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

I gave an exasperated sigh, but mostly because he was right. “Then give us a chance to prove you can trust us! A week, Captain. Just give us a week.”

His brows rose. “A week? And just what do you think you could do in that time?”

That gave me pause, and I shared a look with Mag. To be honest, the words had slipped out of me in desperation. I did not know that I could do anything with just a week. But Mag answered to cover my sudden silence.

“In a week, I can train a fighter who can beat one of your Mystics.”

Kun’s smile broke into a full laugh. “I assume you are joking.”

“I am not,” said Mag. “Let me prove it.”

Inwardly, I groaned. Ten days to turn farmers into fighters who could beat hardened Mystics? I would have balked at the challenge when I was in my prime, and I had not trained soldiers in well over a decade. It seemed impossible. But we had little choice.

“Hm,” said Kun, stroking his chin. “I must admit, such a feat would impress me. And yet, there remains the matter of your dishonesty. Why should I believe your intentions or your boasts, when you have lied about your purpose in Dorsea since the first moment I met you?”

Mag fixed him with a look. “You strike me as one who knows the value of truth sparsely given. When first we met, you suspected us. You sent one of your agents to follow us and see if we got up to any mischief. Yet when you spoke to us, you were all smiles and courtesy.”

Kun tilted his head. “No circumstance demands ill manners.”

“Just so,” said Mag. “But we had no reason to trust you. If you know anything about the Shades, you know that they have slithered into many corners across the nine kingdoms. We thought it better to keep our intentions far from our lips, lest word of it reach them. I regret it now, but I would do it again.”

All was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, Kun shook his head ever so slightly.

“A bit of the truth is better than none, I suppose. Very well. You shall be provisional officers in my force. In one week, there shall be a trial by combat. You choose one of your soldiers, and I will choose a Mystic against whom to pit them. If your champion wins, you can consider yourselves enlisted. If my champion wins, you will be on your way and trouble me no more.”

There it was. A week did not seem anywhere near enough time. But it was what we had.

And Mag, of course, smiled and said, “We have a deal.”

We had arrived in Taitou late in the day, and so we rested overnight before Kun brought us to his forces. He made us pay for a room at the inn, but it seemed unwise to complain. In the morning, Kun fetched us and led us towards his encampment on the northwestern end of town. Dryleaf and Oku came along with us. I was afraid Kun might order them to stay behind, but he said nothing.

We had not spent a great deal of time in Taitou before, but even so, I could tell things were different. There was a tension in the air that had not been there before. People in the streets had a new sense of purpose, an excitement above the day-to-day lives of common folk. Wagons and carts moved weapons from smiths and town stores to Kun’s encampment. Smithies rang with the music of hammers, and there was an extra note of urgency in every haggling merchant trying to extract more coin from each deal.

As we followed Kun out the western gate, we saw the land that had become his army’s training grounds. His troops were housed and fed in the city, but Kun had commandeered a few farms outside the walls to give them a space to train in weapons fighting, as well as to practice marching and moving in formation.

There looked to be at least four hundreds of soldiers formed into ragtag groups. Some were in lines, while some were paired off and battering each other with blunt swords. As we drew closer, I spotted red cloaks moving among the crowds. There were dishearteningly few of them.

“How many Mystics do you have?” I asked Kun.

He looked over at me, his immortal smile never faltering. “Forty, all told. Only ten of them are of the rank of knight. Those, I have assigned as lieutenants or sergeants in this little force. The remaining Mystic warriors are my unit, to form a strong center on any battlefield we may find ourselves upon.”

Mag nodded. “That is wise. And how many soldiers have answered your call?”

“Four hundreds and three scores,” said Kun. “Not so many, but more than my officers can manage easily. I am quite thrilled to have your help, even if you only remain for a few days.”

“We are sure you are,” I said, letting a hint of sarcasm shine through. “But if you fear we are spies, why would you tell us the composition of your forces so exactly?”

That made Kun laugh. “Oh, really. Any farmer in his fields could get a good count of my soldiers with hardly any effort. If you worry about the security of information, be assured that I do not intend to tell you anything about my aims, intentions, or plans.”

Mag’s brows rose. “How heartening.”

As we came to the training grounds, Kun gave a tremendous barking shout. “Tou!”

Everyone within a span of him jerked, all the soldiers turning to look in his direction. Most of the regular militia simply stared, but every Mystic placed their hand over their heart in salute. The closest redcloak came straight to us, and when he reached Kun, he bowed. He was not as old as we were, but he was