----
Sofia's fangs sank deeper. Blood came out in a heavy rush and ran down over Sofia's mouth, throat, and chest. The woman's free hand struck at Sofia's shoulder once, then again, but the strength in it was already failing. Her sword slipped from her ruined hand first. It hit the stone floor with a hard metal sound, bounced once, and then spun away through the blood.
After that, the hand itself stopped obeying her.
The fingers opened. Then twitched. Then hung uselessly at the end of her torn arm.
Sofia kept drinking.
The armored woman's body began to weaken fast. Her legs kicked once against the ground, trying to find balance. They failed. One knee bent the wrong way under her own weight. Her back struck the broken pillar beside them, but even that impact did not help her. The blood was leaving too quickly. Her face lost color. Her eyes widened, then started going hollow. She tried to breathe, but what came out was wet and broken.
Sofia pulled harder.
