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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

It also drew a crowd. No fewer than another six thugs rose to their feet, joining the main one and his two henchmen as they surrounded Ludo. Damn fool, she thought, even as she noticed the server woman taking advantage of the distraction to drift away from the area. It was chivalrous, in a way, but still damn foolish.

She was tempted to head toward him, but not only would it draw too much attention to her and her unique set of talents, but she was curious to watch the infamous King’s Blade in action.

He stood, his back protected by the walls he’d purposely set to his rear, almost as if he was anticipating this very occurrence, maybe even hoping for it. He didn’t even try to block the first punch, a well-aimed jab by the ass-pinching meathead who’d drawn Ludo’s reprimand in the first place.

It should’ve knocked him flat on his own backside.

It didn’t.

Instead, he smiled, lifting a hand to wipe away the thread of blood unspooling from his nose. “Was that your best punch? I know a woman who can punch better than that.”

Bryony almost laughed at the not-so-subtle compliment sent her way but held back because of the absurdity of it all. Did Ludo want to get himself beaten to a pulp?

The next punch came even quicker than the first, except this time Ludo caught it in his palm, twisting the man’s arm until he cried out, and then shoved him back hard enough to crash into two of his buddies, the trio tumbling over a chair, which succumbed to their combined weight, legs splintering in all directions.

Ludo would only land one other solid blow, his fist meeting the face of one of the remaining foes as they rushed him, but then they were upon him, a barrage of fists and kicks and curses that continued for several minutes until the inn’s door crashed open and a man shouted, “Enough!” He wore a uniform and an official guard’s badge, a shiny eight-pronged star that Bryony couldn’t help but surmise could be used as a ranged weapon in a pinch.

The men backed away from the corner, arms in the air.

“Gibbs! Hornam! Markus! I should’ve known I’d find you and your lot in the middle of the trouble. Get outta here. The lot of you!”

“Course, Guard Crandon,” the original meathead said, trying, and failing, to sound contrite. “We didn’t cause the trouble anyway. Only finished it, is all. Damn outsider started it with insults and accusations. He also landed the first blow. Every witness in here will tell the same tale.”