holding

on to the creature with one hand, Makepeace tore the tentacles away, then

yanked

the squid up out of the water and proceeded to batter it savagely against the

wall of the fountain. A short distance away, a skinny old man with a large

purse

hanging from his shoulder started to walk away quickly. Makepeace spotted him.

"Hey! Come here, you!"

The old man started running.

"Get back here, you old fruit!" hollered Makepeace at the top of his lungs,

throwing the dead squid after him. It sailed through the air and hit the old

man

in the back with a wet smack, knocking him down. He scrambled up again and

took

to his heels in a panic, glancing over his shoulder fearfully.

"Damn dips are everywhere," growled Makepeace, wiping his hands on his coat

as

he watched the old man recede into the distance. He held his right arm out to

the side and snapped his fingers. The skinny old man's purse appeared

dangling

by the strap from his right hand.

"You're an adept!" said Wyrdrune.

Makepeace turned around and knitted his brows at him. "I am nor an adept," he

said stiffly. "I'm a fairy."

"You're a what?" said Wyrdrune.

"A fairy, a fairy! What are you, deaf?"

"You mean... you don't like women?" said Kira.

"Not that kind!" said Makepeace. He growled. "God, I hate that! I like women,

all right? I love women! I crave women constantly. I am not gay! I am a

fairy!"

"Whoever heard of a three-hundred-pound fairy?" said Wyrdrune.

"I also like food," said Makepeace, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You want to

make something of it?"

"Noooooo," said Wyrdrune, "I don't think so. I... think... we'd better go."

"Wait a minute," Kira said, "we haven't heard what he's got to tell us."

"Kira, the man says he's a fairy."

"So?"

"A six-foot-six, three-hundred-pound fairy?" Wyrdrune lowered his voice.

"Kira,

the man is a banana."

"What, you can be a warlock and he can't be a fairy?" she said.