"Don't get so upset Terry, you know Sutek's Scrolls sells out fast... all the bookstores do," replied his Zafara friend, Sephie.

"I know, I know, but just ONCE I'd like to get my hands on one of those cool scrolls!" he said.

"Did I hear someone say they needed a scroll?" Sephie and Terry turned to see a mysterious looking desert Aisha, beckoning to them from behind a tent. Terry shrugged and walked over to hear what the Aisha had to say. Sephie followed cautiously. She had a bad feeling about this...

"I just happen to have a scroll here I am willing to sell..." the Aisha said, pulling a worn, curled piece of parchment from her robes. "This is a VERY special scroll, it grants the owner..."

"Hurry! Check behind that tent! Maybe they hid over there!" yelled a desert security Grarrl.

"Quickly!" the Aisha said hurriedly, "Pay me 3,000 Neopoints and it is yours!"

"Um, well, okay... I guess." Terry glanced at a concerned looking Sephie, as he handed over the NP and received the scroll.

"AH-HA!" cried the Aisha. "The deal is complete. It is yours now."

Suddenly a large gust of sand blew, forcing the Zafara and Techo to shield their eyes. When they opened them again, there was no sign of the mysterious Aisha...

"Hurry Terry, the guards are coming!" warned Sephie, as a Grarrl decked out in a Lost Desert police uniform came swiftly from around the corner. "Hide the scroll!"

Panicked, Terry immediately located a nearby urn on a wagon, and placed the scroll inside. A Grarrl guard approached, scanning the area.

"Have you seen a desert Aisha wandering around here?" questioned the Grarrl.

"N-no sir," stuttered Terry. "Who is this Aisha?"

"Well," said Officer Grarrl, "My scouts have witnessed this Aisha and a band of thieves running from Sakhmet Palace, carrying sacks of stolen goods. Afterwards, residents here in the market claimed that a masked desert Aisha was spotted trying to sell some of their spoils. We followed their tracks to this area of the market."

"Um... okay, I hope you catch this Aisha soon," said Sephie kindly to the guard.

"Stay safe, and tell me if you see anything suspicious... some of the artifacts they stole are quite dangerous." replied the guard, as he once again began searching for the Aisha.

Relieved the encounter was over, Sephie turned to face Terry, "the scroll is supposed to do something, Terry, and we don't know WHAT it could be. It might be very dangerous, so we have to tell the Grarrl-"

"No way," interrupted Terry, "this scroll could be worth a fortune! Let's sell it to Sutek! Then I could afford to buy all the scrolls I could ever want!"

"But-"

Before Sephie could say anything, Terry walked back into Sutek's Scrolls.

He approached Sutek, who was busy sorting his newest stock of different scrolls and parchments into different sections of his shop. Terry presented the scroll to him.

"Mr. Sutek," said Terry, "can you please buy this scroll from us? We found it somewhere, and we have no use for it." he lied.

Sutek turned away from his scroll sorting, took the parchment from Terry's hands. As he opened the scroll, Sutek's eyes widened.

"Oh child, you do not know what you have just discovered..."

"I CANNOT buy this scroll, I wouldn't take it for free!" said Sutek, shaking his head wearily, "I wouldn't trust myself with it..."

Sephie and Terry exchanged worried glances. "It's that dangerous?" whispered Terry hoarsely.

Sephie started shaking, "D-do you think that desert Aisha would take it ba-"

"SEPHIE!" Terry stormed, turning away in disgust.

"I'm sorry," Sephie said sheepishly, "I didn't mean to..."

Sutek had been watching quietly, his face becoming grave, "I think you have both been tricked, and also I think you are very foolish. However, I think that you meant no harm..." Sutek looked Terry in the eye. "That is why I am sorry to have to tell you this..."

Terry forgot his anger at Sephie, and breathed nervously. "Tell us what?"

"That it is now up to you to return the scroll, but it won't be as easy as you think."

Sephie and Terry brightened. "Oh I know we'll get in a bit of trouble with the guards when we give the scroll back, but," he laughed nervously, "for a moment there I thought you were going to say we had to engage in a long and dangerous journey, fraught with peril, and with nothing but our wits to guide us..."

