The rush of memories pushed me forward again, drawing me on past the details of meals eaten and miles walked to the important things I had to know, in a painful blur. A harsh voice echoed in the distant recesses of my mind, and its cruel push drove me mercilessly onward. "Remember," it said, and I did...

"Are you the girl I've heard people buzzing about?" The man was old, maybe sixty or seventy. His hair was white, and his shoulders stooped slightly, but there was strength in his eyes.

He hadn't asked me any questions when he first answered the door. I'd handed over the traveler's slip of paper, and he'd welcomed me in. It wasn't until I was seated on a worn brown couch surrounded by stacks of books that he asked the question.

I stuttered; nervous he might throw me out if he knew who I really was. "W-what if I am?"

"I would tell you I'm curious. There are wild stories circulating about the magic you possess. Is all of it true?" He peered at me; those brown eyes full of curiosity.

"I can raise the dead." It was the first time I'd told a stranger, and it felt wrong. Was I making a huge mistake coming here? You have no other choice, I reminded myself.

His eyes widened at my words.

"I can cross over spirits who are stuck in between—spirits who don't want to go."

He moved a pile of books off the couch and sat down next to me. "Ahh, now that is a skill, I would truly give anything for. So much of our magic has no value, but crossing over stuck spirits—"

"I need your help."

His expression changed to annoyance. "I gathered as much. Why else would you be here bothering me?"

My stomach twisted with anxiety. What if he refused me? There was nowhere else for me to go. He was the only one who could help me. "I need you to teach me some magic."

He looked suddenly cautious. "What kind of magic does the raiser of demons and zombies need from the likes of me?"

"I need to bring a spirit back," I answered.

"Back?" He looked confused. "From heaven? From hell? Such a thing might be possible. I've heard rumors and whispers, but it's blasphemy—"

"No, I want to bring a spirit that is in between into another living body." My words rushed out. "I've been told it works if the body is no longer occupied—like someone in a coma, or someone who's not in their right mind."

His eyes narrowed. "How much are you willing to pay for such training?"

I had given half my money to the traveler. I held out a small bag. "I have some money."

"You want me to teach you forbidden magic and you have 'some' money?" He got up from the couch and looked down at me, dismissive impatience in his eyes and body language. "The risk is too great." He started to walk away.

"But you said my magic has value."

He stopped and turned back. "I did. Yes, I did. Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement. But I've heard stories. Aren't there people after you?"

"There are." I knew that there was no hope of hiding it. I was being hunted, and I wasn't sure what would happen if the Phoenix Guild caught up to me. But I was sure that those caught helping me would be in their own mess of trouble. Could I convince the old man it was worth it? A flush of panic ran through me, but I tried to keep my feelings from showing.

He leaned in and peered into my face. "So, you are a fugitive."

"Some members of the Phoenix Guild are unhappy with me," I admitted, red-faced.

He snorted. "Some money, some members... Do you realize how powerful the Phoenix Guild is?"

I had to show him I was strong. That I was set on this course and would do whatever I had to see it through. I tried to sound confident. "I can deal with Luke's family if they ever catch up with me. I'm sure I can come to an arrangement—if Luke is here with me when they come."

He shook his head and gave a small smile. "I have some business up north. We could travel together. I think I can find a way to use your skills. But the type of training you're talking about will not be easy. I'm a death dealer, but I no longer belong to any guild. Guild rules don't interest me anymore. I've been on my own for twenty years, and I like it that way. I like answering to no one." He squinted at me. "If they find me harboring you, I can protect myself, but I won't be able to protect you. I've been free of their politics for years. But you, if they catch you, you know what can happen."

"They could imprison me." I knew it was more likely that Darla would make good on her threat and have me killed.

He walked to stand in front of me. After a moment of scrutiny, he reached out his hand. I put the bag containing all my remaining money into it.

He looked at the pouch and bounced it up and down in his palm. His eyes twinkled with delight. "You've been through the three rituals?"

"I have."

My answer seemed to please him. "How much training have you had?"

"Very little," I admitted.

That brought a frown to his face. "I'm planning on leaving tomorrow." He tucked the bag into his waistband. "Are you ready to travel?"

"I'm ready." And I was. I'd survived so much, but there were many obstacles ahead of me. I stood up and took a deep breath. I had to be ready for whatever challenges lay ahead. I had to stay focused and do whatever was asked of me. The only thing that mattered now was bringing Luke back. Every terrible action that led to Luke's death had happened because of me—I'd brought back the dead and raised a demon, and death dealers were paying for my foolish actions.

I could fix all of this. First, I would bring Luke back. I wanted and needed him by my side; he was the one person I could trust and count on. And, by bringing him back, maybe I could find a bit of redemption for the things I'd done.

* * *

The old mage's name was Walter. He'd promised to take me with him and teach me magic, but so far, he had only come through on part of his promise. We'd traveled north, making various stops, and once we settled into a place it took less than a week for him to find a use for my skills. I could cross over stuck spirits, the ones that couldn't see the light or didn't want to move on, which meant I was the perfect tool for getting rid of pesky ghosts.

The town where we'd landed was filled with old neighborhoods and creepy old houses that seemed chock-full of spirits. The spirits here were different. They all seemed stuck in between. The place trapped its honored dead without any rhyme or reason. A town literally crawling with ghosts. Walter said the reason so many spirits weren't able to move on here had something to do with an electromagnetic anomaly. He went into great detail about how the town was built on granite, and a natural spring running below caused the trouble. Whatever hid below the shady streets, it was a combination that drew spiritual powers like a magnet and didn't let them go. A situation that made the spirits trapped here especially strong and angry.

The mage made it clear he expected me to sing for my supper, so I went along with his plans, hoping he would start to teach me the magic I needed to bring Luke back.

