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

though she looked ready to fall over both from weariness and the nasty cut below her temple, slicing through her close-shaved hair and soaking her short braid with blood. “No, Rangatira. We are mustering every soldier we have left into this room.”

“Post two at each wall door,” said Ditra. “The trolls cannot break them, but the Shades may have some trickery left. And see to your wound.” She turned to Mag and me. “With me.”

We followed her to a circular side stairway that led to the keep’s upper floors. She passed them one after the other until we finally emerged onto the roof of the keep, more than fifteen paces above the floor of the bailey—too high for the trolls to throw stones at us. We went to the battlements and looked down.

The trolls were again regrouping, nursing their wounds and preparing for another charge. They were close, pressing together in the bailey, while still more tried to force their way in through the gatehouse. Our only way out was through the keep’s front door, and they had it blocked. They were close to victory now, and they knew it. They growled and roared, slamming their hands into the ground and cracking cobblestones.

“They will not wait as long this time,” I said.

“They did not wait very long last time,” said Mag.

“Their leader,” said Ditra. “Where is he?”

I pointed. “There.” He stood in the midst of the pack, pacing back and forth, a few steps each way, growling and leering at the keep door like it was a rival come to challenge him.

“Out of our reach, from up here,” said Mag.

“I could stick him with an arrow,” I said. “It might annoy him.”

“Yes, it would please me to know he will be irritated when he breaks in the door and kills us all,” mused Ditra.

Mag met my gaze. “What would happen if we brought him down? When they break down the door, you and I try to slay him. I can land the oil if you strike him with the arrows.”

I looked to Ditra. “Rangatira?”

She mulled it over. “Even if he dies, I do not think they will simply turn and walk away from the city. But if they at least withdraw from the keep, and take the time to establish a new pack leader … it could delay them a day or two. That might give the king’s army time to arrive, if indeed they are on their way.”

“And if they are not?” said Mag.

Ditra looked grim. “It might give us time to withdraw. We have given the refugees enough time. The trolls care only about the mountains. They will not chase us into the lowlands. It would mean giving Kahaunga up for lost, but that is better than letting everyone die.”

Only a week ago, I would have agreed without question. But now, the prospect of retreat filled me with a wild, unreasoning rage. If we fled, we would not only give up the city. We might lose our best chance to kill Kaita since Northwood. I strode to the edge of the balcony.

“Albern?” said Ditra, alarmed.

I drew an arrow, nocked, and loosed. It plunged through the air, striking the line between stones in the bailey just at the foot of the troll’s leader. He jumped at the sound, looking down at the arrow in confusion. It was a long moment before he put it together, and his gaze snapped up to see me atop the keep.

“I am Albern of the family Telfer!” I called down to him. “Turn away from here. Go back to your homes. Go back to the borders of the pact.”

He bared his teeth at me. “I am Dotag!” he roared, standing to his full height. “I lead the pack. I do not listen to humans.”

“Your pack did once,” I said. “Go back to the border.”

“You broke the pact long before we did,” said Dotag. “I will not listen to you now.”

“Humans did break the pact, but we never harmed your people. And you do not fight us now because of the pact. You say you do not listen to humans, but you are spurred on by the Shades. They are treacherous. They have used you to attack us, but they will betray you, as they have done to others. I have traveled three kingdoms in pursuit of them, and you cannot trust them.”

“We serve no humans!” roared Dotag. “We will never listen to you! Your words mean nothing to us!”

I frowned—but not at Dotag. My attention had moved past him, to the female troll who still lurked by his side. She was not paying the slightest attention to her leader, as the other trolls were. Instead she looked straight at me. The expression of hatred upon her face was almost human.

But my thoughts were pulled back to Dotag as he rounded on the rest of the pack. “We will never serve humans!” he bellowed. “Tear their home to the ground! Kill all you find inside!”

They stampeded towards the door, Dotag leading the way. The female troll was swept along in the tide. They pressed up against the sides of the keep.

“Dark take them,” said Ditra. “To the hall! We must try to bring him down.”

She ran for the trapdoor leading back into the keep, and Mag was just behind her. But I paused at the battlements for a moment, looking down. To this day, I could not tell you what made me stay, but I did.

A hail of oil vials crashed along the troll’s ranks, flung from arrow slits. Flaming arrows came just behind, sending a blast of fire across them. The trolls recoiled, stumbling back from the keep for a moment.

I seized the merlon, leaning forwards, my eyes wide.

The flames struck the troll by Dotag’s side, and she recoiled with the others. But she bent her head away, out of sight, and I saw a flash. Magelight. And the flesh that had been struck by flames now stitched itself together before my eyes.

I turned