Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #17 August 2015 | Page 22

Quest for Knowledge
(Volume 1 of theFirstWorld
Saga) The Tower at
Melasurej
United with his Sword but overcome by
grief at his wanton killing spree that
earned the Sword a new name – Kin
Slayer – Simon Redhead must manage
without Manfred’s help, as the wizard
is away visiting dwarves, or so Simon
believes.

Book 3 Back to the
Beginning

pacing back and forth and mumbling to himself. He
slept without dreams, as if he were drugged. Finally,
he awoke, and the memory of the atrocities he had
committed returned. He curled into a ball and sobbed.
Jhamed was sitting in a chair next to the bed.
“Simon, are you awake?” He was wearing his usual
hat, but his curls seemed to be evading capture more
than usual. There was deep concern in his eyes, and
dark rings around them. Unlike Simon, it seemed he
had had little sleep.
Slowly, Simon sat up. He was in his quarters at
Wizards’ Keep. He couldn’t remember anything of the
journey home. Whether he had walked, been dragged,
or had been carried he couldn’t say. Anxiously, he
felt at his side. He was naked. He looked around.
Fleischaker, sheathed in the scabbard Vasek, lay on
the dresser. “What happened, Jhamed? How did I get
back here? What have I done? Why don’t you put me
in prison?”

In which Simon Redhead, otherwise known
as Simon Rufus or Simon the Red, will
understand more about the burden he must
carry and reject it.

“Welcome back, my friend. You have slept
for almost three days. We found you covered in blood
and tears and brought you home. You were incoherent
most of the time. Dawit and Taran carried you. We
bathed you and put you to bed. By the Balance, I wish
Manfred were here. He would know how to help you.”

“When the two who are one
Return to the sun
When the flame-haired child
Is first become
While the guardians sleep
Humankind will weep.”
Ancient Prophecy

“Jhamed, I remember. I know what I did.
I wanted to kill myself afterwards, but the Sword
wouldn’t let me. How can I live with myself? I
murdered the entire family and their servants. Even
with Freda gone, there is no one to lead them. There
will be civil war. Thousands will die and it will be all
my fault.” He threw himself back on the bed, weeping.

The Tower at Melasurej
Simon drifted in and out of a deep sleep. He
was in a soft bed, warm under the heavy covers. At
the brief times he awoke, he noticed little, except
that a pigeon seemed always to be perched at his
window. Sometimes he would see Jhamed sitting next
to the bed. At other times, he would see the little man

“Look Simon, I know this is hard to
understand, but for the sake of your sanity you must
try. It wasn’t you who carried out those acts. It was
a new being, a new manifestation of the Everlasting
Hero. You formed a Trinity with the Sword and
unfortunately, the ruby took control. You have to learn
to be in command. Manfred could explain things much
better if he were here; curse the old wizard for not
being around when you need him. There was some
collateral dam Y