The sun was setting, but the mountain of Salamandastron was burning bright above Martin and his friends.

"Whatever it is must burn continuously," Martin said. "D'you suppose it really is a fire lizard, Gonff?"

"I don't know, matey. I hope not!"

"Me neither, but one thing I do know," Speedy said, nodding toward the mountain. "That place is all that stands between sea rats and the land. They fear it and hate it."

"Then why don't they go around it?" Gonff asked.

"Because it's there, I suppose." Speedy shrugged. "It stands as a challenge."

"I'm starting to have the feelin' that we're bein' watched again, boys," Bugs said a few minutes later.

"I know what you mean," Gonff told him. "I can feel the hairs on my neck rising."

"D'you see that lump of something or other out by the tideline?" Speedy asked. "I could swear it moved a minute ago."

"Don't stare at it," Martin warned them. "Keep going. Shortly we'll make as if we're camping down for the night, but we won't really go to sleep. We'll just pretend to. Then we'll let whoever's watching us make their move."

They chose an open spot. They lit a small driftwood fire and lay around it, feeling very vulnerable.

Agonizing moments stretched away; still there was no sign of movement. The friends began to think that their suspicions had been groundless. Night had fallen and it was quite warm; there was not even a breeze to disturb the loose sand.

The fire burned lower.

Despite himself, Martin began to feel sleepy. He fought to keep his eyes open.

"Hey, are you guys hiding from the sea rats?" a voice said softly in his ear.

"No, we've come all the way from Mossf…" Martin answered in a dozy murmur.

He sprang up with a start. A girl bunny who looked like a female version of Bugs was lying next to him by the fire.

She giggled. "You should never all go asleep together in a strange country. Always have one person on guard; that way no one can sneak up on you, like I just did!"

"Yeah, I knew that…" Martin was feeling very angry with himself for letting his guard down.

Bugs took an immediate interest in the strange bunny. "Say, what's your name?"

"Lola. Lola Bunny."

Bugs held out his paw. "Pleased ta meet ya, Lola. My name's Bugs Bunny. This is our leader, Martin the Warrior. Here we have Gonff, the Prince of Mousethieves, with the latest addition to our little band, Speedy Gonzales, an excellent boat builder."

"Hello, matey," said Gonff.

"Hola," said Speedy.

Lola shook all of their paws. Then she sat down by the fire with them.

"This is nice and comfy," she said. "So where did you guys come from?"

Martin told her their story, right up to the escape from the toads.

"What about you?" he asked. "How do you come to be out here in the middle of nowhere next to a fire mountain?"

Lola jumped up. "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot! I was sent down here to lead you up the mountain!"

Gonff scratched his head. "Sent? Who sent you?"

"You'll see!" Lola winked.

Martin kicked sand on the fire to extinguish it. "Righto. Lead on, Lola."

As they started toward the mountain, Lola took out a strangely shaped shell. She blew into it, making a sound like a trumpet. The noise echoed across the shore.

A voice like thunder on a hot noon boomed out from somewhere inside the mountain. "Come in peace to the mountain of fire lizards!"

Hearing the gigantic sound effect, Gonff and Speedy started to tremble, but Lola seemed hardly to notice it. "Come on. In here," she said, pointing to a hole in the side of the mountain.

They followed her through a narrow passage until they came out in a big cave. There was a cord hanging from the ceiling. Lola tugged on it and a ladder came clattering down.

At the top of the ladder they found themselves in a broad upward-running passage hewn into the living rock. They walked up the steep incline, lit by torches at regular intervals in wall sconces. From somewhere above there was a steady roaring sound.

"What's that noise, senorita?" Speedy asked curiously, having to shout above the din. "Is it a dragon?"

"You're about to find out," Lola said.

Five flights of stairs, one more cave, and another steep corridor led them to their destination.

The very heart of Salamandastron!