Without giving it another thought, Keiser swung his legs over the bed and forced himself to stand. Pain tore through him at once... raw, unrelenting, and unfamiliar.
Muzio's body screamed as if every joint had splintered, the ache spreading like cracks. His back arched with a soundless creak, as though the spine itself resisted bearing his weight. His shoulder dragged upward toward his ear, nerves firing wild sparks until his entire frame shuddered uncontrollably.
This wasn't the pain he knew... the steady, tempered burn of an old wound, the sort he could bite down and march through.
No, this was unfamiliar, softer flesh rebelling in ways his own body never had. His arms shook uselessly, as if even raising them was a battle, and then numbed so quickly his fingers forgot they were his. His legs betrayed him next. knees icing over, locking stiff, while his calves turned to stone, each breath making them heavier still.
