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

I leaned back on my hands, staring at her. “Mag. You damn fool. I am sorry I found out this way.”

Mag’s eyes locked on mine. “You what?”

“You never meant to tell me,” I said. “You should not have had to tell me if you did not wish to. I should have found out on your terms, or not at all.”

“That is what upsets you?” said Mag. “Albern, that would never have happened. I did not want you to know. And it was never something I had to worry about when I was in Northwood and you were in Strapa. But ever since we set out on this long road together, I have been terrified you would discover the secret and be hurt that I had not told you decades ago.”

I waved a hand vaguely. “You are speaking to the wrong person for that, Mag. I had no right to any of your secrets, least of all this. But still—why come out here alone? Did you think you could succeed against Kaita by yourself when we have failed together every time?”

She sighed, licking her lips. “I had to try. I thought that, if I had only gone alone, when we went to that Shade encampment in the cave, I could have ended her. I could have plunged into the thick of them, and who cared if I raised the alarm? They could not have killed me. So that is what I was going to try to do. And that is what I must try to do again.” She started to push herself up. “Now that I know of her hellskin form, I can act quickly enough to—”

“Whoa now,” I said, pushing her back down. I could never have done it if she were at full strength, but she was still weak from the healing. “You sit down, and you shush.”

Mag’s brows arched, and for a moment, she looked like her old self again. “Excuse me?”

“I will not.” I thrust a finger at her. “You now find yourself in the same situation as everyone you have ever fought: you are facing a foe that you cannot hope to defeat in a fair fight. Instead you must be sneaky, as well as cunning. Now, to your detriment, you are terrible at both those things because they are skills you have never had to acquire. But fortunately for you, cunning is one thing I have in great abundance.”

I looked off to the west, where Kaita and the brute woman had gone. Oku’s ears perked up as he looked at me.

“Here is what we are going to do.”

When Kaita and Tagata reached the Shade camp, Kaita returned to her tent. But it felt far too small to contain her. She emerged back into the open air and began to pace around a nearby campfire.

Her body felt weary, as if it had been somehow drained. She guessed it was from the effort of taking the hellskin form. She had never experienced this with any creature in her canon before, but of course, she had never commanded such immense power. Mayhap it taxed her body in some way with which she was not yet familiar.

But despite her underlying exhaustion, Kaita was also nearly bouncing with subdued energy. Her limbs would not stop moving, and any time she focused on her fingers, she found them drumming against her palms. Her eyes darted in all directions, seeking, searching, but she did not know for what.

Was this a heightened emotional state after finally killing Mag? It was possible. Or mayhap it was some aftereffect of the magestone. If so, it was far preferable to the weariness. But the two feelings combined made her feel an overwhelming desire to keep moving, while at the same time it seemed her body might give out at any moment.

Tagata had been watching her carefully ever since they had returned to the Shade camp. Kaita noticed it, and it did not entirely please her. But she tried to give a reassuring smile, and Tagata returned it.

“You did it,” said Tagata quietly.

“I did,” said Kaita. “I never need fear her again.”

“Well done,” said Tagata. “And now it would be good for you to rest. You are not used to the effects of the stones. You will feel better in the morning.”

“I do not feel as if I can rest,” said Kaita. She strode to Tagata, her gaze swinging back and forth, still seeking—seeking what? “I feel as though I can hardly stop moving. But that is fine. I can rest later, when we reach the Greatrocks.” A smile twitched its way across her lips, and there it rested, quivering. She ran her fingers along the edges of Tagata’s vest, tracing the lines of it. “Mayhap instead of resting, we should celebrate.”

Tagata’s smile dampened. “Not just now,” she said. “But if you promise me you will sleep, I will happily accommodate you on the morrow.”

Anger flared in Kaita’s gut. She very nearly snarled before she could contain herself. Her hands leaped away from Tagata like she had been burned, and she turned to hide her ugly expression. Her sleeve rose to scrub at her forehead.

It was fine. Tagata did not understand what Kaita was feeling. How could she? And of course, if she did not wish to join Kaita in her bedroll, she did not have to.

And yet, why would she not want to? thought Kaita. Why does she keep looking at me that way?

She put a hand to her forehead. The weariness had begun to overpower the restlessness, weakening her limbs. It was a far cry from how she had felt when she ate the magestone.

The magestone. The rest of them were still in her cloak pocket. Mayhap another one would strengthen her. Before she could even decide to, her fingers began to steal towards them.

“Kaita.”

She