The Tales of the Wanderer Volume One: A Book of Underrealm (The Underrealm Volumes 4) by Garrett Robinson (elon musk reading list TXT) 📕

Romil’s face grew dark with anger. “I have not failed at anything, you witless girl.”

Mag struck faster than I could see. Her fists cracked twice against Romil’s face, flinging her senseless to the ground. I stared at her fallen form in horror and grief. The retainer tensed as if readying for a fight, but Mag stopped her with a look.

“You would be unwise to push the matter,” she said. “Take your master and ride away with her. Go back to your lord. Tell her whatever you wish, but get this wretch out of my sight before I send her back with more than a headache.”

The retainer did as Mag commanded. I could not even watch. My head hung between my knees as I sat on the ground, angry tears pouring their tracks down my cheeks. As Romil rode off, slumped over her horse’s neck, Mag came to sit beside me, throwing an arm around my shoulder and holding me until my grief subsided.

Albern looked suddenly down at Sun. “Do you understand why I am telling you this?”

Sun blinked up at him. “You said I should know something of Romil.”

“That is not the only reason. You know, by now, that our families are not entirely dissimilar. Mine tried to drag me back home. Yours may do the same. But your life is your own, and your future is a choice no one can make for you. And if they try to convince you otherwise … well, you have a friend who can help you now, just as I had one to help me then.”

Sun blinked at a sudden smarting in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, quietly, for she did not trust herself to speak any louder. “That means a great deal.”

Albern nodded. “So long as you know. Now, let us return to the tale.”

After a good night’s rest at a fine inn near the western edge of Kahaunga, our party woke and began our search for the Shades. First we spoke to our innkeeper and some others in the common room, trading stories of travel through the kingdom for information about events in Tokana.

We learned very quickly about the trolls’ recent incursions into Telfer lands. When I first heard of it, I thought it was an Elf-tale, someone spreading stories meant to give the listener a thrill. But when we heard the same thing from three different people, the truth became clear. The trolls were encroaching upon Tokana, and no one in the city knew why.

But I had some idea.

I led Mag and Dryleaf back to our room to speak in private. Calentin inns are tolerant of hounds, so Oku came as well. He flopped down on a small blanket in the corner, tongue lolling from his mouth in a smile. But he looked at all of us with keen eyes as we talked.

“This situation with the trolls,” I said as soon as the door closed. “We must learn everything we can about it.”

Mag frowned. “Why? It seems a local trouble.”

“The trolls are an exceptionally peaceful people,” I said. “My family has never had conflict with them. For them to now show aggression …”

“You think it has something to do with the Shades,” said Dryleaf, pursing his lips.

Understanding dawned in Mag’s eyes. “As with the vampires.”

“It must be,” I said. “The Shades are provoking them to carry out these attacks. Either they are drawing the trolls in with some lure, or they are driving them out of the mountains towards us. Though I know not how such a thing could be done. The trolls are formidable in battle, and very difficult to harm. Only a well-fortified stronghold would have any hope of defending against them, and even then not for very long.”

“Are you certain?” said Mag. “Human lords squabble with each other over borders all the time, with little or no provocation.”

I shook my head. “The trolls are not human. Nor are they beasts like vampires, possessing little wit. They are cleverer than satyrs, though much slower to anger—which is why you must fear their wrath all the more, for once stoked it can be impossible to quell. They are the titled lords of the Greatrocks, from Calentin’s northern border to the city of Woad far to the south. The Calentin king and their border guards are permitted to have settlements on the only three passes that provide easy passage through the mountains, and the trolls rule the rest of it. For them to attack our domain goes against the pact.”

Mag shrugged. “They forged a pact, and now they have broken it. It may be treacherous, but these are uncertain times.”

“This is not some petty squabble between human lords,” said Dryleaf. He leaned forwards in his chair, both hands wrapped tight around his staff. He looked suddenly very old. “The trolls first came into the mountains not long after Roth’s armies had conquered Underrealm. That is more than twelve hundreds of years ago. They came from the rocky deserts to the north. No one knows why. When they first came, Calentin tried to fight them, seeing them as just another invader. But the trolls were implacable, as well as being nearly impossible to kill—and even more so in those days, when no one had ever dealt with them before.

“In the end, a captain of the Calentin army first had the idea for a treaty with the trolls. Roth’s forces had forged the nine kingdoms, but conflict between kings did not end with the foundation of Underrealm. Calentin had long struggled to keep the Greatrocks secure against incursions from Feldemar, and their forces were stretched thin with the effort. The trolls could protect the mountains better than Calentin ever could, and they would mostly occupy lands that humankind could not settle anyway.”

Dryleaf paused for a moment, and then he turned his head in my direction. “That captain’s name was Albern, of the