Echoes of the Past

Book One Summary

This is a summary of book one of Island Legends, for those who haven't read the first one and for those wanting a recap.

Book One Summary: 

Island Legends: The Awakening of James Island 

James Island was born a fully grown man, or so he thought. He has no memory of any previous life, and for the past two years has made a life for himself in the city he found himself in. One day in the city, Tyken Town, while on an errand for his construction job, James is accosted by a deranged beggar, who claims to know him. When the beggar is angered, he attacks James, and James accidentally kills him in self defence. A dark vision strikes James in that moment, and he sees a fiery world and a hooded figure that focuses on him. James comes back to the world, sees the dead beggar, and runs away in shock and fear. 

The next day he meets Evan Goodheart, a young Voarn boy who tells James he has been sent on a mission by the gods, to find James Island and restore peace to Evan's home world. James is baffled by Evan, but finds an affinity with him and decides to help him on his way, as best he can, although does not know of Evan's home world or how he could help him.

When they are attacked in the city by thugs, drawn to Evan's decorated sword, James becomes separated from Evan. With no way of finding him in the big city, James has no choice but to go to his work, which he is late for, and decide what to do about Evan while there. His foreman, Tam, gives James a package to deliver. While on the way to deliver the package, James spots Evan lying in an alleyway. Evan is devastated that the thugs took his sword, which belonged to his father. James is determined to help Evan, who is lost and far from home. Evan is sure that their fates are connected. Then he sees this family crest on the package James is delivering, and they decide that they are meant to go to the address together. 

At the address they find an old man with a broken leg, Den Keenosh. Den tells James that the package is for himself to open. James opens the box and finds a grapple hook, and a photo of two soldiers. Den tells them that the grapple hook belonged to James's father, Hayden Island, and that the two soldiers are possibly connected to Hayden somehow. He reveals to James that he is an Oneron, a warrior race of men, and that he almost died two years earlier. His father was able to heal James, but it resulted in him losing his memories. It was decided in James's best interest that he be placed in Tyken Town to live a new life of safety, with Den to watch over him. James is overwhelmed by it all, and while Den and Evan are in the next room, he runs out of the house, not wanting any part of it all. 

James runs into a work colleague in the streets, Sam Hawkings. Sam tells James he was looking for him, that Tam has requested they both cover a shift in a different construction site for the day. James goes with Sam, but he is taken to an abandoned site in a rough part of town. There they see a group of criminals, and the leader has Evan's father's sword. They are caught and brought to the leader, Rolan. Evan appears and challenges Rolan for his fathers sword. They fight and Evan wins, and they are allowed to leave.On the way back, James asks Sam how he knew to take him to the gang's hideout. Sam says he will tell him everything when they get back to Den Keenosh's house. James is confused and angered by all the secrets.

Back at Den's house, they reveal that Sam and Den were tasked to look over James and keep him hidden in town, and that Tam was helping them. A very dangerous being called the Dark Sorcerer is looking for James, and somehow when that beggar recognised James, it allowed the Dark Sorcerer to pinpoint James's location. They tell James that his father is missing, taken by an unknown organisation and possibly brought into a hidden army that is being built. For years now, thousands of people have been going missing throughout the galaxy, presumed dead or missing, and Den and Sam believe they are still alive, taken to work in a secret armada that someone is building. James's father, Hayden, is one of the missing soldiers in the hidden army.

They tell James and Evan that there is a warehouse in Tyken Town that has connections to a large criminal organisation, Sacre, which may be behind the disappearances. They decide that now is meant to be the time that they start their investigation, the day that Evan was sent to James. They will both go with Sam to investigate the warehouse and find out any connections to Sacre or information about a hidden army. The warlord responsible for the downfall of Evan's homeland, a man known as the Arbiter, maybe also be connected to the hidden army. They decide that something must be done, and the first step is to find out more information.

They leave Den's house and set out for the warehouse. Sam seems guarded but tells them more about himself. James still has trouble trusting him and seeing him as a soldier now. They sneak into the warehouse and find some information and paperwork in some offices. After being attacked by a giant creature in a science lab, they question a scientist who reveals that they have been working on a mind-altering serum for the head scientist, Dr. Velome. Dr. Velome has a new client he will meet in a few days, to give the serum to, and he is on his way out of Tyken Town now. They are discovered by security guards and chased to the roof of the building. A helicopter is struck down during the struggle and crashes into the roof as James, Sam, and Evan jump off, hanging from the ropes that guards had repelled from.

They manage to get away from the area and head to a nearby construction site, part of the company Sam and James work for. They take a work truck and head for the city exit Dr. Velome is going to. They spot his craft in the streets and, sensing danger, the doctor attempts to get away from them. They chase him through the city streets until they manage to crash his vehicle, and take him into their truck.

They hide from pursuing Lawmen and question the doctor. Dr. Velome tells them that his new client is a dangerous criminal called Higero Jaxx, who owns an iron forge in a nearby town. They decide to take the doctors meeting with Jaxx, and tie him up and leave him in the truck.

Still pursued by Lawmen from their car chase, they find surprise help from the gang leader from earlier, Rolan, who shows them to an underground tunnel that leads out of the city. Beyond the city borders, in the surrounding sand dunes, they take shelter from an approaching sand storm in nearby caves and wait for the storm to pass. James adjusts to everything that has happened, now beyond the city he had called home, away from the only life he had ever known, and is determined to be the best version of himself now he is free to find his own path.

Book Two continues in those caves.