Sutek frowned. "You do," he said with finality.

"But-" squeaked Sephie, "but-"

"YOU CANNOT GIVE IT UP TO THE GUARDS!!!" thundered Sutek. "They have already been drawn in... you must take the scroll back to its rightful guardian, not the palace."

"Why!?!" said Terry edging towards Sephie for comfort.

"Because the scroll was never meant to be in the palace, and now it has been stolen, THEY will be after it."

"Who's 'they'? The palace guards?" suggested Sephie tentatively.

"No, 'THEY' refers to the nameless ones, the shadow Zafaras of the dark city."

"Zafaras???" questioned Terry uncertainly, glancing sidelong at Sephie.

"DEMONS!" yelled Sutek, scaring them so much, Terry almost fainted. "Go now, head north, and stop at The Grey Rock, someone will help you."

"a grey rock...?" said Terry doubtfully.

"THE Grey Rock, you'll know it when you see it. My advice is this: keep away from officials, they've been bought one way or another, and don't believe in coincidence! If anything seems too good to be true, or too easy, it is! The scroll is very powerful and has wishes of its own... don't let yourself be caught off guard by chance meetings. Go now!"

Sephie and Terry looked at each other, horrified, unable to move. But they both heard the shuffle of heavy feet... they turned around slowly and saw the Grarrl guards approaching.

"GO NOW!" yelled Sutek, "Don't forget, the shadows take many forms!"...

...Sephie and Terry ran hurriedly out of Sutek's shop, for fear of being caught. Once safe outside the confines of the store, the two stopped to catch their breath.

"What... do you... think it... does?" asked Terry breathlessly.

"I'm not... sure exactly, but... it must... be pretty... dangerous... if he was... acting like that," replied Sephie. When they had their breath back, they headed out to look for The Grey Rock after gathering some defense and battle items from their home. However neither knew exactly where to find The Grey Rock.

After walking for what seemed like hours, a Pteri suddenly jumped out from behind some desert brush.

"What sort of scroll do you have in your hands, boyo?" he asked Terry.

"Just something to read." he replied.

"May I see it?" asked the Pteri. Sephie noticed a demonic glint in the Pteri's eyes. She didn't trust him.

"Don't let him see it, Terry."

"Why ever not, child?" asked the Pteri, trying to seem innocent.

"Because it's our scroll, and we don't have to share it with anyone," she said. The demonic glint became brighter in the Pteri's eyes.

"Run Terry!" she screamed. The Pteri changed into Zafara as black as night. "You can run, but you can't hide! We'll find you soon enough!" it said, and then dissapeared in a puff of black smoke.

Once they were safely out of the area where the demon Zafara had appeared, they started their search for The Grey Rock again. They were tired and weary when they spotted a peaceful cabin. They knocked on the door and were greeted by a friendly face, which said, "Greetings, weary travelers! You must be wanting some food and rest. Please, come inside."

"Thank you, kind miss. Your generousity is much appreciated." said Terry.

"You must have some of my delicious food! My neighbors love my cooking." That was when both Terry and Sephie got a bit suspiciuos. What neighbors was she talking about? She lived in the middle of nowhere!

"No thank you, Ma'am. We're merely in need of some food for our empty stomachs," replied Sephie.

"But I insist! You must be starved, you poor souls!"

"Really, Ma'am, we're not terribly hungry. Only tired," said Terry.

"All right then, I'll show you to some sleeping quarters." At this time it was very late, and the two of them were very tired. Worried as she was, Sephie fell asleep immediately. Terry lay awake all night, thinking about where The Grey Rock could possibly be, when he heard slow and steady footsteps outside their room in the hallway. He woke up Sephie, and together the two of them slowly walked to where their bags lay and withdrew thier weapons and shields. They hid themselves behind their shields and stood poised for flight, as the door creaked open. Surprisingly, the Neopet standing in front of them was the desert Aisha who had sold them the scroll.

"What are you doing here?" asked Terry and Sephie together.

"I felt guilty about selling you two the scroll, but I could not be caught with it. They were looking for me, but not for you. I followed you here because I thought you might need some help," she replied.

