Author's Note: Disclaimer: I do not own Wizard101 or any spells or enemies mentioned here. Miguel Spellblade, Talon Skullflame, and Kane Darksword are my characters.

I obviously took literary liberties with all of the characters and the spells. Look at this as a re-imagining of what the game world should be like. I decided that despite the length of this story, what it contained was necessary for the mood of the overall piece. I wanted to delve a little more into the culture of Marleybone, into Miguel's past, and the transition between worlds. I hope the mood for the story is conveyed well, this one was difficult to write. It is also the first story to feature non-dormitory real estate.

Rowan, Tasha, and Alia are characters of my lovely lady's creation, and may or may not feature/cameo in subsequent stories.

Enjoy, and don't hesitate to review. Thank you.

Moving On In Marleybone

The acidic regurgitation of the humongofrog washed over the throne room, crashing upon the back wall in a bubbling, broiling splash. The acid worked into the stones, eating away as it evaporated and revealing Krokopatra's disheveled, burned figure dashed harshly upon her own throne. Kane wasted no time in rushing to the fallen Queen of Krokotopia and bringing the tip of his spear to bear on her chest, the pulsing orange glow of the weapon's power casting eerie light upon her body.

"Where's the Krokonomicon?" He ordered. She coughed, hacking up blood and humongofrog vomit, then she began to chuckle.

"What's so funny, huh?" Talon growled, crossing his arms behind Kane. His own staff, a Krokotopian design with a krok head at the crown, was sticking out from his folded arms.

"Your triumph… *cough*… means nothing *cough cough* young wizards! You shall never possess the *cough* Krokonomicon!" Krokopatra exclaimed with delight. Miguel frowned beside Talon, his arms crossed as well.

"We have a necromancer friend, Krokopatra, who would be more than delighted to suck the information from your rotting soul," Kane threatened softly, coldly, bringing the spear tip closer. The glare from under his dark blue, Myth symbol decorated hood was possibly more menacing than his weapon, though. "So I suggest you tell us where it is the easy way. Save yourself some trouble, eh?" Krokopatra responded with a few more coughs, before she seemed to have finally cleared her throat enough to speak.

"I sealed the Krokonomicon in the Sarcophagus of Souls, long ago." All three boys' expressions changed with the news; Kane grew angrier, Talon surprised and Miguel frustrated.

"Mierda," Miguel sighed, "the Royal Expedition found the Sarcophagus of Souls months ago." Krokopatra cackled.

"When the Dark One woke me, imagine his dismay to find the Sarcophagus had already been taken. Much like the dismay I see on your faces!" Krokopatra spat at Kane, cackling again.

"I hope the Order enjoys your victory, hollow as it is…" she carried on laughing. Her laughter continued to echo off the throne room walls as her ragged, corroded armor failed to hold up against Kane's spear.

"No luck, huh?" Talon asked the girls as Tasha Stormcaller, Alia Sunsword, and Rowan Skulldreamer met them back at the Well of Spirits. All three sisters shook their heads.

"That would be because the-"

"Kane, you know I don't approve of such language around the ladies," Miguel said calmly, anticipating his words and covering Kane's mouth with his hand.

"And you know full well Tasha's the only one that really gets offended anyways," Alia retorted for Kane, jutting out her hip with a humph. Miguel's gentlemanly manner had a tendency to get on her nerves; she was not one of those fragile Marleybonian women!

"Anyways," Talon interjected before any arguing could start, "Krokopatra sealed away the Krokonomicon in the Sarcophagus of Souls some time ago, so now we need to go to Marleybone."

"Yippee!" Tasha suddenly cheered with a small hop, her baby blue Krokotopian skirts and shoulder-length brown hair bouncing. "I always wanted to go to Marleybone!"

"I don't know you…" muttered Alia beside her with a grimace. Kane grit his teeth, Talon and Miguel raised eyebrows, and Rowan looked briefly at her younger sister.

"Since when?"

"This isn't going to be a field trip, Tasha," Miguel responded before the faintly blushing girl could answer. "Now let's go see Sergeant Major Talbot. He should have the Marleybone Spiral Key."

"I'm glad to see you are all okay," Sergeant Major Talbot said as they arrived at the Oasis. Kane muttered something as he wiped grime and blood off his face in the pond, joined by Talon and Miguel. The girls were in far better condition, but they had gone searching the Temple for the Krokonomicon, not fighting Krokopatra.

