Annan was the best choice. Besides the qualities the Skeleton King had praised, he was both weak and strong.
At Midnight, the Skeleton King told Annan to come outside with him.
Annan took the scorched Blanket and followed the Skeleton King into the dark forest. A Levitation spell settled over him and lifted him above the treetops.
Then, in the distance, Annan saw a dazzling burst of dreamlike lights flare in the night and stream into the stars.
"That means the Princess is still controlling Strange Tales City."
The shimmering glow lasted dozens of seconds before gradually fading. The Skeleton King turned his empty eye sockets toward a dark stretch of forest. "Let's go back..."
Back in the Tomb, the stone door closed. Annan sat by the bonfire and watched the Skeleton King cast a spell on the entrance.
"What should I watch out for after I leave?"
"The night belongs to them. Don't linger after dark or anywhere without light. The rest is as before: stay away from anything that defies reason. But add one more rule—stay away from anything that seems reasonable."
"Why?"
"In ruins ravaged by Ratfolk, would you expect to find a little girl holding a doll in the street?"
"You're right..."
"And you'd best not spend more than three days in Strange Tales City. If you haven't found the Princess and the truth by then, come back..."
"Why?" Annan had a lot of questions.
"The influence of the Oddities will keep working on you."
"I understand."
Before meditating, Annan asked, "Can I bring Lemon?"
"Magical creatures make natural vessels for Oddities."
"Never mind, then."
Lemon was no ordinary Water Elemental. It was his permanent summon.
The night passed with the Skeleton King quietly conducting experiments and Annan meditating. Now and then, unsettling shadows prowled outside