed to suddenly vanish as Zan finally realised, he was going to die. His body became numb with fear, the environment no longer effected him, it was like he was floating in darkness, unable to see, feel or think. The purple ball of energy now filled his attackers hand, the aura reaching the limits of its charging time, preparing to unleash its deadly beam.

Zan raised his line of sight passed the purple sphere to look his attacker - Tai - in the eyes. Looking into those deep pools of liquid black only made him shiver more. Still looking up in Tais direction he closed his eyes.

"Goodbye Tai," he said, feeling himself almost grin.

"Sorry old man, it was fate."

The sphere in Tais hand became a beam of energy, striking the feeble old man through the chest instantly shattering his simple mud ridden armour causing his body to flail helplessly, cracks following various paths through what remained of the armour, which then filled with deep red blood. After striking through Zan the energy struck the mud and dirt below him, exploding causing the small beam to erupt into a huge blast radius, smothering what was left of the old mans corpse, his consciousness slipping away.

Tais image flickered away turning to wind just as the edge of the explosion reached him, reappearing a few metres away, Tai looked into the heart of the purple blast. The mud surrounding the blast circled and melted away as the blast grew bigger, rain on touching it sizzled and evaporated, no weather nor land held the force of the blast, all crumbled in its wake.

The purple blast had reached the limit its charged power allowed and stopped increasing in size. The shading purple it had cast on everything surrounding it faded as it shrunk down into its pit of mud it had created until it vanished completely. The rain and wind once against took over, the savage gales began shoving mud, grass and what was left of corn shoots into the large hole while the rain created more mud turning the hole into a brown river.

Tai looked up to the sky, it was like he was looking at a sea of grass with the occasional tree leaf swimming passed. His task was done, he had no reason to stay on the pathetic island, an island which was thrown into chaos by a simple weather condition, he almost laughed.

The rain stopped pattering on Tais shoulders as his image once again flickered before disappearing into the wind. Now the only sound that could be heard was the evil wind, the villages children too sick of crying and too aware it wouldnt help and no more was the sound of two men talking in the corn fields disrupting the perfect symphony of wind and rain raging through a village.

Through all of this, the gale outside, the pelting rain, the cries of children and an explosion, one young man slept soundly in his bed. While outside the Earth raged and tore at his village, he slept.

CHAPTER 1: Beginnings

Was the room shaking?

Tylor Sabre couldnt be sure. Blinking his bright blue eyes and batting a ruffled piece of his brown hair out of the way he began to focus on someone shaking him as he lay in his soft bed. From somewhere else in his small room on the top floor of his house a blinding light was shining in, had this person opened his window to get him up on time? Tylor wouldnt put it past one of his friends and his father would find it funny too.

More shapes began to form as his eyes grew used to the blinding light, the person who had shock him now moved in front of the light to allow Tylor to get used to the brightness. His now focused vision looked onto the young man sitting in front of him, it was his friend from a few houses down, the little scrawny kid, Joel.

"Tylor! Tylor get up, how could you be sleeping!?" Joel said.

Something was wrong, Tylor may still be half asleep but he could tell by his friends tone of voice, he sounded scared and shocked. With a dazed look on his face he noticed that Joels brown shirt was torn and underneath dried red marks tainted his tanned skin. He looked like he had been in a fight. Looking into his face he noticed a fresh cut on his forehead had blood running down it, it fell from his brow landing on Tylors clean white sheet staining them with the deep red of blood.

This wasnt a joke, this was real, Tylor became scared. Joel backed away and turned to face the other direction once again letting the blinding light strike Tylor in the face causing him to shield his eyes with his pale white hand. Joel cleaned his forehead with his hand cursing under his breath.

"Close the window," Tylor said, still straining his eyes.

Joel moved in front of the light again the shock of his face seeming to grow. The bloodied mark on his forehead still seeping blood had subsided slightly with lines of blood trickling across the left side of his face where he had rubbed at it with his hand.

"Tylor," he paused, "What window?"

