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

“What?” said Kaita, feeling her mood darken.

“You do not need another stone,” said Tagata. “It will make things worse, not better.”

Another flare of anger burned through Kaita’s chest. “And what do you know about it?” she snapped. “You are no mage.”

“Kaita,” said Tagata again, and her voice was calm, “Rogan warned you of this, as he warned you not to go running after Mag on your own. The stones prey on your mind. You must remain aware of that, and you must resist them. Otherwise, you will be a danger to our kindred, not an asset.”

A danger? Oh, yes, Kaita could be a danger. Her breath came faster, the fury rose in her mind until she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, and her hands clenched to—

No.

Kaita forced herself to be still. She took a long, slow breath, counting to ten, and then holding it for a moment before releasing it slowly.

Everything Tagata was saying was right. Kaita had known it since she was a child in the Academy, listening to fellow students whisper rumors. And Rogan had told her all this. And she had promised him, and through him, the Lord.

She would not prove too weak to keep her word. She could resist the stones.

“I am sorry,” she said. She walked forwards and looked up into Tagata’s face. When Tagata smiled at her, she laid her head against the woman’s mighty chest. Tree-trunk arms enveloped her, and she lost herself in a deep sigh within them. “I have never felt this before. But the stones are not stronger than me. I will not succumb to their urges, and I will not disappoint you.”

“I do not think you could ever do that,” murmured Tagata. “Do you want me to hold them for you?”

Kaita’s pulse quickened, and her breath came faster. “No,” she said quickly. “At least … I do not want to give them to you. But when … when I fall asleep … would you take them from my pocket?”

“Of course, dear little one,” said Tagata. “Now, let us get you in a bedroll. And no,” she said with a smile, in response to Kaita’s playfully raised eyebrow, “that does not mean anything more than it means.”

“Fine,” said Kaita with a snort. And for that brief moment, she felt almost like her old self again.

But then horns sounded at the camp’s eastern end.

Both of them turned and froze, waiting for some further sign. But they could see nothing, and no sound came. The sun had long since vanished, and the moons were not quite high enough to illuminate anything.

“Come,” rumbled Tagata. Together they ran for the eastern end of the camp.

They found a group of Shades already there, and more were gathering. But they were clustered behind tents, and they were all looking off to the east. Tagata and Kaita approached them at a low crouch, stooped to hide behind the tents.

“What is it?” said Tagata in a low voice. “The Mystics?”

“No redcloaks that I have seen,” said a sergeant. “But mayhap one of their agents. Someone killed two of our sentries before he was spotted by a third. A man in a brown cloak.”

Kaita’s blood froze. She stood up in plain view, ignoring Tagata’s panicked look.

There.

On a hill not far away, the twin moons silhouetted a figure. A bow was in his hand, and his brown cloak fluttered in the gentle night breeze. It was me, of course.

But the moment she saw me, I turned and vanished into the darkness.

“It is him!” she cried. She darted out from behind the tent, running east.

“Kaita!” cried Tagata. “Wait!”

“He is alone!” called Kaita over her shoulder. “I have kept my promise, Tagata. I will finish him off, and then I will return to you.” She stopped for an instant, turning to meet Tagata’s gaze. “I swear it, my love.”

She turned and vanished into the same night that had taken me.

Tagata watched her go, feeling impotent and helpless despite all her vaunted strength. Almost she tried to run after Kaita, to keep her safe. But she looked around at her kindred, all of them looking confused, even frightened in the darkness. And she stayed put.

Mag was dead, after all. Any half-decent weremage should be more than a match for a normal man like me. And Tagata knew that Kaita was far more than half-decent, even before she had the magestones in her blood.

She sighed and kept her gaze on the shadows where Kaita had vanished. Sky watch you, my love. Until life ends.

The moment Kaita left the Shade camp, she took her hellskin form. Her body swelled into the enormous white creature, and every thundering step drove her spikes and blades into the dirt. It left a trail across the land like a great plow pulled by a Dragon.

But soon she realized that hers were the only tracks. She had run in the direction she had seen me flee, but soon she reached hard, rocky ground. She had no footprints to follow. And the hellskin form had poor senses compared to the lion, or even the bear, and so she had no scent to go by.

She paused, looking back over her shoulder. But Tagata had remained with the rest of the Shades.

That is fine, Kaita told herself. I did not even need her help to kill Mag. I will not need her to end Albern.

Her gaze drifted upwards into the sky, where the moons rose ever higher. It was a clear night, perfect for flying. From the air, she would be able to see me more easily.

She hesitated a long moment, looking around to make sure I was not lurking nearby. When she felt she was safe, her eyes glowed black, and her body shrank, resuming her human form. For a heart-stopping moment, she stood there in the night, feeling exposed, before her eyes flashed black again, and she