This is all part of the path, he told himself. In his cabin, he undid the buckles securing the ghost bag, whispering a spell under his breath to calm the inhabitants as he did so. They were little ghosts, and almost mindless, but he didn’t want them to be someone’s souvenir. Or worse, some magic casters used such spirits to fuel spells. The power in these three was not tremendous when taken separately, but together they represented a substantial amount of magic potential.

He lifted the flap. A glow nosed at the lip of the bag as the first ghost explored it. They were shy, and they had been living in the bag, getting used to its confines for several days now, so they were reluctant to venture out into the cabin’s larger dimensions.

Lassite whispered reassurance. The glow brightened, and the ghost poked its long, sinuous head out, testing the air. Another joined it at the opening, and the two heads bumped into each other, as though conferring. Their blue light played over the dark interior of the cabin.

Lassite let them be and began another spell, a small one to tether the ghosts to the ship, to keep them from venturing out into the coldness of space and getting left behind there in the ship’s wake.

It was silly to care for ghosts, but he had always been fond of them. They were not people so much as a collection of drives and desires and ingrained emotions. Once you understood that, you could deal with them and, as Lassite and others had done, even make pets of them. Of sorts.

That was the real reason he had never revealed that he could remove the ghosts. He would have had to do something with them, find them a new home, and they were harmless, after all, even if Derloen ghosts tended to be more substantial and flamboyant than most. They couldn’t help it.

He’d been pleased to see what the others had come up with in decor that complemented the presence of the ghosts. It had been mentioned favorably in almost every review of the restaurant, and that meant it was a strength, something that confirmed he’d made the right decision, made another right step along the spiral.

Another spell dimmed the ghost glow, making them less noticeable. There would be at least one or two magic users among the pirates, and they had no need to find his pets and use them.

He projected instructions at the ghosts. Thoughts of wall crevices and ventilation shafts, of unseen spaces in the ship, the nooks and crannies that the biomachines used to travel back and forth, too small and narrow for most passengers.