Tylors mouth opened to say something but all he could do was sit, stupefied, with Joel standing in front of the main source of the light and his vision focusing he could examine his room, or what was left of it.

The walls of his room although made of cold grey stone seemed to splinter with millions of cracks forming across them pushing picture frames onto the cracked wooden floor below smashing the glass casing. His desk on the far left wall which had been full of paper and study books lay on the floor cut down the middle with books strewn all around the floor. The only thing that seemed to be intact was his bed and the sections around it, the cracks on the wall seemed to halt as they had reached that limit.

Tylor felt sick, he didnt understand what was going on. He wanted to get up and survey this area which used to be his room but his legs shook to much under his sheets.

He wanted to scream the questions out in the hope for answers but was still in to much shock. His room had been destroyed but god knows what and had left him with nothing. Leaning to his right with a hand in place above his eyes he could see now past Joel, the source of the light.

The yellow beams of the sun were piercing through a large hole in the side of the house where his small glass window had once been, fresh dust from the rocks could be seen floating around the area. The rock looked to have been stripped away almost like they were pulled off the side of his house taking with it half the roof from that side of his room along with a chair and cabinet.

Joel went to the right side of the room and rummaged through the other cabinet he found some clothes for Tylor; a long sleeved grey jumper, a gift from his mother which he hated, and some bottoms. They were leather and cloth woven together, the leather forming shin pads, knee rests and an upper belt buckle. Those were his combat training trousers which his father had bought him from his eighteenth birthday a few months ago.

"Joel, my dad, where is he?"

Joel walked away towards the far right wall next to the crumbling hole in the wall where stairs led down to the lower level of his house. He seemed to be staring at the floor.

"You best put those on and come see what happened Tylor. We dont know about your dad but while you were sleeping a lot of people died."

He had never heard the young kid sound so adult. He was short for a fifteen year old and always acted the fool, Joel was the first friend Tylor made and in all the years they had known each other he had never acted so serious. Joels head disappeared with the rest of his body has he walked down the brittle stairs, creaking more than usual under foot.

Tylor removed himself from the protective sheets and after calming down and regaining his balance got dressed, all the time to scared to look out of the hole in his wall. Ignorance is bliss.

Walking slowly down the old stairs and avoiding the shattered banister lying in the way, Tylor surveyed the remains of his home. From the stairs prior to whatever happened hed be greeted by his father sitting sipping at coffee, fresh from the kitchen located at the most Northern door. To the left directly at the bottom of the stairs would be a coat hanger and the main front door. Round the stairs was the hallway to his fathers bedroom and the storage closet.

Now all he was greeted by was destruction. Where the kitchen had once been was a pile of rubble blocking the door. Where the front door had been was a hole, the hinges of the door ripped off and thrown across the floor past the table. He couldnt see behind the stairs to look at what remained of the corridor leading to his fathers room past the storage area and he didnt want to.

Instead of his father greeting him with a Good afternoon! in a sarcastic tone of voice because of his habit of sleeping in, Joel sat on a propped up crate at what remained of the feeble table. He wiped a mixture of blood and tears from his face. He put on a brave face when he noticed Tylor standing looking at him.

"Joel...what happened here?"

Joel still seemed shocked at the question. Perhaps before he had put it down to Tylor being half asleep.

I dont understand how you could sleep through the storm, Ive never been so scared in my life Tylor, it was so bad houses have collapsed, some of them with people in them. Mrs Riddly from down the street, Mr Lonoplis the butcher, theyre all dead.

The feeling of being sick had returned. He could only look at the floor, to stupefied to talk, he felt he had to ask What storm? but couldnt bring himself to sound so idiotic. While he had slept last night there must have been a hell of a storm and its savaged the village of Samilo and most likely all the crop fields to.

Joel stood up slowly and walked out into the glorious light of the sun, Tylor followed, needing to know what his village looked like.