"For real? This isn't just another trick?" asked Terry.

"For real. I truly feel guilty," she said. Her eyes looked sincere.

At that moment, there was the sound of another pair of feet tiptoeing through the hallway. Terry and Sephie stood poised again, and the next person to open the door was the woman who had offered them the beds.

"Hello, are you sleeping all right?" she asked them. "And who on earth is this and how did she get here?!?" she asked, suddenly angry. Again, Sephie noticed a familiar glint in her eyes. She had to figure a way to get her to move from the doorway.

"Would you like to see the scroll we were carrying with us, Ma'am?" she asked.

"Why, of course, dear. I would be delighted!" the woman stepped out of the doorway and was walking toward them, when Sephie shouted "Run! Now!" Terry and the Aisha ran as fast as they could out the bedroom and out the front door. They heard the woman's scream of outrage and knew that she had been one of the demon Zafaras.

"Good thing we didn't eat her food, huh?" said Terry.

Sephie turned to the mysterious Aisha. "What's your name, anyways?"...

"Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good," interrupted Sephie. "What were you doing with the scroll in the first place?"

"Ah, well, you know how well-guarded Sakhmet Palace is, especially after the crown was stolen. It is the greatest challenge to any thief to steal from such a place. Of course it was nothing to the Desert Hands. I found the scroll in a hidden room. It was very quiet, and I was surprised that no one else had taken it yet. I tucked it into my cloak, filled the rest of my sack, and came to the market to sell what I had 'found'. I returned to the lair with the others, but it wasn't until I heard the storytellers talking about the ancients that I realized why no one else had stolen this scroll."

"Why's that?" trembled Terry.

"This scroll happened to be created by an ancient evil sorcerer, called Rexeversor- 'the destroyer of kings'. His will was to take over the entire desert, and his minions were the shadow Zafaras; physical manifestations of pure evil. Rexeversor created the scroll to control the Zafaras, and he did so without mercy, wreaking havoc wherever he went. His reign of terror probably would have continued if the dark influence of the shadows had not taken over and destroyed his mind. You see, his quest for power was his downfall, because no one is immune to their evil, not even Rexeversor. The elders of ancient Sakhmet sealed the scroll in a secret location far from the city. Long ago someone must have unwittingly taken it to the palace as a museum piece."

"But why are the Zafaras after the scroll, if Rexeversor isn't around to control them?" queried Sephie.

"They are, by nature, evil. If they possess the artifact that holds power over them, then they will control themselves and shall have the free will to cause even more chaos than Rexeversor could have ever imagined. If it's not brought back to the resting place the elders created, then who knows what would happen."

Terry slumped on the ground. He had paid 3,000 NP for this? "I knew we should have turned it over to the guards! They would-"

"Why do you think the guards wanted it so much?" Ishtara cut him off. "They dream of the power they could have without knowing the consequences. The fools don't understand the nature of true evil. That's why we have to get it back to its resting place."

"We? Hey, wait a minute, why do you want to help us, anyway?" Sephie was suspicious. She didn't want to be dragged into any more trouble than they were already in.

"The adventure!" Ishtara immediately replied. "Stealing from the palace has lost its appeal. I can't think of anything more exciting than fighting shape-shifting demons and getting the scroll back to its rightful resting place. Besides, you need me. I've never lost a fight with my trusty Asparagus Dagger on my belt."

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Terry. Ishtara spread her hands. "Honor among the Desert Hand thieves is unmatched. You can trust me with your lives." Sephie was definitely skeptical about the sly grin she was beaming at them, but sighed inwardly. She was right, they needed her. She tried to rationalise the whole situation. Three is better than two against a horde of demon Zafaras. "Alright, you can come with us. You don't happen to know where the resting place is, do you?"

"I wish I did. The storytellers had told everyone to go to bed by that part in the story."

"There was something that Sutek told us. He said to find The Grey Rock, that someone would help us there." Sephie felt quite sly herself. "You're of the Desert Hand, you would know where anything in the desert is..." she coaxed.

"The Grey Rock, huh? It's funny that you mention that." Ishtara looked smug. "That happens to mark the entrance to the lair of the Desert Hand. Someone there has to know where the resting place is."

