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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 assassin’s words came back to him: As soon as we cross the River of Painted Foes, you’re on your own again.

Panic struck him then, not because he was alone in the wilderness, though that did concern him quite a lot, but because he hadn’t had a dose of his medicine since yesterday morning. Already he didn’t feel…right…like something had burrowed inside him and was starting to eat their way out.

Something caught his eye, a leather satchel resting nearby in the thick grass. He vaguely remembered it being strapped across the assassin’s chest, but he hadn’t given it much thought at the time considering the pack of angry soldiers that had been chasing them. Now, he crawled to it, fingers fumbling at the ties until he was able to get it open.

The glow from within was immediate, several vials clinking together. How…? was the question that presented itself in his mind. How did the assassin know he needed medicine? And how did he get it? Only the king himself knew of his affliction, that wasting of his bones and muscles that occurred if he didn’t consume his daily dose. The apothecary, too, of course, but he was sworn to secrecy under pains of death. Did that mean that whoever had hired the assassin also knew of his condition? And if so, were they sending him a message now? Implying that by owning his secret that they owned him too?

Still feeling weak, he withdrew one of the vials and used his thumb to work it open. He downed the glowing liquid in a single shot, closing his eyes as its life-giving light filled him. The soreness faded, the weakness turned to strength, the sharp jab in his shoulder receded to a numb throb.

He stood, shouldering the pack. And then he began to walk south, one stride at a time.

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The satchel the assassin had left for him had also contained nonperishable food and a waterskin. The latter he was able to fill at his leisure from the river’s flow. The food kept the ache out of his belly. He walked late into the night, until the stars appeared as witnesses to his journey. He slept only four hours a night, arising before dawn to get an early start. Every minute delaying his return to Marchessault felt important.

Had Kinkalla announced the death of their monarch? Had they declared war? Were rumors about his disappearance swirling? And if so, were his father’s enemies already circling like vultures over a wounded animal? What was his father thinking? His condition had been worsening for some time, but Tomas knew the king had always taken solace in having him as an heir. But now…