Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #12 March 2015 | Page 60

little to do with anyone
else unless they really have
to. Dwarves do have a
passable relationship with
humans, but only because
they need to trade some
of their treasures for food
and other necessities. So
it would be very unlikely, don’t you think, that
a dwarf and an elf would
ever fall in love?”
Simon had to agree, unlikely indeed. Jhamed was now
in full flow. “My father,
Gair son of Gale son of
Gannon, was a dwarf and
my mother, Kachina, was
an elf. They were both unremarkable people, except
that by chance they met
and fell in love. They were
both servants, on a mission with their superiors to
Elannort. They were hurrying through the corridors,
arms full, and ran into
each other. Bits and pieces
went flying. Quite a cliché.
They were initially angry
with each other, but they
both saw the funny side of
things and started laughing.
One thing led to another and before you could
say ‘Great Sage’ they had
fallen madly in love. Their
respective people were
outraged, of course. There was even talk of war. The
Great Sages intervened. They saw the possible union
as a great advance for the Balance. They allowed my
parents to stay in Elannort, where I was eventually
born.”
“They told me that conception was very difficult. My
father was very old by the time they had me and no

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further children were possible. They didn’t want to
name me in either elfish or dwarfish fashion. The
wizard Dammar suggested that I be called Jhamed
al Suraqi, meaning Firstborn of the Balance in the
ancient language of the Wise. Manfred always took
a great interest in me. I was only a tiny baby when
the Sundering took place. Manfred says that the fates
must have intervened to ensure I was born before the