"Where are we going?" Aoife asked Ehlnor as she watched the scenery pass by as Ehlnor drove up the twisting mountainous roads.

"Somewhere secure as Rumlar wants." Ehlnor replied.

They drove further along for a while and then Ehlnor turned down a road not so-well traveled. They drove down that road for another 20 minutes and then came to a stop and parked near a very tall bushel of trees obscuring the car.

"Where are we?" Aoife asked again.

"Deapers Mountain. This where I reside." Ehlnor replied.

They all got out of the car and Ehlnor pointed upwards along a steep upwards pathway that led up to a mountain opening.

"That is where you will be." Ehlnor said.

"It's not quite the Royal York." Aoife replied.

"No it is not, but it is secure. Follow me, Your Serene Highness." Ehlnor said as he led the way up the path with Aoife in the middle and Koren followed behind.

After walking up a pathway they entered a cavern and walked several windy pathways inside and then when they emerged into an opening Aoife looked around. The space was huge and had other cavernous pathways all around them. Aoife looked up and saw daylight about 200 feet up piercing through. There was water trickling in a small pond nearby. They were soon followed by a fog that seemed to settle in around them.

"This is where you live?" Aoife asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Ehlnor replied.

"What kind of Fae are you?" Aoife asked.

"This kind." Ehlnor replied and shifted. He grew in size to about 25 feet tall and the skin on his body shifted into dark black-organish rock. His eyes burned orangish-red. He looked as if the mountain itself came alive. Koren's mouth dropped.

Aoife took a step back but bumped into Koren who gripped her tight as he looked on at Ehlnor in wonder.

"What the hell are you?" Koren asked in disbelief.

"I am a Monolith." Ehlnor replied. "And now you know my true nature."

"What is all this?" Aoife demanded.

"Rumlar wants you secure. Forever!" Ehlnor replied.

"We had a deal! He agreed we could still salvage this situation!" Aoife yelled.

"Yes, but without you." Koren replied.

"I am the Princess Mother!" Aoife shouted.

"And one whom will not be missed!" Ehlnor replied.

"Except by my daughter, The Princess Royal! You remember her? The next Queen of the Fae Realm?" Aofie shouted.

"You are talking as if that matters." Koren replied. Ehlnor then reached out for Aoife.

"Come!" Ehlnor replied.

"Put your hands on her and I will blast them off!" Clio yelled as she swirled into appearance from the fog.

"Who are you?" Ehlnor demanded.

"Someone is who about to be a very painful Fae in your ass! Back away from her!" Clio demanded.

Neither Koren nor Ehlnor moved. Clio lifted her hands into the air and summoned lightning that crackled throughout the cavern.

"I said back away from her! Now!" Clio demanded again. Koren released Aoife who went and stood next to Clio while he went and stood near Ehlnor.

"How did you find me?" Aoife asked.

"A discussion best saved for later. We need to get you out of here." Clio replied.

"I remember you." Ehlnor said. "You were with The Queen when she banished my plane."

"And you should have been banished with them. How did you come to be here on the Human plane?" Clio said then narrowed her eyes. "More importantly, why are you on the Human Plane?"

"Human plane?" Koren blurted out loud which caused glances from Clio and Aoife.

"You ask too many questions, Elemental." Ehlnor replied.

"Elemental? Is that some type of witch or something?" Koren asked Ehlnor.

"Who are you? More importantly what are you?" Clio asked Koren.

"Save the questions, Koren!" Ehlnor admonished.

"The Fae would be interested to know a Monolith still exists, and that you tried to kill The Princess Mother." Clio said.

"Fae? Koren blurted. Ehlnor breathed in.

"Aren't you Fae?" Clio asked Koren.

"What the heck is a Fae?" Koren asked perplexed.

"Are you a Human then?" Clio asked. That caused Koren to let out a thin smile.

"Partly." Koren replied.

"What does that mean?" Clio asked.

"Why don't you enlighten the ladies, Koren." Elhnor replied.

"My pleasure." Koren replied then ripped off his jacket and shifted into a werewolf.

"Wait? He doesn't know he's Fae?" Aoife asked.

"He's not Fae." Ehlnor replied.

"Then what is he?" Clio asked.

"Some human that was turned through some mystical purpose. I have no idea." Ehlnor said with glint of humor. "In any case, neither one of you are getting out of here alive."

"See that pathway over there on your left?" Clio said to Aoife.

"Yes?" Aoife replied.

"Take it and don't look back." Clio said.

"I can stay here and fight with you." Aoife protested.

"Your safety is paramount! You need to get out of here!" Clio insisted as Ehlnor and Koren creeped closer. "NOW!"

Aoife turned and ran towards the path Clio pointed out as Koren turned to follow her. Clio raised both her hands and the light from the opening above shot down and blinded everyone in the room. Aoife stumbled and fell as she covered her eyes while crawled in the direction of the path she was headed for. She recovered enough of her bearings, stood up and stumbled for the nearest opening she saw. After several long moments Clio saw that Koren and Ehlnor had shaken off the effects.

"Go after her!" Ehlnor ordered. Koren was about to race off again when Clio raised her hands and the winds inside the cave picked up and swirled like a tornado. Ehlnor raised his arms up and laughed.

