Following the message that a Rat Creature army is crossing the Eastern border, Fone Bone, Thorn, and Gran'ma Ben travel off-road to Barrelhaven.

En route, Gran'ma Ben suffers an attack of her "gitchy feeling" - a dizziness and her omen of impending trouble.

Fone Bone makes to follow her, and Gran'ma Ben gives him her sword and a pendant bearing the royal crest, with instructions to show it to Lucius.

Staying at the inn that night, Thorn is once again visited by the Hooded One in her dreams; this time revealing its face like young Gran'ma Ben's.

Lucius Down, after searching for Gran'ma Ben for two days, returns to find the town barricaded, and orders the fences to be torn down; but the townsfolk, terrified of dragons, refuse him.

Fone Bone meets with Lucius, who fears that the Rat Creatures evacuating the valley could be a precursor to another sneak attack like the Nights of Lightning.

The next morning, Phoney Bone rallies the townsfolk to carry him and his fees into the mountains where he tells them, he will capture and kill a dragon.

The townspeople urge Phoney to kill the dragon, but just as he is about to reluctantly do so, Thorn stops him, and shows the townsfolk smoke from the Rat Creature army advancing toward Barrelhaven.