A crushing wave of Deepshadow pummeled into Damian and sent him crashing through the church's front door.
Timber gave way with a hideous screech, and the blinding light of daytime burned into his retinas. His body collided with something softer than a door, and then he was rolling down the sloping street. Rough cobblestones ripped open his shirt and tore into his arms, small pieces of gravel lacerating his skin.
Damian gasped, his body reeling from the attack.
His bones ached like steel twisting beneath sheer weight; his muscles were weak, blood blooming beneath his skin in ugly bruises. His forehead had taken a direct slice from Cardinal's blade, and crimson dripped through his eyebrows, masking his vision.
His ears rang, a distant echo reaching him through the ringing fog.
"—mian! Damian!!"