"Eww, yuck!" Talon pulled off his sandal, holding up the partly corroded footwear and wriggling his toes through the new holes in his sock. "Frog yak ate through my sandals, dammit!"

"My shoes didn't fair much better, amigo," Miguel added, holding up his cloth shoes, which were holed.

"Guess we will have to do some shopping, won't we?" Tasha pointed out, leaning down so her pretty smile was right between the two boys' heads.

"That'll be interesting to watch; Talon shopping with Tasha," Rowan snickered.

"I'd rather look for the Sarcophagus of Souls barefoot and half naked," Kane muttered, earning a scowl from Tasha and raised eyebrows and smirks from both Alia and Rowan.

"Uh-hum," Sergeant Major Talbot cleared his throat, still standing straight and proper, though the Scottish terrier's green eyes showed amusement. The wizards turned to pay attention to him. "Without a leader, the Tuts should be easy to manage now. As much as you helped me, I must seem pretty ungrateful."

"Maybe a little," Rowan blurted out. "Sorry, carry on," she apologized quickly.

"Here's what I can do," Sergeant Major Talbot stood straighter, insulted. "It's something inside the Sarcophagus of the Souls you are looking for, eh? The book from the Order of the Fang, right?" The wizards nodded in affirmation. "We shipped the Sarcophagus off to the Royal Museum on Marleybone with some other artifacts." Kane and Talon groaned; 'Royal Museum' most certainly meant they would have to deal with politics and bureaucracy before they could get their hands on the Sarcophagus.

The Sergeant Major pulled something out from the breast pocket of his uniform, holding it out to Miguel. It was a key designed like the cog of a machine, with a metal pipe jutting out that ended in a small crystal, and fit into the palm of the boy's hand.

"Take this Marleybone Spiral Key and go through the Spiral Door to Marleybone. Private Kinchley will help you find that book you're after. You've got to recover it before it's used for evil!" The terrier growled at the thought, making everyone but Miguel flinch.

"But before you go, I have one more thing for you, Miguel Spellblade," Sergeant Major Talbot added, pulling out something else from his pocket. He held out an envelope, which Miguel took with curiosity. "Headmaster Ambrose saw fit to have your mail redirected here from Wizard City. I received this yesterday while you were in the Tomb of Storms."

"Who's it from?" Talon asked, standing up to come beside his friend.

"Mi madre," Miguel replied, sounding perplexed.

"Doesn't she send you letters all the time?" Tasha asked, coming up on Miguel's other side.

"Yeah, but I told her I'd be busy for a while, and might be out of touch. So she hasn't while I've been here," Miguel explained. "This is also postmarked yesterday, which means she did the quickest delivery option available."

"So aren't you going to open it?" Rowan inquired.

"I would prefer some privacy. If you guys could just wait here…" Miguel wandered off, heading for one of the tents by the library. Everyone watched him go with a grim uncertainty, even the Sergeant Major, but no one said a word.

A few minutes later, Miguel emerged from the tents, his musketeer hat in one hand, letter in the other. He placed the letter in his pocket before returning to the group. His face was solemn and stony, and he moved with a controlled stiffness.

"Sergeant Major Sylvester Quimby Talbot the Third," Miguel stated with surprisingly military air, saluting. "Wizard City thanks you for your assistance, and I will be sure to inform Her Majesty of your superb performance here. It has been a pleasure to work with you." The Sergeant Major needed no cues, and saluted back magnificently.

"It has been a pleasure working with you as well, Miguel Spellblade. Godspeed," Sergeant Major Talbot and Miguel both lowered their hands, and brief silent communication seemed to pass between the two men. "And Godbless." They nodded before Miguel turned towards the Spiral Chamber pyramid, expression unchanged.

"Miguel?" Both Talon and Tasha asked in unison, approaching hesitantly. Miguel ignored them and headed straight for the pyramid at a fast pace, his purple and gold serpent wand held so tight his knuckles were pale.

When the gang stepped through the opened door, they found themselves in a grand cathedral, built like a cross with a nave lined with pews extending ahead of them to a door. At the platform of the Spiral Door the nave was crossed by a transept with more pews on each side, ending in statues of saintly dogs with candle-lit altars at their feet. Everyone but Miguel looked behind the Spiral Door to find the apse, where a few more pews and a preaching podium stood.

