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Back Forsworn
Chapters (53)
  1. Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area- Western Half
  2. Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area - Eastern Half
  3. Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area - Full Map
  4. Important Trigger Warning
  5. Prologue
  6. PART I
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Interlude: The River of Life
  20. PART II
  21. Thirteen
  22. Fourteen
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Seventeen
  26. Eighteen
  27. Nineteen
  28. Interlude: Fallow Fields
  29. PART III
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Twenty-Three
  34. Twenty-Four
  35. Twenty-Five
  36. Interlude: Of Man and Monster
  37. PART IV
  38. Twenty-Six
  39. Twenty-Seven
  40. Twenty-Eight
  41. Twenty-Nine
  42. Thirty
  43. Thirty-One
  44. Thirty-Two
  45. Thirty-Three
  46. Thirty-Four
  47. POSTLUDES
  48. Postlude 1: Lana Vica
  49. Postlude 2: Ludo Vica
  50. Postlude 3: Cainan
  51. Acknowledgments
  52. An excerpt from Heartsworn, Volume II in The Forsworn Oath, available for preorder now!
  53. PART I

The creature was so close she could smell its foul breath.

Soraya mashed herself against the stone wall, afraid to breathe, clutching her satchel, feeling Morg’s squirming movements inside, as though he sensed his friend was in danger and wanted only to free himself to protect her. Please don’t make a sound…please please please…

Eyes gleaming golden and ratlike forehead dotted with three golden leaves—I know that hue, Soraya thought—the giant rodent scented the air, prowling closer. Could it smell her? Soraya was starting to regret her lack of a bath.

Closer still, two fangs overhanging its bottom lip in a way that might’ve been comedic if they weren’t the length of her forearms and utterly terrifying. The tension in her body felt like every muscle was trying to burst through her skin. She was about to run—what other choice did she have?—but then a shout sailed through the night like a thrown rock.

The nightdemon’s head lifted, its ears pricking in the direction of the sound. It bounded away on powerful legs, tail flicking like a whip behind it. Crossing the distance to its target in three long strides, the structure from which the shout had originated.

The Naughty Minx.

With a snarl, the nightdemon crashed straight through.

Soraya ran. Not away from the destruction, but directly toward it.

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Shim

Shim’s heated argument with Sunny had been cut short by the distant sound of glass breaking. They’d both run to the window, peering between the wooden slats, and it hadn’t taken him long to spot Soraya, followed shortly by the heinous creature stalking her scent through the square. He’d cursed her for her recklessness, even as he’d admired her courage. She was as much a Guardian as anyone he’d ever met.

Narcissi’s admonition—Protect her!—had repeated itself again and again in his mind like an echo. So just when it had appeared that the nightdemon would find Soraya hidden away within layers of shadow, he’d shouted.

Sunny had grabbed him and then clamped a hand over his mouth, but the damage was already done. The creature charged toward them, golden leaves glittering as they caught the edge of the moonslight. “Fool!” the strong woman spat. “What have you done?” They backtracked together, putting as much distance between them and the wall, but then the wall caved in, a shower of stone, wood and glass shrapnel that pricked at his skin. To think that anyone had believed that a few wooden boards and nails could keep such a monster at bay was almost comedic.

That was the least of his worries. “Get back!” he warned Sunny, his arm glowing gold as he shoved her behind him like she was a paper doll and not a powerful figure in her own right. But there was power and then there was power, and right now he was radiating the latter.