Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"Instead of simply killing her." Gabriel turned to Ricky. "The sluagh may not know the dryads followed Walter, but they know we'll come. That means Seanna is useful again. We need to get Liv out of there. Now."

The raven, now huddled in the tree above, croaked as if in agreement. It launched from the tree and began circling back toward the main building as Meic called after it, in rapid-fire Welsh.

"She'll find Ioan," he said as the raven winged off. "He'll understand the message. We should retreat and wait..."

Meic trailed off and Ricky followed his gaze to a dark dot, dropping from the sky. Then another one fell, and another, a line of them falling, plummeting toward--

"Down!" Gabriel shouted.

The first melltithiwyd hit the raven. Then the flock enveloped the bird, which let out one terrible shriek. And then blood. A burst of blood, and the melltithiwyd winged away, leaving nothing but blood raining down and Gabriel lunging, shouting, "No!"

Ricky grabbed his arm, but Gabriel had already recovered, with a snarl and a shake of his head, as if not knowing why he'd care about a bird, terrible though its death had been.

Then he wheeled, grabbing Ricky by the shoulders and yelling, "Down," while not giving him even a second to actually get down, pitching him to the ground and dropping over him as Lloergan did the same.

Ricky appreciated the sentiment. Really did. He'd have figured Gabriel's idea of thoughtfulness would be not throwing Ricky to the melltithiwyd as he ran. But--not to sound ungrateful--the combined weight of Gabriel and Lloergan's bodies threatened to trade death by hell-bird for death by suffocation.

Before he could say anything, though, Gabriel rose off him. The melltithiwyd had only swooped past and continued on. As Ricky got up, he saw that Gabriel's attention was focused on a blob of viscera, presumably from the raven.

"You okay?" Ricky whispered.

Gabriel shook it off. "Yes, of course."

"We should take shelter," Meic said. "In case they come again."

"No," Gabriel said. "We need to get to Ioan and Olivia."

"They won't hurt Liv," Ricky said. "Counterproductive."

"And Ioan? Would that not be a coup--killing the leader of the Cwn Annwn?"

Ricky recognized this for what it was--manipulation rather than an actual display of concern--but it worked. The other Huntsman--Wmffre--said, "I'd hope they wouldn't dare, but yes, perhaps we ought not take that chance."

Wmffre scanned the sky, looking ready to hit the ground himself. Ricky presumed they'd never encountered melltithiwyd, and he was about to give a couple of pointers when he caught a blur of dark red against the gray night.

"Incoming!" he shouted.

Gabriel hit him. Ricky supposed it was meant to be a protective blow, but it felt more like a Shut the fuck up...in the most productive way.

"Everyone take cover against the wall," Helia

said. "We know how to fight them."

Ricky got to the side, Lloergan pressing against his legs, shielding his lower half. Gabriel stayed where he was, watching that dark streak.

"Gabriel..." Ricky said.

The melltithiwyd swooped, and Gabriel shouted, not a warning this time, but a string of booming Welsh. The hell-birds changed course, shrieking.

Ricky grabbed Gabriel's arm. "Great, but you can do the shouting thing from over here."

He yanked Gabriel closer to the wall. Gabriel didn't fight. Didn't seem to notice, either, his gaze fixed on the swarm, which was coming around again.

"Let them come, Gwynn," Alexios said. "We have this."

"We really do," Helia said.

The melltithiwyd swooped toward the alley again, and Ricky gripped Gabriel's arm tighter. He felt the other man tense, his gaze riveted to the swarm, and for a split second Ricky caught a glimpse of an older man, blond hair and beard streaked with gray, bright blue eyes the only part that said, This is Gabriel, in a way.