Quest for Knowledge (Volume 1 of the FirstWorld Saga), Christopher Jackson-Ash [ebook reader web TXT] 📗

on his face and rivulets of red flowed to the floor. Those who saw him that day said that when he cried, Simon Rufus even cried tears of blood. Thus was his legend born and quickly did it spread.

Book 3 Back to the Beginning

 

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.

 

“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

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 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?”

“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.”

“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.

“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 damage, I’m afraid. That’s what happens in war. There will always be innocent victims; you have to learn that quickly. It’s not as bad as you think. With a little help, I removed Prince Christopher and Princess Margaret from the royal chambers before the carnage. They are safe. Prince Christopher will take his rightful place as the new king. I’m confident that things will work out well there. Here, have a drink of water.”

Simon stared at his friend, unmoving. “You knew! You knew that this would happen, but you didn’t warn me. I thought you were my friend. I hate you!”

“I didn’t know for sure, Simon. Manfred told me that something like this might happen. I couldn’t warn you, because then you would have refused to take up the Sword, wouldn’t you. Please, drink this.” Jhamed offered the glass a second time.

Reluctantly Simon took the glass and sipped the water. “I’m sorry Jhamed. It’s not your fault. Someone did warn me. I don’t know who or what it was. I ignored it.” He told Jhamed about the night in the purple forest and the two-headed lemur creature. “I need your friendship and support now, more than ever. Please forgive me for what I said.”

“You’ll say far worse things than that, before we’re done. It’s forgiven and forgotten. Simon, I am your companion and friend. I will always be there for you, if I can be. Wherever you are in the multiverse, look for me. It may not be me, but if there’s another version of me in that plane of existence, he will seek you out to help you. That is our sole purpose. I wish I could come with you on your next task, but it’s impossible. I’m just a tiny baby then, so I’ll be of no use to you. There is no doubt in my mind that we were followed to Dishley, though by whom and for what reason I do not know. Perhaps whoever it is will help you some more. He or she seems to have great power. Curse that Manfred, why can you never find a wizard when you need one. I bet he’s swigging pints of dwarven ale in First Delve by now.” Jhamed took Simon’s hand and held it tenderly. “I’m so sorry about Juliana. I wish I could have prevented that.”

Thoughts of his lost love caused Simon to sink into deep melancholy again. He sank back under the covers, curled himself into a ball, and became wracked with sobs. Jhamed left him to his guilt. I want to die. Why should I take up my next task? I deserve to die. Other thoughts fought their way past his remorse and self-pity. I’m sorry, Simon. I was carried away in my lust. I was so hungry, I could not stop. Please do not punish me. Do not be angry with me. Take me with you on your task. You are the Everlasting Hero. I am your Sword. We are the Trinity. We are meant for each other. We must prevail.

There, in the midst of his torment, Simon understood. Fleischaker was made of two parts, from both law and chaos. It was also made of two aspects, good and evil. It needed balance to be used effectively. He, Simon, had to provide that balance. In order to fight for the Balance, Simon had to find his own inner balance to control the Sword. He spoke aloud, though there was no one in the room.

“It seems that I have no choice. We shall go forward and fight for the Balance, for that is what you were created for. I will never speak the name Fleischaker again. I give you a new name. From this day forth, until such time as you have earned a better name, you shall be known as Kin Slayer. We shall be Simon the Red and Kin Slayer and we shall strike fear into the hearts of all.” Despite himself, Simon laughed. Inside the scabbard, Kin Slayer sighed with contentment and the red ruby in its hilt glowed bright. It had recently consumed the souls of a witch and two wizards. It had much to digest. Satisfied with what it had witnessed, the pigeon on the window ledge flew away.

Three days later, with the dull ache of guilt simmering just below his consciousness, Simon climbed the stairs that led to the High Tower in Wizards’ Keep. Jhamed was with him. Simon was dressed in the jeans and tee shirt he had worn on the fateful morning he had first met Jhamed. Kin Slayer was strapped to his waist. Jhamed was dressed in his usual garb. Simon thought that his tee shirt felt much tighter than it had before. Perhaps he was starting to bulk up and to fill out at last. Melbourne and his studies seemed a lifetime ago, though only a few days had passed since someone had tried to run him down and kill him. Jhamed, or at least a version of Jhamed, had given his life to save him. Since then he had travelled through the dimensions of the multiverse, found a great sword, fallen in love, become the latest aspect of the Everlasting Hero, killed an evil witch, and committed murder most foul. I can still barely believe that this is all for real. I wish that it weren’t. The memory of the blood and the lifeless bodies of his victims resurfaced again. The look on Juliana’s face as Kin Slayer cut her jugular vein would haunt him forever. He had never told her that he loved her. She died thinking that he hated her. The guilt and self-pity welled in his heart again. A few tears ran down his pale face. He sniffed. The stairs were dusty and filled with cobwebs. They spluttered their way through the dust and sticky webs. At least Jhamed would think that the dust was making his nose run. I shall make it up to you, Juliana. I shall find a way to repay my debt. I promise you, my love.

They reached the top of the obsidian tower. The low parapet gave them a complete three hundred and sixty degree view. Simon looked out over the town of Elannort and into the countryside beyond. It was a warm day, the sun was shining out of a clear blue sky, and the fields were flourishing with new life. In the town below, people leisurely went about their business. It was an idyllic sight. Simon tried to capture the vision in his memory. It was, after all, part of what he was fighting to maintain. I wish Juliana could have seen this. She might have understood. He turned inwards. Before him was an archway. It was carved out of the same black rock as the rest of the tower. Indeed, it seemed to be an integral part of the tower, growing organically from the rest. There seemed nothing special about the archway. Simon could see through it - a large, empty cobbled square and then the opposite side of Elannort and its spiralling streets. “What is that square and why is it empty?”

“It is called Future Square,” Jhamed replied. “It is said to have been left by the Great Old Ones for some future building that never happened. It is a spooky place and no one goes in there. Anyway, stop changing the subject. You have a job to do.”

Beside the archway was a black box with a series of dials that were locked into a fixed setting. “Manfred has selected the settings,” Jhamed said. “It will take you to a time around thirty thousand years ago and a place far from here. Manfred and his twin Mandred will both be there. Remember that you must not let them know that you are from the future or that you have met or will meet Manfred before. It’s confusing me already. You must behave as you think best and deal with the situations that arise. Manfred would tell me no more. When you are ready to return you must want in your heart to come back and you must picture this place in your mind. I’m afraid that you will be naked when you get there. I hope that it’s summer time, for your sake. I hope that it’s dark, for theirs.” He laughed at his little joke, but his heart wasn’t really in it. “Do you understand?”

Simon nodded. “Are you sure Kin Slayer will go with me?”

“Manfred assured me that it would be so. It is part of you now and you are part of it. You have killed together.”

“Thanks for reminding me.” Simon sighed. “I suppose I had better get it over with.”

At that moment, there was a sound of feet on the stairs and muffled