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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 weight of the sound and the resulting spray of shattered glass snapped him out of his trance. He fought to his feet, refusing to take his eyes off of the devastated window as he fumbled at the door’s knob behind his back.

—wood splintered, torn into a thousand ragged shreds by the claw that burst into the room.

The godsdamn door wouldn’t open, even though he was turning the knob and then he realized he was pushing instead of pulling.

—what was left of the window and the boards crashed inward, replaced by a snarling, snapping monster that found its large body wedged in the tight frame as it fought to squirm its way into the room.

Loris dragged the door open, slipping through backwards just as the nightdemon came bounding into the room, claws tearing up the bed. He slammed the door shut not a moment too soon, the barrier shivering as the creature crashed into it. Thud! Thud! Thud!

Would it hold? He dared not wait around to find out, instead running to the back stairs and taking them recklessly two at a time. When he was halfway down, he missed a step, foot catching on the edge and sending him tumbling down violently, head over heels. He landed with a painful crunch of bones breaking, pain immediately flaring from his elbow.

He was overcome only by fear as, groaning, he pulled himself back upright and, cradling his broken arm, ran in a crouch to the kitchen. A sob whimpering from his lips, vision blurred with pain and fear, he kicked open the large oven door and crawled inside.

This was where Loris Loriston, proprietor of The Milky Udder, would ride out the night, all the while wondering whether his next breath would be his last.

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Soraya

Moments earlier

On silent feet, Soraya followed a shadow through the night. The shadow stayed close to the side of the row of buildings, well clear of the tower rising into the night sky like a dark monolith.

Shim wouldn’t be happy that she’d broken out through the window to pursue him, but then again, he wasn’t her master. There were no Commander Guardians or Senior Guardians, only Guardians, which meant they were equals in this operation, and she’d be damned if she’d be left behind while he risked himself for the both of them.

She’d expected him to find a place to wait in the shadows, where he could reconnoiter the town square with a prime vantage point to observe any unusual activity stemming from The Naughty Minx. Instead, he’d apparently decided to take a more direct approach, marching right up to the front door and then tapping softly, so that the sound wouldn’t carry beyond the inside of the establishment.