"That will work splendidly," she encourages. "You can assist me by making sure no resentful energy sneaks tags along with the spirit I'm summoning. And I'll appreciate having another adept here to corroborate my findings; lacking a council or publication for peer review, we must be extra diligent if our work is to be taken seriously."

She says all this exactly as if Wei Wuxian is not just a new acquaintance, but a respected colleague. Clearing the table between them, she lays out a fresh sheet of white flimsy and begins to sketch a circular diagram.

"Summoning is easiest when the deceased is both newly dead and someone you know well," she explains, as her pencil moves quickly and surely. "This theorem depends on an anchor, an item which once belonged to or was used by the person in question. The more powerful the necromancer, the more vague the connection between anchor and soul can be. I don't wish to brag, but I can summon a soul multiple thousands of years old, using the pencil that they chewed on in life."

With the diagram finished, she places the paper in the center of the table and sets her ring in the middle of the drawn spell circle, then digs into the sleek twist of her hair to tug out a pin.

"So we have intent, familiarity, a physical anchor," she says, very much as though she is teaching a class. "The last thing we need is food – a tithe, if you like. In this case, I should think just a little will do."

Pricking her finger, she squeezes a single drop of blood, and deposits it gently in the circle of her ring.