“Familiar Haniel,” the hissed, extending the collar. “You mussst be returned to the Convocation. Come quietly, and you will not be harmed.”

“If I agree, will you let her go?” Han demanded. The hunter turned to look at Iliana—and Gabriel dropped on top of him.

It almost went too fast for his bloodthirst. Gabriel used the momentum of his controlled fall to hammer the enchanted broad-bladed hunting knife into the thing’s back. The sudden collapse of his opponent turning to goo dropped him to the ground rather ignominiously—and fortuitously, as one of Iliana’s arrows whizzed past where his head had been and thunked into a tree trunk. Iliana screamed, no pretense in it, and Han shouted her name, charging in her direction. Not in the plan, curse it.

One hunter down. Ten to go.

That left Gabriel, Jadren, and a couple of others facing off four hunters. Jadren looked determined, at least holding his sword at the correct angle this time, but he’d yet to dispose of any of the beasts.

One of the hunters skirted around Gabriel warily, staying out of reach of his sword, canine jaws lolling open, canting its head to study him with one yellow eye. “Lord Phel, I presssume,” it said, sounding incongruously pleased. “Your reputation pressseedess you. You will turn over the familiarss to me.”

“How about you die instead?” Gabriel invited, and lunged.

The hunter skipped back, fisted something, and hurled it like an invisible ball at Gabriel. The compulsion spell hit him, numbing his limbs, and the hunter laughed with feral glee. But Gabriel was no longer the ignorant country bumpkin he’d been when the hunters deployed that trick on him before. Though he’d promised Asa he’d conserve his magic and not use it in this fight, when he saw the spell coming, he had to react. He pulled reflective moon magic around himself at the last moment, bouncing it back at the hunter. The creature froze in place, almost comically, with its jaws parted and tongue hanging out.

One down, one immobilized. Nine to go.

Gabriel left the neutralized hunter for the moment, spinning to assist Alise, who was doing a creditable job of holding off another hunter with her paired daggers and a couple of air elementals buzzing around its eyes as it feinted, harrying her in an attempt to tire her enough for it to slip past her guard. Gabriel dispatched it from behind with one sweep of his sword.

Eight to go.

Jadren shouted in triumph, like a rowdy fan at a sporting match, doing a dance of joy over a pile of goo. Good for him.

Seven to go.

The others in their group seemed to have the remaining two hunters cornered and under control, so Gabriel spun and ran toward Iliana.

Two more contained. Five to go.

He passed one pile of goo with an arrow sticking out of it, so not all of her shots had gone wild. Good for her.

Four to go.

Iliana, however, was splayed on the ground, a hunter pinning her there with slavering jaws clamped around her throat, impervious to her kicking and flailing. Gabriel recognized the tactic well, as they’d employed the same strategy against Nic, thinking to hold him off with the threat to her life. Han danced with agitation, furious and clearly frightened by the danger to Iliana. He held his sword at the ready, turning his dagger as if contemplating throwing it.