Chapters (53)
- Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area- Western Half
- Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area - Eastern Half
- Map of Kingdom of Finfalla and Surrounding Area - Full Map
- Important Trigger Warning
- Prologue
- PART I
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Interlude: The River of Life
- PART II
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Interlude: Fallow Fields
- PART III
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Interlude: Of Man and Monster
- PART IV
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- POSTLUDES
- Postlude 1: Lana Vica
- Postlude 2: Ludo Vica
- Postlude 3: Cainan
- Acknowledgments
- An excerpt from Heartsworn, Volume II in The Forsworn Oath, available for preorder now!
- PART I
On the edge of her vision, she saw him approach her. He leaned in, keeping his voice low so only she could hear it. “You seem to be lost, miss.”
She kept her voice equally low; in a way, she felt bad for disturbing his evening, even if any man who ran a place like this was probably a scoundrel himself. “I have coin I’m willing to spend. More than any of these other jackasses.”
“And what will you spend your coin on, miss?”
“Information is all. A pint of whatever doesn’t taste like horse’s piss would go a long way too.”
He sighed deeply, as though resigning himself to whatever horrible fate the night would bring his way because of the stubborn woman he’d just encountered, and shoved off from the bar. He may have been a scoundrel, but he was also a professional, and soon a glass that he’d wiped with a less-than-clean-looking rag was filled with some concoction he retrieved from a dusty bottle on the top shelf of his supply rack.
She took a sip, holding her expression steady as the fiery liquid burned the entire way down. Truth be told, it wasn’t half as bad as she expected it to be. Not good, but not bad either. While he watched her, she indulged in a larger gulp. “Who the void are you?” he asked, sounding very much like he was staring at some strange creature who’d wandered into his tavern.
“That’s not important. Now, I think we both agree that the sooner I’m satisfied and out of here, the better.”
He grunted but offered a single nod of his head.
“Then let’s get down to business. Is there someone around here who can guide me to Comman Dur? The forest seems to have, er, changed such that my map has grown stale.”
“Comman Dur? Are you some sort of a bounty hunter or somethin’?” The man’s neck bobbed and swayed as if expecting to find a prisoner tied to her chair.
“What I am is of no concern to you. Can you help me or not?” To force his hand, she drew her coin pouch from her pocket and moved her fingers until the gold clinked and clanked a bit.
His eyes widened. “I might know someone, but he might not be what you’re…expecting.”
“As long as he can lead me to where I need to go, then I’m willing to pay both you and him.”