A red Doberman in a Royal Expeditionary Force uniform approached the group, saluting. Miguel returned the salute.

"Welcome to Marleybone, Wizards! I'm under orders to direct you wherever you need to go," the Doberman proclaimed.

"I am Miguel Spellblade, and these are mis amigos: Talon Skullflame, Kane Darksword, Rowan Skulldreamer, Tasha Stormcaller, and Alia Sunsword." As Miguel introduced himself and the others, the canine seemed to have a revelation. He suddenly stood even straighter and saluted again.

"Private Kinchley, sir," the Doberman replied. "And may I take the opportunity to say it is a pleasure to see you back in Marleybone, Master Spellblade." Miguel gave him a smile that seemed genuine, but Talon could tell it was empty. The gang was pretty surprised to hear the word 'master' be used towards Miguel, though.

"A pleasure to be back, Private Kinchley." Miguel placed his hat back on his head. "Your services will not be required, Private. Return to your other duties." The dog nodded and thanked Miguel before leaving the cathedral, and the gang followed.

"Master Spellblade, huh?" Kane commented as they stood in the cobblestone street of Regent's Square, looking at the fountains up ahead. They were… dog-headed fish? Statues of dogs with lanterns surrounded the fountain, and shops surrounded the entire plaza.

"Whoa… it's beautiful…" Tasha murmured, glancing up at the starry night sky and back down to the bustling, fancily-dressed dogs wandering the streets. There were metal four-wheeled carts on the street as well, with golden spokes and red seats that were surely magical, moving without horses. The entire place glowed in the night from the lights pouring from every shop window.

A few of the citizens of Marleybone glanced at the wizards, murmuring to each other in little groups on the street. They had every reason to do so, as Miguel was the only one even close to dressed in what they would call appropriate fashion. Kane was adorned in his crusader armor, a long blue cape with a yellow cross on his back and a similarly designed over-armor tunic on the front. Talon was dressed in his avian tan rune-edged monk robe, looking very much like the stereotypical wizard. The girls all wore Krokotopian dresses and headdresses, with obviously Krokotopian wands. Even the color schemes stood out; Alia's green and purple seemed to be particularly murmur-worthy. Rowan's black and white and Tasha's light blue and white seemed to garner less attention, if only a hair less.

"So, where is the Royal Museum?" Kane asked, seeming unfazed by all of this, though actually rather annoyed at the staring. Miguel pointed to their right.

"However, I'm going to Scotland Yard first," he explained as he headed down the street to their left instead.

"Why?" His friends asked in unison, but received no answer, so followed him.

A Weimaraner in a blue uniform and a Bobbie helmet stood behind a tall podium desk, and looked down at the wizards when they entered. It gave the impression of a judge lording over a criminal.

"Wizards! Boy am I glad to see you here! We're up to our ears in crime and-"

"I'm here to see him," Miguel said sharply, interrupting the officer. For a brief moment the officer was uncertain what Miguel meant, and then quickly understood.

"I didn't recognize you, Master Spellblade! My you've grown!" The Weimaraner exclaimed. "Yes, yes of course, right away. Your mother informed us only recently that she sent for you, so we hadn't expected you to come so soon. In the next room, first door on the right, and follow the hallway to the end."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Following the officer's instructions, the group walked down a narrow stone walled hallway. They were silent as they walked, but each was musing about what they knew of Miguel. They knew he was Marleybonian, and that his family came from a human community on the outskirts of the world. And they knew that his Marleybonian education meant he harbored distrust towards magic; or most magic anyways. But it occurred to all of them -at some point during their thoughts- that Miguel had never actually talked about his parents or his childhood -beyond vague references- or what Marleybone was like.

"Are you actually going to tell us what in the name of Bartleby is going on?" Alia snapped when they reached the end of the hallway, but again Miguel ignored her and opened the door.

"Master Spellblade!" The exclamation came from a yellow Labrador in a white lab coat, adjusting glasses resting on his snout and smiling hesitantly. "You're here sooner than expected… Uh, hum… I am Doctor Maulard."

"Where is he?" Miguel demanded swiftly, and Dr. Maulard beckoned them to follow. He came to an examination table draped by a canvas cloth, with four other similarly covered tables nearby. Surgical materials were arranged on wheeled carts next to each table and gleamed from the light of an overhead lamp. The Labrador seemed hesitant as he approached the table.

