Cave of Wonders

The bandits are still quite far away when Mendez shouts, “Quickly Tao. Take the horses and ride back home as fast as you can.”.
Doing as bidden by his younger brother, Tao gallops off into the distance, the second horse’s reigns gripped tightly in his left hand. The bandits see him and thunder past the hiding Mendez, after him.
Mendez is confident his brother will be safe. All of his family are good riders and his Father’s horses are the finest in the land.
Sure enough, twenty or so minutes later the bandits return empty handed.
“We’re so sorry Baba.” Says one of the men. “Whoever he was, he was too fast for us to catch. I’m sure he was of no importance though.”
The leader of the men is large and evil looking. Mendez listens intently as they move to the side of a rock face.
“Open Cinnamon!” he commands and to Mendez’s suprise a large section of the rockface melts away to reveal a cave mouth.
Mendez tries to keep track of the men as they enter the cave. Excluding their leader, Baba, he counts about fourty of them. Too many to face by himself.
Waiting in his hiding place, he soon sees the men leave. The leader Baba shouts, “Close Cinnamon!” and the cave mouth magically reseals itself again.
Mendez waits a good half an hour more, before cautiously emerging from his hiding place. Standing straight, he approaches the rocky wall and clears his throat...