What comes first, ashes or fire?

I'm delighted to welcome author Bob Freeman to my blog today. I enjoyed and reviewed his novel Shadows over Somerset some time ago (click on the name for my review). And now he's touring the internet with First Born, which, it seems, is first of several books to come. As Bob Freeman will now explain,First Born arises from the ashes... So, over to you Bob, and welcome to my blog.

FROM THE ASHESby Bob Freeman
A wise doctor does not mutter incantations
over a sore that needs the knife.
Sophocles
Lets...