CHAPTER 16
"FADING HOPE"

PREVIOUSLY:
Cruel, having tracked Bob and Goody-Goody to Lizy's secret base, cast our hero and his friends into a deep, bottomless hole.

When Lizy came to, he found himself all alone in the darkness. He remember falling, then sliding down some sort of hard, rocky slope, but he couldn't say how he ended up where he did. Where Speedy, Chubby, and Bob had ended up, he didn't know either, though he had managed to somehow keep a hold of his sword. But worst of all, he had no idea what he was to do next!

"You've really done it this time," he thought aloud to himself with a sigh, "Lizard Valley has been all but wiped off the face of Zytrolilex, and it's all because of you! What was the King thinking when he appointed me to become Guardian of Lizard Valley? I was too useless to be of any help..."

He sighed again, then looked up a moment from his self pity to notice a faint blue glow. The walls themselves were giving off a little light! Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he was sure of it.

"I wonder," he said thoughtfully. He got up, took his sword, and thrust it to the hilt into the soft, clay walls of the little tunnel he was in. Upon pulling it out, the sword's marvelously crafted blade was shining bright yellow!

"There must be some sort of soft, glowing metal in these walls," Lizy said to the sword. "You know, I've had you all this time now, yet I've never given you a name! That's what most heroes do, isn't it? I may not be much of a hero, but I think I'll call you Thunderbolt! And you might just be my key out of here!"

Using Thunderbolt as a sort of lantern, he pushed forward into the cold blackness, looking for a way out. Though there were many tunnels that led here and there, he felt hope building up inside of him again. He carefully picked his way until, suddenly, he noticed daylight far off. And he could see a group of lizards in the light!

"A rescue party!" cried Lizy running forward as fast as his feet could carry him.

But as he came into the light, all he could see was a tight, cold room of glass-like rock walls with his own reflection staring back at him from a dozen directions. Yes, there was an opening to the world outside from where the daylight came streaming, but it was so high above his head he could never possibly reach it.

In that moment, Lizy was at last broken. He dropped his sword with a clang to the solid ground and collapsed of hopelessness.

"You fool!" he cried, jumping up and beating his fists against the mirrored reflections. "How could you have failed so miserably! All your friends are lost and you let them down when they needed you most! You can't do anything right!" He collapsed to the ground again, this time in tears.

"The Lizy that I know wouldn't give up so easy!" called a voice from behind.

Lizy jumped up in surprise and turned around to see his sword being tossed to him. He caught it with ease.

"Rex Compaq-Summit!" cried Lizy. "How in Zytrolilex did you end up here?"

"That's a story in itself," Rex lamented, "And it's about time you heard it..."

NEXT TIME: "Rex's Story"
Rex tells of the quest that brought him to Lizard Valley.