CHAPTER 3
"THE HERO CONFRONTED"
PREVIOUSLY:
A mysterious phantom appeared at the Mt. Lizard Castle
"Who are you?" challenged Line, drawing his sword, "Show yourself!"
The phantom stepped into the light revealing a lizard the size of the King.
"Mortimer Cruel!" exclaimed the King, "I should have known! I freared this would happen!"
"So right!" laughed Cruel slyly as he walked casually up to Lizy. "Do you really this little pipsqueak has the ability to stop me? He looks awful scrawny to me! Maybe you ought to feed him better? But then again, what am I to expect of the Lizard family line!"
"Hey!" cried Lizy. "You’re disgracing my family name! Stand back, Sandy, this could get ugly!" Lizy hurled himself forward, throwing his fists at Cruel, who kept Lizy back with one hand.
"Um, Lizy," began Sandy, "I don’t think that’s working as well as you had hoped."
"Down, boy!" snorted Cruel.
"What do you want here, fiend?" demanded the King.
"That’s only for me to know," yawned Cruel with a snicker. "You happen to have something here in the castle I’m in need of, so I thought I’d drop by for a visit and pick it up while I was in the neighborhood."
"Guards!" called Fonus, who had had as much as he could take. "Deal with him!"
A ring of guards quickly formed around Cruel with spears drawn. But it was no use at all. The villain simply laughed at them.
"What a rude welcome you’ve planned for me!" Cruel sneered, knocking all the guards aside with just his bare hand. "But I figured this would be how things turned out, so I came prepared." With a motion from his hand, an army of alligators filed into the throne room, and the ceiling was blotted out by the figures of a multitude of mosquitoes. Soon Fonus and the other guards found themselves surrounded by the forces of Cruel.
"Too bad you couldn’t have cooperated with me," chuckled Cruel, "Maybe things would have turned out better. But my generals tell me they’ve just found what I came for, so I must be on my way again. Ta-ta to you for now, Guardian... Lizy, is it?"
"Hey!" cried Lizy, "You can’t just insult the King of Lizard Valley and expect to get away with it!" He started toward Cruel, but two of the vile creatures blocked his way.
"And just what are you going to do about it, kid?" asked Cruel. Lizy didn’t answer.
"You’re more pathetic than your father!" Cruel mocked as he walked out, followed by his minions. The doors slammed shut behind them, and there was nothing but silence for a time while they all listened to the buzz of Cruel’s mosquitoes bear his army off into the night sky. Both Lizy and Fonus were discouraged at their own uselessness.
"The one enemy I could never overcome," said Line sadly as he sheathed his sword.
"Now what do we do?" asked Sandy.
"Have Lizy defeat Cruel, of course!" laughed the King as if nothing had happened.
"What!" cried Lizy, "There’s no way I could face him. Even without that fiend, I’m no candidate for Guardian. What about Sprite, he’s older than I am!"
"Your brother is needed elsewhere," replied the King, "In fact, he was in favor of this from the very beginning. It was practically his idea! We trust you, Lizy. You’re a natural born leader. There‘s more to this than brute strength!"
"I’m getting old," sighed Line, "I can’t keep up this pace anymore. It’s time you took up my place, Lizy!"
"I think You can do it, Lizy," assured Sandy. Her encouragement was all that Lizy need.
"You’re right," agreed Lizy, "If the King of Lizard Valley himself can trust me with such a big responsibility, I think, just maybe, I’m ready." He walked up to the King’s throne and kneeled.
"Lizy Line Lizard," the King declared as he rose to his feet, "By the authority of the King of all Lizard Valley, I hereby appoint to you the honorable title of the Guardian of Lizard Valley."