A/N: I just realized how badly I need to redraw this story's cover picture … xp It stinks. I rushed while drawing it, I think. I really should do that soon.

In response to my reviews …

Tillyhoo: Why yes. Yes I am. XD I haven't been able to update recently since I've been busy, but I'm still working on this. :D

She had to push Stella hard, but Sabrina eventually caught up with Alexandra and her group inside the Pyramid of Fire.

"Hey! Were you guys attempting to ditch me or something?" She called loudly. The Necromancer turned towards her slightly.

"Sabrina? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Looking for you, stupid! What do you think I'm doing here?" Sabrina crossed her arms and glared. "I have been hunting for you and your friends for the past week!" Alexandra seemed confused.

"Why? What's so important that you couldn't send me a message, or something? Did you really have to chase us to Krokotopia?"

"I want to come with you," the Theurgist informed her, glaring harder. "Besides, if I help you, you'll have to help me later."

"She couldn't just come out and say she needed our help?" One of Alexandra's friends- Erica Bluestone, maybe?- whispered to Brooke Swiftriver, a Diviner, who chuckled. Alex sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. You can tag along, I guess, but don't get in the way, don't do anything stupid, and don't mess up our plans. Got it?"

"Well, obviously. You seem to think that I'm some kind of stupid, helpless little weakling. Must I remind you that I've beaten you in a duel on more than one occasion?" Sabrina snapped. The Necromancer pointedly ignored her as she mounted her dragon.

"We're g-going to the Excavation R-room, Sabrina," Heather Rosegem (a Conjurer) informed the Theurgist. "We've g-got to t-talk to Malcom D-danforth. He can help us g-get into the Th-throne Room of F-fire."

"I know the fastest way there," Sabrina informed the group, immediately turning Stella to the right and galloping down the hallway.

"Who put her in charge?" She heard Destiny Greenblossom whisper, but she ignored the other Theurgist.

-V-

It didn't take long to locate Malcom Danforth, who instructed them on how to enter the Throne Room of Fire. Alexandra brought Destiny, Ashley and Brooke with her to search for half of the key, and she sent Sabrina with Evan, Donna, Erica and Heather to retrieve the other half.

"What exactly does this thing look like?" The Theurgist asked as they rode towards the room where the key piece was supposed to be.

"It's a half circle that glows faintly," Erica informed her. "It shouldn't be too hard to find, although it might be buried. Danforth said that it should be at the Royal Hall dig site."

"Buried? As in, underneath the dirt?" Sabrina looked down at the sand in disgust.

"Generally that's where things are buried, genius," Evan remarked dryly.

"Well, in that case, someone else can get it." She wrinkled her nose disdainfully and looked away from the dirty ground.

As the five of them rode through the busy, boiling hot pyramid, Sabrina's thoughts drifted back to Romia's words. I have a way to help you get your mother back. Mother … Marieta Jadeleaf had been gone since Sabrina was three. She wasn't even sure she remembered what her mother's face looked like or how her voice sounded. She frowned. What if she saw her mother and didn't even recognize her? That would be awful; they might pass each other on the street and never know each other!

"Nice horse," a voice called, interrupting her thinking. Sabrina looked up to see a green haired boy on a white mare almost identical to her own Stella. The Theurgist sneered at the other wizard and looked ahead towards her destination: the excavation.

The dig site was no less hot, but much brighter than the ancient hallways of the Pyramid of Fire. There was a slight airflow, and Sabrina almost smiled when the faint breeze ruffled her hair. She tossed back her thick, heavy hood to relieve her head of the stifling temperatures beneath the hood. The Theurgist gave the large room a quick glance. Not spying anything that looked useful, she shrugged and began digging through her backpack.

"Sabrina, come on! You've gotta at least help us look for the key piece, even if you aren't gonna help dig," Donna called, waving to her from where she sat astride her tiger mount.

"No need! I f-found it," Heather called, kneeling in the sand near a wall. She pulled the glowing half circle out of the dirt and brushed it clean with her sleeve. "Here, Erica. You sh-should hold it." She tossed the key piece to the Thaumaturge, who admired it for a moment before tucking it into her book bag.

"Good job, Heather." She grinned at the Conjurer, who smiled back. "We'd better get back to where Malcom Danforth is; he said he could put the key back together, and Alex's group might be back already."

The Necromancer and her group weren't back yet. Erica gave the key piece to Danforth, who carefully inspected it for flaws.

