Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #14 May 2015 | Seite 23

The Journey to Dishley

two great rivers drained the Mountains of Death and
were virtually impassable except at the One River
Bridge. The area bounded by the two rivers and the
Mountains of Death, to the north, contained the wellnamed Forest of Doom.

Simon watched as Manfred and his companions
disappeared from sight. His head ached. He had not
slept well. He had been troubled by dreams again. In
the dream, he was bound naked on a large pine table.
A hideous crone mocked him. He struggled to move,
but unseen bonds held him motionless. When he tried
to scream, no sound came. He tried to send a message to his friends. It is time. Reunite us. I will serve
you. Come for me. Simon shuddered. The words still
echoed in his head.

Simon was apprehensive. Jhamed, of course, was a
veteran of inter-dimensional travel. Taran had been on
one quest before to save elves and bring them home to
FirstWorld. Dawit had never tried his assumed powers
and there was a chance that he might have to return to
Elannort with the horses. Simon had made one recent
trip, most of it inside a hessian sack. The three inexperienced travellers were keen to learn from Jhamed. He,
as ever, appeared to be happy to have centre stage and
show off. The five riders rode abreast along the wellpaved road while Jhamed entertained them.

Jhamed approached. “Are you ready to leave? We
have a long ride ahead of us.”
Simon nodded. “You will take it slowly, won’t you?
I’ve never ridden a horse before you know.” And I’m
scared shitless.

“The multiverse is in a constant state of flux. The gateways between dimensions are continually changing.
Because FirstWorld is in the centre of things, it has
many fixed gateways. Without these, we could become
lost, wandering through the dimensions forever. I am
an expert, no I am the expert in inter-dimensional
travel. Even wizards cannot keep up with me. I have
the ability to map the dimensions in my head and see
where the portals are. I surprise myself, sometimes.”

“Don’t worry, Simon. You’re a natural. Before you
know it, you’ll be out-riding all of us. I’ve seen it
many times before.” Jhamed had this unnerving habit
of talking about previous versions of Simon he had
known and assuming they were all the same. He was
usually right.
Five riders left Elannort on that crisp spring morning.
The four companions were joined by a young groom
from the stables. Like the previous group, they had
packed to travel light, as they would leave their horses
behind when they crossed the first dimension portal.
They each carried a backpack, containing essential
provisions. Dawit had his axe slung at his waist and
carried his shield on his arm. Taran wore his sword at
his waist and his long bow slung over his left shoulder. A quiver of arrows jostled with his backpack.
Jhamed, as usual, carried no visible weapons. Simon
assumed that he had several blades hidden about his
person. Simon carried only the empty scabbard that
had been presented to him at the Council of the Wise.

“Lucky you’re modest with it,” Simon joked.

They headed north-west along the road that led to Two
Rivers, the town where the rivers Hope and Doom
joined to form one massive watercourse that entered
the Great Inland Sea at the town of One River. These

Jhamed ignored Simon’s barb and continued. “The
fixed gateways are located in a largely unpopulated
area between the Lost Road and the Fools’ Road. In
the old days, there was quite a lot of traffic between
the dimensions, hence the quality of the two roads.
These days, the roads see few travellers. We will not
stay on this road for long. We need to head north, to
a gateway that is located just to the west of the Fools’
Road. Manfred suggested we leave along this road
and cut across country to confuse any spies that might
be watching. I think he’s gone paranoid in his dotage.
Only people with the correct genetics can access the
dimension portals. It’s an innate thing – either you
have it or you don’t. The portals themselves are almost
invisible. Only a trained eye can see them. The fixed
ones have been marked, with discreet symbols, to aid
travellers, but most portals have to be identified by the

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