"The end result of the case is pretty straightforward, really," he began, "but the real mystery is the how it was accomplished, and the series of events leading to it." Pausing, the canine coroner pulled back the canvas to reveal the face of the body beneath. It was a middle-aged man with features similar to Miguel's. However, his color was more like Talon's light tan skin than the sorcerer's bronze, though it was hard to say if that was just due to his death or his natural tone. His face had an elegant, noble attribute to it, serene as he lay upon the table.

"Bet he was a looker when he was alive," Alia commented, breaking the silence. Miguel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everyone else looked at her incriminatingly, causing her to chuckle nervously. "Okay… um… sorry, that was totally inappropriate."

"You think?" Tasha snapped, looking absolutely furious.

"Yes, actually." Alia responded sharply, glaring back at her sister.

"Not often enough, apparently," Rowan interjected, knowing how Miguel felt right now. Being a necromancer meant she worked with death and the emotions surrounding it to the point of close familiarity. It also meant that she was more sensitive to those emotions in the people around her; right now, Miguel was emitting a concoction of all possible emotions towards death, brewing dangerously.

"Master Spellblade, I do not feel comfortable continuing this in the presence of womenfolk," Dr. Maulard said, ending the awkward silence.

"Kane," Miguel finally spoke, looking over his shoulder at the conjurer. "Could you take the girls to the Royal Museum and begin searching for the Sarcophagus? It's on the other side of the square, can't miss it."

"Sure," Kane replied, locking eyes with Miguel briefly and nodding. Like with Talbot, a silent understanding seemed to pass between the two boys.

"Why can't we stay? I want to know what happened too!" Alia snapped at the coroner. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't handle a little gore, you know!"

"Alia," Kane said softly but firmly, grabbing her arm likewise. "This is a different culture, okay. Just let it go and come on."

"But-"

"Let's do as Miguel asked, sis," Rowan said, sending an unnaturally icy glare at Dr. Maulard. "Despite the fact that we could handle the gore," she added with coldness matching the glare, and Dr. Maulard looked down at the body instead of at the necromancer.

"I… I think I'll go too," Talon stated, becoming unsettled by the death surrounding him. He headed towards the door only to be stopped as Miguel grabbed his forearm, holding him back.

"I would appreciate it if you stayed, mi bueno amigo," Miguel said softly, a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Kane wasted no time in ushering the girls out of there.

"I can't believe that sexist bone-digger!" Alia stormed out of Scotland Yard with her sisters and Kane. Ironically, perhaps, the courtyard in front of the building had several half-buried bones.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Rowan snapped coldly as they headed through Regent's Square.

"Get what?"

"Yeah, what doesn't she get, Rowan? I don't see why we had to be kicked out of there either," Tasha added naively. "Not that I would have stayed for the gory stuff anyways, but still."

"Ugh…" Rowan and Kane sighed in unison, looking at each other. "Do you want to explain?" Rowan asked, and Kane shook his head.

"Please, somebody do explain." Alia crossed her arms and stopped beside the dogfish fountain. Rowan turned around to face her younger sister, crossing her own arms. Kane just sighed again in agitation and sat down on one of the cement posts surrounding the fountain. We're wasting time, he thought to himself. Perhaps I should just go on without them.

"It's obvious, really. Think about it, guys; the letter was postmarked yesterday, which means his mother sent it yesterday, paying for the quickest delivery," Rowan began explaining. "What does that tell you?"

"Maybe she wanted to make sure it got there before he got back." Tasha offered, shrugging.

"No, it means it was something urgent. It had to be, because look at how quickly we got here," Rowan answered.

"The Spiral Door doesn't take hours to work, Rowan. Of course we were quick to get here," Alia scowled. Rowan scowled back.

"Not what I meant, and you know it. We rushed here, sis. We came straight here. No stopping by Wizard City to make sure the pets were okay, no healing up after our battle, no reporting to Headmaster Ambrose even. We came to Marleybone immediately."

"So it must have needed immediate attention, then," Tasha concluded, frowning.

"Exactly," Rowan confirmed, looking at Tasha now. "And that means…"

Tasha thought on this for only a moment, and then turned pale, lowering to sit on one of the cement posts.

"Oh no…" Tasha brought her hands up to conceal her face as she began to cry. "Oh poor Miguel!"

