Blood had reached the foot of the bed.
Three guards lay near the door, their open eyes fixed on nothing. Tarvak's severed arms rested among their bodies. Red streaks ran down the wall, and the room's warm air had become thick with the smell of blood.
Tarvak groaned as he dragged one knee beneath himself.
His remaining upper arms twitched, still trying to make hands answer that were no longer attached. He clenched his teeth and leaned against the door, forcing his body upward.
Simon lifted his palm.
A gust of wind struck Tarvak across the chest.
BANG!
He flew past the bed and hit the opposite wall. Plaster cracked behind his shoulders, and he dropped onto his side, coughing blood onto the floor.
"Stay still," Simon said. "And stop disturbing me."
Tarvak raised his head. Simon remained cross-legged beside the Chaos Blade, looking at him as though he had interrupted something tedious.
"You killed them…"
His voice shook before anger steadied it.
