Everything was just a blur of noise and pain, and somebody was screaming. Waver wasn't sure anymore who. The angle of the world had changed abruptly. It took him some time to realize he'd ended up on the floor.

His shoulders heaved beneath Devyn's hands, his wheezing gasps loud in the silence that followed after the guards' footsteps had retreated down the hall. But he must have lifted his head some because Devyn's face came into blurry view-- and immediately had Waver trying to pull away, though the efforts were weak and jerky. The room was spinning. He felt sick.