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would drop wherever he happened to be standing. I tapped the side of the dumpster when we reached it. "In you go."
    He scowled at me. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
    "You're afraid of garbage?"
    "I'm not afraid. That doesn't mean I want to sit in it."
    "What does it matter? You already stink."
    He didn't have a choice, anyway. I directed him into the dumpster.
    "I hate you," he said, right before I put him back to sleep.
    Evan in position, I went back to where Dannie was waiting by the door.
    "Knock away."
    Dannie raised her fist and slammed it against the door. A half-elf in a tight green, sequined cocktail dress answered before she could hit the door a second time.
    "Welcome to the Oubliette," she said. She waved us past her, into a small, dark corridor. A poster hung on the left-hand wall, a single six-sided die in the center, the face on the twin line symbol. The words, 'Beat the odds! Play Elements!' dominated the bottom portion.
    "Elements?" Dannie said.
    "It's a new dice game invented by the owner himself," the half explained. "It's getting pretty popular, enough that I heard Mr. D was talking about licensing it. Make sure you play."
    The corridor ended at a single red leather upholstered door. I could hear the muffled sounds from behind it.
    I started towards it, but our hostess slid past me and blocked my path.  
    "Weapons need to stay out here," she said.  
    "Weapons?" Dannie said.
    "Are you trying to lie to an elf?"  
    Dannie smiled and handed over her handbag. "You get a lot of armed guests?"
    I had decided against the guns, opting instead for a single small knife strapped to my calf. She took that, too.
    "Enough. Most people fly in, but a few take the roads. You only need one to ruin a good time. You'll get these back on the way out."
      Dannie looked at me, and I shrugged.  
    I hadn't been planning on a gunfight anyway.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    High-roller.

    The inside of the Oubliette didn't require much description. It was a casino. It was carpeted in a dark maroon, had a mahogany paneled ceiling, and was crowded and loud. I could hear the fake ticking of the digital slots, the ringing of digital bells, and the announcements of lucky winners over hidden loudspeakers. We'd come out onto a raised platform, so I could see most of the floor below.  
    It was easy to pick out the Element tables from here.  
    Not that I could see any of the dice. The tables were packed, the gamblers running two to three deep around them.
    "Look over there," Dannie said, squeezing my shoulder.  
    I followed her subtle point to a table in the back corner. There was an ogre standing there, a massive mound of dark muscle mostly hidden by an oversized tux. He was the only one in the room.
    "Despre?" I asked.
    Dannie nodded. "If he's here, my bet is on that being his bodyguard."
    "Okay. I'll meet you over there."
    The plan for inside the Oubliette was simple: If Despre was in the casino, Dannie would go and chat him up a bit, either to try to get some clues about the real dice, or to distract him from my own sortie. I would wander the tables, watching for a few minutes and trying to get my eyeballs both on the sets of dice in play, and the spares being held by the dealers. I didn't really know what I was expecting to see or feel. My experience with enchanted items was limited. I'd seen a few, touched one, once. I'd never actually used an artifact.
    Dannie split away, descending the steps ahead of me and slowly making her way towards the table where the ogre was towering. She stopped at a couple of the slots on the way there, pulling a pre-paid card from her cleavage and swiping it to make a play or two before moving on. I started going down too, taking a straighter route to the rear.
    I was uncomfortable in the crowd, feeling like the wig and makeup made me stand out. The throng itself was a mixed bag: suits, tuxes, and gowns blended with less formal dress. All the men were wearing jackets. All the women had on skirts and high-heels.