Page 178 of Rose and Shadows
“Go,”I heard Sylas urge my dad.
Wind whipped all around a moment later, and then my dad sped at Morien.
A chill rolled down my spine as he never made it to me—slamming into an invisible wall, that then came into view as that glowing gray the moment he hit.
It froze him there in Undead Domination like me.
Morien told us, “Black magic can warp a great deal, including a death blow.” He smirked at me. “Vicious, by the way. In case you were wondering, you inherited that from your mother, not your father. He’s far too calculated to entertain that sort of wildness. It’s why he doesn’t drop his fangs and feed in battle—it isn’t only about the mask. He saves that wildness for when he’s defiling your mother.” He looked at my dad. “So close toreuniting with her in the way you’ve wished for so long. Building a relationship with your son only to have it cut short. All because you chose the wrong side.”
A bellow sounded from Sylas, and then he was collapsing to his knees, as he held the Celestial shield, then fired a massive bolt of power toward Morien with his free hand.
It slammed into his back and sent him spinning out into the forest.
It broke the Undead Domination, and I cried out as I collapsed, my body really fucked up, until my healing kicked in, something that had frozen while he’d had me in that spell.
My dad was there skidding to his knees in the next moment and cradling me, easing my head off the ground.
“Son,” he uttered, his emotion unchecked.
He just… couldn’t.
And I was right there with him there.
He went to ease me up more, to gather me and get me somewhere safe to heal, but a massive eruption of power tore through the trees where Sylas had blasted Morien.
And then the sadistic shit was literally levitating like a horror come to life, headed straight for us, arms outstretched and wielding blazing gray flame.
I saw Sylas’ eyes widen, even as he gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his free hand live with his power to protect us and the ten vampires, while still holding off the Celestial attack.
His shield was sputtering out.
“We are done here now,” Morien spoke, looking at his acolytes.
“Master?” a few of them queried while still streaming, others forcing back the vampires.
“Let me rephrase—you are done. You’ve served your purpose. I cannot have my special son killed. I need him to transcend, to rise higher still.”
In the next second, flash lightning sparked in the sky, he thrust streaming palms up toward it, then slammed them down, and the power ripped into every single Dark Fae there.
I choked, my gut twisting as it tore into them like a tidal wave, tearing their flesh apart, desiccating them, and decimating them to ash.
In seconds.
In seconds they were nothing but piles of ashes.
The result of a necromancer using Risen Reckoning on the living.
My dad cursed, then looked over at Sylas who collapsed onto his side, half lying, his magic snuffing out. He was soaked in sweat now, breathing irregularly, and blood was trickling from his nose.Shit.
As my dad tried to pick me up fully, intending clearly to gather Sylas as well out of the line of fire, he stumbled and his grip faltered.
And that was when I saw it—he was partially desiccated. One half of his hands, up his other arm which I could see up through his jacket at this angle, then along his neck too. Given his stumble, it was elsewhere as well.
Fuck, we were all compromised.
Morien made sure the vampires were out of the picture as he twisted his hand and snapped their necks. They’d be unconscious for hours now.
“Haven’t… won,” Sylas rasped, fighting to push back up. “My recovery time is—”
