
A lone knight of the Red Cross rides across a sun‑scorched desert, his heavy steel armor glinting under a sky that has yet to reach its zenith. The landscape is a bleak tapestry of salt‑laden dunes, shattered rock formations and a dark, still lake that seems to swallow the very light around it. As he passes the desolate remnants of once‑great cities, the silence is broken only by the creak of his saddle and the distant whisper of the wind.
Haunted by the memory of a vanished oasis—a paradise that turned to barren wasteland—he bears a cross‑shaped shield and a long spear, symbols of both his faith and his burden. The oppressive heat and the endless horizon test his resolve, yet his thoughts linger on the tragic loss that reshaped the land. In this first act, the knight’s journey becomes a meditation on survival, duty, and the echo of a world long forgotten.
Language
fi
Duration
~12 hours (740K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2009-09-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1771–1832
A giant of Scottish literature, this poet and novelist helped invent the historical novel and turned Scotland’s past into gripping, widely loved stories. His books blended adventure, memory, and folklore in ways that shaped fiction across Europe.
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by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott

by Walter Scott