A Facet for the Gem by C. L. Murray

take him directly to Matufinn’s side. But, thinking such a trick would not be well received, his better judgment took hold.
    “Are you ready to learn or not?” Matufinn’s voice bubbled through his ears as he resurfaced. “This time put your heart into the task.”
    Aware how foolish he looked climbing up to attempt the feat a second time, Morlen shook the water from his hair and set himself firmly again, fighting to muster a shred of the confidence Matufinn demanded. There was no way that this could be achieved by any man or creature.
    “Have you done this yourself?” he yelled out in frustration.
    “You have bigger worries than what I’ve done. What have you done?”
    Morlen hid his enjoyment of the man’s wit and leapt out, feet scurrying as though their speed would carry him across, only to sink once more. Could this be some kind of mental test, to teach him that one must sometimes accept failure? If so, he was learning quickly.
    Nevertheless, he persisted in the most creative ways he could devise: hitting the water on all fours in an effort to run like an animal, flapping his arms as though to fly. An hour whittled away, minute by minute, while he tried in vain again and again, until finally, one plunge sent an encouraging flash of gold through his mind. At this, he urgently clutched his inner chest pocket, relieved to feel the flat metallic object he’d almost forgotten, safely concealed.
    Rising soaked again upon the rock, he faced down the open blue that chided him as it remained untrodden. He was simply not fast enough, not strong enough. But… he could be. His strength and speed could be unsurpassed, as the Talking Tree had promised. He merely had to take out the treasure in his possession, and ask it to make him the way he’d always wanted to be.
    “Have you given up already?” Matufinn asked. “Do not think about what you know. You can hold firm to it for the rest of your life, but there you will be stranded. So, step out, and leave it behind.” Then he seemed to whisper something else under his breath.
    Don’t think… don’t think . Morlen could not help but disobey the command, springing off once more with his hand cradling the Goldshard to prevent it slipping out, and made another miserable splash. He partly expected to be scolded as he came up for air, hearing instead the same rapid whispering that could only be Matufinn’s way of venting frustration.
    Clinging to the rock while still half-immersed, he questioned whether he could climb one more time, let alone give this fruitless exercise another attempt. But, Matufinn expected him to carry on, and the thought of letting him down was strangely dispiriting.
    Despite the soggy chill that numbed his fingers, he dug hard to pull himself up again. He crouched with hands upon his knees, deliriously trying to form a new approach to this obstacle, but none remained. Every strategy had resulted in the same failure. There must be some obvious solution Matufinn wanted him to see.
    As he searched for the answer, a curious dark cloud gathered above the lake’s bordering trees and descended toward the water. Then it scattered, revealing hundreds of ravens that screeched in unison while they swarmed the boat to attack Matufinn. Before long he disappeared from sight, and Morlen could only listen to his frightful screams.
    “Aghhhh, get away! GET AWAY!” Matufinn yelled painfully. “AGHHHHH!” he wailed. “STOP! AGHHHHHH, MORLEN! MORLEN, HELP ME!”
    Morlen lunged out, leaving all deliberation behind, neither watching the water that barely rippled beneath his feet nor looking back at the rock that was now a speck. He saw only the black cloud that swelled and tightened as he drew nearer. Leaping with all his might, he dove straight through their swarm and arched into the water, and they noisily dispersed back to their perches in the forest.
    He shot up to the surface and found, to his slight irritation, that Matufinn stood inside the boat completely