Spence placed the mask over his eyes. It felt like a snorkeling mask he had used a year or two at the beach, except this one let in a lot less light. He placed each of the earplugs into his ears. They almost totally blocked out all sound. As he adjusted the mask on his face, his finger grazed some type of bump on the right side, over the temple. He placed his finger on it again and realized it was a button. Without hesitation, he pressed it. The lenses suddenly lit up like night vision goggles. The light was too bright, though, and he pressed the button again. The mask went dark, but he saw spots in front of his eyes.

“We won’t need any light,” he said, pulling the mask up so he could make sure he wasn’t temporarily blind. He also removed one of the earplugs.

“Why?” Caleb asked.

“There’s a button on the right side. These things are like night vision goggles. Don’t press it out here in the light, though.”

“Damn it!” Trey said. He clutched at his mask and snatched it off his head.

“Uh, what part of not pushing the button out here confused you?” Morgan asked.

“I’ve got a button you can push,” Trey responded. He rubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands.

“OK. Let’s focus. Whatever’s in there is bound to know we’re out here now. Put your masks on, with the earplugs in, step into the cave and then press the button. We won’t be able to talk after that,” Caleb said. He didn’t wait to see if the others followed. He stepped into the dark confines of the opening, hesitated as his finger located the button, and then disappeared further inside.

Spence watched Trey follow Caleb, and then he and Morgan went. He said his prayer as he stepped into the darkness and pressed the button, just before almost running into Trey. The masks made everything look bright white instead of green like the military night vision did in the movies. He stepped to the outside of Trey and clutched his staff tightly. The cave stretched straight ahead fifty feet. The tunnel was just a straight tube, but the walls, floor, and ceiling were rough, unlike the smooth dwarven tunnels. Small loose rocks littered the floor, and some stalagmites rose from it. The roof narrowed overhead and disappeared out of sight as a large fissure.

Spence didn’t see a monster or Medusa or any other creature. Caleb and Trey began walking forward, their weapons before them. Spence followed, and he knew Morgan was beside him, slightly outside Caleb. Spence didn’t activate his staff yet, afraid the light would blind them all. He hoped he would have time to activate it and fire before the monster attacked—if they encountered an actual monster

Spence realized the tunnel didn’t end but made a ninety-degree right turn as they neared the cave's back wall. Caleb and Trey slowed just before the bend. Spence and Morgan stopped and waited nervously. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears in the oppressive silence of the earplugs. He wiped his palms one at a time on his pants. Caleb leaned around the corner of the wall for several seconds. He finally pulled his head back. He removed his earplugs and motioned for the others to do the same.

“It opens into a chamber at the end of the tunnel, and it appears to be a dead end. If the monster is in here, it’s in there. When Spence activates his staff, close your eyes. As soon as the fireball launches, his crystal will go dark, and you can open them and attack. Spence, you shouldn’t have to aim too closely with the fireball. Last time it locked on like a missile.”

They all reinserted the earplugs. Caleb and Trey walked around the corner and halted until Spence and Morgan joined them. The tunnel ended one hundred feet away and opened into a round room. Nothing was visible in the room, but it glowed brighter than the tunnel and appeared to contain a light source.

Spence saw Caleb hold his hand up with all five fingers extended. He slowly lowered each one. When he was down to just a fist, his mouth opened, and he yelled something toward the distant room. The yell was so loud Spence could hear muffled sound through the earplugs, although he couldn’t make out the words.

A thought struck Spence as Caleb counted down to his yell. A creature that turned everything living to stone was supposed to be this cave. Yet they hadn’t seen any statues outside or inside the cave or any broken statue pieces on the floor. Movement within the distant room interrupted his thoughts. Only a shadow appeared first. Then a shape began to emerge. He struck the butt of his staff on the floor.

He closed his eyes for a second, but he was still nearly blinded when he reopened them. He squinted and tried to discern the distant shape. It did resemble the Medusa out of the movies. It had the lower body of a giant snake and a human torso. Except this one was a male. Spence couldn’t discern many details due to the distance and the mask. The brilliant orb on his staff made it worse.

He lowered his staff beside Trey’s left arm and pointed it at the monster. He placed his finger on the second button. He paused and waited for action from the Medusa. It slowly slithered fully into the doorway of the chamber. It held a bow in its hand and wore a quiver of arrows on its back. But it hadn’t drawn its bow. Was it trying to turn them to stone with its gaze? Its mouth opened and closed, but no sound reached them. It could be talking or casting a spell.

Trey turned around and moved his mouth.

Spence read his lips and knew he was telling him to hurry up and shoot it. He stroked the raised button. He wasn’t sure why he hesitated, but something just didn’t feel right. First, the gods warned them about what they were to face and gave them the magic masks. Then, they had seen no evidence of statues or dead creatures. He suddenly removed his finger from the button and grabbed the left side of his mask. He slowly peeled the corner up. He hoped he was right. Of course, he’d never realize if he weren’t.

It took a moment for his exposed left eye to adjust to the darkness. The light of the staff illuminated the tunnel almost to the monster. The room behind it did have a light source, too, silhouetting it. Spence lifted the other side of the mask and blinked hard with both eyes. There wasn’t a half-snake, half-human in front of him. There was only a human. It did appear to hold a bow but wasn’t a monster. He removed both earplugs.

“Stop!” the man yelled. “I’m not going to hurt you! I’m from Earth too!”

Spence remembered Thordr saying the monster could beguile people with its voice. Was this part of the trap? Or was it all a lie? He glanced over at Morgan. She had her bow halfway drawn. Caleb and Trey were tensed to charge and attack. He wondered if they still had their eyes closed.

“Who are you?” Spence called out.

“I’m Tom. Tom Marshall.”

“We were told you were a monster that could beguile us with your voice and turn us to stone with your gaze.”

The man laughed a loud but hoarse laugh. “The gods told you that?”

“Well, the gods told a dwarf,” Spence said. He kept both hands on his staff but lowered it some.

“Figures. I hope you have learned at least a little bit about the nature of the gods by now,” Tom said.

“You looked like a Medusa with this mask. Just so we can be sure, turn around. I will have my friends remove their masks and earplugs.”

Tom laughed again and slowly turned. “More handiwork of the gods. Sure. Just talk the girl out of putting an arrow into my back.”

Spence covered most of the staff tip with his left hand and tapped Trey and Caleb on their shoulders with his right. As they turned, he moved over and tapped Morgan. They all faced him now. He motioned for them to take off their masks and remove the earplugs. Each of them turned to look at the monster and then slowly lifted their masks.

“What’s going on?” Caleb asked.

“See for yourself. It looks like a man to me. His name is Tom Marshall,” Spence said. “From Earth.”

Caleb pulled his mask down and then raised it again. Soon all three of them pushed the masks up. Morgan lowered her bow but kept the arrow nocked. Trey and Caleb slightly relaxed their offensive stances.

“It could still be a trap,” Caleb said.

“I doubt it. I realized before we saw him that there were no stone statues anywhere around. And what is more likely, the masks making a man look like a monster, or taking off the masks making a monster look human?” Spence asked.

“How can we trust you?” Caleb called out.

Tom turned around and stared at the four. “Well, I could have just turned you all to stone.”

“Good point,” Morgan whispered.

“We could keep shouting back and forth and waving our weapons around, or you could come down here, and we can compare notes on this screwed-up world,” Tom said. He then turned and walked into the room behind him.