Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #22 January 2016 | Page 27

memory disturbed him. Frisa the Curly-Haired and
Hroc the Crow had passed to stone thanks to him and
Kin Slayer; now Mandred had followed them. An
eerie laughing cry that was like no night bird Simon
had heard before echoed through the chill night. A
cloud passed over the moon, and the fire suddenly
died. A pack of wolves howled in the distance as the
crowd rapidly dispersed towards their home caves,
apprehensive and afraid. Wa carried the baby, who
was crying at the top of his lungs.

here too. Seemingly, the same moon cast its light out
of a clear sky. The town looked the same as Simon
remembered, but as he cast his gaze further, he
shuddered. Where there should only have been tilled
fields and the odd farmhouse was a scene from hell.

Only Manfred remained, taking it all in and
seemingly talking to himself. He fingered his necklace
as he spoke. Simon couldn’t hear what he said. The
wizard too turned away from the clearing. The howls
of the wolves were coming closer. In the shadows at
one end of the clearing, Simon was in pain. His heart
felt like it had been torn out of his body and stamped
on. The ache in his chest spread to his very soul. In his
despair, he howled. The people hurrying back to their
caves stopped in their tracks. The hairs on the backs
of their necks rose, and goose bumps covered their
skins. Quickly, they continued and sought the relative
safety of their caves. The wolves stopped too, cocking
their ears to the wind. Their leader snarled, wondering
where this challenge to his authority was coming
from. Simon stood erect. He withdrew Kin Slayer
from its scabbard and brandished it above his head,
showing it to the now fully risen moon.
“I swear on the sword Kin Slayer that I shall
avenge this day. I give the rest of my life to seek out
and destroy the evil that robbed me of my love. I curse
forever the swine that impregnated my Ju and his
child and its heirs forever until the end of time.” He
raised his head to the moon and howled again. I will
avenge you, my darling. Kin Slayer shrieked in unison
with his howl until Simon finally sheathed the Sword.
The ties that bound Simon were now cut.
Unbidden, his mind pictured the tower at Wizards’
Keep. The strange prickly sensation of pins and
needles covered his entire body. Nausea gripped him.
The world around him shimmered and disappeared
to be replaced by an obsidian tower high above a
medieval town. Simon staggered and held on to the
parapet handrail to steady himself. It was night-time

Elannort was surrounded. As far as his eyes
could see, campfires burned. In the light of the full
moon, he could just make out the hideous shapes
of siege engines and worse. His gaze was drawn to
a large fire towards the centre of the largest camp.
There was someone or something there that he was
familiar with. A picture formed in his mind. It was
not a pretty sight. In his vision, he saw the might of
those assembled at the gates. As well as men and the
machines, there were others there, the undead, and
grotesque creatures that seemed to be the results of
hideous breeding experiments. There was a great
power present too, maybe even a god. A voice spoke
in his head. So you are come at last, Red Boy. I had
almost given up on you. It will be my greatest pleasure
to kill you and have you serve me, undead, for eternity.
What kept you?
“So you are finally back, for Balance sake.
What kept you?” Simon was dragged back from his
reverie by the insistent tugging on his arm by a small
hand. “By heaven, you smell worse than a Valdonian
swine herd after a month in the hog pens. Where have
you been?”
Simon looked down at the face of his friend.
His hair was as curly as ever, trying to escape from
under his wide-brimmed hat with its white feather.
His eyes were as blue as ocean pools, but strangely
clouded with worry, and his beaky nose made him
look as arrogant as ever. He pushed Jhamed’s hand
away rou