“Stay right where you are, partner,” said a high ragged whisper of a voice. “Don’t do nothing that would make me have to transform you into a corpse.”

I felt the pointy end of another knife sticking into my back.

Well, that was the end of my good-luck streak. I figured it was the shortest durn good-luck streak in the all-time history of luck.

“Don’t you move now,” the voice said. I could feel the knives slide off my throat and away from my back. “Don’t you even think about running. Just hold your hands behind you and I’ll tie ’em up real quick-like. But if you try and run, you’re a goner.”

I reached my arms behind my back, just like the man said to. I felt cold ropes wrap around my wrists too tight, the brittle cut of them on my skin. Yep, my good-luck streak had ended, so far as I was concerned.

“Now stand up and face me, little blood,” said the man. “Let me look you in the eyes.”

I did as I was told. It was the boy from the Skinny Yellow Dog, the magician kid with the top hat. Except that under the muddy moon and stars I could see his face was covered in white makeup, like he was some kind of actor, and underneath was all wrinkles and leathery skin. His teeth clacked in his mouth and I realized he had dentures in. His eyes were bloodshot. The suit looked ragged and old, like he’d worn it for twenty years straight. That yellow tuft of hair hung crooked under his hat. It was a wig, I realized.

This kid wasn’t a kid at all. He was just an old man pretending, a short stooped old faker magician with two knives drawn and pointed at me.

“Anybody chasing after Boss Authority’s got to be worth some money to him, I suppose,” said the magician. “You got to be worth at least a pouch of gold, or a stake at the table.”

“I don’t see that I’m worth squat to him,” I said, “seeing as how he don’t even know that I exist. I couldn’t care less about Boss Authority. I just want my daddy back.”

The magician chuckled to himself, dentures going clackety clack clack. “If your daddy’s who you said he is, then sure enough Boss Authority will want you. He’ll take a special interest in you, that I guarantee.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said.

“How much do you actually know about your daddy? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble he’s in?”

I didn’t say a word, because I’ll be honest, I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know why Boss Authority was after Pop. I didn’t know a durn thing at all. I felt all dizzy and nearly puked right then on the magician’s shoes.

“But I been hexed,” I said. “And spider-folk bit too.”

“Likely enough that is,” said the magician. “That ain’t any of my problem. Now hop in that skiff and let’s set off now. No good keeping Boss Authority waiting, and we got us one long journey to go.”