Letter 15

Poppy,

This morning I was so happy to see my plants thriving under the magelight. At least two new leaves each! It made me smile. I decided today to try and get some answers.

First, I went straight to the Chief Librarian to tell her what happened on the stairs. I didn't tell her I fought it. I can't let her know about the dagger.

She didn't believe me, which wasn't much of a surprise after last time. But she wasn't as harsh, and she did say she would do a sweep of the vaults herself. She even said that I would not be asked to file any artefacts, or be sent to the vaults, for the time being. Before I left, she also thanked me for helping Nella. It was all a little unnerving to be honest.

With that out of the way I was feeling a little better. I’d been dreading it. But I knew I needed to do more. So I went through the library indexes to find all the books about wraiths, and I managed to smuggle those out of the library with me.

The next task on my to-do list was to find somewhere safe to practise. If I’m going to keep coming across the wraiths, the least I can do is make sure I can use my power, if I need to. I can’t use my room for practise as it could cause too much damage, and I can’t use the reading rooms in the library because of the noise. So I needed to find somewhere more secluded, and somewhere that could handle my power.

I found the perfect spot in the third turret. There is a stone corridor on the back of the tower, and it will be the perfect place for training. I'm writing to you from there right now.

By the time lunch came around I had started reading through all of the wraith descriptions to try and identify the type we are dealing with. Magnar gave me a huge clue yesterday: the wraith didn't like light. So now I can narrow down my research.

Then came my final task. This one I was dreading most of all. I needed to talk to a merchant, academic, or trader: someone from outside these walls who can tell me what's happening with the wraiths, and maybe give me answers about Marcus.

I was shaking by the time I entered the canteen but I took some deep breaths, just like when I drew into my power, and approached a table full of travellers. They were more than happy to talk. In fact, they were a little too talkative. I had to keep redirecting the conversation back to the wraiths and Marcus. I learnt that the Grand Justice has appointed a number of Combat Guards to be stationed at the Temple, and the Guildhall in the Citadel, to keep the wraiths at bay.

I have to wonder if the Chief Librarian will request some Combat Guards for the Library, but it seems unlikely if she won't listen to me. And with this place being so far away from the Citadel, it's not like the Justice Guild will consider it without evidence. But it can't be coincidence, these incidents have to be linked.

I also learnt that Marcus hasn't been seen since the incident, and nobody knows why he did it. All that the Combat Guards have found is a sketch of the First War burial ground, covered in strange symbols. They think he did it on purpose.

My heart raced. What was Marcus planning? What did he know about the First War, and how does this relate to the wraiths? Could he really have done this on purpose…

I slipped away from the conversation, grateful that none of the travellers seemed to recognise me at all.

I know what my next steps need to be.

I’m going to train my powers, Poppy. Whatever Marcus started, releasing these wraiths, I need to finish. I owe it to you. And I owe it to me. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't take action now. I already feel so responsible and guilty for what happened. I hope I can make you proud of me. I hope I can be proud of myself.

Your friend, always

Willow