The curse hit him from behind, and he shouted as he felt the skin on his back break open. Too soon his robes were soaked in blood, and he fell jarringly to his knees. The pain reverberated through his entire body.
He managed to turn to his side, and brought his wand up aiming a desperate hex in the direction the spell had come from. He couldn't tell if he'd hit his mark, the pain from the deep laceration in his back blinding him to anything else.
He was bleeding out fast, he doubted he could get help in time. It wasn't supposed to end like this. He thought he saw a flash of red hair, but she was too far away, and invovled in her own battle. A fierce shot of pride went through him.
He heard someone approaching and opened his eyes to look into a face framed by long blonde hair.
"Lucius," Tiberius said, the politeness barely covering up the disgust. "Going to kill me now?"