Alia looked at her sister, a grim expression growing on her face. Tasha began to sob harder, shoulders shuddering, and Rowan came to her sister to hold the crying thaumaturgist. Kane growled softly, fed up with the whole thing, and got up to head to the Royal Museum.

"That was his father, wasn't it?" She asked, and Rowan nodded. Alia bit her lip, thinking about her comment at the coroner's lab. "Well, now we know where he gets his good looks from at least…" she muttered under her breath.

"Tell me what you know about what happened."

"Not much. Or not much for certain, at any rate," Dr. Maulard replied, picking up a knife from the surgical table. It was a simple knife with no decoration, almost like a throwing knife. "We do know, however, that this was the killing weapon. Or one of them, at least."

"One of them?" Talon looked up at the dog, confused.

"O'Leary knives," Miguel growled, glaring at the weapon as the coroner put the evidence back on the table.

"Yes, O'Leary I'm afraid. They do use unmistakable knives," said Dr. Maulard, now pulling back the canvas to the man's legs.

"O'Leary? What's O'Leary?" Talon asked as he looked at the profusely stabbed and lacerated body.

"The O'Leary gang is a rather prolific gang of cats throughout Marleybone, young wizard," Dr. Maulard explained. "They usually operate in small, organized groups; which leads us to believe that the four O'Leary bodies we recovered are the only ones involved in this incident. He managed to kill all four of his attackers before dying of blood loss from his wounds. And that is the extent of Scotland Yard's knowledge on the matter."

Dr. Maulard moved to one of the other tables and pulled back the canvas, revealing a feline body. It was a lithe form, like all cats, but more humanoid than your typical Wizard City housecat; and definitely larger. The coroner began to point at several wounds on the cat's body: burn marks, gnawed flesh, compound bone fractures, and puncture wounds.

"He was not found with weapons in his possession, so unless they turned on one another, I cannot explain how they received any of these wounds. But it must be included in the report," Dr. Maulard explained his situation.

"And that is where I was hoping you could assist us, young wizard," stated a soft, calm voice. It sounded authoritative but smooth, and its source was a Bloodhound who had just recently arrived, dressed in a suit with a tweed Inverness cape and matching deerstalker cap, the ear flaps of which were tied up at the cap's top, leaving the dog's droopy ears fully exposed. The Bloodhound puffed on a calabash pipe, before waving his pipe towards the bodies. "I fear even I am out of depth when it comes to magic."

"Um… who the heck are you?" Talon asked, noticing Miguel tip his hat to the hound.

"I was not aware they put you on the case, Señor Bones," Miguel said with a small smile, though it was as empty as the one he'd given the Private. Bones puffed from the pipe proudly.

"Why should they not?" He asked, before looking down at Talon. Literally; the Bloodhound was taller and leaner than Dr. Maulard, who was taller than the wizards. "I am Sherlock Bones, consulting detective. I am the one Scotland Yard turns to when they are out of their depth, which is quite frequently." Dr. Maulard and Sherlock exchanged brief, heated glances, before Bones continued. "However, even I am perplexed as to the exact causes of these wounds."

"Have you discovered the reason behind the attack?" Miguel asked, returning to the table with the human body.

"I am afraid I have not deduced a reason for the O'Leary gang to attack the Queen's Advisor of Magic as of yet," Sherlock sighed, heading to the other side of the table. "However, I believe it may be tied to the rising activity of O'Leary throughout the city."

"How much do you know about my father, exactly? You are not employed by Scotland Yard or Her Majesty, so you should not have such knowledge," Miguel seemed edgy as he said this, gripping the table his father lay upon. Sherlock merely smirked, puffing on his pipe before he replied. Talon balked, realizing what the conversation meant.

That man is his father! By Bartleby, no wonder he's been so aloof recently. And the man was Magic Advisor to the Queen of Marleybone!

"I excel in unveiling secrets, young Spellblade. It is my profession. Fret not, however; I am equally skilled in keeping them. Scotland Yard has been aware of my knowledge of the late Antonio Spellblade's profession for some time now." Sherlock moved his pipe from his mouth, looking Miguel in the eyes. "Your father was an exceptional man, in every sense of the word. Marleybone is lessened by his passing." Miguel nodded his thanks, before the detective seemed to lose his brief moment of emotion and return to business.

"If you could be of assistance to us, young wizards, in identifying the causes of the O'Learys' wounds, it may further the case. If we can deduce the manner upon which the battle was fought, we may yet discover more of the O'Leary's intentions in this crime."

