CHAPTER 19
"LONG ROAD AHEAD"
PREVIOUSLY:
Lizy the Lizard and Rex escaped the caves and met up with Line and Fonus, who had found Speedy, Chubby, and Bob.
Lizy had learned that Fonus and Line had escaped through one of Mt. Lizard's secret entrances to try and meet up with the forces that had escaped the original attack on Lizard City. They thought that they had arrived too late, when they met up with Speedy, Chubby, and Bob who explained everything that happened.
Lizy, Speedy, Chubby, Bob, Rex, and Line now waited hidden on the hill just south of the city, waiting for the signal from Fonus to attack. Fonus, of course, was attacking from the North-West with his small group of soldiers. It was much smaller than Lizy had hoped for, but it was all they had.
They were all gathered in a sort of circle now, pondering their fate. All except for Rex, that is, who sat some distance away, somberly looking away over the mountains to east, homesick and lonely.
As for Lizy, a question that had been tugging at him for the longest time popped back into his mind. With his father beside him, he decided now that it was time for an answer. "I still don't understand," sighed Lizy, looking over the occupied Lizard City, "Why was I the one who was chosen? And why at a time like this?"
Line sighed. "Over thirty years ago, when I was a young guardian myself," he began, "Cruel came for the first time. I was weak then, like you are now, Lizy. Despite my determination, he terrorized the Valley endlessly for nearly a month. Then he just up and left without notice."
"By why?" asked Lizy. "What could Cruel possibly hope to gain from a hopeless little kingdom like Lizard Valley?"
"A stronghold," Line answered as a wave of seriousness set over his face. "A position from which his army could grow in number and strength, unchecked and unassailable."
"This story is too scary," squeaked Bob, though nobody paid any attention.
"He searched endlessly for a land where he could build up his defenses quickly and without fear of any sizable threat," Line continued, "That place turns out to be Lizard Valley! Instead of a strong, rock foundation like the nations around us, the Valley lays upon a clay-like mineral deposit that goes down for distances unmeasured. The soft mineral is both stable and easy to tunnel into - Cruel is undertaking the construction of an underground fortress for his headquarters!"
Lizy remembered the stuff he had covered his sword with that made it glow in the dark. He looked down at Thunderbolt, which sat beside him in the withered grass.
"The first time Cruel came here, he wasn't sure if this was what he was looking for," Line added, "So he decided to look elsewhere for a time. As you can guess, he laid many realms to ruin in his search."
"I, for one, know he shows no mercy," Rex muttered.
"But why was I chosen now?" asked Lizy.
"A guardian's early years are the hardest," Line replied, "I couldn't be guardian forever, and we didn't know when Cruel would come back, but we all knew, somehow, deep down inside, that he would. We wanted to keep your guardianship secret for a time until you were ready for the task at hand, but Cruel had his own plans. That statuette he took was formed with clay from this area, so Cruel took it to test it and see if Lizard Valley was a suitable place to build. Now he's forcing our poor citizens to build his stronghold! If this base is completed and his plans put in, all the forces of Zytrolilex put together could never possibly hope to overcome him! If he's going to be stopped, now is our only chance - If only our enemies could see that." Line sighed again, and slowed down.
"I'm getting too old to keep up this pace," he admitted under his breath.
"A flare!" shouted Rex, jumping to his feet and pointing, "It's time!"