A Facet for the Gem Read Online Free

while mine is expanding. I’d almost think you expect my ailing father’s reign is near its end, and naturally you lie awake wondering what’s to become of the bond between our two kingdoms, now that you need us much more than we need you.”
    Valdis’s fingers turned white around his spear, angling it for an upward thrust that he fought to restrain. “What I need,” he said through gritted teeth, “is for the cost paid dearly on this very grass over the years, in the mingled blood of our countrymen, to gain us more than nothing.”
    Felkoth savored his choice of words. “I suspect it will gain you much. Certainly I am not one to withhold from others what they have long deserved, especially when they bring it to my attention day in and day out.”
    “And I cannot begin to know what you deserve,” answered Valdis. “Pity, as we would gladly pay you in full. But I spoke only of need, as these times hardly afford us anything more than necessities. And today, after six years of wondering why our foes have been so lenient toward you, I am beginning to understand what you’ve needed all along.”
    “Then tell me,” said Felkoth, “before I fall from my horse.”
    Valdis grinned subtly this time, opening his stance a bit to show himself at ease. Though each man behind him kept silent, he knew they now looked sharply for any signal to strike, and all on Felkoth’s side made no attempt to disguise their eagerness for such an opportunity.
    “I have heard tales of a sword,” began Valdis. “Forged in the black mists that shroud those mountains beyond the Dead Plains. None in recent generations has claimed to have ever seen it, but, those who did long ago called it the Dark Blade.
    “They said it has a poison, a curse, woven through its metal, and any who is even slightly cut by it succumbs to agonizing death. It is what killed my ancestor, the first king of the Eaglemasters, at the Battle of Korindelf. And the one who wielded it controlled all the shriekers.”
    “Such a weapon would be formidable indeed,” said Felkoth.
    “I would assume as much. Its earliest keepers built their empire in the South, waging war on Korindelf. But, I have long believed that their bloodline spread past those boundaries. And if indeed an heir existed here who found himself embattled with the ghouls that often struck these lands, perhaps they’d scatter from him, smelling the blood of their rulers in his veins. It would stand to reason they might not deter him from traveling into the heart of their domain, where he could claim the instrument that would put them under his power.”
    Felkoth’s spine remained rigid, legs tightening on either side of his horse, and he gave no response, only keeping the silence that veiled nothing.
    Valdis held him with a look that needed no answer. “I am not saying I know what you’ve done, or what you plan to do. I’ve watched you strengthen your hold on this army, tainting its ranks with thieves and vicious outlaws who swore loyalty to keep their heads off the block. Your father has heard my worries many times over, and I could offer him nothing new. But, be certain that if I ever see that sword in your hand, that is the day you are my enemy.”
    Felkoth lifted his chin while taking in a long breath. “And, on the day we are enemies,” he mused, “will we settle our differences, just the two of us? Will these fine specimens who follow you see fit to follow me, after it’s finished?”
    With the speed of a trained battle archer, Prince Ivrild set an arrow to his bow and pointed it at Felkoth’s chest. “Enough banter,” he seethed. “I’ll do what we all know needs to be done, right now.”
    Hundreds of swords hissed from their scabbards as Felkoth’s closest men rallied around him, ready to charge if so ordered. But Felkoth held up a hand to stay them, fixing his watch on the young challenger. Mouth curling upward, voice smooth, he said, “Quite shrewd of you. But, careful you don’t