It was hard for Tylor to recognise anything he now looked at. Most of it was mountains of rubble which poured out onto the street. Even the street had been smashed, the paving stones cracked and scattered. Adults were running around madly, teams of people were passing stones down from one person the next trying to search the remains of houses, looking for survivors.

A worried woman moved out from behind a pile of shattered wood collected from the wreckage. She was shorter than Tylor and in her early thirties, it was Samantha Kon, a long time friend of his father. When she noticed Tylor she moved at a quick pace up to him and embraced him sobbing.

"Tylor Im so glad youre okay, I was so worried for you last night, I took shelter in my basement but I know your house doesnt have one!"

She was rambling slightly, a habit hed noticed about her but she meant well, she really liked his father.

"I'm okay thank you, but it looks like the village isnt."

He was trying not to think about it but he had to bring it up. He focused on the small woman, he didnt want to look around at the horror, he was shaking again, to much to be of any use to anyone or to make rescue attempts. He wanted to crawl away into a hole and live in ignorance of this, these people didnt deserve this horror, they didnt deserve to die.

She looked at him and nodded slowly in agreement. She looked scared to, like Joel did to. Where was the justification behind this, how could a weather condition do this to a village.

Looking to the South of the village he could see a body being pulled out of rubble by a team or farmers he knew, he looked away sickened at the crushed remains of someone he probably had known.

Samantha looked past Tylor into what remained of his home then over at Joel who was leaning against a cracked wall facing the opposite direction.

"I hope your father is okay, has he been back yet?"

Giving a questioning look, Samantha explained that as the storm began to pick up to more than a breeze last night she had met with Zan outside the training fort. The training fort was the name Tylors father had given to the area he taught self defence and hand to hand combat in, it was probably in ruins too as it was a simple wooden building based on Eastern design. She went on to explain that Zan told her to hide in the basement and he was travelling to Coppers to make sure he was okay.

On the island Samilo was situated on there was one other inhabited area, a town over a days travel West, away on the opposite side of the island which had a port connecting to the main land. Half way along this trip it had been agreed to make a inn for weary travellers called a check point. This check point provided sleeping areas and food, for a price of course. Copper, who ran the check point, was a friend of the Sabre family and had visited them often.

If he understood what Samantha was saying, his father had left some time last night just as the storm was picking up to make sure Copper was okay. It made sense, the check point wasnt even a stone building but did have a basement plus Copper was quite old so its natural his father would fear for his safety.

"He hasnt been back yet." Tylor said looking to the path leading out of town. "Maybe I should go to Coppers and get him, my dads a lot stronger than me and can help, unless Im needed now?"

Joel turned to face the two of them, now listening the conversation.

"All the women and children who survived have taken shelter in a temporary camp just outside of town, the men are searching the collapsed houses but the chances of finding anyone alive now are slim at best. If you do go take some supplies and some camping gear but at the first sign of a storm picking up get back here, your father would hate me if I let anything happen to you."

Tylor nodded. He wanted to find his father, he didnt have time to sit and cry, though at that point in time, it was very tempting. The danger of another storm seemed slim and the chances of an equally destructive one was even slimmer so there was no real danger in walking to see Copper. Some of the wild animals could prove dangerous at times but they would be to shocked from the impact of the storm to come out of there dens.

Samantha walked over to Joel and placed a gentle smooth hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at her. She asked him if he wanted her to take him to the camp outside of town but he shook his head and turned to Tylor.

"I want to come with you to see Copper," he said calmly.

Tylor was hesitant, the kid was pretty shook up and his parents were probably in the camp wondering where he was. Tylors blue eyes met with the gaze of Joels green eyes, they seemed much brighter than normal against the dried blood and dirt on his face, he was being serious. More serious than Tylor had ever seen him, he had a new respect for Joel, he was all to aware of the situation he was in and what had happened, he was taking it better than Tylor ever could. The little kid who has been friends with Tylor since childhood was more of an adult than he had ever realised.

"Staying here is definitely out of the question, there is still the danger of houses collapsing but shouldnt you go to the camp, your parents might be worrying about you."

