Read Online A Facet for the Gem by C. L. Murray - Free Book Online Page B

your entrance I was the only one left, and had been for quite some time. But now, I am glad to say that we are two.”
    “Glad?” Morlen laughed skeptically, propping up on his elbows. “Hardly anyone has ever cared where I go, as long as it’s away from them.”
    “Those horsemen cared very much. So did the shriekers. Yet, though they were at your heels you eluded them on foot. Is that something you dismiss as an ordinary feat? Something any man could have survived?”
    “I was afraid,” said Morlen, “desperate, really. I didn’t have time to understand it. Anyone being threatened like that would have run just as hard.”
    “Just like anyone with a mind to enter the Forbidden Isle could do so at will?” the man retorted. “Those fellows looked determined to follow you to the ends of the earth. But you are here, Morlen, and they are not.”
    Taken aback, Morlen sat up with arms around his knees. “How do you know—?”
    “What I know matters little. And what the people of Korindelf knew is far less. You place such great value on what others think of you. But what do you know, Morlen? Who are you?”
    Morlen stared at him in bewilderment. “I…” He fell silent, grasping at nothing.
    “You do not know?” the man asked glumly.
    “Who are you, then?” Morlen said in frustration. “Is it easy for you to understand?”
    “It is never easy. For me, there are moments when, like you, I am at a loss. But at this moment, I know with complete certainty. I am Matufinn of the Blessed Ones.”
    Morlen raised his brows at the answer. Straightening stiffly while remaining seated, he said, “The Blessed Ones are dead.”
    “Yet look at us, the two remaining sons of Morthadus, in good health,” said Matufinn. “Separated by a world that would see his line extinguished, now together in the place where it began.”
    “I’ve never heard of him before,” Morlen cut in.
    “You have,” Matufinn answered, “though not by name. He led the lions into the Battle of Korindelf centuries ago, against those that cast down the rest of his order. That strength endures in his blood, strength that has undoubtedly manifested itself in you, though you refuse to acknowledge it. But soon enough, you will.” He bent forward, stretching out his arm.
    Though utterly unsure what to make of the man’s claims, Morlen felt no reason to fear him, and saw danger now as something foreign while taking his extended hand. And Matufinn effortlessly lifted him to stand, his grip lingering slightly longer than necessary as though to savor the first human contact he’d had in many years. Then he abruptly let go and turned to walk beside the river.
    Morlen followed, silently in awe as Matufinn appeared something more than human. His mind ached trying to comprehend this paradise that had for centuries stood uncorrupted by the world. “What is this place?” he asked. “How could it have stayed so pure for all this time?”
    Matufinn replied, “When Morthadus escaped the massacre that ensnared his brothers, Korine the Ancient gave him this realm, so that the Blessed Ones would always live on within its borders. The river that flows from beneath the high mountain, the fruits that never wither—these are gifts to only us, to be touched by no other, except those we invite inside. And the children of Morthadus have kept it for him ever since he departed, some looking to his return.”
    “You’re saying this… Morthadus… is immortal?” asked Morlen.
    “Yes,” said Matufinn. “The original One Hundred all were. The Blessed Ones, chosen for their bravery, endowed with the powers to protect Korine’s city through the ages. But after they fell, massacred by the shriekers, their tradition lived on in Morthadus, and it is said that as his sons grew old and died, he remained young. We have carried on his legacy ever since, fighting for Korindelf as he did.”
    “Then, if this is true,” Morlen replied, clearly having difficulty accepting it,