Steel remembers every wound. Tarod survived the arena. He survived betrayal, blood rites, and the brutal lessons of war. But survival is not victory - and legends are not born without sacrifice. Now hunted by kings, bound by oaths he does not trust, and haunted by the cost of power, Tarod is drawn into a war older than empires. Beneath frozen mountains and across seas ruled by corsairs and monsters, he must face enemies that cannot be slain by strength alone - cannibal warlords, corrupted sorcerers, and a goddess whose prison is carved from living diamond. Each battle strips something from him. Flesh. Faith. Brotherhood. Piece by piece, Tarod is reforged into the figure history will remember... whether he wishes it or not. But the forging of a legend is not a tale of glory. It is a story of what must be broken to create it. Perfect for fans of Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, Joe Abercrombie, and Glen Cook, The Forging of the Nine-Fingered delivers brutal combat, mythic stakes, and a hero carved from grit, loss, and defiance. The legend continues... And legends demand a price.