There gaze separated as he looked away.

Joel was crying, he wasnt facing Tylor but he could tell. His shoulders had slumped and were moving up in down in time with his hands rubbing his face. Along his back his shirt had a huge cut in it, below the torn fabric was a large bruise. Samantha turned him to face her and cuddled him in a soft embrace, she looked at Tylor with teary eyes and shock her head.

Tylor turned and walked into his house, he had to be strong, he couldnt think about this, he had to be strong for his friend, he cant be seen crying in front of him. Walking up the stairs he snatched a satchel from under his bed and stuffed some clothes and supplies into it, also grabbing a red arm band from the floor. Taking out some of his smaller items of clothing he returned to Joel and handed him the clean clothes telling him to go put them on. Joel stumbled away into Tylors house.

"There was nothing that could be done," Samantha said, wiping her eyes, "He's got no one left but you Tylor, take care of him okay? He looks at you like a brother. Once you're back with your father I'll explain to him and well get something sorted."

To choked up to talk, Tylor nodded. Joel returned wearing a slightly too large blue shirt with some brown trousers and boots. He had cleaned up most of the dried blood from his face with a cloth in his hand though some had left marks, hopefully not permanent. The two of them bid farewell to Samantha and walked slowly past the destruction towards the exit of the village in the direction of the check point inn, following the remains of the stone path.

The fields had been savaged by the storm to. Crops had been up torn from the ground and spread all around, bent and brittle. A few puddles of mud still sat on what used to be fresh lime green grass swallowing twigs and corn shoots that landed on it.

Farming equipment that had been left in the fields were crumbled on the floor. A metal plough which prior to the nightmare storm had been pulled by a horse to prepare land for seed planting was now on its side siding in a pool of mud. So fierce the wind had been that the upper part of the plough not in the mud had been bent to the left from wind pressure smashing against it. Wooden carts also pulled by animals had fallen apart under the attack of the wind, like a house of cards that someone had softly blown on, they had simply come apart.

To the right after leaving Samilos gates a view of the sea could be seen if squinting your eyes but now it lay just a few hundred feet away, severe rain coupled with the ploughed land acted like a viaduct for the water giving it easy access to flood the fields, at first turning it into a swamp of mud but now it was part of the sea. Gulls had already began to circle this new area to investigate and hunt for fish, good luck in that muddy water.

Once the mud had cleared it might at least make fishing easier for the fisherman, finally something good coming out of the storm but compared to the bad, it wasnt much comfort.

Further down the path the two came across the temporary camp made by the women and children of Samilo. It consisted of a few large grain colour sheets spread round in a circle, connected to tree barks to form simple coverings. Logs from fallen trees had been formed into a circle within the sheets with a small fire in the middle, all in all it was simple in design but would hopefully be adequate until wood shelters within the village remains could be constructed. They couldnt afford to stay out in any kind of bad weather, people already sat almost curled into a ball sneezing, wee zing and coughing, ill from the cold of the storm.

Further left passed the camp, some children played on the grass. It was like looking at the opposite end of the spectrum, the innocence of children. They had been scared, even petrified during the storm but now all was forgotten, they had friends and now it probably all seemed like an adventure.

Within the camp there was a few more children, a mixture of those to young to play alone and a few being comforted by adults, suffering some form of loss from the storm they probably didnt even understand, Tylor couldnt help but shiver.

A few of the adults encircled Joel and Tylor questioning what they were doing, then if they had supplies, the usual mothering you came to expect from a close village. It took around five minutes before Tylor had convinced them that he and Joel were just going to see Copper and his father before returning to help the village. The adults walked back to the camp, sitting down on the wounded logs.

After one last passing glance, the boys continued along the dirt road towards Coppers house, a good few hours travel away.

"Are you okay Joel?"

