With a mental sigh, Gabriel noted that the wizard’s sword and machete hung off his belt, still coated in gore.

“Sorry,” Alise said. “I didn’t realize it was such a sore point.” Her black eyes sparkled with mischief, reminding Gabriel of Nic at her most wicked. “Now I really want to know what his story is.”

“Good luck getting it out of him,” Gabriel said, walking toward the immobilized hunter.

“Sergio Sammael dropped an interesting tidbit when they were trading insults,” Alise said, accompanying him. “Something about Lady El-Adrel dangling the promise of a familiar over Jadren’s head to enforce his compliance.”

“Hmm,” Gabriel grunted in acknowledgment. Had it been the same with denying Jadren a Convocation education and somehow suppressing his MP scores? He hadn’t expected to feel sorry for the El-Adrel wizard, but somewhere along the way, the prickly man had become something of a friend. Go figure. In that light, he added, “But maybe don’t drive him out of his mind about it until after we’ve recovered Nic?”

“Oh, sure,” Alise answered, nonchalantly enough to raise Gabriel’s suspicions. But he didn’t pursue it.

He faced the hunter, frozen in place but still snarling and gnashing its long jaws. Gabriel recalled that helpless feeling well—his limbs immobilized, though the rest of him worked well enough.

“Who sent you to recover these familiars?” he demanded of the creature.

It glared at him in impotent fury, clamping its jaws shut.

“Don’t we know it was the Convocation?” Alise asked with some surprise.

“They arrived with House Sammael,” Gabriel replied. “So I want to be sure. Answer my question, hunter.”

“I do not anssswer to you, Lord Phel.”

Gabriel considered trying to bribe it, but that hadn’t worked on the others. Maybe torture, though the things seemed impervious to pain, nor did they appear to fear for their lives. He should probably just melt it like its unfortunate cohort and have done.

“Shall I try compulsion on it?” Alise asked. “I have some ability, though I’m naturally not supposed to use that magic outside of school without House Hanneil’s permission.”

“Go ahead,” Gabriel said with relief and more than a little curiosity. He’d tried some compulsion, without much success, and was interested to see how Alise performed it. “The Convocation can take it up with me.”

Sadly, there wasn’t much to see. He sensed her magic, and the hunter squirmed, but nothing he could readily emulate.

“Who sent you to recover these familiars?” Gabriel repeated as the thing fought the compulsion.

“We come on Convocation bussinesss,” it snarled.

Which didn’t answer the question. “At what person’s behest, specifically?” he pressed.

The thing panted, fighting the spell that held it. “Sabrina Sammael,” it finally confessed, eliciting a gasp from Alise.

Not a surprise to Gabriel, however. “Are you in the direct employ of House Sammael?”

“Yesss,” it hissed unhappily.

“Does Convocation Center know?” Alise asked, voice faint with shock.

“We are on loan, until the problem of House Phel is settled,” the hunter admitted wearily.