Three days passed since Jenny and the Beastmen left Las Vegas. On their Yorks, they approached a massive tall mountain in the middle of a plain rocky desert. The sky turned gassy orange with a sulfur smell in the breezy warm air. A misty red haze surrounded the entire flatland as if the desert survived an inferno storm.

The mountain has a metal sphere on top. Small chimney pipes rose out, releasing red smoke into the air. It looked like an industrial factory covered in brown dirt and rocks.

Huntar checked the map and directed his eyes back at the elevated rough terrain. “Aye, that should be our final destination.”

Zena narrowed her eyes. “It looks ordinary to me.”

Basju glanced at her. “A smoking mountain with a giant metal ball looks ordinary to you?”

Rani crossed her arms. “I don’t care what kind of lair it is. Killing the sorcerer is my focus.”

“Do you know who the last sorcerer is?” Basju asked.

Huntar rolled up the map and placed it back into his pack on the York. “Eera said his name is the Tinker. Unfortunately, nobody knows much about him.”

“Oh!” Basju glanced back at the mountain. “That explains those smoking pipes.”

“Does that mean he is an engineer, not a sorcerer?” Jenny asked.

“We can ask him before I slice off his head,” said Rani.

Jenny glared at the blood-thirsty panther woman. If the sorcerer was innocent, she doesn’t want Rani to kill him for nothing. He might have the last time stone piece they need, but that doesn’t make him a villain. “Before we go, we must figure out how to sneak inside without alarming the sorcerer.”

Rani grinned. “I can sneak in and slit his throat.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Huntar asked.

Rani shrugged.

Huntar glanced at Jenny. “We should examine the entrance closely. It might be easy to sneak through.”

Jenny nodded with a grin. “Good idea. Let’s hope the sorcerer doesn’t have any guards at his front door.”

*****

Up close to the mountain, Jenny and the others kneeled behind an oval rock. Their mounts sat around a dead tree where they could wait.

Jenny could see a tall metal gate within a cavern opening. No guards, but it doesn’t look simple to sneak through.

“Should we knock or break in?” Huntar whispered.

Jenny narrowed her eyes at the gate. “That entrance is the only way inside. We will not have the chance if we try to break through.”

“So we knock?” Zena asked.

Jenny scratched her chin. “Hmmmmmmmm.” She turned toward Huntar. “Remember when I disguised myself as a slave to enter the hyena’s lair?”

Huntar glanced up, humming to himself. He then nodded. “Yes.”

Jenny held up her finger. “We can use that trick again, except different this time.” She turned to the others. “We can pretend we are starving travelers, searching for a shelter. Once he will let us in, we can take the time stone before he notices.”

“And we can kill him too,” Rani added.

Jenny shrugged. “Let’s move slowly first, and then I will knock.”

“Very well,” said Huntar. “We got your back.”

Jenny smiled at him. She strolled slowly toward the gate, watching her steps.

When she reached the gate, she waited for her friends to approach her. She faced the gate and knocked on it.

Nothing.

Jenny knocked again, but still no answer. She turned toward the rhino. “Torag, can you knock, please? Really hard.”

Torag grinned and marched toward the gate. He raised his fist and slammed it against the metal plate on the gate. It rang like a bell getting hit by a cannonball. Not the type of knock Jenny expected, but it should be enough to catch the sorcerer’s attention.