Welcome, you’ve stumbled into The Tori Story Series. If this is your first visit to this realm you might want to catch up.

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Tori heard the eerie silence and knew something was coming long before she saw the tornado. In fact, it was the silence that caused her to look around in order to discover the source.

True, the villagers were still abuzz below her, fanning the flames on the lower part of the woodpile— desperately trying to encourage the fire to lick and devour the pile of logs in hopes of finally ridding the town of the Witch.

Remember the barking dogs, darting cats, and cawing crows, who just a few short moments earlier were joined in the the excitement of the town? Well, now? They were no where to be found.

Poof.

Where had they gone?

It was their absence that Tori found so troublesome. Nature’s silence is the most deafening. This silence was one of Nature sucking in her breath— cautionary and wary— a warning for what was about to come.

Tori turned her attention away from Hunter, who was now screaming hysterically because the fire had indeed begun to lick and devour with such intensity that the blue hot flames would soon make the skin of Hunter’s bare feet bubble and peel— soon, but not yet. Tori knew this flame. It was the very heat that purged the herbs she worked with into snow white healing ash. Fire isn’t necessarily bad and at times it is necessary. It is the fear of fire that is so dangerous. She would be able to convince the fire to keep its distance for a time. Hopefully, long enough for the Peddler to come through.

These were the thoughts racing through Tori’s mind when she glanced up, and that was when she noticed the tornado off in the distance.

‘Ah.’ She breathed out the barely audible sigh and smiled. “That’s why the animals fled.” She murmured under her breath, shaking her head. Then added. “Peddler, that’s a little risky.”

~

As Tori scanned the crowd, a quiet calm descended over her. The villagers were far too busy to notice the tornado forming in the distance. She cocked her head to the side, bewildered. How could they be so disconnected? Nature always speaks volumes if only one listens. But no, they were too wrapped up in their hysteria to take notice.

“TORNADO!” Tori yelled at the top of her lungs but the fire below her was cracking just so; it was impossible for anyone to hear her.

She tried again.

“TORNADO! TORNADO!”

This caught someone’s attention and that someone glanced up, saw the enormous funnel and quickly spread the word. With that the entire town dispersed, locking themselves into their homes. No longer were they concerned one ounce about the fate of the Witch or the helpless, hapless boy sitting beside her.

~

“Come on Peddler,” Tori urged.

What was he waiting for? Did he not know now would be the best time to unleash the tornado if only for the winds to quell the fire rapidly growing beneath her?

But when the wind continued to grow in size, her countenance fell, because now the circumference of the tornado was so vast there would be no way to control it. This couldn’t possibly be the work of the Peddler, he knew better.

Andor on the other hand did not.

Tori smirked.

This tornado wasn’t sent to put out a fire. It was sent to destroy everything in its path. What on earth was Andor thinking?

Knowing Andor he wasn’t.

Then as if Tori’s very thoughts of Andor had the power to conjure him up she heard a familiar voice call to her.

“Tori! You’ll come away with me then?” Andor looked up at her and pointed to the tornado as if that were her only other alternative.

And you know? In that moment it was.

“Do you mean to destroy the entire village?” Tori called back incredulously.

“Of course! I can’t control that.” Andor shouted over the roar of the fire and the howling of the wind. “Besides, the Keepers aim to destroy my realm if I don’t destroy you first. The way I see it, coming with me is your only choice. That or death.”