Quest for Knowledge (Volume 1 of the FirstWorld Saga) by Christopher Jackson-Ash (ebook reader wifi TXT) 📕

Despite the warmth of the fire, Manfred’s audience shivered. They slept fitfully that night, plagued by dreams of Gadiel’s awakening and visions of the future. Manfred woke them before first light and they left the delve just as the sun was rising between the teeth of the Mountains of Death. It was another fine day. At least the weather is on our side. We must make haste. I must have news of Simon. Ubadah was complaining again, but this time Manfred managed to ignore him. They set off away from the rising sun, needing to shade their eyes from the snow-glare. The snowfield was crisp and firm, so walking was relatively easy. Manfred stopped after a few minutes and pointed south through a gap in the mountains. “The river winding down the valley is the River Doom. The large forest is the Forest of Doom. Cast your eyes directly over the middle of the forest, as far as you can see. If your eyes are good you can just make out the High Tower at Elannort. Home is in sight. We will need to climb down the Doom Glacier and follow the river until the worst of the rapids are past. Then we will use our little boats and float past the Forest of Doom, right under the noses of its inhabitants, and on to Two Rivers. We will camp tonight below the snow line. Tomorrow night we’ll be in Two Rivers and the night after you’ll be tucked up in your warm beds at Wizards’ Keep.”

Manfred was as good as his word. The day was an exhausting one, filled with Ubadah’s moans, but uneventful. The Doom Glacier’s surface was pitted with rocks, ranging from the size of house bricks to huge boulders. The journey down the glacier was difficult and had to be taken slowly. In places, they roped themselves together for safety. As usual, Aglaral and Ubadah found the going much easier than Kris and Manfred. The end of the glacier was an impressive sight. Chunks of ice, rocks, and water plunged at least five hundred feet into the head of the river. The noise was incredible. Manfred thought it was as if the glacier were giving birth, in agony, to the river. Such thoughts made him think again about Simon. Over thirty thousand years ago for him and possibly only hours ago for Simon, a birth occurred that changed everything. In that moment the multiverse had been created. Manfred felt sure of it and still castigated himself for his sulky mood that had prevented him from seeing it at the time. Will Simon be back in Elannort when we get home?

They ate a sparse meal of dry tack and cold water at the top of Doom Falls before attempting the descent. It took them the best part of the afternoon to make the difficult climb. They were impeded by the boats on their backs and several times each of them came close to a serious mishap. Nevertheless, they finally made it safely to the bottom. Ubadah was in a foul mood and every second word coming out of his mouth was a curse. Manfred even learned a few new words, which was very unusual for him. They pitched their tent at the base of the falls and spent another uncomfortable night sleeping in pairs. Manfred took Ubadah, out of pity for Aglaral and Kris.

The next morning, the value of having lugged the boats became evident. By mid-morning, they had travelled far enough that the river had straightened out into a navigable stream. Every few hundred yards, new flows of water entered. The River Doom was quickly growing into an impressive waterway. They were below the tree line now and they each selected appropriate branches to use as punting poles. The boats they had carried were tiny; little more than large breadbaskets, but they would serve their purpose. They discarded their backpacks and most of their remaining supplies, burying them under rocks. They launched their crafts, sitting in them with knees around their ears, and boughs at the ready to give a push in the right direction when needed.

The first attempts were hilarious. Everyone except Manfred received at least one soaking. Eventually, they all mastered the delicate art of balance and they pushed off. This would make a great fairground attraction at the theme parks I have seen in some dimensions. They roped themselves together and moved out into the middle of the stream, where the strong current picked them up and carried them effortlessly downstream. They made rapid progress, far faster than they could have made even on horseback. They were wet and cold, but it was exhilarating that they would soon be safe. The countryside around them changed. To their left, the land was flat grassland as far as the eye could see. To their right, a dense forest canopy blotted out everything. A sense of evil seemed to permeate from the forest. Manfred hoped they would sneak by, unnoticed. Just as he was congratulating himself on a job well done, the sky above them darkened as if a cloud had passed over the sun. Manfred looked up. The sky was full of birds, black crows from the Forest of Doom. The flock circled above them, calling out in raucous shouts, before whirling and heading back to the forest. Fortunately, the trees began to thin and they soon sailed past the southern border of the forest. We have slipped by, but we were definitely noticed. Oh well, the wargs already knew anyway.

