"That should do it," the Emperor announced.

Alaron stood with his hair tucked under a borrowed woolen cap, a cape too short for him, and mud caked on his face. The boy lifted his bound hands to his cheek. "I feel like a fool," the prince moaned.

"Then stop acting like one," Gandr retorted before realizing he had spoken aloud. "Sorry, Your Highness…even though it is true," he muttered his half-apology.

The Emperor held a cloth in his hand. "Don't bite me." He narrowed his eyes at the prince.

"Can we talk about this? How about if I promise…" the rest of his words were muffled as he received the gag.

"Nothing you could promise would be helpful just now. People may want to free you or kill you based on who you are and I do not need that added worry." Devrim tied the cloth firmly behind Alaron's head. He turned to Fedelmid and Ashleigh. "Please lead the way."

"I recommend you say as little as possible until we are inside Oblivion's walls," the duchess advised the group. "My guards will better be able to protect you from danger if we are not attracting it with noise."

"What kind of danger?" Junayd asked in a lowered voice.

"I hope you do not find out," Fedelmid whispered and brought his finger to lips.

They moved over the ridge and found a dozen soldiers waiting for them. The troops bowed to Devrim at Ashleigh's silent command, and the larger group began their trek along a wide valley. The path through the base chasm was marked by deep wheel ruts. This had once been a major trade route to somewhere, but the road was now deserted. The Emperor wondered what had caused the change. There also seemed to be many spots where the earth was broken and disturbed. Perhaps the area suffered from earthquakes, but Devrim could not remember that being true. His mind raced with his own thoughts. The silence was almost too much, as tension amongst the soldiers grew with each step.

A beam of light flashed twice from a precipice about halfway up the canyon wall. Fedelmid held up his fist for the others to stop. He pointed to his eyes. 'We've been spotted,' he told them silently. Sure enough, over twenty marauders on horseback swooped in from either side to engage the party. Everyone drew their weapons except Alaron, who pulled against his bonds frantically. He could see that these thieves had come to rob them, and they wanted no witnesses. The horses circled those on foot and began closing in quickly. The bandits anticipated only a brief fight. Devrim intended to prove them wrong.

Having served a small time in the cavalry, Junayd knew more than the rest about engagements of this sort. He pulled a strange curved knife from his belt, one that Devrim had never seen him use. As the first horse neared, the agile soldier held his sword in his dominant hand and used the knife to swipe at the saddle harness from between the steed's belly and the leather. This movement protected the horse, which he did not wish to harm.

After a couple of tries, the saddle's strap split, detaching saddle and rider from their mount. Junayd struck quickly at the fallen criminal before moving onto the next rider.

With effort, Alaron pulled the gag from his mouth. "Release me and let me fight," he cried out to anyone who would listen. "I am a sitting duck."

Devrim was defending the boy against one of the mounted men. The Emperor was able to time his swing to cut across his opponents stomach while the latter tried to reign in his steed. In between attacks, he answered, "You will run off. I cannot handle another problem just now."

"There is nowhere to run. Anyway, you need me," Alaron countered. Although they were cutting down the number of marauders, their own company was also sustaining injuries.

Devrim could feel an intense headache coming on. "I am going to regret this," he said as he sliced through the boys bonds. Alaron lifted a sword from one of the fallen mauraders. The prince swung at the Emperor. Devrim ducked, only to realize the blade had not been meant for him. One of the enemy had come up, and Alaron had deflected his deadly blow. Their training taking over, the two backed up against each other such that they would not be surprised again.

Now that most of the marauders were unhorsed, the battle on foot caused the tide to turn. Realizing this was a far more costly venture than they had thought, the bandits gathered together to make a last stand. It was then that three quick flashes came from above them on the precipice. Seeing the warning, the criminals threw down their weapons and ran with all their might away from the fight.

Alaron gave a great whoop and slapped Devrim on the back. "We gave them a reason to think twice, didn't we?" the boy laughed.

"Sh!" Fedelmid tried to silence him.

