I was trying to enjoy another cup of lichen tea when I was approached by Russel who was holding a sky blue book that he set on the table between us.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"The undead you saw in the attic," Russel started to explain as he opened the book to a random page.

The hand drawn depiction of a shambling skeleton was not even close to the creature I had seen.

"I'm confused. What exactly do you want?"

"Help me identify it," he clarified at last.

I set my cup down and flipped the pages to the table of contents. I knew practically nothing about Necromancy but hopefully this thing had clear labels.

"I think we can eliminate spirits, specters, and ghosts," I commented as I skimmed through the titles of the sections. "It had a body but elongated features and could fly."

"That sounds like it might fall under Spirit Puppets."

I flipped to that section, judging by the page numbers it was the smallest section accounting for only about a tenth of the book despite there only being six sections.

"Too many limbs," I commented on the page of a humanoid spider thing. "I didn't see any hair and it was wrapped in some kind of tattered black cloth." Which ruled out the naked bear thing that stood on its hind legs in the next picture.

A glance up to Russel told me he was at least paying attention to my commentary. At least until his eyes froze on something behind me.

I turned around at the sound of footsteps.

Her hood was still obscuring her face as she approached slowly. She was almost tentative in her movements. Why was she shy now?

She tugged on her hood and tilted her head down even more.

Russel and I watched her as she moved to stand right next to me.

Despite being see through her presence felt so much more real than the other Echoes.

Her hands were covered completely by black gloves as she reached forward. Without a word or acknowledgement she grabbed a large section of pages from the book open on the table and moved them over. Then flipped through a few more pages slowly, one at a time. She stopped and then tapped the page twice before she vanished.

As if she was never there at all.

I breathed and shrugged at Russel who looked apprehensive.

Then I noticed the image on the page Red had been so kind to find for us.

"This is what I saw," I said as I tapped the picture. Tattered clothes, similar proportions. The floating. All it was missing were the scars.

"What was a wraith doing in the attic of Dragon Tower?" Russel asked.

I couldn't answer him. Instead I read the passage about them.

Wraiths are made from the body and soul of a deceased person fused together at the moment of death. Despite the soul being present all sense of self is lost at the moment of fusion, allowing wraiths to be one of the easiest undead to control if one has knowledge of the correct spells. Wraiths are favored by many of those practicing the more dangerous necromantic spells for this reason. Jantres the Feared was often seen using them as the bulk of his forces.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The mention of Jantres was something I hadn't expected.

"That's horrifying," I commented when I was done.

"At least we know what it was doing there. It was probably one of Jantres'."

The way it seemed to reach for me was still unsettling. Regardless of what its origins might be.

(*********)

It had been a while since I had been to the library. In my defense it had nothing on the topics I actually cared about.

But perhaps it might have something to help me shed some light on what was 'amiss' with Red.

Hopefully what happened with the rune in Dragon Tower meant that other runes might work.

I found a table in a more secluded corner and reached out towards the center where the rune was etched in. I tapped it three times just like I had seen Fethris and the others do when we used to hang out in here.

A flash of pink and a little creature with four wings, feet with three long toes, and tiny spindly limbs floated in the air waiting to assist me.

I was a little disappointed it was a pixie instead of a dragon but it was better than not working at all.

"I'm looking for books that detail the enchantments on Dragon Tower and how they work." Hopefully that was specific enough to get what I wanted.

The pixie floated off.

I closed my eyes as my body tensed with a spike of cramps.

Burning heat from my wrist was not helping.

I don't know how long I sat there trying to just weather the pain until it subsided enough that I could breathe. But the pixie hadn't returned so it couldn't have been long.

Perhaps I was pushing this too hard too quickly.

I rubbed my thumb over the mark without taking off my gloves

"I'll ask once what you're up to."

Why are all the gods terrible?

"Representative Horus," I greeted while hiding my hands under the table in my lap. "Is that meant to be a statement or a question?"

"What are you up to Representative Stewart?"

Oh look who remembered his manners. "Nothing spectacular. Just a bit of independent study."

Even if he wasn't the third most annoying person on the council I wasn't going to tell him about Red or any of the quirks of Dragon Tower.

"Then why are your eyes glowing?" He demanded as he sat across from me.

Whatever the worst prison this continent has, I hope Merripen's in its worst cell.

I let out a very long sigh, "None of your concern Horus."

"If your capacity for mischief is even half that of the other members of your Tower I would say it is in fact my business."

I clenched my fists as the curse started to heat up and burn with pain.

I needed to calm down.

"I won't argue that they can be a handful. But they are my towermates. And I would appreciate you not insulting them. Furthermore, don't assume that you know anything about me," I was out of patience for this day.

His silence as he continued to sit in front of me was just as judgmental as his flat stare.

Rude.

"If that's how you want to be, I'll just have to keep an eye on you until whatever this plan of yours is makes itself clearer."

Horus was very lucky I couldn't cast spells.

Even without the searing pain on my wrist I knew that trying right now was a bad idea.

I kept my left hand under the table even as the pixie came back with a slim dark brown volume.

There was the sound of sparking electricity that sounded like thunder in my ears.

The pixie vanished and I hoped I was just seeing things when I noticed a hint of green in the dust like particles.

I needed to be more careful.

I tried to breathe slowly as I opened the book. The table of contents told me it was cut into nine chapters, and of course Dragon Tower's chapter was the last one.

I skimmed through it and I didn't see any reference to undead, wraiths or what could make an Echo touch things.

I closed it with more force than I needed to.

I looked up and Horus was still there.

"Have you satisfied your curiosity or are you going to continue to bother me with your presence?"

Horus, to give him a small ounce of credit, seemed less suspicious and judgmental.

But I wasn't staying here a second longer.

The rune in the center of the table between us sparked curse green.

I stood up and stepped back quickly. I clutched my left wrist and felt something damp and warm.

"Excuse me. I need to go."

I tried not to run through the halls as I went back to Dragon Tower.

A soreness was spreading through my arm from the curse.

Me and my hubris.

I guess this is that temper thing coming back to bite me.

I sighed as I looked up at the round door of Dragon Tower. "Open Sesame."

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