Erik and his allies blinked from surprise as they internalised what just happened. Astrid, in particular, finally stopped glaring at Erik to look at the Arcanist she'd underestimated. The beautiful vampire frowned and used her free hand to rub her forehead. She felt something activate, but she didn't know for sure what just happened.
Still, she understood what Zahra tried to do, and what the other two succeeded in doing.
"You dare try and escape from me after attacking my husband?" she growled with cold fury, her eyes narrowing. Her hand squeezed a little harder. "Let's see how well you do after I squeeze your head off!"
Zahra immediately panicked when she felt the pressure on her throat increase. No more words could escape her lips. She struggled wildly, eyes wide, as she scratched at Astrid's hands. Unfortunately, forcing her to suppress Erik for so long had almost completely depleted her aetherium storage, and there was no way for her to resist physically.
