“Instead of coin, how about that machete? You’re wrong and I get that, as well as the sword.”

“You’re on.” Gabriel didn’t bother to set stakes for the opposite outcome, as he knew he wasn’t wrong. Drawing his own newly enchanted sword, he gave it a few test swings. It had a different balance than his favorite sword, but it was exquisitely made. Much as he’d like to have a bit of time to accustom himself to the new weapon, it wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully the enchantment would make up for any clumsy wielding on his part. If the enchantment worked.

“Too bad there’s only one hunter in there,” Jadren noted. “That means we’re testing just one these weapons. Not exactly comprehensive quality control.”

“Be ready,” Gabriel warned Jadren, who nodded and, despite his doubts, took up a defensive stance—an amateurish one. Gabriel frowned, opening his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. No time for that.

He had to use his free hand to undo the bronze latch on the trunk, then flung it open and danced back—barely dodging the slavering hunters that leapt out. Three of them. Smaller than the others but just as vicious, and unnaturally quick. Vicious claws swiping, two jumped at Jadren and one went for Gabriel. Though he’d warned Jadren to be ready, Gabriel was caught slightly flat-footed. He’d expected one hunter and had intended to stand aside for the other wizard to test his sword on it.

Thus the hunter caught Gabriel with a stinging swipe across his thigh before he managed to bring his sword around to decapitate the thing. He was already coming around with a follow-up swing, maximizing his momentum, when his brain caught up and realized the hunter had dissolved into goo.

“It worked!” he crowed, spinning to Jadren, then cursing under his breath.

The man was hard-pressed. The El-Adrel wizard held his sword with both hands, using it like a club trying to beat off the two hunters clinging to him like burrs, claws rending his sides, long jaws snapping at his throat. Gabriel waded in, grabbing one hunter by the back of the neck and pulling it away from Jadren just enough to run it through with his sword without stabbing Jadren in the process.

The thing collapsed into a foul stew of meat and bones—all over Jadren, who was contorting himself to strain away from the lethal fangs snapping at his throat. Gabriel spun to take the other hunter, and Jadren shouted, “No! I need to test my sword, too.”

“Then do it,” Gabriel snarled, greatly disliking standing back while Jadren wrestled the unnatural creature. “Slice or stab,” he ordered. “Any cut will do.”

Jadren contorted himself, trying to free his weapon from the hunter’s barnacle-tight hold, bright blood running from the thing’s claws where it dug into him. At this rate Jadren would be worthless to fight the fresh hunters that should arrive at any moment.

“That’s enough,” Gabriel declared, taking a step.