It had sounded good when he thought it but saying it out loud seemed pretty feeble. Of course he wasnt okay, hes devastated. The stupid kid just cant show it, he wanted to seem brave in front of him and in Tylors eyes, he was. Joel seemed to handle it a lot better than he ever could, the stupid kid had grown up, became strong.

A nod from Joel was his reply, hed hoped for him to talk. He looked back to the opposite side of the camp, the side which lead to the sea, Joel seemed to be starring into the distance.

Joels gaze scanned the horizon. The sky was so clear now, further out from the mud ridden water near the bank, so clear that the clouds reflected of the water as did gulls, quaking and fighting over fish. It was a nice view, hed never really paid so much attention, nature didnt interest him.

He turned to look back at Tylor, he was facing forward, his eyes following the path they were on towards Coppers home, some small blots of sweat running across his brow. Standing vigilant and proud not faltering even after all this suffering Samilo had went through, seeing a sane course of action in all the chaos, he truly was a hero.

Tylor and Zan Sabre, the warriors of Samilo. Tylors father had been some kind of knight in his time, he taught Tylor how to fight using only your body, it was truly amazing. He had sat in on a few of there early morning sessions at the training fort, they did something called sparing which was like fighting but not, it was training to get better by pretending to fight. Hed always wanted to learn but got the normal adult answer from Zan; To young.

Everyone except Tylor treated him like a kid. Tylor called him a kid all the time but in a kind joking manner, when really he was the only one who treated him like an adult. Tylor had let Joel train with him at night sometimes, showed him some of the basics his father taught him. That was the kind of person Tylor was.

Even when he turned eighteen, Tylor still went round for dinner at his house then stayed the night, listening to Joel moan about his schooling, girls, the kind of thing a brother would do, he even wore the red died wrist band hed given him for his birthday. He never missed that dinner and never left to go home the same night, he was kind like that. Of course he had other friends his own age but Tylor was the only one who felt like family.

He was a hero, thats the kind of guy he is.

Joel seemed to be staring blankly at him, it was beginning to get unnerving. He laughed, snapping Joels attention, startled he looked to the ground, then back out towards the sea. Tylor laughed inwardly, hed embarrassed the poor guy. Samantha was right, he did look to him as a brother, it was a comforting thought.

Tylor was an only child, having a friend that was so close you could call him brother was refreshing. He looked away towards the opposite direction so he was able to crack a smile unnoticed and was greeted by the sight of what used to be a field.

Grass lay on top of hard dirt, up rooted by the wind with the mud drying into an almost wave like appearance, might have made a nice painting. In the middle of the field was a huge puddle of mud, it was almost like a crater which had filled up with rain over night but it was a very odd thing to find. Before the storm this would be a grass field, to its left would be corn shoots - now all gone - and to its right farming equipment -also gone, in pieces across a few adjoining areas-. There had never been any hole in the ground prior to the storm but nothing in sight could possibly had made such a large hole. Tylor stopped and walked off from the dirt path to investigate further, Joel joined him, peering into the puddle of mud.

"Whats this?" Joel said, passing round the outer rim, almost slipping in some mud in the process. Rubbing the back of his head and grinning, he shrugged it off in embarrassment.

"I'm not sure, it definitely wasnt here before the storm, this was a grass field, one of Mr Losons I think. I guess it was something during the storm, a rock maybe."

Observing the area around them, Tylor could see nothing with enough weight to make such a hole even if it fell on it in its muddy state. It was confusing to say the least but nothing which should hold them up, they need to make good time before night fall, staying out in the open wasnt the safest thing to do in small numbers.

"We can ask Loson when we get back, lets keep going."

Joel took small steps round the mud pit and joined him back on the path. As they walked on, Tylor too one last glance back at the pit, he had suddenly got a knot in his stomach, like he was ill but it seemed fine now they had moved on.

I didnt like that one bit. That feeling, a hole which physically shouldnt be there, me sleeping through a storm of such power..... something isnt right about all this. Maybe Ill luck out and itll turn out to all be a dream.