I'd suddenly been thrust into a career as a ghostbuster.

My first month of ghostbusting had its challenges. No one could guide me in this crossing-over magic. Walter had been excited about what I could do, and he spent much of his time poring over books, trying to figure out how I did it. He knew I would only stay long enough to get what I wanted, and I suspected he hoped to stumble onto the secret of the magic so he could do it himself. Ghostbusting was apparently a lucrative business.

Hardly any of the spirits I'd dealt with had been pleasant. The spirits who could go to the light did so on their own. The ones lingering behind, caught in between, were sometimes hesitant about moving from our plane of existence into the next. Some needed a bit of coaxing. Others, the ones destined for the darker places, fought the hardest to stay.

To get the evil ones off the human plane of existence, I had no choice but to rip open the very fabric of the veil between this world and the next. Through trial and error, I'd figured out how to open a portal to the other side and how to control the spirits and force them over. I couldn't even look through to see what was on the other side of that portal. I had a sense that if I ever looked, I'd be sucked in myself. It seemed to me at times that something was on the other side, waiting for me. Every so often, from within the tear, I would hear voices calling my name.

Those first dozen attempts had not always ended in success, but now, after doing it for a while, I could dispel the spirits and make the customers happy—at least, most of the time. It sometimes took more than one try for me to get the spirit across, even if the spirit was willing. With an angry, violent ghost, it usually took several tries, each one a battle of wills that left me with soul-deep exhaustion. Once I had given up entirely, advising the family to move out and cut their losses.

They had understandably refused to pay.

Otherwise, we had mostly happy customers, which made a happy old mage. But now, a month after we'd started this weird partnership, my patience with Walter was running out. He swore he was spending hours studying old magic books looking for a spell that would help transfer Luke's spirit into a living, breathing body. It had been done before, he told me, just not by him.

On this particular night, I was standing alone in a former haunted house, having just forced the reluctant spirit through the veil I'd created. I stumbled, exhausted, toward a chair when the front door burst open.

Walter's eyes were twinkling with excitement. "Colina, there you are." He stopped a few inches from me and looked around the room. "Did you cleanse the house?"

"I did," I answered, trying to keep the exhaustion from my voice.

He rubbed his hands together. "Good. Good. Since this was a particularly nasty spook, they're paying double the normal asking rate." He gave me a long look. "Did you have any trouble crossing the spirit over?"

I didn't have the patience or strength to give him a play-by-play. "It all worked out. The spirit is gone." I leaned back against the cushions. "Where to next?"

He usually had another appointment set up before I had even finished the last.

"We're leaving town," he said, trying his best to look nonchalant and failing miserably.

What was going on? We'd only been here a few days. He usually tried to milk as much work out of me as possible before we headed to a new town.

"I have some news," he said, a sly smile on his face.

I waited for him to continue. When he didn't, I prompted, "Another job?"

"No, no," he said as he paced back and forth. "As you know, I've been looking for a spell that would transfer Luke's spirit into a body."

I sat up. He had my full attention.

Without looking at me, he continued. "I think I've found it. I actually found it a few days ago, but I didn't want to get your hopes up." When I started to talk, he raised a hand and stopped me. "It's not just the spell you need but a body to use. It can't be just anybody. It has to be a death dealer. Someone who has already started the training." He stopped and gave me a hard stare. "I was hoping for someone who finished the full initiation—someone who was skilled in the Death Arts—but I fear our time might be running out."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't felt the connection between you and Luke fade a bit?"

I shook my head. "He's still here with me. I would know if he crossed over." How long did I have before the ties that bound me to Luke faded? If he drifted away from me, he might cross over, or worse, lose himself in the ether sea. He would become an angry and lost spirit, just like the ghosts I crossed over. Just like my mother. Ripe for a mage to corral and enslave into his or her service as a banshee. The thought of Luke being turned into some death dealer's puppet sent panic racing through me, and I felt my frustration with Walter hit a breaking point.

"He is still with me, and as long as you come through with what you've promised, he'll stay with me." I did everything Walter wanted, but was he just leading me on? Was he even looking for a spell to transfer Luke's spirit? Gone was the panic, and in its place, I felt only anger. I had to take several deep breaths to control the rage that threatened to overwhelm me. Blue flame flickered between my fingers, magic flaring up despite my efforts to control it. I looked at the flames, forcing them back, and then looked meaningfully at Walter.

He watched me warily and blurted, "Calm yourself. As I said, I think I've finally found a solution to your problem." He rubbed his hands together again. "Though I will admit, I'll miss this partnership we've formed."

Partnership? So far, I'm the only one doing anything.

"I found a possible body," he said.

His words got me to my feet. "Someone we can transfer Luke into?"

He nodded. "If all goes well. If the spell I found works. But...there's a problem."

I felt a sudden, all-encompassing desire to strangle the old man.

As though reading my thoughts, Walter gave me a knowing smile. "You young people are so impatient. The boy I've found is in a place that's not so easy to access, and it could be dangerous. The Phoenix Guild may have an informant there—someone who would pass on your location to their people."

"I don't care how dangerous it is. If there's a chance, I'm willing to risk it," I answered.

"The boy's consciousness was lost. He's a blank slate. An empty vessel." Walter reached into his pocket and pulled out a large gray coin. He held it in the palm of his hand. "With this medallion and the spell, I think it may work. But I can't make any promises. This spell is not one that I've used before. It was hard to find. Something forbidden."

"Where's the body?" I asked, staring at the medallion in his hand.

He flipped the coin in the air and caught it between his fingers. "A rehab center for those that can't control their powers. A hospital where they send mage born who are a hazard. And I'm afraid the only way to get in is to be sent there by your guild."

***