“I am not a fool,” Asa bit out, “nor am I an idealist. I believe in the rule of law.”

Jadren snorted disdainfully. “Like that NDA your familiar violated?”

Asa stiffened. “That was Laryn’s choice, and I remanded her into your custody pending Lord Phel’s judgment. I don’t know what else you expected me to do.”

“I expected you to control your familiar,” Jadren snarled. “But apparently that was too much to ask.”

Before Asa could retort, Gabriel held up a hand to silence them, asking Alise. “What does Laryn have to do with this?”

Once again, Alise proved her worth by giving him a straight answer, no dancing around. “She sent a letter to the Convocation notifying them of Han and Iliana’s presence in House Phel, and calling into question whether Nic had been properly bonded. We believe she also somehow conveyed that you’d been incapacitated. They knew about Selly, too.”

Gabriel winced internally. All those times Nic had railed at him for wanting a reciprocal bonding, and she’d been right in the end. Hopefully she wasn’t even now cursing him for all the ways he’d failed her. “So they took Han and Iliana?”

“No.” Alise looked a bit surprised. “Sorry—I left out that bit. We did have some forewarning from the spirits I’d sent to watch the roads in, and Nic arranged with some fellow by the name of Rat to hide Han and Iliana in the marshes. Sammael left hunters to search for them, but I gave them a spirit to send to me if they were found. So far I haven’t heard from them. I haven’t summoned them back yet, because we weren’t sure yet if it was safe, since…” She trailed off, flushing.

“Since you weren’t sure if I’d wake up or if I’d be of any use if I did,” he finished for her. He pondered a moment. Nic had been clever to think of Rat, and Alise had been right to leave Han and Iliana where they were. “How many hunters?”

“A dozen,” Jadren supplied.

“I counted ten,” Alise corrected with a frown.

Jadren shrugged that off. “That enchanted dagger of yours—did it really work to kill them?”

“Sent them back to the piles of rotten goo they were born of,” Gabriel replied, noting the gleam in Jadren’s eye. Yes, they had hunters to fight. “Interested in making some enchanted artifacts, Wizard El-Adrel?”

“A wizard never gives up the hobbies of his youth,” Jadren agreed with a slow smile. “A bit of amateur collaboration is to be expected.”

“Excellent, because I’m going to need Han and Iliana.” He looked to Alise. “We’re going to summon them back—and we must anticipate that the hunters will be on their heels.”

“I love me a good trap,” Jadren declared happily. “Those things are an abomination, so it will be a pleasure to dissolve them.”

Alise was less enthused. “Iliana and Han will no doubt be willing to donate their magic, but even you cannot take on Convocation Center, Lord Phel.”