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

the one coaxing me to have faith in our father? But you are right, of course. Go then, dear one. I will care for our kindred.”

They shared a brief embrace, and then a glow filled Kaita’s eyes as she took her mountain lion form. The caves seemed to fill with light in her vision, the sparse torches letting her see almost as well as if it were day. She remained standing there by Tagata for a moment, drinking in the warm air. Her nose filled with the scents of the Shades behind her, and a thousand other smells as well: long-stale dung from animals who had passed through, and fresher deposits from bats. There was no sign of any larger animals having been here recently, which was a relief.

Soon there was nothing more to be learned without setting off to explore. She rubbed her lion head against Tagata’s waist and received a gentle caress along the throat. Then she loped off into the darkness.

There were three tunnels other than the one they had used to enter. Picking the first one to her right, she ran down it, eyes and nose open. The passage twisted this way and that. Sometimes it dropped sharply down, and sometimes it rose so steeply that she had to climb, her claws digging into the limestone of the walls.

For a half hour she crept along the passage, her hopes high. The tunnel did not dive deeper into the earth, which was a good sign. If it did not finish in a dead end, then there was a good chance Kaita would find an exit.

And then, slowly, several strong scents began to creep into her nose. The first was fresh air, thick with snow, and her heart leaped. But then she smelled other things. Wood, but with an acrid and bitter undertone. That would be the pycnandra trees.

And she smelled people: a great many of them, and their horses, and wagons, and goods of all sorts.

It was Kun’s force. Kaita had little sense of direction beneath the earth, but this tunnel must have looped around to the southwest. It emerged into another hidden place in the hills, right beside where Kun and his army had made camp.

Kaita’s heart sank to her paws. But she pressed forwards anyway, just to be sure. The tunnel ended just as the other one had, behind a pile of boulders that blocked sight. Scrambling and scrabbling with her claws, Kaita climbed up, poking her head over the top of the boulders.

There. The Mystics and their allies were barely more than a span away, off to the east. She could see the redcloaks massed towards the north end of the camp, while the army’s train was to the south, closer to the caves where Kaita now stood.

Once again, she could almost feel Mag and me close by. We were there, right there. If she only took one of the magestones, she could plunge into the heart of the camp, find us, and …

But no. There was still her promise to Rogan. Kaita growled, and the sound rumbled thick in her chest.

This tunnel was useless for escape unless the Mystics eventually left—in which case, the Shades could more easily leave through the same passage they had first found.

Discouraged, she trotted the long path back to the large central cavern. By the time she reached them, they had set up their camp, tents all in neat rows as they had done above ground. Kaita came trotting up to Tagata and resumed her human form.

“That tunnel is no use,” she said, pointing south. “It leads straight to our enemies, like the first. At least they have not discovered its entrance, or not that I could smell.”

“In dark circumstances, we must cherish small blessings all the more,” said Tagata. “Thank you, Kaita.”

“I will go explore the other passages.”

She turned to go, but Tagata held up a hand. “Wait,” she said. “You should rest. The others tell me you were wakeful through much of the night, and you have run far and overused your magic since before dawn.”

“I am fine,” said Kaita, shaking her head. “I will rest once I find us a way out of this mess.”

“Eat some food, at least,” said Tagata. “You cannot tell me you are not hungry.” She smiled as Kaita’s stomach rumbled aloud.

“Mayhap a bite would be good,” said Kaita reluctantly.

Tagata chuckled and ushered her over to one of the noisome campfires the Shades had built. There were only two, for they had had to make them out of dried dung, and there was precious little of that to be found. Kaita sat, her body nearly screaming in relief after its exertions, and they began to tuck into a little meal together with their fellows in the darkness.

Back on the surface, Mag and I had reconvened with Dryleaf and Yue in the wake of the fighting. Kun ordered our camp moved from the Greenfrost into the hills. The move took somewhat longer than it should have since we were all weary with the day’s battle. But Kun felt it necessary to consolidate our presence in the hills, at least until we determined where the Shades had disappeared to. Now, close to midday, we ate a meal by our campfire, the same as Kaita below the earth, though of course, we did not know that.

I could see the deep dissatisfaction in Mag’s expression. Her mind lingered on the Shades. It was a beautiful day around us, sunlight filtering through the grey clouds to shine from the snowy hills. But her mood was ugly, and she spoke little, only giving brief answers when we tried to broach conversation.

“Where did they all go?” she muttered after a time, placing her bowl on the ground. It was not even half-eaten. Oku’s ears perked up.

“They cannot be far, Mag,” I said gently. “There is nowhere around here to hide for long. We will find them.”

“And in the