A sudden shower of crumbled mortar rained through the open chimney of the old pottery kiln.
Juna dropped from the rafters without deploying her solar wings, striking the lead kidnapper before his curved skinning knife could sever the final cord.
Her claws clamped onto the man's wrist, twisting his forearm until the bronze blade clattered against the flagstones.
"Get off me, you feral bitch!" the leader shrieked, driving an elbow toward her ribs in blind panic.
She deflected the blow with her forearm, spinning behind him and driving his face hard into the dirt.
Two kidnappers lunged from the shadows with short iron spears, aiming for her exposed flank.
A whistle of fletching sliced the smoke as Sable emerged from the drainage tunnel, releasing two broadhead shafts in rapid succession.
The first arrow pinned an attacker's shoulder against the timber post, while the second shattered the spear shaft of the second raider.