"Miguel!" Tasha cried out when they all met up again in the Square an hour later, a few dogs on the streets looking her way as she tackled the sorcerer into a hug. "Oh Miguel, I am so sorry. So so so sorry," she said softly into his shoulder, still weepy from her earlier discovery.

"It's okay, Tasha… It's alright," Miguel assured her, hesitantly patting the girl's back and trying to avoid the stares of onlookers.

"No it isn't. You just lost your father. That's hardly what I would call 'alright', by any cultural standard," Rowan stated plainly, and Kane just moved past her to stand by the boys, looking solemn.

"Look… I would rather not discuss this here, comprende?" Miguel replied, and then waved the girls to follow. "Come, let's go to my parents' estate."

"Okay, I guess…" Tasha answered, peeling herself off Miguel to allow him to walk.

As they headed down the streets of Marleybone, the girls and Kane recounted their experience searching for the Sarcophagus of Souls. The curator of the museum would not allow them access to the Sarcophagus, not without consent from Mayor Pimsbury. And Mayor Pimsbury would not give said consent until the streets were less chaotic, so the group would now have to be doing work for Sherlock Bones to clear the streets of O'Leary activity.

"We just finished helping Sherlock Bones figure out what Miguel's Dad did to those attackers," Talon stated, as they came onto a residential street in the outskirts of the city. Miguel led them to a rather small building between two slightly larger homes.

"This is your folks' estate?" Alia questioned, looking at the drab building with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look like much."

"That's because it isn't, Alia," replied the sorcerer, moving up the steps of the stoop to the door. "To one with no magical knowledge, at least. But to one who knows magic, it is a portal door to the estate."

"But I thought you didn't believe in magic," Rowan stated accusingly, but Talon came to Miguel's defense.

"His father was the Queen's Advisor of Magic," Talon stated with pride, patting his friend's shoulder. "And killed four O'Leary Nappers on his own before dying."

"Advisor of Magic to the Queen, eh?" Kane replied, raising an eyebrow as well. "Still doesn't explain it all though, Miguel."

"De todos modos, shall we go meet mi madre?" Miguel changed the subject, opening the small door. What lay beyond was not a room, however. Rather, the group could see a waterfall in the distance, with two rows of statues on either side of the canal that became the cascade. The small canal drained into a much larger one that flowed from side to side, and the small door was on one shore of this large canal. A collection of buildings were on the other shore, and a series of stairwells on one building lead to a rooftop greenhouse, which connected to another building by a bridge.

"Wow," was all Talon could get out as he stepped through the door, which Miguel held open for his friends. They were on an island in the sky, like the magical real estate in Wizard City. In the distance they could see the whole of Marleybone, a hand-sized model of the world. On either end of their side of the canal stood tall towers, looming over bridges that crossed the large waterway.

Or, the towers did loom once. Now the left tower was in complete ruins, half the structure still standing with the rest in rubble. The right faired better, still standing at near full height, but the top had been removed and was sitting in the canal.

"They were security towers, built and enchanted by mi padre," Miguel explained as the others looked at the structures. "They would send electrical bolts through trespassers, often disabling them. The intruders would have definitely sought to destroy them."

"I bet," Talon muttered, as Miguel led them to the bridge on the left to the other side. Once there, he led them to the door of a white house. The house had a small archway next to it, leading to a lush courtyard. Miguel knocked three times on the door and patiently waited.

It took a minute or two before they could even hear movement beyond the door, and then a black Boston terrier opened the door, dressed as a housemaid. She stared at the group of wizards for a moment, then gasped and smiled.

"Master Spellblade, you've returned!" The terrier turned back towards the interior of the building. "Tell the Mistress her son has returned, and has brought company." Some unseen house servant obeyed, hustling off, and the maid turned her attention back to the group of waiting wizards, still smiling welcomingly.

"Please, Master Spellblade, come inside. Shall I see to refreshments while you and your friends await the Mistress?" The maid held the door open wide for them, and they filed in.

"Yes, that would be appreciated Clarissa," Miguel answered as his friends surveyed the sitting room. Clarissa moved to an arched bar counter beside the door, grabbing mugs from the cabinet beneath and pouring root beer from kegs placed in deep recesses in the wall.