"What? We were trying not to alert those bandits, but now they are gone! We did it!" The prince made a fist to indicate victory.

"Those fool bandits were not why we were being quiet," Ashleigh warned.

The ground below them began to shake. Gandr could sense something huge heading directly towards them through the earth. "Run!" he screamed.

Everyone charged across the open ground. The ground behind them began to break apart and crumble in on itself. "Is it the gnomes?" Devrim yelled to Gandr.

"No, much much bigger." Gandr responded, fear evident on his face.

"What is it?" Alaron yelled, looking over his shoulder.

Duchess Ashleigh, who had gathered up her dress to be more agile, answered him. "We call her The Monster, and she hates any kind of noise. Now hush, and she may yet leave us alone."

Thinking quickly, Devrim pulled the duchess toward the eastern wall of the cavern. The rest of them followed his lead. He climbed slightly off the canyon floor and then motioned for the others to do the same. Like laundry pinned to a line, the group hung from the cliff face hoping to evade The Monster. The ground shook as a wide swath of the canyon was tuned over by an invisible plough. The group held their breath as the shifting ground moved past them. It seemed that the danger might pass.

But then a lone horse, with its saddle shifted awkwardly to one side, came galloping down from the north. Its eyes were wild, and the saddle pressed strangely into its belly causing it to run toward the danger instead of away from it. Devrim watched as the poor creature mis-stepped along the broken ground. She gave a terrible whinny that echoed off the walls as she fell. The mare's whine made her sound more like a donkey than a horse. The Monster seemed to hear the scream.

The gigantic creature stopped, turning around and returning back to the injured equine. When it surfaced, those gripping the wall were also arrested by fear. Its long thin nose sniffed at the air while its long clawed legs pushed it forward into the open air. Its dark fur shimmered in the sunlight, but its lack of eyes gave those watching a sense of dread. Where there should have been sockets, fur and skin had grown over. The creature was blind.

That did not stop The Monster from locating the horse and taking it back into the ground with it. There was quiet for a moment. 'That was a giant mole!' Devrim screamed inside his head. 'As big as ten men...no wonder no one wants to travel this way.'

Devrim contemplated placing his feet back on the canyon floor, but the large mole broke through the ground in front of him. The Monster loomed over them grating her claws together. She gave an angry shriek and swiped at the cavern wall. Ashleigh and the rest were forced to release and fall with the rocks that cascaded down. The mole dragged her belly out of the hole, clawing at anything she could hear or sense. The Monster was getting dangerously close to Alaron, and the Emperor panicked.

"Over here you crazy animal!" Devrim yelled. The mole stopped short of crushing the prince as she turned toward the taunt.

"No, over here!" Junayd called, trying to protect the Emperor.

"You lousy mole, I am over here!" the halfling called, picking up on the game.

More and more of them called out, causing the mole to swivel about in an aimless game of capture-the-noise. 'She does not like noise,' Alaron thought as an idea struck him. "Everyone cover your ears and move back!"

Those closest to him obeyed and Alaron began to chant and move his hands, drawing as much power as he could. At last he clapped hands, and a mighty booming sound nearly crumbled the sides of the canyon. The people felt the mighty sound rumble painfully through their bodies, but the mole felt it the strongest of all. She shrieked again, this time in anguish. Sinking into the hole, The Monster retreated full speed away before another excruciating noise could attack her.

His body was weak, but Alaron smiled triumphantly as he helped up the Emperor. "See? My magic has its uses," the boy whispered.

"What?" Devrim asked as he could only hear ringing. His head pounded against the assault on his ears.

"I said my power was helpful!" Alaron mouthed slowly so that the man could understand.

"Agree to disagree," The Emperor responded. He looked around, "Is she gone?"

"What? I cannot hear you." Junayd asked with a dazed look. "I think she is gone! We should get out of here."

"What? My ears are ringing too loud." Gandr called loudly. "We should probably talk elsewhere."

"What did you say?" Fedelmid said as he rubbed his temples gently.

Alaron placed his head in his hands. "...this could take a while."