"Excellent. It looks like this was a perfectly even break, which will make the repair much easier. Oh, look! There are your friends now!" He pointed down the hallway. Sure enough, Sabrina could just see Alexandra on her black dragon, and her other friends were not far behind.

When the Necromancer stopped beside them, she tossed her key half to Malcom Danforth. He caught it (with some difficulty) and set the two pieces side by side on his desk. He carefully applied a thin layer of shimmering silver glue to the broken side of each piece and then carefully pushed them together. There was a small flash of light, and when it dimmed, the keystone was whole once again, and it was glowing twice as bright as before. Danforth smiled and handed it to Alexandra, who took it silently.

"Thank you very much, sir," Erica said loudly, glaring at the Necromancer, who ignored her.

"Let's go."

-V-

The group split up once again once they were inside the Throne Room. To discover Malistaire's plans, they would need to speak with the Order of the Fang. To find the Order, they had to find two halves of a staff: the shaft and the head. Sabrina had been sent with Evan, Erica, Heather and Donna once again to search for the head.

As Erica was looking through a large wooden chest, she gasped and sat straight up.

"Did you find it?" Evan asked her.

"No … Alex and the others are in trouble! They're trapped in one of the smaller chambers, and it's on fire! Apparently their Thaumaturgy isn't working; it's some kind of magic fire!" The Thaumaturge jumped to her feet and quickly climbed onto her blue dragon's back. "Come on!" She called. Sabrina grabbed a large green emerald surrounded in a golden wreath.

"I found the head," she called, but the others weren't paying attention. The Theurgist frowned, stuffed the head into her pocket and climbed into Stella's saddle. "Go on, Stella. After them." The horse ran.

Erica hadn't been kidding when she said "magic fire." Sabrina could feel the evil radiating from the flames as they entered the tunnel.

"You three, stay back. Donna and I will handle this," Evan told them, jumping off his nightflame pegasus and casting a Fire Shield. Donna cast a second Shield and ran into the flames, clearly shuddering as she put weight on her bad leg. Ashley, Alex, Destiny and Evan emerged from the cursed fire a moment later, coughing up smoke and tightly clutching Fire Shields. Donna and Brooke weren't there, however. If Sabrina squinted, she could just barely see two figures through the flames. The Pyromancer girl was struggling to pull her unconscious friend out of the room, and her limp had gotten worse; clearly her leg hadn't appreciated the running.

"Ashley!" Donna yelled. The Thaumaturge took one last gulp of fresh air, picked up her Shield and darted back into the flames. Destiny went with her. Donna let them take Brooke, and she quickly cast a pair of helephants to hold the wobbling doorway up. The cursed fire had weakened the arch's supports, and it would very likely come crashing down any moment. If Donna was to lose consciousness, the helephants would be gone and the way out would be gone. Sabrina closed her eyes and begged the Dragon Titan to keep the crippled Pyromancer safe.

After Ashley and Destiny got Brooke to safety, Sabrina dismounted and went to help heal the unconscious Diviner. None of them saw the dark shape creeping up behind Donna. None of them saw as the shape slammed something into the back of the Pyromancer's head. All of them heard the wailing screams the helephants gave as they were sucked back into their own plane of existence, and they all saw as the doorway gave out, crumbling to pieces and trapping Donna within the room.

Brooke was only slightly awake, and she gave a faint moan. "Donna," she whispered. Heather immediately summoned a gigantic orthrus, who began digging furiously in the rocks and clearing a pathway.

Sabrina. The Theurgist looked up in surprise when she heard her name. No one was looking at her, but she knew that someone had called to her.

Sabrina. There it was again! She stood and took a few steps back towards the exit. None of the group noticed her, and Sabrina saw a dark, shady looking person standing at the end of the tunnel.

"Romia?" She asked.

"Are you ready, Sabrina? Are you ready to go to your mother?" Romia asked. Sabrina smiled and nodded.

"Yeah … is it time to go?"

"Yes. Come with me, Sabrina Jadeleaf, and we will go to your mother." She held out a gloved hand to the Theurgist, who took a step towards her.

"Sabrina? Where are you going?" Ashley had noticed.

"To find my mother," Sabrina replied dreamily, walking towards Romia.

"Who are you?" The Thaumaturge looked suspiciously at the hooded girl.

"Quickly, Sabrina! Hurry!" Romia's voice had taken on an urgent tone, and Sabrina walked faster.

"Sabrina, stop! That's Moi-" The Theurgist had already taken Romia's hand, and with a flash of light, Krokotopia dissolved.