“Of course strange things can happen to people who've crossed over,” Sassy's voice was saying. “They don't always see straight.”

Malachi growled something.

Lila frowned and crossed her booted feet on the table, looking at the cards in her hand. “Stop trying to cheat, Sass. I count cards you know, and you ain't got no fours.”

Sassy stuck her tongue out. “Where's that angel got to?”

“Here,” said Teazle's voice from the kitchen. He emerged, looking very much like his old self, Zal trailing him carrying both their drinks and saying, “Yes I did go back for her, what, you think I was gonna forget and leave her on that island for the rest of her life?”

“The dragon should have gone.”

“Yeah, he should have, but librarians weren't his thing, apparently.”

“It's your go,” Lila told Teazle.

They sat down with the rest of the group. Teazle pulled his hand of cards out of his sleeve and looked at the betting. “I'm out.”

“Me too.” Max threw her hand down carelessly and picked up her beer before getting up to go outside onto the decking. It was early evening and the temperature was blissfully cool. Cicadas burred. Below them and across the lake the glittering lights of Bay City were bright and the moon was full and low over the sea.

In the middle of the table, amid scattered plastic chips and inside a pool of spilled whiskey, a grass doll held court, its own tiny set of cards in hand. “Myeh,” it said. “I see your pathetic four and raise you ten. Eat that, shortcakes.”

Zal pushed all his remaining chips forward. “I'll see those cards.”

“Me too,” Sassy said, pushing her stake in.

“Out,” Malachi muttered, tossing his cards onto his chair as he got up. He smoothed his sleek fur and became cat to curl by the log fire.

“Hey, Lila,” called Max from the deck. “He's here.”

Lila got up, flipping her cards together, and putting them face down on the table. She pushed her stack of chips forward to the grass doll. “Seeya,” she said, and went to answer the door just as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs leading up from the drive. As she passed Teazle he got up too, a man getting off his chair and a wolf as he started walking beside her, one step behind. She put her hand on his head. “It's all right.”

He still followed her as she picked up an oblong parcel from the kitchen counter and then went to open the door before the knock. She found herself facing Sarasilien in the porch light, the moon behind him like an onlooker. Moths circled above him and then, casting dust, blundered off into the darkness. For a moment they just looked at each other.

“I said she didn' wanna see ya,” said a voice from behind Sarasilien's back, and there was Mr. V in his socks, sitting on the porch rail.

Lila smiled and stepped back, holding the door open, “Come in.” She left it open and padded back into the candle and firelight of the house's big interior in her bare feet. Teazle's claws tacked on the wooden floor as he followed them all, circling around. He sat down pointedly in the middle of the rug.

At the table the grass doll began laying out its cards.

Sarasilien and Zal shared a look, of recognition and wariness. Lila held the gift-wrapped object out to Sarasilien. “For you.”

Mr. V slipped past them and took a beer off the side table on his way to the fireside. Their only recliner was free, and he climbed up into this and sat there, producing a pipe from somewhere and beginning to fuss with all its tools and accessories.

Sarasilien took the present and looked at it awkwardly. It was clear that after the invitation he'd expected to find Lila alone, but since everyone carried on regardless of him and Lila was watching him expectantly, he eventually pulled off the blue ribbons and carefully undid the seals on the glittery paper. He stared at his present for a few minutes, holding the cheap frame with his fingertips and then looked at Lila over the top of it with a puzzled frown and the smile of someone who detects a joke but isn't sure where it's being played.

“It is a picture of dogs, in a bar, playing snooker.”

Lila nodded and her smile at him was shy. “Nobody in this family ever had any taste. I thought you'd be needing it.”

His expression became unreadable and he was about to speak, but she waved him off with a sniff and then beckoned him to the table. “Look, card game's finished. Let's see who won.”

“…the Knight of Barbarians and the King of Diamonds!” the grass doll said triumphantly. “I think that concludes the—”

“You haven't seen Lila's cards,” Zal said, putting his hand out and slapping the table just as the doll reached towards the large pile of chips.

“Right…” Sassy said, leaning across to turn Lila's cards face up. “And look. Six of Furies, Three of Elves, Nine of Dragons, Nine of Fools, Ace of Conundrums, Prince of Dark Gods, Ace of Blind Walkers, Ace of Ruins, Ace of Spades. Charmed Flush. She wins.”

