The barrier holding Quinlan suspended vanished, and his body dropped out of the air, hitting the ground hard enough to drive the breath out of his chest. The impact rang through his bones. He felt it more as vibration than pain, a dull confirmation that his body had reached its limit and more. His ruined arm dragged uselessly at his side, fingers unresponsive. The rest of him followed shortly after.
He could not move.
Muscles refused commands. His spine pressed flat against the ground, armor biting into his back. Blood pooled warm beneath his shoulder and neck, spreading slowly as his heartbeat stuttered and struggled to keep pace. His lungs worked in short, shallow pulls that scraped his throat raw.
His eyes did not open.
Darkness sat heavy over his vision, complete and suffocating. There was no panic left in him to fight it. Only awareness remained, thin and flickering, anchored by the sound of Lilyanna's shrieking.
