Nivek, having detected something amiss with Ed's bed, wanted to curse loudly. But he suddenly sensed something from behind him.
The moment he turned, he was met by a barrage of steel marbles rushing toward him.
He had very little time to react. The attack was too unexpected and sudden.
With no time to think, Nivek, his face painted in clown makeup, twisted violently sideways and downward. The movement came from his waist, bending toward the ground in a way that defied normal human flexibility.
The sound of creaking, colliding bones followed the sudden motion.
The high-speed projectiles whistled over Nivek and struck the stone wall behind the bed, nearly penetrating the solid surface.
Nivek twisted his lower body in an exaggerated arc before snapping it back. His spine realigned itself with an audible click as he moved.
He glanced at his left shoulder: two round, bloody holes marked where he'd been hit.
The attack had been too sudden to dodge completely.