The doll stamped a fraying foot. “Hell's teeth have no fury like a damn bad hand!”

“Pay up,” Lila said. “You promised one question, one answer.”

“Yeah, yeah,” it flung itself down in its whiskey slick. “Shoot.”

“Who are you?” Lila asked before anyone else could speak, although they'd been thinking of questions every night for months just in case they ever got to win.

Suddenly every eye in the room, even Mr. V's, was focused on the table.

The doll lay back with its head on its arms and wiggled its feet as if swimming in a luxury pool. “Heh, always the easy ones,” it said, and cleared its throat. It raised one arm and made a few conductorly sweeps of its malformed hand. In a rich and husky voice that made the whiskey shimmer it began to sing.

“There may be trouble ahead…”

Then without pause, the white wolf opened his mouth and sang, “But while there's moonlight…”

“…and music…” Zal added, looking startled.

“…and love…” Lila sang, equally surprised.

“…and romance…” Malachi purred, batting at his own mouth with his paw.

“Let's face the music and dance!” sang the doll in its stolen voice, leaping up and bowing deeply around to everyone. It laughed. “I da Hoodoo. Hoo you? Hm? Hoo you? One answer, one question. Debts paid and rest laid. Adios, Maestros!” It leapt up and fell apart into shreds and pieces of old, drying grass.

“Nat King Cole,” Lila said, sharing a look with Zal, who returned her gaze with affection and remembering.

“Dar loved Nat King Cole,” he said.

“Who doesn't?” Malachi sighed.

Sassy was looking at the grass pile. She poked it with her fingertip. “Never saw it do that before. Usually you have to pull its head off.”

A rich smell of pipe tobacco furled across the room just as a car pulled into the driveway.

“Not too late am I?” called a loud, male voice as feet came stamping up the outside stairs. There was a chink of bottles as a case of beer was put down, and then they saw Temple Greer come in, accompanied by the nearly silent grey form of Bentley.

“Never too late,” Zal said, and hooked Teazle's chair by the leg to offer him a place at the table. “I'll deal. Poker your game?”

“It is now.” Greer sat down and took an inventory of all the faces around him. “You wouldn't know anything about these vigilante reports happening all around town now would you?”

Lila shrugged. “No.”

He peered at Sarasilien, but the elf just raised his eyebrows and showed Greer his picture.

Greer winced. “What the hell is that? Dogs?”

“Playing snooker,” Sarasilien said. “In a bar.”

“What'll they think of next?” Greer looked at the grass, the chips, the drink. “Come on then, let's see what you're made of. Who's in?”

In the end only Mr. V did not play. He said that cards wasn't his thing.

Later there was music, and food cooked by Max, and the moon fled across the sky and slipped behind the sultry veils of clouds at the horizon. Zal and Lila found themselves overlooking the city and the stars, Teazle at Lila's other side in his most human form, his tail almost hidden in his robe.

“Three never works out,” Teazle said conversationally.

“Three's the heaven number,” Zal replied.

“Three's the charm,” Lila said. “Let's get married again. Only this time, we stay here. I mean, it's not like we're ever in at the same time anyway. Zal has his music. You've got…what you do. And I…”

They both turned to her and asked at the same time, “Yes, Lila, what is it that you do?”

“Me?” she shrugged and made an innocent face. “I mess around with bikes.” She pointed down to the driveway where, next to the inert forms of the taxis parked there for various return journeys, sat the unearthly form of a genuine original parts-made V-Rex.

“Just one seat,” Teazle said, admiring the machine.

“Yep.” Lila held up her hand and the keys jingled on her finger. “One seat, one key, one ring, one ride.” With a smooth motion, she put her hand to the porch rail and hopped over, landing silently on the drive some thirty feet below where she turned and hollered up to them, “But I'll let ya ride it if you're sweet to me!”

They saw her spring, light as a feather, into the saddle. She turned the key, and the thing growled into life with a deep bass tremor that made the porch support vibrate.

“She looks like a faery on that thing,” Teazle said, referring to the fact she was wearing only a short sundress. Her bare legs and arms were pale in the porch light. She flicked her wrist and the monster roared.

“You'd better thrash it before I crash it!” Zal yelled down to her.

“See you in the morning!” she called back and blew them kisses with both her hands. “Byeee!” and all the way down the mountainside, through the woods, and into the city they heard her roar.