"Please, sit wherever you like," Clarissa stated as she worked, and the girls moved to take a seat on the sofas in front of a stone fireplace. A painting of an aged wizard looked down at them from above the mantle clock, and there were several other paintings around the room; near the foot of the stairs on the far left wall there was a painting of a card game, a framed map hung above the sofa where Tasha sat. Several show posters hung about as well.

The boys sat at the barstools while Clarissa brought cups of tea to the girls, setting the tray on the coffee table between the two sofas. Thanking the terrier, Rowan and Alia took their cups, but Tasha left hers untouched. Her face was tear streaked, and she was still trembling.

A few minutes later, they heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to find a woman adorned in a completely black bustled dress. The dress was of fine quality and matched her dark hair, which was tied up in a bun. Her skin tone was a darker bronze than Miguel's, but her brown eyes matched his. She seemed tempted to rush to her son upon seeing him, but restrained herself and kept her hands folded before her.

"Hola, amigos de mi hijo Miguel," the woman began, her accented speech more fluid and musical than Miguel's.

"No hablan bien español, madre," Miguel informed her, standing up. Kane and Talon followed suit, and after a moment Alia and Rowan did as well.

"Ah, forgive me," the woman answered, smiling softly. "My English is poor, so I speak often in Spanish. The servants say different, though," she added with a faint smile.

"She only says it's poor because she isn't good at talking like the court women," Clarissa whispered to Rowan and Alia as she picked up their finished drinks.

"Excuse my bad manners. I am Maria Roseblade," Miguel's mother bowed as she introduced herself, and they bowed in return as they did the same. "I am always pleased to see friends of my son. It is rare we have company. Please, come upstairs. I have ordered the servants to prepare our best food for you."

"Misses Roseblade, you don't have to feed us," Talon said. "We'd hate to interrupt your time with your son." Maria's smile grew a little.

"But young wizard, I insist," she replied. "You would not disrespect a grieving widow by denying her generosity, would you?" Talon looked down with hesitation, before shaking his head. Miguel's mother turned to the stairs and lifted her dress enough that she could safely ascend.

The second floor was more decorated than the first, with a long exquisite dining table and finely carved high-backed wooden chairs the centerpiece of the room. The stairs ended alongside a wall adorned with pictures and a large dragonwing bust, the dragon's head rearing over the long blue carpet and facing the dining table. Past the dragon bust was another stairwell leading further up, and beside that staircase was another stone fireplace. This one had a settee and two padded chairs surrounding the coffee table before it.

While the girls moved to the settee, Miguel moved to seat himself at the grand piano near the stairs. Marble benches were situated near the railing of the landing, overlooking the floor below. Talon sat on the bench nearest his friend, leaning his Krokotopian staff on the rail.

Miguel began to flip through the music sheets on the piano, finally finding a piece he was satisfied with, and began to play. His expression was distant as he played, the somber notes taking him away from the environment around him and slipping him further into his own thoughts.

Miguel watched his father's hands play across the keys, wonderful music coming from the piano with every touch of his fingers. With a single motion he was beckoned to repeat the melody, and tried his best to move his smaller fingers in similar fashion.

"Is something bothering you, mi hijo?" His father asked. "You are not focused as you should be."

"Sorry padre…" the boy whispered, trying again to play the melody. His father's hands stopped him, however, and he turned to look up at his father.

"Were the pups teasing you again at school today?" Miguel nodded.

"They… they said you were foolish for putting your trust in magic rather than science," Miguel explained, frowning at the piano. "And even more foolish for trying to be a musician and a wizard. They said you would never be respected so long as you practice magic. Why do you trust it when no one else does?"

"Mi hijo, oh mi hijo," his father chuckled, wrapping an arm around his son and kissing his forehead. "You must not allow the words of the ignorant to pierce your heart, lest they blind you as they are."

"I do not understand…" Miguel replied.

"They do not understand magic, or wizards, and so they say such insulting things. I do not put my trust in magic, hijo. I trust in my ability to harness the forces of magic; not the magical forces themselves. You will come to understand, one day, that anyone can use magic. But it is those who understand magic, who manipulate its energies like one manipulates the keys of this instrument to create beautiful harmonies through combinations of notes," he explained, letting his fingers dance across the keys, "who are truly wizards. Trust in yourself, and not in magic, and you will have no reason to distrust your spells."

