Tiamat relaxed and closed his eyes again, as though his body wasn’t quite ready to keep them open. “Kali, as I told you when we last saw each other, I do not doubt your abilities,” he said, his voice soft. “Am I bleeding much?” he asked after a pause, opening his eyes a crack.

“From what I can see, you’re only bleeding from this cut on your head here,” I said as I thoughtlessly reached toward him.

In a flash, he was up on his knees and right arm, scrabbling backward in an attempt to get away from me.  But the instant he put weight on his left arm, he roared and fell over in agony.