contract on a necromancer.”

Wyrdrune stared at him, astonished. “What?”

“That call came from Tokyo, ” said Modred. “There’s a serial

killer on the loose in the Ginza district. Both the police and the

Bureau seem to be at a total loss. The victims are all young

prostitutes. And the bodies show signs of having been savaged by

some sort of magical creature.”

“Jesus Christ, ” said Wyrdrune softly. “Leila?”

“Yes, Leila! We’ve found her! She’s in Japan!”

“Wait a minute, ” Wyrdrune said. “Who’s paying for this

contract?”

Modred smiled. “The client is Don Teruyuki Kobayashi, the

godfather of the Yakuza.”

“The Yakuza?” said Wyrdrune. “The Japanese Mafia? How the

hell do they fit into it?”

“The Ginza is Kobayashi’s district, ” Modred explained. “It’s

Tokyo’s combat zone. And a serial killer, especially a necromancer,

could be very bad for business. Kobayashi is concerned about loss of

revenue from his gambling and prostitution operations. He doesn’t

want his customers scared off by a psychotic on the loose. So he’s

hiring me to find the killer and remove him. Or, in this case, her.”

“I don’t understand, ” said Merlin. “Why must we become

involved with gangsters? There was no need for you to accept that

contract. You certainly don’t need the money. Now that we know

where she is, why couldn’t you simply turn them down?”

“Logistics, Ambrosius, ” said Modred. “I am not without

connections in Japan, but we’ll be going into an area controlled by

organized crime. By accepting Kobayashi’s contract, I’ve just

enlisted the support of the Yakuza.”

“I can see your reasoning, ” said Merlin sourly, “but I don’t like it.

We should not be involved with such people. It will invite trouble

with both the police and the Bureau.”

“In case it’s slipped your mind, Ambrosius, ” Modred said wryly,

“I am already in trouble with both the police and Bureau. I’m still a