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

At last she reached the city’s northern borders. The Shades had gathered there, only showing themselves after the trolls pressed deep into the city streets. Now they waited, unwary, for the fighting had moved far away. Kaita landed in their midst and shed her raven form, even as many Shades stepped away from her in alarm.

“Report,” she snarled, as soon as she had the mouth to speak the word.

Phelan, her captain, stepped forth, looking only slightly unnerved by her transformation. “We are ready to strike on your order, Comm—”

“Not my order,” snapped Kaita. “I will not be here to command you, and so I leave it to you. Take our forces to the western end of the city. The moment you see the trolls attack, join them at once. You know where to strike to put our numbers to best effect.”

“Yes, Commander,” said Phelan. “Our soldiers are prepared. We have brought ladders and—”

“I know what you have brought!” roared Kaita. “I created the plan, and it is almost complete. Tonight we wipe the family of Telfer from the face of the world. Now move!”

His face reddened, but Kaita had ceased paying attention. She stalked south, away from the camp. Before she had even finished passing through their ranks, her eyes glowed, and her form began to shift again. Shades cried out and dived aside as she suddenly grew gigantic. Grey, stone-solid skin swept across her, and her ears turned to giant flaps that swept out from her head.

In a moment the transformation was complete, and she had taken Gatak’s shape. She broke into a troll’s gallop, thundering out of sight of the Shades on all fours to vanish into the city. She had never taken her troll shape where the other Shades could see. If the trolls ever discovered her secret, the whole plan would come apart. But everything was nearing completion now. Even if there was a traitor among the Shades, they would not have enough time to tell the trolls before the battle would be over.

She began to spot trolls amid the wreckage of Kahaunga’s buildings. They were picking through the destruction, searching for food. The first time she spotted one, she stopped and bared her teeth at him.

“Come. We are readying for the attack. Dotag needs all the pack.”

The troll scowled at her, its ears rising. “He said we could rest and eat.”

“And now he needs us,” said Kaita. “You are of his pack. Come.”

She gathered every troll she could find as she went, until soon there were at least two dozen trailing along behind her, though none walked with quite her speed or purpose. She searched for the front lines of the gathered pack. There she would find Dotag. A pack leader had to lead. Dotag had been in the thick of the fighting when they had attacked the city, and he would be there again when they assaulted the Telfer stronghold.

At last she spotted him, in a large square towards the city’s western end. A great pile of produce and bread had been put before him, tributes from trolls in the pack who looked to curry favor. Dotag was picking at the pile, searching for the choicest morsels to eat first. He looked rather ragged—there was a tear in his left ear that had not been there that morning, and there were burn marks on his right flank. Kaita even saw some broken skin on his right shoulder. A very large building must have fallen on him for that to happen. Kaita ignored it and stalked up to him. Dotag noticed her at the last second, and his ears dipped in pleasure—but they flew sideways in alarm as Kaita pressed her face close to his.

“We have rested long enough.” She thrust a stubby finger up the long slope rising to the west. “The humans have gathered in their fortress. Now is the time to tear it down and kill them all.”

Dotag very nearly looked frightened of her. “We do not need to attack now,” he said. “They have run from their city. They know we have won.”

“We have to kill them!” roared Kaita. “They have broken the pact!”

“So have we,” came Apok’s voice.

Kaita snarled and turned. The younger troll stood at the edge of the square, her stony, angry gaze fixed on Dotag.

“I speak to Dotag,” snarled Kaita. “Not to you.”

“And you tell him that the humans broke the pact,” said Apok, stalking forwards. “Yet we have attacked their city. We have killed them. That, too, breaks the pact.”

“Only after they did it first.”

“What, then?” said Apok. “Do we kill more? They will bring their armies. They will bring oil and fire. Already today they killed many of us. The pack lost more trolls today than it did in all the years Chok led us.”

“Because more trolls follow Dotag than ever followed Chok,” said Kaita. “Dotag is a great leader.”

“He leads more of us, and he leads more of us to die,” said Apok. “The humans will drive us out of this city, and then they will drive us farther. Beyond the bounds of the pact. Even out of the mountains. Will you call that victory?”

Dotag looked more uncertain than ever. Kaita whirled on him. “The Telfers,” she said. “They are the ones who broke their word. Do whatever you want after they are dead. But you cannot allow them to live after breaking the pact. The Lord wishes them to be dealt with.”

“Trolls do not follow your human lord,” growled Apok, taking another step forwards. “Trolls fight for ourselves. We follow ourselves. I think you have left for so long that you have forgotten.”

Kaita could feel herself close to the breaking point. But if she attacked Apok, even Dotag would not be able to protect her from the other trolls in the pack.

The pack. Inwardly, Kaita grinned. Apok might speak against her, but she could not speak against Dotag without repercussions.

“I follow Dotag,” said Kaita. “He leads the