"It took a few tries," he says modestly. "Each failure more spectacular than the last. I may have set some kind of record for that, actually. Still, I got there in the end."

The waiter reappears with garlic bread, bisque, and spiced potato. John gives another absentminded Thanks and takes up a fork to gesture with.

"Glad you're here to even the numbers. More necromancers would be nice, but then there's no one to keep us getting mowed down by monsters while we wave around the bones." And: "Try dipping that. Classic combination."