“Five paranormals and me,” said Arthur testily. “Why do you lot keep assuming I’m useless?”

Rory grabbed Sebastian’s arm. “It’s all of us versus one helpless idiot lord. Please. Don’t throw yourself at them, all right? Go to Kensington. Take some paintings or something.” He added, pointedly, “Innocent lives, right? What if they started the search for us at his house? Lord Fine doesn’t even know magic exists.”

Sebastian huffed, but that seemed to have done it, because he nodded reluctantly. “All right, I will. I’ll leave two minutes behind the rest of you.”

Arthur tugged Rory’s arm, and he didn’t need more urging. The two of them scrambled after Ellis out the back to meet the others in the alley.

Gwen was already there, next to Zhang’s physical body, who was holding Jade’s hand. “There’s always taxis waiting outside the tube station,” said Ellis, going to her.

“Molly at the pub will let us cut through the kitchen,” said Gwen. “Sebastian’s cousin, Isabel, put up several flyers in the windows. Come on.”

Rory hurried down the narrow alley behind the others. “Of course you got a magically hidden escape tunnel for your magically hidden lair,” he murmured.

“Maybe the kid who brought the tail should keep his trap shut,” Ellis snapped.

Rory gritted his teeth but shut up. They slipped into the back door to the pub’s kitchen. The pretty barmaid was washing dishes. “Oy, you all right, Gwen?” she called, as they filed past her in a line. “Where’s Sebastian?”

“Sorry, Moll, but the less you know the better,” Gwen called back, as she pushed open the kitchen door and deftly avoided a very surprised man with pints in both hands.

Outside Liverpool Street station, several black Beardmore taxis were idling at the curb. Zhang was in front, opening the door for Jade and Gwen.

“I’m not taking more than five,” the driver was protesting, gesturing at their group.

“But we are only five,” said Gwen.

They were obviously six. The driver pinched his face in a frown, but when he looked again, this time his gaze slid right over Ellis without a flicker. “Oh, so you are. Sorry, luv,” he said to Gwen, as they began to cram into the back seat. While climbing in, Arthur accidentally smashed his hand right on Ellis’s face, so Rory was gonna guess Ellis was invisible now.

He turned and looked out the back of the cab as they pulled away from the curb. He thought, for a moment, he might have seen a flash of something—but then it was gone.

About forty-five minutes and a large bill later, they were pulling up to a small marina east of the city. Two large, square buildings sat along the river, closed from the look of things, and three boats were moored along the dock.