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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

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s not. This is more than a gift. This is an offer. One I cannot accept. What you want from me, I cannot give you. I’m sorry. Now I really must go.” She placed the book on a shelf, feeling like yet another part of her had been removed, and turned away once more.

“Stop,” he said. “Wait.”

Don’t care. Don’t feel. Don’t get attached. Focus on the mission. There is only the mission. Words that had been hammered into her brainpan the last ten years. Words that could protect her, keep her safe. Ensure her success.

She strode toward the door, not trusting herself to give him a proper farewell. “Bryony, this is madness.” He grabbed one of her arms at the wrist.

Big mistake.

Her training kicked in without a thought, her opposite hand chopping down to release his hold, twisting his arm around behind his back high enough that a little more pressure would cause bones to break. “You’re getting slow,” she breathed in his ear. “Out of practice.”

“Not everything is a fight,” he said.

“You didn’t grow up where I did.”

“And where is that? We’ve spent countless hours together and I still know so little about you. Your past.”

“We’re not supposed to—”

“Talk about our pasts. I know. You seem to forget that I trained right beside you. I can repeat all of Master Senicrux’s cold-hearted mantras, same as you. But we’re not in training anymore, are we? And the real world is different, isn’t it? Anyway, you’ve left the guild. Your belt isn’t even red anymore.”

“Yes, it is. Just because something is hidden doesn’t mean it’s dead.”

“You know, ol’ Senicrux is pretty pissed you took the belt when you left.”

“It’s mine. I earned it.” She tightened the pressure on his arm.

And completely forgot about his other arm. Before she knew what was happening, she was gasping for breath from where his fingers had shot back over his shoulder and jabbed into her throat, temporarily cutting off her airway. And then he was behind her, locking both her arms into position. “I’m not out of practice,” he said, lips brushing her ear before moving down to her neck. “Not in any part of my life.”