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

passed back out beyond Lan Shui’s northern gate, but the town was not yet far behind them. The sun was lowering, nearly kissing the top of the western spur, and just starting to shadow the countryside. She could see the line of its shade advancing towards them as night approached, a great darkness sweeping over the land. It was a chilling sight.

“Well, it seems there are some less-than-gentle folk plaguing Lan Shui again,” said Albern. “This time, though, they seem to be operating somewhere outside the town’s borders. We are not exactly certain where.”

Sun frowned at him. “We?”

“Why, you and I,” said Albern, cocking his head at her. “I apologize—I did not mean to dictate your own uncertainty to you.”

“Oh no, please feel free,” said Sun, arching an eyebrow. “So how do we mean to find them?”

“I do not know if you have heard, but I am something of a good tracker,” said Albern. “A wagon was ambushed not far from here just the other day, and I think we will be able to find our foes’ hideout by following the trail away from it.”

“Why did we not see the location of the attack when we approached Lan Shui?”

“There is more than one road leading into town. I wanted to see Dawan before I went to investigate the caravan.”

“And who are these people, exactly?”

He sighed. “Hopefully they are bandits.”

“You do not sound very hopeful.”

“That is because I do not think they are bandits.”

Sun gave a small but very frustrated growl. “What do you think they are?”

He seemed to be struggling for an answer, pursing his lips and looking around, as though he was searching his own mind for the right words. When he did speak, it almost sounded as if he was ignoring her question. “Do you remember the tree from my youth? The tall kauri?”

“I … do,” said Sun, confused.

“When I was young, I paid little attention to the lands of my home. I only watched the tree. It was always there. It changed slowly. It was a landmark, in more than one sense. Only when it was torn down was I finally able to look around and see how all the dale had changed around it.

“The people of Lan Shui are the same. In fact, most people are. If one thing remains the same—a tree, a nation, a king—and if that thing is important enough to them, they think the world is hardly changing at all. Until one day their landmark changes at last, and they realize that things have been happening all along that they paid little heed to. It can be helpful to focus on one thing, one place, one person more than the rest. It anchors us. It can help us find ourselves when the world seems too chaotic, too frightening. But we must remain at least brave enough to keep looking at the world beyond our landmarks, to ensure that no danger threatens them—and that the landmarks themselves are still as we imagine them to be.”

“And what does this have to do with my question?” said Sun.

Albern pointed. “Look for yourself.”

By the side of the road lay the remnants of a destroyed wagon. Sun had been so absorbed by Albern’s words that she had not noticed it. The planks looked to be scored and gouged by weapons, and Sun saw at least three arrows sticking out of them. Worse, there were several dark streaks in the dirt of the road. Sun was certain they were blood.

Albern knelt to inspect the dark streaks. Then he went to the wagon, pacing all around it. At first he only looked without touching, but then he stepped closer, running his hand along the wood, peering closely at the grain, the gouges, the arrows. Sun did not know what he was looking at, but there was no hint of uncertainty in his movements.

Then he stopped short, eyes narrowing. He knelt and leaned under the wagon. When he emerged and stood, he held a small piece of brown cloth, hardly any bigger than his hand.

“What is that?”

“It was the wrapping of a small packet,” said Albern, his tone grim. “They took what was inside.”

“Or destroyed it.”

“No, they took it.” Albern pointed. “The attackers fled that way. Do you see their tracks there, leading off into the foothills of the Greatrocks?”

Sun stared at the spot. She could see nothing. She came to stand beside Albern, trying to view the spot from the same place.

“I do not see any such tracks,” she said at last.

Albern sighed. “Mag never did, either. Come along.”

He set off in the direction he had indicated. Sun trailed along behind him. It was only then that she realized Albern had not brought his horse from the Sunspear. She guessed that he had left it behind so that the noise of its hooves would not betray their position. She began to walk more slowly, trying to make her footfalls as quiet as she could.

Albern glanced back over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

Sun felt a blush creep into her cheeks. “I am trying to be quiet. I thought that was why you left your horse behind.”

Albern smiled. “It is, but such measures are not yet necessary. Our prey is still a fair distance away. We can talk, if you wish.”

“I do,” said Sun. “You keep hinting at these people and expecting me to assemble the hints into an answer. I would rather just hear it plain. Who are they? What are they after?”

Albern shook his head. “I am not trying to trick you or deceive you, but to teach you. However, if you wish for an answer, here is the best one I have. They do not have a name that I am aware of. But they have some purpose here. I think, but do not know, that it is something evil—more evil than mere banditry. But because they are hiding it, because it is happening in the shadows and the silence, no one in Lan Shui is paying