Ollie had seen people who suffered worse injuries in the Battle of the Summer Villa. People who had faced Virve's rage directly or suffered a blow from one of Captain Ipiktok's Tuscan giants. He'd seen bodies that were twisted and mangled after facing power that no human body could resist, but all of those men had died from their injuries.
When Ollie looked at Lady Cerys, it was a miracle that she hadn't yet died from hers.
Her face was pale, almost gray in the early morning light, and a massive bruise had already formed across her left temple where her head had struck the ground. Blood matted her hair on that side, and more blood trickled from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and each breath was accompanied by a wet, rattling sound that spoke of broken ribs and worse injuries beneath the skin.
