Covered. Alive. My dignity, however, was critically wounded. I straightened slowly, breathing hard, face burning hotter than my Qi ever had.
Then Hector cleared his throat. "Ah—" he said carefully, voice loud and awkward. "No one saw anything. I am… quite sure of that."
I whirled on him. "HOW?" I screeched. "I WAS NAKED. NAKED. EVEN THE RENEGADES SAW ME. I WAS ABOUT TO DIE FROM EMBARRASSMENT, NOT BLOOD LOSS."
Hector raised both hands immediately. "My lady—listen. Truly. You were not naked in our eyes."
I narrowed mine. Slowly. Dangerously. "Explain. Carefully."
"When your Qi erupted," he said, choosing his words like they were landmines, "your entire form was… enveloped. Light. So bright we couldn't see anything but the glow. You were more… celestial phenomenon than person."
"…you're saying," I said flatly, "I turned into a walking censorship blur."
"Yes, but what is censorship blur?" he nodded earnestly.
"A stupid bright light.
"AH YES! A very powerful one."
