The trio sat within a museum of sorts, not so much for the art but rather to have a place to sit in the shade. The museum itself was out of the way within the black stone district, but it had a steady stream of tourists entering and exiting, something that couldn’t be said about the other black stone establishments.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Leland asked Glenny.

The rogue mutely nodded, leaning back and closing his eyes. His head rested against a wall, many paintings with historical meanings hanging on either side of him.

Interestingly enough, the now shadowy cloak that laid across his shoulders dimmed back into a sleek fabric. It had taken him a few minutes, but activating the cloak’s abilities now came rather easily. He could control how much the cloak wafted black smoky air, as well as how well it obscured his body. Walking around a city in a living shadow didn’t seem like the smartest thing to do, so Glenny made it look as mundane as possible.

Although occasional streaks of shadow did reach for it as he walked by a particularly darkened area.

“Yeah it wasn’t that bad…” he eventually said, already having explained what transpired in the frozen world. “Especially now that I know it was just the cloak, I feel much better.”

“Still,” Jude then said, “it couldn’t have been easy. Fighting yourself? If I fought myself, I’d have lost. Err, I mean me not clone me. Did that make sense?”

Leland ignored him. “Next time the cloak evolves, you’ll be ready.”

“I’m not so sure,” Glenny answered. “I couldn’t do anything when clone me used the last basic dance…”

“Get your dad to help you then,” Jude stated plainly.

Both the others looked at him.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea. Your dad is a master swordsman and if your clone mimics him, then who better to train against?”

Glenny deliberated on that before shrugging and giving a slow nod. “That will be up to him, however. Depending on how busy he is. Well, how busy all of our parents are.”

“I wonder when they are going to get here?” Leland asked, slipping his bag into his lap. “I guess I better send them a letter.”

A few minutes later, a written note conveying that he and the others had arrived in Ruinsforth was fluttering away in a blaze of magical power.

“These really are handy,” he said, eying the dwindling stack of paper. “I wonder how much these cost if I’m not in the Mail Guild?”

Jude snorted. “I remember my mom trying to buy some once. She was almost enraged at the seller over the massive upcharge she was being forced to pay.”

That doused Leland’s smile. “Oh. Well maybe I can make a contract with the Lord of—”

A blue circle cut its way through the fabric of reality before falling away to a different location. The museum abruptly ended at the circle’s edge, instead it became the inside of a bedroom. Spencer Silver, Leland’s dad, stood through the portal with a great grin.

“Hey there boys! When’d you get into town?”

Leland was the first to his feet, shooting through the portal into his dad’s open arms. A wave of nausea encroached his stomach from teleporting, but he didn’t care, a hug was more important than worrying about throwing up.

Glenny and Jude came through a bit slower, not as accustomed to traveling by magical portal as Leland. They crossed the boundary of the museum in a single long step, wobbling once fully in the inn. The portal snapped closed behind them.

They stood in a bedroom befitting a duchess. From floral wallpaper to silken sheets, the room shouted money. It even smelled nice, which was a rarity in an adventuring city. A trio of lit candles was the cause, their wicks inflamed with small depictions of fire. One wick burned like a grand oak in miniature form, another an iconic phoenix, and the third a mariner rowing a boat. They each radiated the familiar aroma of vanilla and cream.

“So when’d you get in, Son?” Spencer asked again when the hug was over.

“This morning. What about you? We figured you'd arrive for the Royal Dream.”

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Spencer waved his hand. “You know how royals are. Always wanting to be early to events then pretend to show up late. We’ve been here for two days now.”

Jude walked up, holding out his hand. “Well met Mr. Spencer!”

Leland’s dad smiled, shaking the berserker’s hand. “Please, call me Spencer! Mr. Spencer is my dad!”

Jude laughed but Leland frowned. “His name wasn’t Spencer, it was Gerald,” he muttered with a smirk.

Glenny was up next, but when he held out his hand, shadows twisted to protect his palm. He quickly moved his hand behind his back. “Sorry, still working on that. Good to see you again.”

Spencer eyed Glenny and the receding shadows. “Parasitic… uh, cloak? Just evolved? How interesting. Your dad didn’t give you that, did he?”

Glenny shook his head. “Dungeon reward.”