"It's always something!" cried Terry. "The guards, the Zafaras, and now we have to be led into a den of wild thieves?" He wrung his hands.

"Don't worry, little Techo-ling, I can take you there. You will be safe with me." Ishtara took a curious looking amulet from her robes, "I'll have to take you by sand. I can't risk you revealing the location of the guild." She swept her hand over it and said, "The Lair!" Sephie noticed the wind pick up and the sand start to swirl up around her feet.

"My name is Ter-!" Terry tried to shout indignantly, but received a mouthful of sand for his trouble...

"Whoa!" said Sephie. "Is that The Grey Rock? It's huge!"

"We're rather proud of it ourselves," Ishtara said smugly. "Welcome to the Lair of the Desert Hand, the greatest thieves in all of Neopia." She tucked the amulet back into a pocket of her robes.

Sephie looked around at the desert surrounding them. She couldn't see anything she recognized, not even the great pyramids or the city of Sakhmet. In fact, she realized, she didn't even know where the city was. "How does anyone find this place?" she wondered aloud.

"Why would anyone want to?" Terry said. "Miles of sand, nothing around..." the city-born Techo shook his head unhappily. "I don't like this."

"Oh, be quiet," Ishtara snapped. "I just did you a big favor, little Techo-baby. Nobody not of the Hand has seen the Rock in hundreds of years."

"And it should have been hundreds more," interrupted a new voice. The speaker, a large, Desert-painted Kacheek, appeared among them so suddenly that Sephie jumped, and Terry hugged the scroll to him protectively.

The Kacheek ignored them, turning his attention to Ishtara. "Ishtara, what is this foolishness? Two outsiders- and only children, as well, brought to the front door of the Desert Hand? Do I look like I'm running a daycare or a band of thieves?"

"Oh, Aknuri," Ishtara sighed exasperatedly. "They have the scroll! What did you want me to do, let the demons find them?"

At the mention of the scroll, the big Kacheek's expression changed. "Do they truly have the scroll?"

Terry held it up, trembling.

Aknuri stared at it for a long, long while. Then he turned and tapped twice on the rock face, causing a hidden panel to swing up and reveal a door. "You'd better come inside," he said levelly, holding it open for them...

The descending journey into the underbelly of the gigantic rock was lit dimly by a faint glow that originated from the amulet that Aknuri held carefully. The passage was steep and cramped but the subterranean journey was short lived.

"Here we are," Aknuri said as they came to a large barred door.

Aknuri placed his amulet into an indentation in the door and a faint clicking sound was heard. The door swung open.

"Do not stray off," Ishtara said firmly as she stepped through the doorway and into the lighted area beyond. There was a large tunnel leading directly to the right from which voices and laughter could be heard, and a smaller passage to their left.

"This way," Aknuri said solemnly as he nodded toward a passing, rough looking, Techo in desert garb. They were lead down many passages and corridors, but soon came to a small archway that used a curtain of beads as a makeshift door. Aknuri pushed aside the curtain and entered. "My quarters." He said as he motioned his hand around the room.

"Quaint." Terry said quietly.

Aknuri sat at a large stone table and spoke. "You must be tired from your journey, please sit and rest your legs." Terry and Sephie immediately plopped down into chairs and sighed in exhaustion. Ishtara stood. "So, Ishtara, tell me why you have had these young ones involved in all of this?"

"I take full responsibility for the problem division leader Aknuri." Ishtara said firmly.

"As you well should." He said with a stern tone. Terry shifted in his chair impatiently.

"Ahh, you young ones must be wondering what is going on?" Aknuri said.

"Any answers you could provide would be really appreciated!" Sephie said.

"That scroll you have there is very powerful, and cannot be destoyed. The only way to seal its evil away from those that would abuse its power is to take it to the City of Light, far South in the desert. There you must place it in the tomb of the Paladin Knight. He sleeps now, but if any evil ever dares enter its sacred walls, he will awaken to vanquish them." He said solemnly.

The curtains suddenly burst aside and a cloaked Aisha with a long spear rushed in. "Division leader Aknuri!" the Aisha said quickly, "They have breached the outer gate! The shadow Zafaras have come!"

