Thief Knot

The Thief Knot stands in Surroyal Books.

The ****T******hief Knot**, sometimes abbreviated the **Knot**, was a group created and led by Marzana Hakelbarend, with the purpose of solving the kidnapping of Peony Hyde.

The group included Marzana, the leader; Nialla, her best friend; Emilia, a sneaky Commorancy Kid; J.J., a magician; Ciro, a camoufleur; and Meddy, a ghost. The Thief Knot succeeded in solving the kidnapping, finding the kidnappers and the missing girl.

## History

### Origins

**Marzana Hakelbarend**: Maybe. I mean, if we're going to do this—

**Nialla**: We should do it right.

— *The Thief Knot*, pg. 70 |  | ”

After hearing about the kidnapping of Peony Hyde, Marzana and Nialla decided to investigate. They recruited the Commorancy Kid Emilia to help them, then J.J. and Ciro joined the group. Meddy later arrived, and joined as well, and the group began to investigate the kidnapping. Marzana chose a name for them, the Thief Knot, named after a knot that was a trap.

### *The Thief Knot*

Marzana Hakelbarend heard from Emmett Syebuck about the kidnapping of Peony Hyde. She wanted to investigate, and she told her friend Nialla Giddis about it. Nialla agreed, but they then encountered a substitute teacher, Mr. Otterwill, who they found suspicious, and decided they needed a Commorancy Kid to help. They recruited Emilia Cabot to help them, and told her all about what they knew. Emilia agreed, and told them that she could indeed crack into the school files. Nialla suggested that they add her friend from her younger days, J.J. Mowbry, to the crew, because he was adept at magic tricks. She arranged for them to meet him at Surroyal Books, so after school, Marzana, Nialla, and Emilia left their school Marymead and went to the bookstore.

J.J. was waiting for them when they arrived, as was his friend, Ciro del Olmo, who he said they would also want. The boys each explained why they were valuable, J.J. demonstrating magic tricks and Ciro explaining about his family. Marzana, Nialla, and Emilia voted to allow them to join, and also decided that Marzana would be the leader of the group. They then told the boys all they knew about the kidnapping. Nialla wanted to see the ransom note, so they decided that Ciro would come over to Marzana's house with his phone and photograph the notes of Marzana's parents (who were also working on the case), then print them out. Ciro also planned to get his grandfather's plans for the Belowground stations out of the attic so that they could learn more about the Belowground Transit System.

Marzana went home and, after reading *The Sidledywry Knot* and learning that a knot could be a group, asked Honora, the steward, about different kinds of knots. Honora supplied many knot names, including the names of knots that were traps: thief knots and grief knots. Ciro then came over, and photographed the notes successfully. Marzana listened in on her parents, who were interrogating Rob Gandreider. In the morning, Meddy, a ghost, showed up, sent by Milo Pine from camp to help out. Marzana filled Meddy in on all that had happened. They then went to Marymead and rode a dumbwaiter to the secretary's office, where they broke into the school files and read Mr. Otterwill's. Marzana read a birding book to find out about "snakebird", the Snakebird being something she'd heard her parents mention a few times, and Emilia realized something. Marzana and Nialla asked Mr. Otterwill a few questions and learned that his great-uncle was Victor Cormorant, someone from Marzana's parents' notes.. Emilia revealed what she'd learned: Victor Cormorant was the master carrier The Snakebird.

The four girls went to Surroyal Books to meet up with the boys, who attended a different school. On the way, Meddy shared what she'd learned about the teacher Mr. Otterwill was substituting for, Mrs. Agravin: she was missing. Meddy was introduced to the boys, and Marzana shared the name she'd chosen: the Thief Knot. The girls shared what they had learned that day. Ciro then took out his grandfather's plans for Belowground stations, and they found that there were three stations in the Liberty, including one inside Marymead. Nialla then shared her theory that Peony Hyde had left a message in the ransom note. The Knot then split up. Emilia went to Marymead to explore the Belowground Transit station, Nialla and Ciro went to try to figure out the ransom-note message, and Marzana, J.J., and Meddy went to Mrs. Agravin's house to check on her. Inside Mrs. Agravin's house, Marzana, J.J., and Meddy found Peony Hyde. They stayed with her and cheered her up until the police took her, then Marzana explained to her (livid) parents about the group and what they had done. Word got around to the other members that the case had been solved.

The Thief Knot met again on Saturday as planned. Marzana was feeling down, perhaps because her parents were mad at her and perhaps because the whole time she'd felt it was a game and the group would never figure anything out. Emilia did not show up to the meeting, she was exploring the station, and Ciro called her to make sure she was okay. Nialla brought cookies and watched as Meddy tried to figure out J.J.'s tricks. Marzana was lost in thought. Eventually, she realized what had been bothering her: something had not seemed right about the girl they had rescued. Marzana realized, and explained to the group, that the girl they had rescued had not been Peony Hyde. The Knot was shocked, and Emilia suggested that they come to Marymead to see the station, which she thought was somehow connected to the kidnapping.

The Thief Knot went to Marymead and met Emilia. They saw a photo of Tasha Cormorant on the wall of trustees, and realized that she had been the carrier who had put together the kidnapping, and that she had also been Fake Peony. They then entered Cotgrave Wall Station, where there was a large map of the entire Belowground Transit System. At Emilia's instruction, they took out the Nagspeake map and compared it, and Emilia revealed what she thought was the true purpose of the kidnapping: to get the Hydes out of their house, which was built over the old hub of the Belowground Transit System, and due to the iron probably only accessible from above. Nialla and Ciro then got out the ransom note again, and though most of the others thought it far-fetched, Ciro finally realized the right way to look at it. They revealed what had been on the back of the message, but they did not understand what it meant.

Meddy heard a train coming, and Marzana realized that Emilia had called it by accident. They met the Belowground conductor, Brandon Levi, and he agreed to take them to Mergenthaler Street Station. Nialla and Ciro stayed behind to track down the adults, and send them to the station to help. Marzana, Emilia, J.J., and Meddy boarded the train and rode to Mergenthaler Street, where they found that the iron had taken over. Someone was definitely trying to break in from above, and soon the kidnappers succeeded in coming down.

The Knot hid in various places around the station. J.J. and Meddy created various distractions, but the kidnappers caught Marzana and held her hostage. Marzana recognized the kidnappers to be Moth and Christopher Fletchwood, and realized that they were looking for something from their father in the station. She revealed that they knew all about Tasha and Peony, but when the Fletchwoods opened the locker and found nothing there, they thought the Knot had taken them. J.J. and Meddy put together the fake appearance of Tumbler Fletchwood's ghost, and the Fletchwoods let go of Marzana. Reinforcements, including Marzana's parents, then arrived, Nialla and Ciro having succeeded in finding them, and the Fletchwoods were apprehended.

Marzana discovered that the locks on the lockers were meant as a treasure hunt, and with the help of the Thief Knot, followed the clues and succeeded, finding a Windrose and a Portolan. They then returned to the train and rode back to Cotgrave Wall Station, where Nialla and Ciro were waiting. The Knot went to Marzana's house for a celebratory dinner, as, thanks to the note, Peony Hyde had been found, and the kidnappers stopped.

## Members

* Marzana Hakelbarend
* Nialla Giddis
* Emilia Cabot
* Julian "J.J." Mowbry
* Ciro del Olmo
* Addie "Meddy" Whitcher