Page 107 of Obsidian and Frost

Shrieks were forthcoming as they began to desiccate, starting with their hands, which cut off their ability to wield their stolen magic like the leeches they were.

I could feel myself weakening.

I had to speed this up.

I didn’t have time to exact the punishment I’d been intending.

It had to be solely about efficiency now.

I pulled harder until I’d encompassed every single remaining conscious vampire in the room, trapping them with myDesiccation Curse,watching as they screamed, writhed, and fell, clutching themselves, some paralyzed, some with whole limbs turning to ash.

They’d recover with their regenerative vampiric healing, but it would put them out of the fight without me needing to trap every single one of them in stasis, which took more power.

Once they were all suitably incapacitated, I walked to the hostages who were convened around the throne area now, and I cast a portal. “Head through, you’ll find help on the other side.”

They hesitated at first. Not surprising given how much trauma they’d endured.

But as a couple passed through, the others followed.

I left the portal open, then headed to my last target site—the dungeon below.

I teleported down to it and found myself at the threshold of a cavern with rough stone walls, iron bars across holes built into the place serving as cells.

Hisses sounded and a rush of remaining vampires started toward me.

I snapped their necks in unison and they all dropped like a macabre carpet on the ground.

That was it. All sixty vampires were down.

With a flick of my magic, I opened the bars to all the cages, and then the remaining few magic-wielders staggered out. Another flick and I had the cuffs shattered.

I swept them all up in a cloud of teleportation and as we rematerialized back into the Banquet Hall where my portal was still active—and pulling on my power like a bitch—I staggered and had to throw out my hand and grab one of the disgusting thrones to steady myself.

“Sylas? Are you all right?”

I looked to see one of the magic-wielders, a small woman with a bright-blue pixie cut eyeing me with concern.

It wasn’t uncommon for somebody to know my name without having met me before. I was a necromantic legend. But it was uncommon for somebody to express concern for me.

I was wanted for my power.

That wasit.

The way it had always been.

Nothing else really computed.

Until Lazriel and Velra, of course. And Kai, too.

“All is well,” I said, forcing a smile and pushing forward. “Just head through the portal and you’ll all be taken care of.”

“Thank you,” she said, startling me as she grasped my arm.

I tensed, not knowing what to do with it.

“Of course,” was all I managed.

Fortunately, the stark emotion of it only had to be endured for a few moments, before she headed through the portal.