"My dear little Elemental. I am a Monolith. This is only teasing me." Ehlnor taunted.

"You are not my focus." Clio replied. Her focus was Aoife to buy time for to make her way out of the mountain.

"Here! Allow me to make me your focus!" Ehlnor clapped his hands together and the mountain shook. Rocks came falling down everywhere causing Clio to stumble back into one of the cavernous pathways for cover.

"Find the Succubus and kill her!" Ehlnor ordered at Koren who bared his teeth wide growled and shot down a cavernous pathway and not the one that Clio pointed out to Aoife to follow which meant Aoife entered the wrong tunnel.

"Now, my dear Elemental. It's just you and me now!" Ehlnor said as he reached down for her. Clio dropped her hand to the ground and it shook and then a powerful spurt of water sprung out from one of the cracks and smacked Ehlnor square in the chest like shotgun blast and knocked him hard on his back while Clio recovered and went after Koren as he chased Aoife.

Clio stumbled as she could hear Ehlnor raging behind her through the cavernous pathway as he pounded the walls creating echoes in the cavern so loud Clio had to cover her ears to avoid passing out from the dizziness it created inside her eardrums. Clio pressed forward and when she finally emerged from the cavernous path it was into another large opening but this one had a cliff side and noticed there was a cliff edge and it looked like it had a drop that went on for days. She saw Koren on the other side growling and pacing. Aoife had crawled into a passageway too narrow for Koren to get through in his wolf form. Clio looked around and saw some passageways, but this chamber looked different. Like where where Ehlnor actually lived. Clio looked around for anything, something to distract Koren when a hand came over her mouth.

"Don't struggle." The individual whispered into her ear then they slowly let go. Clio turned around.

"Who are you?" Clio asked.

"I'm Agent Nadu Chennai."

"I've heard of you. You're The Queen's Agent, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, but why are you here?" Clio asked.

"I'm on a mission and when I saw you outside the Donut Hole I decided to follow you." Agent Chennai replied.

"Wait a minute, you must have been the hot brunette that one bartender in Oldhurst was talking about." Clio said. Agent Chennai offered a slight nod of her head.

"Why didn't you follow Rumlar? Clio asked.

"The safety of the Princess Mother is the paramount concern right now don't you think?" Agent Chennai replied.

"Right. Well, Ehlnor is not far behind me but we have got to get Aoife to safety." Clio said.

"I will distract the werewolf while you tend to The Princess Mother." Agent Chennai replied.

"That's a plan. Oh, by the way, the werewolf's name is Koren."

"Got it." Agent Chennai replied.

Clio and Agent Chennai emerged from the cover of the cavernous pathway. Clio veered right while Agent Chennai waved at the werewolf.

"Koren!" Agent Chennai shouted. Koren turned, bared his teeth and lunged. Agent Chennai deployed a Seracon shield and blade and engaged him in battle while Clio went over and coached Aoife out of her hiding space.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Clio said. Aoife crawled out of her crawlspace, stood up and as they turned to make their way out Ehlnor stood in front of them still in his Monolith form.

"What the…?" Clio said startled.

"There is are more than several paths to get in here." And then he struck Clio, knocking her across the room. Aoife picked up a rock and threw it at Ehlnor. She hit him in the head but all he did was laugh. He stepped forward and seized Aoife by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Clio groggily sat up, saw Aoife being choked to death by Ehlnor and slammed her hand to the ground causing it to shake. The result only caused everyone to stumble. She struck the ground again, harder which knocked everyone off their balance but more importantly knocked Aoife out of Ehlnor's grip.

However, the shaking caused Agent Chennai to fall back which allowed Koren the upper hand. Koren bolted forward but Agent Chennai anticipated his move leaned back with her shield and as he pounced she thrusted her sword upward piercing his heart, and Koren's dead carcass fell on top of her. Agent Chennai quickly knocked him off and stood up.

Aoife stumbled towards the edge of the cliff to get her bearings but Ehlnor had stabilized himself faster. He raised his hand as volcanic lava suddenly formed in the middle of it. He then thrusted his hand forward and the volcanic lava shot out like a fire hose at Aoife.

Clio watched in horror as Agent Chennai leapt into the pathway of Ehlnor's blast with her shield but the blast compromised the ground beneath them and all three of them fell off the side cliff into the abyss.

"Oh dear God! Oh dear God! Oh dear God!" Clio said to herself as she ran over to whatever was left of the cliff edge.

"Aoife! Agent Chennai!" Clio desperately called down. No answer.

"Aoife! Agent Chennai!" Clio called again. A blast of hot wind suddenly knocked Clio back onto the ground. Clio got up and looked over the cliff side once again.

"Aoife! Agent Chennai!" She called out one last time. No answer. Clio backed away from the edge, found a stable piece of ground and then sat down.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Clio repeated to herself. She thought for several long moments then looked over at Koren's dead body which had since shifted back into humanoid form. She got up and went and stood over his dead body and scanned him for any discerning marks or tattoos, something that could provide her with information about him but there was nothing. She then decided to dispose of his body and so grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over by the cliff's edge and kicked him over into the abyss. She stood there for several moments then looked around for the most discernable pathway out of Deapers Mountain.