A Facet for the Gem Read Online Free PDF Page A

debt, for services rendered long before any of us ripped our way into this world. And make no mistake, what we do not offer, they will try to take, and the thousands we’ve guarded with our lives will merely yield to the stronger pull. And so, we must protect the people from themselves. We must teach them we are all that has ever stood between them and the grave, even if it means burying those who resist. We must let none wander so far that he might be taken by those who wish to topple us, and the Eaglemasters will wish it, of that I’m certain.
    “That is why I acquired our new allies last night, those who are loyal to my bloodline alone. Before, though they would not harm me, neither would they obey my command. Now they have no master left but me. And henceforth, I assure you, they will obey.
    “Tomorrow, those who have reaped the fruits of our vigilance shall finally pay us dearly, and even before I am named king, they will recognize beyond doubt who has ruled them all along. But, with our homecoming imminent, I wish first to know that every link in our ranks is strong and unshaken. So let any man who objects to my design step forward now, and be heard.”
    All battalions remained rooted to the ground, every soldier subduing even the slightest breath that might set him apart. Soon it became clear that any man with the gall to voice dissent would likely be run through by those nearest him, and be concealed long before Felkoth cast one scornful eye in their direction.
    Taking their unified silence as a clear answer, Felkoth’s expression lightened. “Then water your horses and go to quarters,” he ordered. “Eat, and gather all the provisions you can carry. We won’t need them here any longer.”
    With that, the army broke off, making ready for its overnight march to Korindelf while Felkoth withdrew to the central fort, descending into its deep tunnel that had been secretly dug in the years since he assumed command. Dank, with a palpable stench of flesh on the cusp of decay, it ran for dozens of miles, and its tall, hairless, emaciated occupants sniffed anxiously at his arrival with broad snouts over twisted, elongated fangs.
    Proudly facing the shriekers as they drooled down gray, scaly stretched necks, he unsheathed from within his cloak the ancient Dark Blade, taken from those who had once commanded these dreaded masses. It collected an aura of arrested torchlight like dust to a corpse the higher he brandished it, and the humanoid brutes gazed with obedient wonder, jaws open, panting excitedly.
    “Heed me well, and you will never know hunger,” he promised, inciting a chorus of yelps. “Remain here, out of sight, and listen for my call, as it will come when I have the greatest use for you. And, with the greatest use, follows the greatest reward.”
    Then Felkoth left his new servants in hiding, relishing the images of their impending emergence. The densely packed channel reverberated with their tantalized frenzy, opening under wide fields just a mile outside the gate of Korindelf, which would soon open to welcome the conquering heroes, for as long as they wished to stay.

Chapter Three
    The Tree and the Goldshard
    M orlen reached Korindelf late the next morning, having allowed his faltering horse a pace slow enough not to be a death sentence. The city was shaped like an engrailed crown with its high walls curving to bridge six encircling hills, each of which was capped with an ornate watchtower. Its two southern walls slanted sharply inward, forming a narrow corridor that led to the gate.
    He slowly advanced into the tapering channel while several bowmen lining the battlements above trained their weapons on him, a reception that was no precaution for what approached from the South. There would be no questions as to his business here or his place of origin—he was a citizen they recognized well. And the report they must have gotten from the other returning hunters clearly left no room for rebuttal.
    As he