The brightness of morning had subsided into the bronze glow of early evening by the time the boys reached the final stretch of road before Coppers check point. The sun was setting, dipping into the sea off to there left, a few twinkles of stars already noticeable in the sky, the first signs of night.

Over one last ridge, they were greeted with the sight of Coppers home, the check point between Samilo and the opposite side of the island. It was a simple structure but reasonably large in size, it was after all a combination of Coppers home, a pub and an inn. Wooden for the most part with a stone oven attached to the back of the house next to a small shaft which lead to the wine cellar. A dusty grey coloured chimney also ran through the innards of the house, providing a large warm fire place in the pub area, protruding through a hole expertly cut in the thatch roof and reinforced with wood.

Something was odd about how it looked. Neither Tylor nor Joel had to use there imagination to remember it looking like how it was, as it was unchanged. The chimney stood tall and firm, the windows and walls intact, the thatch roof in one piece, the check point had not be touched by the storm.

The boys exchanged glances before speeding up to a run, reaching the front door hastily. Tylor rapped his knuckle on the door before slowly opening the oak wood door with a loud creak. Peering his head round the side of the door he surveyed what lay inside.

"Well?" Joel said getting impatient.

Wooden chairs sat up right round tables, the bar counter in the Northern end of the room was intact, as was the shelves behind, littered with various wines from around the world. On the opposite walls past the seating was a door leading to the back, that was Coppers area, his kitchen and home. Next to that door was the staircase which lead up to the four guest rooms of the check point for travellers.

"Hey! A voice from the kitchen said, Letting the heat out! Close the door."

Joel bit his lower lip as he followed Tylor in to be greeted by Copper, sounding as always, like a father. Copper stood in green cloth robes with a walking sticking holding his weight. A flat cap covered most of his grey hair which wore thin at the back of his skull. Coppers tired eyes looked at the boys.

"Tylor, I didnt know it was you lad, youre father never told me you were born in a field."

Joel laughed nudging Tylors back but the old man gave him an awkward stare making him look to the floor straight faced. Not waiting for an explanation, the old man returned to the back end of the check point via the door by the stairs. his body aside from shoulders down disappeared behind the bar as he pulled up the chair. He was offered an assistant many times from Samilo but he was stubborn and insisted on running the place himself.

Two glass tumblers filled with fresh water were sat on the wooden counter in front of him, waving the boys over he disappeared back into kitchen. Tylor and Joel sat down quietly and sipped there water.

"Any minute hell come back with cookies and a bed time story," Joel mocked.

Tylor smiled into is glass as he sipped the refreshing liquid. Looking along the wall he read labels off some of the wines; Mou Oui , Oricia and Chel. Hed never had an interest in drinking but the names of wines amused him. The names gave them class, an aura, a suggestion of intellect if you knew some fancy wine names. Stretching slightly he saw some barrels filled with beer under the table, didnt get as much respect for drinking that but at least it didnt have a stupid name.

Copper returned and sat on the counter side of the bar before the two boys. Presenting them with two plates with warm food on he asked why they had decided to pay him a visit. Joel looked away, tucking into his meal like he hadnt eaten in days.

"We came to check up on you and to get my father to come back the village to help there," replied Tylor. "Is he up stairs or in the back?"

"I dont understand," the old man mumbled, "Zan isnt here."

What followed was silence, Joel stopped eating and looked at the two of them. Tylor was lost for something to say, what does he mean, his father left town before storm to come check on Copper to make sure he was okay but he never arrived.

"Ms Kon met him before the storm, he was heading here to make sure you were okay, to help preparing the house for the impact."

Copper studied his face, possibly making sure it wasnt some kind of joke.

"What storm?" he said as clear as the cloudless sky.

A cold sweat came over Tylor, the muscles in his legs tensed as his back bent forward. The physical representation of his brain running at full speed. Trying to comprehend what had been said corresponding to everything that had preceded.

