enough to drink, ” she said. “You got any ID?”

“Oh, bloody ‘ell… ” mumbled Billy.

“What, did you forget it again, William?” Makepeace said. He

turned to the waitress. “He looks so young, he’s always getting

carded. Check your pockets.”

“I don’t ‘ave no—”

“Check your pockets.”

Billy stuck his hand into his jacket pocket and, with a look of

surprise, pulled out a wallet.

“There, you see? You’re so damned absentminded…”

Billy showed the waitress his “proof, ” which she checked

dubiously.

“Sebastian… ” she said reprovingly.

Makepeace looked up at her innocently. “Yes, my dear?”

“Now you know I’m not going to fall for this…”

“Just bring a pitcher and two glasses, dear. If the constabulary

raids this place, he’ll push his glass over to me.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Why do I let you talk me into

these things?” she said. She tossed the wallet back down onto the

table and it promptly disappeared.

“I do believe she has your number, Sebastian, ” Merlin said.

“That lovely girl can have anything of mine she wants, ” said

Makepeace with a grin.

“What makes you so certain that it’s Leila?” Wyrdrune asked. “I

thought she was dead.”

“Don’t count your necromancers till they start moldering, ” said

Makepeace. “We lost her in the Paris catacombs, but we have no

certain knowledge that she was killed when the tunnels collapsed.”

“But what makes you so certain that it’s her?”

“Part logic and part fairy intuition, ” Makepeace said.

“Let’s hear the logic part, ” said Wyrdrune wryly.

“The Dark Ones know about you, ” Makepeace said, “because