CLARA'S POINT OF VIEW
Time seemed to slow to a agonizing crawl. The black iron bolt whistled through the candlelit air, its steel tip aimed straight for the center of my chest.
Valerius moved faster than human sight.
He did not just step in front of me; he threw his entire body across mine, wrapping his left arm around my waist and turning his back to the oncoming missile.
A sickening, heavy thud echoed through the room.
Valerius gasped, his massive body jolting violently against mine. The impact shoved us both backward against the stone pillar. The iron bolt had driven deep into the back of his left shoulder, tearing right through his black velvet coat and black steel pauldrons.
Dark red blood bloomed across his back, hot and thick.
Valerius! I screamed, my hands flying to his ches
