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

here in mayhap half a decade, and that you did not know the house was occupied at all. That means they were living here for some secret purpose, under your nose. And they are fighters, just as we are. What noble purpose could such warriors have for dwelling here, out of sight of the King’s law?”

Yue said nothing for a long moment. Ashta frowned as she drew near her sergeant again—but it was a frown of deep thought, not of anger or denial. Mag had struck upon something I had not even considered, and from the looks on the constables’ faces, I could tell her guess was at least close to the truth.

“Regardless of any of that,” Yue pressed, “the King’s law still applies, whether these people were born in Lan Shui or not.”

“Yet the King’s law provides for defending oneself against unprovoked attack,” I said.

“You keep saying that,” said Yue. “How far do you think such an excuse will stretch? There are six corpses in this house. Why did you not simply flee after the first two attacked you?”

My mouth opened, but no words came for a long moment. “Well … it all happened very quickly,” I said at last, well aware of how weak the excuse sounded.

I was spared further embarrassment as the front door opened and Sinshi returned with the boy, Pantu, in tow. Pantu did not look to have come entirely of his own free will. I was afraid his bulging eyes would nearly fall from his skull, and he was covered with a sheen of sweat that I guessed was not just from the heat outside. When he saw Yue looming over him, he flinched.

“I found him, Sergeant,” said Sinshi.

“Hello, Pantu,” growled Yue. “I thought we had moved past the point where I would find you involved in some sort of trouble every other week, and yet here we are.”

Pantu looked resentfully at her from under his hooded lids. “I did not do anything wrong,” he mumbled.

Yue thrust a finger at Mag and me. “These strangers say you did. Did they attack you and your friends here first, or was it the other way around?”

The boy stared at us for a long moment. The room went utterly quiet, and it felt as if time itself had stood still. The only sensation in my body was the same oppressive weight of power that had pressed upon me since the moment we first entered the house.

“These ones attacked first,” said the boy, pointing at the corpses on the floor. “The strangers only defended themselves.”

Yue’s shoulders sagged. She looked utterly flabbergasted as she thrust a finger at the corpses. “You are saying you were with them, boy,” she said. “If they committed a crime, you are complicit. And you are telling me they attacked Mag and Albern for no reason?”

“I did nothing,” whined Pantu. “These ones shoved me out of the way before the fight began. I wanted to escape, but they were blocking the door.”

“That is true,” said Mag quickly. “He did not join these others in the attack, and only—”

“Enough from you,” said Yue, her face flushing. She spoke derisively to Pantu. “Your friends are dead, and you will not even speak in their defense. Why did you even truck with them, boy?”

Rather than cowering further, Pantu straightened and pointed at his own face. An angry bruise shone on his cheek, a few fingers beneath one bulging eye. “They were not my friends. They paid me, and I ran errands for them, but they were never grateful for my work. They were a bad lot, and I thank the sky that these strangers rid the town of them. We did not need them here any more than we need the vampire.”

“Hist!” cried Yue, knuckles going white as they gripped her club.

“Vampire?” I said. “What vampire?”

“Nothing,” said Yue. “Ignore him. He is a foolish boy.” She seized Pantu’s shoulder and pulled him to her side, as though protecting him from Mag. “With the only living testimony on your side, I cannot hold you. But I am warning you now: you are no longer welcome here. Fetch what supplies you need, and then ride from Lan Shui with all haste. Trouble follows the two of you like a heavy storm, and I will not tolerate it. Now get out.”

“We still want to know why he was following us,” I said to Yue.

“I suggest you accustom yourselves to disappointment,” she replied.

“What was that talk of a vampire?” said Mag. “If this town is in danger—”

“I said it was none of your concern,” said Yue. “Fetch what you need, and go.”

“Yesterday you told us you did not want us to leave without speaking with you first,” I pointed out.

“Consider those orders changed,” said Yue. “If you are gone before the day’s end, it will not be too soon.”

We collected our weapons from Ashta and left the house. I did not glance back over my shoulder until we were several streets away. Finally I stepped to the side of the street, Mag beside me.

“Well, that was a near thing,” I said.

“Near indeed,” said Mag. “Not that I was in any great danger. I could have trounced those constables with my eyes closed. Though I can understand why you would be frightened.”

I glared at her for a long moment, and she met my gaze without flinching. But both of us could only last a few moments before our faces broke into grins, and we chuckled together.

“Sky above, I thought we were doomed when that boy stepped into the room,” I said. “I wonder what made him speak in our defense?”

“I would like to ask him,” said Mag. “And we should ask after the weremage, too, since he is the last person alive who might know anything about her.”

“Yet he is with Yue,” I said. “And I think we would be pressing our luck if we tried to seek him out again, after all the trouble we have raised today.”

“Agreed,” said Mag. “Home,