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

finally sent my own spilling down my cheeks. It was the kind of weeping that you do not mind, that stems from joy rather than pain, and is sweeter even than laughter in the sunlight.

We mounted soon after, and rode through the rebuilt gate. I looked back often, until the road turned and we lost sight of them at last. I faced forwards then, and heaved a deep breath as I gazed upon the road that would take us west and out of the mountains.

“Are you all right?” said Mag. “You could have stayed, you know.”

“I could have,” I said. “But then what hope would you have?”

She rolled her eyes. “I am going to trounce you.”

I chuckled, but after a moment I looked her steadily in the eye. “I am with you, Mag, until the end of this road. You may be the Uncut Lady, and I may be only a simple bowyer, but you may count on my help, whether it be through my counsel, or my presence at your side in a fight. To whatever end.”

She smiled. “Of course I know it. Do you really think I would let you leave, even if you wanted to?”

“I am serious.”

“Do you think I am not?”

I shook my head. “Have your jests, then. But let us speak of Kaita. How do we plan to find her?”

Mag shrugged and nudged Mist to trot a little faster. “I do not know. But we will find her. After all, I have nothing better to do.”

I nudged Foolhoof to catch up. “Nor do I.”

Albern’s timing was impeccable. The first edges of dusk were just creeping into the sky as he quietly finished his tale. Sun took a deep breath and released it in a sigh, just as she had the first night, before the vampire had attacked.

“I am glad you fixed things with your sister,” she said. “Is she still alive?”

“She is,” said Albern, grinning hugely. “She survived the War of the Necromancer, and everything that has come since. Old age has left her slightly less healthy than I am, if you can believe it, and Vera rules Tokana in her stead. She is an excellent Rangatira, well respected by her king, as well as the other lords, and beloved by her people. She has two sons of her own now. I still go to visit them every once in a while. Mayhap you will come with me next time.”

“I would love to,” said Sun.

Albern nodded. Then his smile died. “Another day, then. For now, we have work to do.”

“Yes,” said Sun. “Though I am still unclear about just what exactly it is that you want to do.”

“Our friends over the hill are trying to perform the same ritual the Shades performed in Lan Shui years ago,” said Albern. “But they are disorganized. They have neither the reach nor the resources of the Shades of old. If we brought this information to the King’s law, they would certainly stop the ritual. But, too, they might claim the magestones for themselves. And in any case, some officers of the law might be killed in the fighting, and likely all of the criminals. I think we can put a stop to their plans without anyone dying tonight.”

“A noble goal,” said Sun. “But you did not answer my question: what exactly do you mean to do?”

“First, you will sneak into position on the other side of their camp,” said Albern. “I will distract them and draw them away from the cauldron, and their store of magestones. You will take the stones and fling them into the fire, and then steal one of their torches to throw into the cauldron itself. We will burn away their contraband, and their plans, all at once.”

Sun’s throat had gone quite dry. “You mean for me to sneak in among them?”

“Only if you are willing,” said Albern. “I pitted you against the vampire all unawares. I did it to teach you your worth in a fight, but I will never do that again. If you help me with this now, I want you to do it with both eyes open, and with both of us agreeing to what we do before we do it.” He smiled and held forth his left hand. “As partners.”

Sun returned his smile, though in truth she felt far less confident than he sounded. She gripped his wrist and shook. “Partners, then.”

He pulled his sword off his belt and handed it to her. “Here. I do not mean to let them draw close enough for this to be of use to me.”

Sun could not help a moment’s trepidation as she accepted the blade. “Do you think I will need it?”

“Not if all goes well, but there is no guarantee of that.”

“How comforting.”

At Albern’s direction, she slipped away down the other side of the hill, circling wide around the camp, out of sight. The day’s fading light was just enough for her to see by. She kept a careful eye on the glow of the campfire that shone above the tops of the hills she passed. As she went, she tried her best to silence her steps, though she did not have Albern’s gift for it. Hopefully the activity of the camp would be enough to keep them from noticing.

Finally she spotted the gap between the hills that would let her draw as close as possible to the chest where the magestones were being kept. Crouching so low she was almost crawling, Sun edged forwards. Soon she could see the tents. She stopped as soon as the first person came into view. It was a woman, facing away towards the campfire. That was a good thing—it would ruin her night vision. Sun peered through the darkness, searching for the shape of Albern atop the hill on the other side of the camp. At last she caught sight of him—a small black form moving against the stars. She hoped he could