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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

All parts of it were glowing, but the brightest source of light seemed to be the softer, dangling bits. “They hafta be ’em,” she whispered under her breath, and then pinched one between her fingers, pulling gently. It resisted at first, but then tore away from the mushroom’s frame.

She was running out of time. She didn’t need to be the keeper of time, as she’d jokingly accused Jereb of being, to know that dawn’s arrival was imminent, the light within the forest growing with each passing second. Using the same two fingers that held the piece of mushroom, she teased Cainan’s lips further apart, hoping he didn’t choose that moment to awaken, instinctively chomping his teeth together when he found someone else’s fingers in his mouth.

Thankfully, he didn’t, and Perfidy was able to grate the mushroom between her fingers and then deposit the smaller bits on his tongue. Had she brewed a tea, getting him to swallow would’ve been as easy as tilting his head back a bit, but she had no such luxury. “C’mon,” she muttered, pressing his lips closed and hoping the taste of the mushroom would get his saliva going enough to wash the pieces down his gullet. At the same time, she did tilt his head back a bit.

At first, nothing happened. He continued breathing weakly, except through his nose now. His throat was motionless. But then, with a gulp that caused a bulge to extend from his neck, rolling downward before vanishing, he swallowed.

She held her breath, hoping against hope that he’d leap up with a sudden and miraculous burst of strength in his bones.

He didn’t, of course, but his eyes did flutter open. “Cainan?” she said. “It’s me, Perfidy Tress, yer fearless mushroom huntin’ partner. Are ye alright?”

He looked confused at first, but then his gaze fixed on hers. “Perfidy? What happened?”

“Ye fell asleep, esscept it was the deepest sleep I ever saw anybody sleep, almost like ye were dead esscept ye were still breathin’ an’ then I gave ye one o’ ’em fancy ’shrooms, not the whole thing, mind ye, jest enuff to wake ye up ’cause, mister, I’m pretty sure dawn is jest ’round the corner or I’m a lame jackass, an’ my mama ain’t raised no lame jackass.”

“Thank you. Help me up.”