“Ah. Good. Can’t be gifting things like that to children. There are rumors among the nobles that parasitic items actually can eat an unworthy kid.” Spencer rolled his eyes longingly. “But if you got it in a dungeon, you should be fine.”

“When you say ‘eat,’ do you mean when—”

“The evolution trial, yes. Good thing you passed, you might have died.”

Glenny gulped.

“Gah, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Leland turned toward the door. “Is mom through here or—”

“Ah. Oh. Hold on a moment son.” Spencer scratched his face. “Hmm maybe I shouldn’t have portaled you over here like this.”

“What?”

“Well you see, we are technically still on duty to her majesty the Queen. And well, it’s not just Sybil we are guarding, you see.”

“Who else—”

Leland was cut off by a piercing voice. He shuddered in remembrance, instantly recognizing the source of his nightmare. Aunt Palemarrow. She wasn’t technically his aunt nor actually related at all, but as a prominent figure of the royal family, she often got her way. Which just so happened to be having all children call her aunt regardless of relation.

The burst open revealing Aunty P. in all her glory. Thin but short, covered in wealth like the royal castle’s trophy room had sprouted legs and started walking. Glimmering jewelry was half of it, the other was bright colored makeup which made her look like a fanning peacock tail. That, and an actual peacock feather that was somehow always woven into her clothing.

Leland, as a kid, often wondered if it was the same feather for every outfit, or if she changed them out like toothbrushes.

“Ah ha!” Aunty P. shouted, pointing a boney finger at the boys. “I thought I heard a conversation up here!”

Spencer’s face curled into itself. “That’s right, Eldest Princess—”

“Oh don’t you start with titles,” she quickly shushed. “You know how I feel about being called ‘Eldest’ anything. I’m not that old.”

She shifted away from Spencer, finding Leland first. “Oh! Little Leland! Come give Aunty P. a hug! It’s been too long!”

Leland made a face like his father’s but stepped forward anyway, being consumed by wrinkled arms. She pushed away, saying something to Jude and Glenny in turn, hugging each one after the other. Leland had spent the most time in the castle as a kid, the others only on special occasions such as galas or ceremonies despite Aunt P. having known their parents for decades.

“Now then, have you all been well?” Aunty P. asked before turning to Spencer. “Why didn’t you portal them in sooner?”

Spencer scratched his head. “I, uh, didn’t think they’d be allowed to stay if I’m being honest. We are on duty.”

The Queen’s sister threw up her hands. “No, none of that please. They are family, they are welcome.” She looked at the boys. “Now then, I know of some parents sitting downstairs that would be delighted to see their little angels!”

She trotted out of the room, into the similarly decorated hall.

“She scares me,” Jude whispered to no one in particular.

“I heard that!” Aunty P. called.

Glenny and Leland laughed, eventually causing Spencer to giggle as well.

“Downstairs” was actually down two sets of stairs, around a bend, through a small open air courtyard, and past a ballroom or two. It wasn’t until the boys followed Spencer and Aunty P. outside that they realized they were in no normal inn. It was more like a campus, an entire estate rather than something “normal.”

Reading the boy’s gawking faces, Aunty P. explained, “This is one of Royal Summer Houses. It was purchased well before I was born, mind you, when Ruinsforth was first coming into its own.”

“But it's not summer…” Jude muttered incredibly quietly.

“Indeed it’s not! Think of it like this, you don’t have to wear a winter coat only in winter. Sometimes a nice warm coat is necessary.”

Jude’s eyes were wide and he looked at his two best friends. They gave him amused shrugs.

After what felt like a ten minute walk, the group reached the promised “downstairs.” It was inside, beyond a set of grand double doors. Aunty P. stopped with one hand on the doors. She looked for Spencer.

“Are all of the house’s defenses set up? Enough to satisfy the reports from—”

Spencer raised a hand, eyeing the boys. “Satisfied and then some, yes.”

Aunty P. nodded, pushing open the door and said, “Then feel free to take the evening off and spend time with your child. Tell the others as well.”

“Oh. Thank you, that is very nice of you.”

She waved him off. “Just stay on property.”

And with that, the doors fully opened and a rush of music and warmth hit the group.