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

“Is this what you do?” she said, as Mag discarded her bowl on the ground and I gave mine to Oku to lick clean.

“What?” I said, blinking at her.

“The vampires. The ones who used to live here, in this house. Is it your duty to seek out such things and end them? Are you some special sort of … of Mystic?”

Mag and I laughed together, though we probably should not have done. “No, constable,” I said. “This is not something we do often—that we have ever done before, in fact.”

“What brought you here, then?” she said. “And do not give me the same lies you told when you first arrived. I have placed much faith in you today. I want a real answer.”

Mag and I exchanged glances. But truth seemed the only option.

“We come from the town of Northwood, as we said,” Mag told her. “Some weeks ago, it was attacked.”

Yue’s brows rose. “Like here?”

“No,” I said. “Not vampires. By an army. They call themselves Shades. The ones who dwelled here were their compatriots.” I jerked my thumb at the Shade hideout beside us.

“Who are they?” said Yue, eyeing the building.

“In truth, I know little of their aims, or where they came from,” I said. “That boy, Pantu—may he rest in the darkness—he told me they came from Calentin. All I know for certain is that they had a stronghold in the Greatrocks, until a wizard came and drove them out of it. Then they attacked Northwood in great strength and nearly razed it in revenge.”

“And when they did, they killed my husband,” said Mag softly.

Yue let a long moment of silence pass. “That is an ill thing to hear,” she said at last.

Mag pressed on. “There was a weremage. She led their forces in Northwood. She took the form of a lion and killed my Sten. And when they withdrew, she fled west into the Greatrocks. We followed her trail here to Lan Shui. We hoped to find her here, though of course now we know she left this place before we even came.”

“Yet you remain,” said Yue.

“Of course,” said Mag, shrugging. “We are not without a conscience.”

I smiled, and Yue appeared to hide a smirk. “Well. You should not have kept all this from me when you arrived,” she said.

“I suppose the King’s law would say so,” I said. “Would you have allowed us in if we had been honest?”

“Do you jest?” said Yue. “Of course not. Yet I suppose, after a fashion, that I am glad you came.”

“That is how latrine duty often works,” I said.

Yue blinked at me. “What?” she asked, while Mag tried hard to suppress her laughter.

“Nothing.”

Stars had begun to appear in the sky above. The moons had not yet risen, but I could almost see the glow of them in the east. I pushed myself to my feet.

“Time is nearly upon us,” I said.

“In my experience, time is always upon us, depending on what time you mean.” Yue got to her feet and held out her hand a final time. She took Mag’s wrist first, and then mine. “Do your best not to get killed tonight.”

“Of course,” said Mag. “You have made it clear to us how much trouble it is to get rid of bodies.”

“Not so much trouble,” said Yue. “The vampires will only be acting in self-defense, after all. Does that not excuse any amount of killing?”

I laughed at that. “Keep yourself safe as well tonight, constable.”

“I will try.”

She took off down the street at a trot, making for the gate where she would stand with the vanguard. Mag and I prepared our weapons and made ready for the night’s battle to come.

The woods around them had grown cold, and the fire had begun to burn low. Albern huddled farther under his cloak for warmth.

“Would you mind throwing some more wood on the fire?”

Sun shook herself and rose quickly. “Of course,” she said. “Forgive me for not noticing sooner.”

“Think nothing of it,” said Albern. “I think we both lost ourselves there for a moment.”

“I cannot imagine it,” said Sun, slowly adding logs to the fire. The flames swelled and crackled, and she relished their sudden warmth. “Sitting there in Lan Shui, knowing the vampires were coming and intending to face them head on. I think I would have died of fright.”

“Well, you must remember that we were hale and hearty youths in those days,” said Albern. “Much as you yourself are now.”

Sun could not help but laugh, though she quickly stifled the sound, which was far too loud in the silent forest. “I do not mean to be rude, but you were already a fair bit older than I am now.”

Albern frowned with mock severity. “I was barely past my fortieth year, thank you kindly.”

“And I have not quite seen my twentieth,” said Sun. “You will forgive me, but that is more than twice as old.”

“Ah, but life’s summer lasts long, and our leaves had not yet begun to brown—only to grey a little bit around the temples.” Albern’s eyes twinkled in the firelight.

“In any case,” said Sun doggedly, “that only proves my point further. You were grown, and warriors as well. I do not think I could sit and wait for such a creature to come for me. The fear would be too great.”

“Oh, I think you have a great deal of courage in you,” said Albern. “And I can tell by your walk and the strength in your arms that you are a warrior in your own right, even if you have not yet been tested.”

Sun could not help the blush that put in her cheeks, though she shook her head to try and dismiss it. “You cannot win an argument with flattery.”

“Oh? I seem to recall having done so before.” Albern scratched absentmindedly at his stump. “But I do not mean to flatter you. What you have said