BOOK THREE: THE EMPIRE UNBALANCED
Rodrigo stumbled over a root and crashed into a tree. Blinding pain slashed through his body and he fell to the ground. The upside was the bolt meant to pierce his heart thunked into the trunk over his head. When no second shot came immediately, he groaned and scrambled for cover on the far side of the tree. Living through a pilgrimage with King Harald had taught Rodrigo to deal with pain. But running through a forest with a knife wound in his gut was pushing things.
He should have known better than to go into that town, even more to stay out of the tavern. Thanks to the Emperor's thousand gold piece bounty on his head, and unfortunately accurate drawings of his face, Rodrigo was ridiculously well known. One or two men would have been easy enough to lose
