The last thing Julian felt as his life slipped away was a rush of cold air as something heavy hit the mud beside him. It was something he could not see himself doing for his heart had already given its final, stuttering throb, and he died. That something heavy was a man, one who looked like he had just had a part of him torn to shreds.
The Duke looked at Julian's body sprawled in the dirt, his lousily bandaged leg, the heavy stench that came from the blood that had pooled in the dirt, the antiseptic, the dead snake, and… Julian's pale and lifeless face.
He paused, not able to handle what was in front of him. Not able to handle the truth. Slowly, he reached his trembling hand and placed two fingers under Julian's nostrils. There was no breath.
Julian had stopped breathing.