"Oh, give me a break..." Sephie's sighed.

"You much escape now," Aknuri shouted, then turned to Terry. "Remember, you have one thing to your advantage. Rexeversor feared the shadow Zafaras would try to rise up against him, so he set a spell upon the scroll. They cannot take it from you by force- they can only aquire it if you freely give it to them. That is why they so often try to diguise themselves. Now hurry, they are almost here!"...

"Quickly, children!" Ishtara motioned towards a window hastily. "You must run!"

"But where do we run to?" Sephie questioned.

"You must run to the City of Light!"

They heard heavy footsteps approaching quickly. "Can't you get us there by magic?" Terry asked. There was a nervous tone to his voice.

"I cannot get you into the city with magic." Ishtara explained, "There is a spell that protects anyone from entering the City of Light with magic. I can only get you as far as the city gates, but you will be on your own from there."

"What about you?" Sephie asked. "Won't you come with us?"

"I must stay and guard The Grey Rock from the Shadow Zafaras," Ishtara told them. "Now, quickly, come to me!"

Sephie and Terry gathered around her. The Aisha swept her hands over them and said, "The City of Light!"

A cloud of sand immediately surrounded Terry and Sephie, preventing them from seeing the demon Zafaras break into Aknuri's quarters. When the dust settled, the two friends found themselves standing in front of a brilliant-looking city gate. The walls shone and glittered in the bright desert sunlight, and there was a seemingly magical glow coming from within.

"Wow..." Terry stared up at the tall gate in awe. "So THAT'S why they call it the City of Light!"

"It's beautiful!" Sephie agreed. Suddenly there were shouts in the distance.

"It's them!" said a rough male voice. "They're the children that hold the scroll!"

"Run, Terry!" Sephie screamed. The Zafara dragged her Techo friend into the city by his tail.

"Now what?" Terry inquired, newly amazed by the perfection of the city's interior.

"We have to find the tomb of the Paladin Knight!" Sephie urged her friend forward. They might've received some odd looks by the city's residents, but, surprisingly, the area was completely deserted.

The two friends finally came to a stop in front of a large, ancient-looking building. "This must be it!" Sephie and Terry ran up to the entrance and were stopped by a Lupe guard.

"Now what might that be, younglings?" the desert Lupe asked.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Terry and Sephie screamed, seeing the trademark evil gleam in his eye. They burst past him and into the tomb.

The disguised shadow Zafara stamped his foot in disgust. He was approached immediately by the demon-gang that had found their way to the city. "They went into the tomb!" he told his friends, pointing to the entrance.

Meanwhile, Terry and Sephie, by an amazing stroke of luck, found their way into the main part, where the Paladin Knight lay. They quickly entered and pushed the heavy stone doors closed.

"Whew..." Terry leaned against the doors. "That was clo-"

The Techo was suddenly seized from behind by a pair of strong arms...

"You have the scroll?" a voice entoned from behind him. The arms released Terry, then he and Sephie stood back in awe as they saw a noble Lupe in armour straighten up.

"I apologise if I hurt you. I keep intruders from my final resting place and I have awoken since the Shadow Zafara entered the city."

"Then you are..." breathed Sephie.

"Yes, I am the Paladin Knight. On my faithful Uni, I rode many years ago, vanquishing evil. Now I wake once more to guard the scroll. Hand it to me, child."

Terry trusted this Knight but bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, I cannot give it to you. You must take it from me to prove you are not a Shadow Zafara." The Knight's stern face nodded gravely and removed the scroll from Terry's trembling paws.

"You are both wise and brave, little ones. I must sleep now, as I am weary. My presence will guide you from the city, but I cannot step outside these walls."

Sephie and Terry thanked the Knight.

"One more thing," the Knight handed them a pendant each in the shape of a crossed Uni horn and a sword. "These contain a fragment of Light Stone, an ancient stone imbued with magic. They will help those pure of heart against evil. They belonged to my Uni and I; now they belong to you two."

Sephie and Terry thanked the Lupe and began to leave the tomb. They were relieved the scroll was off their paws. However, they were not totally off the hook - too soon they heard the sound of running paws.