An hour later, they approached the town of Two Rivers and the junction with the River Hope. It got tricky for a few minutes as they tried to manoeuvre to the right bank and not be carried away by the combined force of the two rivers. Manfred was forced to use a little magic to help them. I don’t fancy being cast adrift on the Great Inland Sea. They scrambled from the river, looking and feeling like drowned rats, onto the coarse wooden decking of a wharf. A couple of rough-looking types noticed them and came to investigate and probably to relieve them of their valuables, if not their lives. They got two surprises. Firstly, two of the drowned rats turned out to be well-armed warriors. Second, another of them turned out to be Manfred the Magician.

Two Rivers was a small town and everyone there knew Manfred. The two ruffians fell over themselves to lead the travellers to the only inn in town. The Fisherman’s Arms was as rough as the rest of the shabby town and its inhabitants, but to Manfred it was a veritable palace. The innkeeper, by name of Trout, was a stout ruddy fellow, with a bald head and a dirty apron. Manfred thought that he must suffer from high blood pressure. Trout fussed over them. He gave them his best rooms, organised hot baths, and provided clean clothes while he had their travelling clothes washed. All except for Manfred, whose clothes seemed to have miraculously cleaned and dried themselves. That evening they relaxed in the bar. The ale was weak and the food very average, but to Manfred it seemed like a feast. Ubadah complained that his bread lacked salt and that the beef in his stew was too tough. His bed was also too lumpy and his room was too small. Manfred contemplated sealing his lips together. The locals crowded round, seeking news. Manfred had cautioned them all to say nothing of their travels. Kris was called into service to recount the story of Gilgamesh. The story went down well and they drank and swapped tales until late in the evening.

They slept well and late, drugged by the ale into dreamless oblivion. Their clothes were ready for them when they awoke. After a hot breakfast of bacon and eggs, washed down with lashings of tea, Trout’s young apprentice appeared with four horses for them. Not bad for a one-horse town. Manfred’s credit was good and Trout knew that the horses would be returned with ample reward. By evening, they were safely home in Elannort. Manfred immediately looked for Simon. He found Taran and Dawit in the Keep and Jhamed keeping vigil in the High Tower. There was no sign of Simon.

Simon’s Pain

Simon had been pacing up and down for so long he felt like he had run a marathon. He stopped and stood in the shadows away from the fire and the birthing stone, still angry that neither the women nor the men of the tribe would let him near Ju. Every time he had tried to approach the birthing stone they had formed a human barrier to stop him. His pleas and attempts at explanation had fallen on deaf ears. The wizards had refused to intervene. Mandred had told him ‘What will be must be,’ while Manfred had seemed paralysed by indecision and deferred to his colleague, citing some sort of non-interference directive. Only Chief Yo had spoken gently to him, in as much fear for his only child as Simon was for his wife. “My wife and son died on the birthing stone. I fear that I may outlive my entire family. It is the law. Leave it to the Medicine Woman. Wa knows what to do.”

He had begged Yo to bend the law as he had done previously for his daughter. The old chief had hardened then. Simon suspected that Yo viewed the current situation as karma for his previous misdemeanours. ‘Wa knows what to do’ were his final words on the matter. Even as a student, he had more medical knowledge than all of the members of the tribe put together, including the two wizards. I could help her, if only they would let me .He contemplated drawing Kin Slayer and forcing his way to Ju’s side. More innocents would die.

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Simon had lost track of time. Ju’s labour had been going on for many hours though it seemed more like a lifetime. Ju’s screams of intense pain repeatedly filled the night but were getting weaker with each more frequent contraction. Only the growing darkness hid the flow of blood that gave a new red coating to the birthing stone. The full moon rose over the trees and began a battle of shadows with the roaring fire in the clearing. Ju gave another scream, followed by a series of low moans. The hushed crowd of women that surrounded the birthing stone looked on apprehensively. Wa fussed around trying to bring comfort but this was clearly beyond her experience. The baby is too large. She needs a caesarean. If I’d stayed at home, I’d be able to perform one by now. I could still have a go. But I don’t have any surgical instruments. Even if I could get to Ju I would not be able to help her. She has lost too much blood.

Over in the deepest shadows stood the two wizards, watching and waiting. Why don’t they help her? They must have some magic. Mandred seemed quite animated and excited. Manfred had his eyes downcast. The wizard he would come to look upon as a grandfather refused to intervene. He had seen the power of Manfred’s staff. If the wizard wanted to act he could. If I ever get back to Elannort, Kin Slayer will live up to its name.

Ju screamed again, louder than ever, and suddenly sat bolt upright with such fear in her eyes that the crowd took an involuntary pace backwards, as if of one mind. Then with a final agonising cry and a huge push, she gave birth. Her strength completely sapped and her lifeblood spent, she fell back lifeless on the birthing stone and suffered no more. Simon felt a cold dread hit him, like a knife to his heart. He knew that Ju was dead. The baby had