"Kane!" Tasha snapped as Miguel ended the piece, and everyone turned towards the gabled semicircle window across the room where Kane stood. His spear was resting against the window, and he had been perusing the multiple scrolls that sat on the windowsill. When Tasha spoke, he looked up, eyes scanning everyone.

"What?"

"It's rude to just read through people's stuff you know," Tasha scolded, and Kane frowned, looking to Maria, who was sitting beside Talon and had been listening to Miguel play.

"Sorry," Kane told her, setting the scroll down.

"Do not apologize to me, child. This property belongs to my son now; his father's possessions are now his," Maria explained, her tone suggesting she was not pleased with Kane's behavior but would let it slide. Kane looked at Miguel questioningly.

"Go ahead," Miguel said simply, knowing exactly what Kane was looking for.

"I didn't know you could play piano Miguel," Talon said after a moment.

"Mi padre taught me. He believed that composing and playing music was like practicing magic, and the skills of a musician would further my magical studies."

"What song was that, anyways? It was really sad and beautiful," Tasha remarked from the settee, looking nearly ready to cry again.

"Requiem Mass in D minor, by Mozarf," Miguel replied. "Mozarf was one of padre's favorite musicians."

"Thought it sounded familiar," Rowan remarked with a quiet sigh; only the girls heard. Tasha was displeased and Alia stifled a giggle. "So what's the plan? How are we going to finish up this O'Leary business quickly so we can get the Krokonomicon before Malistaire?"

"I don't think 'this O'Leary business' is something to just get out of the way, Rowan," Kane remarked, scanning a scroll. "I think it is very important we stop the O'Leary gang's activities; put all our effort behind it, even."

"You think Malistaire was behind the attack on Miguel's dad, don't you?" Alia asked, standing up and crossing her arms.

"It has all the signs of his modus operandi, Alia. In Wizard City he used the undead population to stir up trouble and cause distraction. In Krokotopia he woke the Tuts from the Great Sleep to cause distraction and get the Krokonomicon. He uses others to distract his enemies from his activities and has no qualms about getting rid of someone who stands in his way."

"So he is enlisting the O'Leary gang to cause trouble so he can get the Krokonomicon, and that includes killing mi padre?" Miguel snarled. Kane shook his head.

"More than that, Miguel. This scroll," he turned it for others to see the ancient Krokotopian script, "describes how warding spells can be used not only to protect individuals, but to protect places and objects from magic as well. Your father was definitely the reason for the Royal Museum's protective wards against magic, likely because he knew some wizards would seek to take the artifacts the Royal Expedition discovered, and not always for good purposes."

"So Malistaire had the O'Leary's kill Miguel's father in the hopes it would destroy the wards…" Rowan remarked, frowning. "But it didn't work, because we could feel the wards when we walked in there." Talon and Miguel looked at her inquisitively, so she explained further. "It was like our connection to magic was severed when we entered, preventing us from even casting magic in the Museum."

"Which means his plan failed, so Malistaire is going to have to play by Marleybone's rules; no magic," Kane explained, rolling up the scroll. "Malistaire is forced now to be reliant on the O'Leary's to get the Krokonomicon, so everything we do to weaken the O'Leary gang will set him back."

"I would prefer only a few of us working with Sherlock Bones on the O'Leary case at a time, however," Miguel interjected, rising. "Those not working with him I ask to stay here at my estate. If he tries his way again, thinking that killing mi madre might weaken the wards, I want us to be ready." His expression was stern no-nonsense with a man-of-the-house-has-spoken tone to it. No one offered immediate rebuttal, however, and Maria Roseblade smiled proudly at her son.

"Understandable. We'll take guard duty in shifts then, and those on guard duty can focus on re-fortifying this place in case he does try again," Kane stated, looking around at his wizard friends. "Anyone want to add anything else to the plan?"

"Yeah, I do," Tasha raised her hand as if in class. Kane rolled his eyes and sighed, motioning for her to speak. "I feel we should go shopping before we start all this; I'm not running around Marleybone looking like a Krokotopian princess."

"And we do need new shoes," Talon added. "Your humongofrog ruined our current ones," he said accusingly. Kane cradled his face in his palm, sighing more deeply than before.

"Fine, fine! We'll go shopping first," he growled.

"And one more thing," Alia proclaimed, raising a finger as she leaned on the arm of the settee. "If I have to stay here on 'guard duty', I ain't drinking tea the whole damn time. I better be getting some of that root beer."