Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, and I do not receive any money from it.

Chapter One

"There are things on heaven and earth—agh, a ghost!"

—Hamlet's son.

Yes, become one with the energy of the universe, become . . . ah, who was I kidding? All I was doing was practicing that old feather trick. It seemed to me (and I was the one who mattered) that to progress further in my magic training, I should go back. I could practically see Garkin's face, complete with salt and pepper beard staring at me, calling me lemon head.

The feather shot across the room. It was too easy, and I was . . . bored! Yep, you got it, bored out of my head. The whole M.Y.T.H incorporated (trademarked, so don't even think about stealing it) was out fighting a dragon or some crud like that. So, why was I, the former boss and now just an employee (of my own company I created), sitting here playing with feathers?

Because I was too kind. Aahz had said very clearly that the gold that could be earned here was really on the down low, and the people were seedier than he was. If I were there, I'd bleat out some stupid nonsense, and we wouldn't get paid. I swear, even though I am now twenty-six, he acted like I was that dumb kid he had met, the one who couldn't control a feather.

In a bit of anger, I turned the feather into a fiery missile, shooting it to the moon—the ceiling.

"It's nice to know that my teaching wasn't wasted on you," a voice intoned, hollow and low moaning. I didn't know where the voice was, and I, at this point, didn't care. It was something bad. Forget that all my friends were gone right now, and forget that I had set half a dozen wards around this place of business to warn me of any unwanted visitors who weren't extremely powerful magicians (in that case they could have just bypassed those). Its voice was hollow, for crying out loud. It had to be a ghost!

The scariest thing was that it sounded like my old master—I mean, mentor. Garkin? I looked up from the rug I had been lying on, next to a big tub of something that was very cold, but not the same stuff Gus used in his restaurant.

Yep, there he was. Garkin, in the flesh. Oops, I spoke too soon. He was the ghost. Silvery and blue, see-through and floating, but he still looked like Garkin, with that final arrow still sticking in his invisible chest. "A . . . ah . . . hello, Garkin, care for some ice cream?"

Yeah, I was calm, finally! When Aahz had appeared, I had wanted to scream, but now I was calm. It must have been all those years of dodging disaster.

"Uh, turnip head, could you repeat that? I only heard screaming."

Darn. So much for calm.

"What are you?"

"I am now not a part of this life, as you well know, but I have come to the realization that I can not continue on until I have rectified certain actions that I have committed when my life inhabited the physical manifestation of my life."

"Huh?"

"You were never the smartest apprentice," Garkin scowled, showing that even in this weird state he was still Garkin. "In your kind of terms, I died with a stupid practical joke on my record, one that ruined my friend's life. See, Skeeve, I made a big mistake when I wanted to show off to my idiot apprentice who wanted to steal more than see the wonders of the dimensions. That was mistake one. I should have let you choose, one way or another, but I didn't. Mistake two was that I decided to get even for Aahz making me wear women's clothes to be a demon in some backwater dimension made up of only simple mermaids. I wanted the ultimate end, to stop all of it, and I ended up stealing his powers for at least three hundred years. When I died, I was the only one who knew the antidote, and when I woke up in the underworld of all dimensions—I think it was called Endallbeall—the Judge told me I sucked. It wasn't just a simple transgression but a manipulation of how things were supposed to go. I was indeed supposed to die from an assassin's bolt, but Aahz was supposed to feel sorry for you and still take you on as an apprentice, with his full might, and awaken your destiny."

I pondered this for an instant, then thought of something. "Can I ask a question?"

"What's your destiny?"

"No, how do you control that fire ring of yours. Even Massha can't figure it out."

I would have had to dodge a blow if it weren't for the fact the man trying to hit me was insatiable. As it was his cold fist passed through. "You're an idiot, Skeeve. Besides, I wanted that buried with me."

"You can't take it with you," I retorted. "If things had gone another way, stupid Imp assassins would have had it. Just tell me."

"Fine. Still thinking like a thief even after all these years. The fire ring only works if you think it doesn't."

"Well, that makes a sort of sense. Say, why did it take so long for you to come back? I mean, are you aware of how much has happened since you died?"

"I was waiting for a quiet moment, and your life is far from it. I've been watching, Skeeve, and I have to say . . . I'm quite proud of you. You've surpassed anything I could have imagined. When you broke into my hut so long ago, all to check out the brazier I used for my spells, I was sure you'd just be a thief, but to see your care and concern, to see your love for your friends, and your battle with that demon of liquor, well . . . I was wrong."

A warm bubble was happening in my heart. I hadn't realized how much my old mentor's praise would touch me. I had to admit that ever since I had run away from home Garkin had been that father figure for me—one that was an abusive one, maybe, but he still showed his care for me, and that was better than the neglect I had received from my real father, much better. "Gee, thanks, Garkin."

"Don't get me wrong, there is so much you still need to learn. I mean, when I was your age, I had already turned myself into a toad—won myself the heart of a princess, but still."

"I know I need to train, but I haven't progressed as much as I thought."

"Don't worry, Skeeve. Your quest to get Aahz's antidote will help in that area."

I suddenly jumped. I am pretty slow, but I had remembered in his long spiel, he had said something about that. "Do you mean you could cure what you did? That Aahz would be able to do what he could before?"

"Well, yeah. What do you think I'm here for? You have gone too far off track, acting like since you're a part of M.Y.T.H inc. you can just wait for assignments, and forget learning. Don't you know: you can only relax when you're dead, and sometimes not even then?"

"A cure? For Aahz?"

"Yes, I believe I said that twice at least. Now, shut up and listen." Before he could say anything, though, I raised my hand. My wards were being walked through: I recognized them, though. The job must have been finished satisfactorily, judging by the lightness of Aahz's footsteps. If it hadn't he'd be stomping through the floor.

"Your old friend is coming," I said to Garkin. "Want to say hello?"

"I would if I could, but I was allowed only one person to help me that lives. No one else can see me except you, and really you can't tell anyone about it either. The underworld doesn't like the idea of being known about. Secrets are kept in the government even in the afterlife. If you tell anyone, not only will I cease to exist completely, one of your friends will mysteriously die. So, you have to go alone, and you'll have to go soon. I'm sorry. Just . . . walk outside, through the market, and there will be a hole that will appear. Jump in—don't worry about the white rabbit—and it will take you to the next step."

"Sure thing, Garkin, anything. I—"

"Kid, have you finally lost what passes for your mind?"

Aahz was inside. Great, I had been talking to Garkin, so I hadn't realized he was there. Now, he thought I was crazy—check that, he always thought I was crazy, but now he had real proof. "Gee, Aahz, I was just . . . reminiscing."

He gave me a suspicious gold eye. Over the years, he had started to realize when I lied to him—he would say it was when my lips were moving, but I resent that. "What's up?"

"Nothing! How'd the job go?"

"Paid me three times, once to stop me from blabbing about their deeds to the authorities. I wonder how much the authorities will give me for telling on them."

My conscience would have gotten annoyed by that, if it weren't for Garkin's dead form yelling at me to get going. "Good job, Aahz." I stretched with fakeness. "Man, I need to get out. All I've been doing is eating that new ice cream from Bin and Jeery's, and I need some exercise, you know? So long guys," I added, nodding to Massha who had just entered, and Tanda and Bunny who had been already there. Then I walked, and when out of sight ran. I wasn't sure Aahz bought anything I said. And if I could hear his discussion with my friends, I would know he hadn't. Maybe I should have just sucker punched him, like he had once me.