She shook her head. “I think he’s still alive, though. But I need to get to him in time. Almost everyone’s been really helpful.” Cinn aimed a pointed stare at Holgarth.

Holgarth ignored her in favor of watching his last victim. The guy carried a staff that looked too big for him. He almost tripped and fell as he stepped off the dais.

“Gracefulness and agility are both parts of a wizard’s mystique, Clarence. And I’d advise that you find a smaller staff.” Holgarth’s expression said that only wizards such as himself deserved a big staff.

Completely cowed, Clarence nodded and then raised the staff as he launched into a chant. Dacian had his doubts about this whole thing. There were too many people around. Anything could happen when an inexperienced wizard got going.

“You know, Holgarth, things could get out of control fast. Maybe you should take a few precautions so that—”

Holgarth turned and hit him with an imperious glare. “Don’t tell me how to conduct my business, vampire. And you are certainly not the one to speak of control.” He offered his trademark sniff of contempt.

Dacian could learn to hate this guy. But he was right. Every time Dacian lost control, he also lost a little of his self-confidence. The one mystery was why he could resist Stephan’s demand that he return to him but not the rage. Until he solved the whole puzzle, he couldn’t stay around people long. Around people like Cinn.

He stopped thinking about his own problems as Clarence’s chant reached a shrill conclusion. Suddenly, everyone in the great hall disappeared except for Holgarth, Clarence, and him. But Dacian didn’t care about the other people. “Where the hell is Cinn?” Before he could stop himself, he grabbed Clarence by the back of his scrawny neck, lifted him into the air, and shook him.

Holgarth coughed. “Umm, perhaps they haven’t quite left the hall yet.” There was something strange about the wizard’s voice.

Still holding Clarence suspended, Dacian looked around. Nothing. He looked down. Nothing. He looked up. Oh, hell.

Bats, lots of bats, clung to the ceiling or darted frantically in every direction.

“Not very creative, Clarence.” Holgarth didn’t seem overly concerned. “Perhaps if you’d turned them into colorful balloons I might have deemed you more worthy. It’s always more difficult to turn the living into inert matter. Here, let me demonstrate.”

Dacian didn’t know about that. He figured he could change a wizard into inert matter without working up a sweat. He dropped Clarence, who immediately scuttled out of reach, and bore down on Holgarth. The wizard hadn’t allowed for his vampire speed, and had barely begun his chant when Dacian reached him. Dacian clasped the old man’s shoulder and squeezed, just enough to remind Holgarth what he could do in a matter of seconds. Then he leaned close to the wizard.