Bambridge (aka the Wooden Shekel) slinks his way through a secret passage, having gotten past the Emperor-Potentate's long-forgotten private hidey-hole. He happens upon some spy-holes that let him listen in on the conversation of a couple of snake mages charged with servicing the magical features of the palace … who apparently are at least dimly aware of the happenings with the golems known as the Watcher and the Guardian.

The Wooden Shekel hurries along, only to find that the stone door at the end of this passage is far too heavy for him to move by himself. He heads back down the passage, with the intention of spying on the mages some more, but encounters one of them – Serpiko, the Earth Mage – and a stone golem.

The Shekel bluffs "poisoning" Serpiko, in order to try to get some "insurance" and some help … but Serpiko – a rattlesnake – bites the Shekel back, with some very real venom of his own, as his own "insurance". The Shekel keeps up his act as best as he can, and gets the mage to "reprogram" the earth elemental to assist in this prison break.

The earth elemental provides a way through the stone door for the Wooden Shekel. The color-changing lizard then proceeds down a corridor, narrowly avoiding a Rokuga guard, and at last finding the cell which contains Zorah – aka "Long-Lope", and sister to the Savanite Priest-Queen. While he's working on the lock, a feline prisoner by the name of Madame Garrotte across the hall threatens to scream and call the attention of the guards if she isn't taken away as well. Bambridge frees her as well, and they start heading back … though he's a bit groggy due to the effects of the poison in his system. The Wooden Shekel sets off a trap that causes a portcullis to slam down to block their way … but the lizard demonstrates his versatility by using his tongue to hit the release switch, about ten feet away. (And, he manages to retract his tongue before the portcullis slams back up into the ceiling!)

Alas, a guard is responding to the disturbance … but the Wooden Shekel manages to reach the point where the golem is waiting. With a flurry of his cloak, he covers the escape of the Savanite and Khatta (and himself!) through the secret door, with the aid of the stone golem.

Serpiko uses the stone golem to ferry the Shekel and the escapees past the traps … but the coldness of passing through stone magically causes Bambridge to slip into a state of torpor. When he comes to, he is outside, attended by his assistants, Celine and Aunwin. Madame Garrotte is nowhere to be seen. He gives a phony "antidote" to Serpiko, and has his lackeys ferry himself and Zorah away in a waiting selona rickshaw.