Joel watched them both silently, also lost in thought. Thinking back to Samilo, to how he found Tylor and his home, he went over the facts. Zan wasnt in Samilo, no body was found but at the same time he hadnt come to see Copper. In a worst case situation something could have happened to him on the road to the check point, like getting caught in the storm and attacked by wild animals but it didnt seem right. Zan was one of the warriors of Samilo, a stupid storm and animal wouldnt be able to stop him!

"Tylor maybe," he stumbled over his words, "Maybe he went somewhere else? If the storm somehow didnt reach here then he wouldnt know to come back and check. he stopped," trailing off.

Going over the possibilities in his mind, Joel did have a point. His father did go to Wrathe, the town at the opposite end of the island. It acted as the link between the island and the main land by means of a large dock. His fathers job, if you could call it that, involved buying in imported goods while selling crops and fish caught and harvested by the villagers on behalf of the shop keepers of Samilo.

But there was something nagging at him.

"If he had left to go to Wrathe for trading reasons, why not stop here, why leave me no note, he usually did."

Copper had stayed quiet, he was unaware of what Tylor was talking about but knew the facts, Zan had not been there for around a week. The last time he saw his friend was when he was going to Wrathe for a special trade meeting for a few days.

The boys had also mentioned a storm but again he had no idea what they were talking about, children did tend to talk rubbish sometimes. Heading back to the kitchen he announced the boys could use a room upstairs for the night and go home tomorrow.

Silent, Tylor stood up and walked across the warm room to the wooden stairs leading to the first floor of the house. Joel grabbed his plate of food and glass of water before following.

It was late now, amber skies had turned to a dark cold night. The fire down in the pub area was put out for the night, the only source of light anywhere in the house now were the old oil lamps burning within glass on the walls in the hallway. Tylor lay on the smooth upper sheet of his bed with his hands behind his head looking to the wooden roof. Behind him was a tainted small glass window letting in blue moonlight.

Joel lay on the floor next to him in a make shift bed of a cotton sheet thrown to the floor with some pillows and another cover laid on top. Joel had asked to come in the same room with him, Tylor hadnt remembered but it was there staying over night, had nothing had happened. Plus the room directly opposite Tylors was in use and Joel didnt want to have to go down the hall to bed after talking.

He made sure to keep conversation away from what happened in Samilo, it might upset the kid to much plus he didnt really want to try to comprehend a monstrous storm effecting only a small section of the island. And as far as anything to do with his father, it would be sorted in the morning, when he had time to work out what to do. Joel had made one good point though. His father may have left Tylor a note telling of an important trade meeting or something in Wrathe but it may have been lost when his house partly collapsed.

The night had worn on, girls, life, birds, trees and even the origins of the universe had already been discussed between the boys, their young minds in full imagination mode. Tylor had even told one of the stories his father told him when he was younger. The stories of a brave knight fighting dragons and goblins.

They sat silent now, Tylor looking to the ceiling, Joel lying on his stomach, hands supporting his head. Tylor sighed, louder than he had meant to, he could already hear Joel turn his head.

"Still up? Must be a new record, youre usually sound asleep by this time," he said with a smirk.

"May not believe it but Ive been having trouble sleeping lately."

Joel laughed but he had meant it. Ignoring the night of the storm, Tylor had found it very hard to get a good nights sleep for the past while. He had sleepless dreams of a woman talking to him, speaking words he didnt understand, sounds he couldnt distinguish. It didnt scare him but it was confusing and yet comforting at the same time. Either way it always made him awake in a cold sweat not knowing whether to be scared or not. It always seemed so real. He tried to explain to Joel.

The young boy on the floor sat looking up to Tylors deep eyes. He had listened to every word, went over the detail in his head, thought up possibilities and possible solutions. The kid, from what he could see in the moonlight, was thinking about it hard, his brow a sea of wrinkles as he strained in thought.

"Tylor, he paused," collecting his thoughts. "The next time this nice sounding woman talks to you in your dream...." he stopped.

"Yes?" Tylor said awaiting his best friends sound advice.

"Ask her if shes single."