Bart's POV.

I walked slowly up to Nathaniel.

I remembered painfully our last moments together. We had been busy saving London and the world from an army of spirits in human bodies, with Gladstone's legendary - and now demolished - Staff. Nathaniel had let my essence meld with his, by way of magic, and our minds were stuffed into his tiny, thick, extremely arrogant skull.

We had, together, used the staff to destroy the hybrids and save the world.

In the killing of the strongest demon of the army, Nathaniel had dismissed me, claiming my incompetence would surely botch the job. We both knew he was saving my miserable life.

But nobody saved Nathaniel.

So, here he was, apparently held to earth by one Kathleen Jones, and one of the saddest romances I had ever seen.

As I watched, Nathaniel gently pulled Kitty's pencil from her sleeping fingers, and lifted the sketchbook, which he let go of, and it floated in midair.

Nathaniel's ghost touched pencil to paper, and drew a long, sweeping line, which then continued upwards. He formed the rest of Kitty's face in similar perfect lines, and her aura the same.

Her folded hands, on which her chin rested, were shaped from smuged graphite.

The resulting portrait was unearthly in its beauty, and phenominal in its workmanship.

This portrait bore no title, and so Nathaniel slowly signed an N in the bottom right corner.

Then he began to disappear.

I made a decision, and projected my voice onto the seventh plane.

"Nathaniel," I said.

the ghost did not respond.

I called his name again, louder this time.

"Nathaniel!"

He turned with an aching slowness. I knew why. I was not his tie to earth, so he would not respond easily when I called him.

He was facing me now, and I watches his brow furrow in slow motion.

Then, the faintest whisper of a voice:

"Bartimaeus?"

I nodded. "Good to see you again."

He turned to look at Kitty.

"She's sleeping," he said, in that spider-silk voice.

"She's seen your drawings," I said.

"She won't wake up."

"She can't see you, or hear you. She cant see the planes you're visible on. She thinks you're the demon of one of her enemies."

"Kitty." he said.

If he were still alive, I would have rolled my eyes, and said something rude. But ghosts are nothing but tenuously anchored essence, and they tend to...drift. If you get my drift.

"Wake her?" He looked vaguely hopeful.

"She can't see you, Nathaniel."

"Where's the Amulet, Bartimaeus? Have you succeeded in procuring it?"

I bit my lip.

"Yes, I have. All is going well."

"If I find that you have disobeyed me, demon, I will..."

He was silent, and stared for long minutes at someplace over my shoulder.

"Goodbye," he said softly, and began to disappear.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Ghosts couldn't stay in the human world for any great length of time; the Void always, always called them back. Ghosts who did not fulfill their mission would travel back and forth for countless years, until a seer could send them on their way.

I could still see Nathaniel, because on the seventh plane I was just essence. I didn't need to open my eyes to know when he was gone.

I sighed again. Two of the three people I had ever cared for were dead. I wasn't happy about it, but an immense weight was settling in my heart.

So Nathaniel isn't really focusing well right now. Poor Nathaniel, tied to Kitty, and Kitty can't see him...

Or can she?

Read on to find out!

And don't forget to review!