The Tales of the Wanderer Volume One: A Book of Underrealm (The Underrealm Volumes 4) Garrett Robinson (poetry books to read TXT) 📖

could not contain herself. She threw herself up, her arms wrapping around Tagata’s neck, and kissed her deep. One massive arm wrapped around her, crushing her into Tagata’s chest. When they parted, Kaita’s eyes were shining.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“No one is more deserving,” murmured Tagata. “We are doomed to lose today’s battle, but you may have your chance for revenge. Do not let it slip away.”

Kaita nodded and turned. Her eyes flashed with light again. She shrank, her clothes sinking beneath the flesh along with the brown cloth packet. It was an awkward lump in her chest, but she managed it. Feathers sprouted, a beak sprang from her jaw, and the raven form was complete. She launched into the sky again, pursuing Mag and me across the land.

Mag and I led our squadrons in a run to the west. It was tempting to draw the Shades back along their own trail, but I was wary of them seeing through our trap. So we stayed near the trail but swung slightly to the north. If Kun followed the Shades’ course, he would see their army chasing us, and then he would be able to strike.

I kept an eye on the grey sky above us, and so I was not surprised to see a raven swooping after us. Kaita would keep us in her sights, I knew, and guide the Shades to hunt us down. I grinned.

The grin faded from my face as a hail of arrows flew towards us from the south.

“Down!” I cried.

Our soldiers dropped into the mud, but not quickly enough for three of them. One of my archers and two of Mag’s swordfighters pitched over, arrows embedded deep in their bodies. A shaft struck the ground next to Oku, and he leaped aside with a yelp. One of my archers who fell was the middle torchbearer. His torch tumbled down the hill we were on, rolling awkwardly side to side as it descended. The flaming pitch burned the sparse dew off the new grass, and some of it caught as the torch kept rolling.

I looked up to where the arrows had come from. A party of Shade archers had run ahead of the rest of their force. They had stuck to the lowlands and moved faster than we had, and now they had a clear shot at us atop the hill.

Mag saw it at the same time. “North!” she cried. “Move north!”

We ran up and over the lip of the hill, coming down the other side. But a murmur was on the air, coming towards us from the east. More Shades, advancing quickly.

“Dark take them,” I said.

“Retreat to the west!” said Mag.

“Hold that order!”

Mag’s gaze snapped to me, and I pointed to the hilltop east of us.

“We should deliver one volley as they come over the top. It should pin them for a moment, at least, and give us more time to flee.”

“Very well,” said Mag. “Green Squadron, line up behind the archers. Watch for a flank.”

“Ser!” barked her squadron.

“Black Squadron, draw!” I cried.

Arrows flew to strings and drew back. We held for a long, tense moment as the murmur of voices grew louder on the air. Oku was beside me, bristling and growling.

I saw a helmeted head appear over the eastern hill.

“Loose!”

A dozen arrows darted through the air, slamming into the first line of Shades. Nearly every one found its mark.

“Again!” I roared, drawing and firing my arrow.

My squadron joined me, and another hail of death fell among our foes. The Shades fell back with cries of dismay. In a moment, they were out of sight behind the crest of the hill.

Mag and I motioned our soldiers west with sharp hand movements. We did not want to cry a retreat and let the Shades know we were fleeing. Silent as shadows, we fled across the mud, looping around the hill on its western side.

“We have to draw them back closer to the trail,” I said to Mag in a low voice. “Otherwise Chausiku will never be able to lead the captain to us.”

She only shrugged and raised her brows. “You are the ranger. Lead on.”

“I am not a ranger,” I growled. “Squadrons, follow me!”

“Certainly acts like a ranger, though, doesn’t he?” said Hallan to Jian, who barely restrained a smile.

The sun broke the eastern horizon at last, peeking its shining face above the tops of the hills. And its light came just in time to illuminate a party of Shades ahead of us. It was the archers who had fired upon us only moments ago. They pulled up short, shock on their faces. They had not expected us to loop around the hills and meet them so soon. I counted no more than a dozen, and they were scant paces away.

Mag leaped forwards, silent in her battle-trance. Her squadron drew their blades and roared with anger as they rushed the archers. Oku charged beside them, baying with all his might. The Shades loosed a ragged volley before trying to turn and flee, but my archers riddled them with arrows. Only three managed to get away by splitting up and vanishing into the hills. The rest fell dead, pierced with arrows or hacked apart with swords or Mag’s spear. Oku brought one down, jaws clamped around her ankle and then her throat. But Mag lost another soldier in the skirmish, and the Shades’ desperate bowfire took two of my archers and wounded another. We each had a dozen fighters left, including ourselves.

“South,” I gasped, as I hauled my wounded archer to her feet. She gritted her teeth as she leaned on me and tried to run as best she could.

The murmur grew louder to the north. And as we drew near to the Shades’ trail once more, the murmur became a roar. I risked a look back and saw the Shades emerge over the hills behind us. There were at least a hundred and a half of them,