Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #16 July 2015 | Page 42

We will feast soon. I have waited so long. Oh yes, we
will feast soon. They climbed the last flight of stairs
in silence. At the top they were confronted by a heavy
wooden door with a cast iron latch and ring shaped
handle. In a fog, Simon grasped the ring and turned.

with a faint energy. It was precisely located in the
centre of the table, inside a pentagram. One point of
the pentagram was located at ninety degrees beneath
the Sword. It pointed directly at Simon and Juliana as
they entered the room. The pentagram was dark red.

The latch clicked and with a push, the door creaked
open.

A perfect circle, also dark red, enclosed the sword and
the pentagram. To the upper left of the sword, an allseeing eye symbol was keeping guard. It screeched
like an angry magpie protecting its nest. A figure
emerged from the shadows in the back of the room.
“Be quiet, my lovely, I am here. Hello, Simon, I have
been expecting you.”

The room was dark, lit only by two small
lamps burning on the walls. Shadows jumped in the
flickering light, adding to the eerie stillness. In the
centre of the room was a large, simple wooden table.
The table seemed out of place. The rest of the room
was ornately decorated. The walls contained many
mirrors and framed portraits. Several statues were
dotted around the room on marble pedestals. In the
dim light, they looked like gargoyles. Smaller tables,
intricately carved from mahogany, stood against
the walls. They contained artefacts big and small –
jewels, ornaments, weapons, clothes, armour, even
a preserved human head. The plain pine table stood
out. It looked like a butcher’s block. It was empty
except for a sword, the Sword. It was black, except for
a blood red ruby embedded in its hilt, which glowed

Simon was in a fog again. His head throbbed
as if he were having a bad migraine attack. Fleischaker
was calling him. Juliana needed his protection. This
woman was welcoming him. He blinked through the
fog and focussed on the woman. No! It can’t be. She is
dead. “Mother?” was all that he said.
The woman spoke again. “Well, Juliana, it
seems that you have not yet learned your lesson.”
She gestured towards Juliana and the girl was flung

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