"Pen!" Someone screamed her name. Penelope groaned, and she didn't move from where her body lay sprawled on top of the flowers crushed beneath her. The world was still moving too fast, and nausea sat in the pit of her belly, ready to hurl out the content of her stomach at any time.
Hands held her, and she was turned to face up. Her name was called again, and she rubbed away the soil from her face, blinking straight into the worried face of Azriel.
"Are you okay? Speak to me! Are you fine?" Azriel asked. He didn't wait for her to respond, and he checked her body, turning her this way and that like she was a rag doll.
"You've got bruises, and maybe even broken bones. Goodness, Pen, you were like a flightless bird back there. What were you thinking?"
The hooves of horse sounded, and soon, Neera was standing in her line of vision, her face heartbreakingly perturbed.