"The Shadow Zafaras!" cried Sephie.

"We must face them, Sephie. They are shadow, in a City of Light. We will win."

The Shadow Zafaras seemed to leap out from nowhere, and quickly surrounded them. "You have robbed us of our greatest power source! You will pay dearly for that!" one snarled. They began to advance on the two frightened pets. Thinking quickly, Terry bravely brandished his pendant as did Sephie. The Zafaras cursed and screamed as a radiant burst of pure light erupted from the pendant. The evil shadows melted away, leaving nothing behind.

"We did it!" cried Terry.

The pair hurried out of the city, the spirit of the Paladin Knight guiding their footsteps. As they left the gate, the City of Light faded into the distance. Ishtara suddenly appeared next to them.

"The Shadow Zafaras overran our headquarters, but just a few minutes ago, they all faded away. I deduced you had finished your quest. I talked with Aknuri and he agreed to offer you both a place in our Desert Hand division. What do you say?"...

"I... uh... erm... I..." Terry wasn't really sure of what to say, so his words just sort of came out, making him look like a stammering fool.

"What is the matter?" Ishtara asked, tilting her head slightly to the right.

Sephie glanced at Terry before she elbowed him in the stomach, "Hey! What did you that for?!" Terry hissed, his eyes flared up in sheer annoyance.

"Be quiet!" Sephie snapped, before returning her gaze back to Ishtara. She fiddled with her pendant absentmindedly, not knowing what to do next. "Um... Ishtara?"

"Yes?"

"We'd love to stay at the Desert Hand division but..." The female Zafara trailed off, and that was Terry's cue to start talking.

"We'd prefer to continue travelling around Neopia. There are a lot of things that are still a mystery to us, and I do believe that this world is overflowing with new things waiting to be discovered."

"Wh-what?" Ishtara blurted out. Shocked features were evident on her visage, but slowly... it faded away, and a faint ghost of a smile graced her lips. "I see. So you're leaving, eh?"

Terry and Sephie nodded slowly; both wore the same sad look on their faces.

"I had hoped that you would stay, and learn the ways of the Thieves, but I won't try to stop you." Ishtara said, making both Terry and Sephie look up.

"Say what?" they both asked.

Ishtara laughed softly, before she continued, "I said that I won't stop you."

"I have to agree with Ishtara on this one." Aknuri stated, appearing right beside the Desert Aisha.

"Division leader..." Ishtara whispered, and Aknuri waved his hand slightly, making Ishtara fall silent.

"Both of you," Aknuri started, "must go out there and see the world, feel the world. It's still a big world to you, I know that. And I hope that when you're finished with your journey, one day you'll come back."

"We... will! Of course we will!" Terry exclaimed, and Sephie merely nodded.

"So, I guess this is farewell," Ishtara said, "for now." She grinned.

"Yep, we'll see each other some time - I just know it!" Sephie stated.

"Our paths will cross again someday - but for now, I bid you farewell and good luck," Aknuri said, while Ishtara waved her goodbye. With a flick of their hands, both of them disappeared into thin air. "May the Paladin Knight guide you throughout your life's journey..."

"Thank you!" Terry shouted, and then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "HEY! WAIT! You left us in the middle of nowhere!! COME BACK!!!"

Sephie looked at her Techo friend, before giggling. "Terry... you'll never change." She blinked once, then twice as Terry began pacing back and forth, mumbling incoherently to himself. "Aiya..." she rolled her eyes, before gathering her things, and started to walk away.

"No... what are we supposed to do now, Sephie?" He got no response. "Sephie? Sephie?" He whirled around, and saw that his friend had vanished. "SEPHIE?!?" He called out, and then he finally saw his friend retreating from a ways away. "AH!! WAIT FOR ME!!" Terry dashed after his friend, who was now trying to run away from him.

"Hahaha! See if you can catch me, Techo-ling!"

"I am NOT a Techo-ling!" Terry shouted.

The duo continued on chasing after each other, their laughter filled the air with happiness and cheerfulness. As the sun disappeared slowly on the western horizon, another exciting day had passed by in Terry and Sephie's lives, but surely... even more exciting days would come.

The End