Sands of an Hourglass

     A family of four traversed the dunes of the Lost Desert on an Apis caravan. The father, an Acara, was telling a story.

     "Once upon a time, here in this very desert, there was a city of gold and treasures, the city of Nebu. It was home to many wonders, from treasure chests to magic carpets... they forged crowns and ornaments for the kings and queens of antiquity..."

     His two sons, an Eyrie and an Xweetok, as well as their mother, a Zafara, were listening...well, the Xweetok was trying not to fall asleep on the Apis he and his younger brother rode. He had heard this same story many times before - to him, it was boring. To his brother, however, it was fascinating. A city of wonders? What's not to love about ancient history and knowledge?

     The Acara kept on speaking, "They were happy serving the kings and queens... but... not everyone wanted to use their treasures and artefacts for good. Some were very, very evil, and planned to use their gems as conduits for their magic... but... before any of that happened, the city mysteriously vanished... no one to this day knows what happened to it."

     "Why did we have to come to live here, of all places, Dad?", the Xweetok inquired angrily.

     "Well, there's something about the ancient legends of the desert that fascinates me, Alamar. I know you don't believe in them, as you once did when you were younger, but I think you should open your heart to them again."

     "Bleh, why should I learn more about a boring, hot, sandy desert? Living in Virtupets was better than this. People here are so... ancient."

     "They're different from us, true, but there are advanced civilizations here too, son. Also, why do you think that way? Have you met anyone from the desert?"

     "Well, no, but-"

     "Then give the desert a chance, my son."

     Alamar sighed and buried his face in the neck of the Apis. His younger twin brother, Asriel, rolled his eyes.

     They arrived in a city, and decided to stay there for the night to rest.

     The father walked through the city's bazaar to buy some provisions for his family, but as he was on his way back to the establishment...

     "Hey. Hey, you, tourist."

     He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Yes?"

     It was a shady-looking cloaked elderly brown Lutari. "Would you be interested in buying a precious artefact?"

     The Acara refused. "No, thank you."

     "It's rumoured to bring good fortune to the one who owns it."

     "Yeah, I really don't believe in the fortune of any kind, so, again, no, thanks."

     "Fine, but you do seem like the kind to appreciate fine craft... and this is fine craft, wouldn't you agree?", he said as he drew out the trinket in question: a small gilded hourglass, encrusted with gems.

     The Acara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "... an hourglass."

     "But isn't it a gorgeous hourglass?"

     "Yes, it's nice, but it's just a trinket."

     "Oh, come on, tourist, why do you have to be so difficult?"

     "Why do you have to be so persistent?!"

     The Lutari sighed. "Alright, fine. This here belongs to my family, and I've been carrying it around for some days now, trying to sell it, since we've gotten very poor and we have nothing to eat. And we can't eat a trinket."

     The Acara crossed his arms, sceptical. "Uh-huh."

     "So, will you help me?"

     "Why do you ask me? Why not anyone else in this city?"

     "Don't you think I've asked everyone in this city by now? A new face like you shows up, well, I figured I'd try."

     "Fair enough. How much do you want for it?"

     "Twenty thousand Neopoints."

     "For an hourglass."

     "Yes."

     "You've got to be kidding."

     "I'm not."

     "I've also got a family to take care of. I can't spend my money on a trinket."

     "But to help a poor stranger? You seem like a generous man."

     The Acara sighed. The old man was persistent. But at the same time, he felt pity for him. Maybe he was sincerely looking for help...

     "Fine. I can give you ten thousand and something to eat. That's my only offer."

     The Lutari mused for a bit but finally accepted the offer. So he traded the hourglass for the neopoints and some food.

     The Acara then returned to the establishment with his family.

     That night, however, something happened... a shady figure broke into their room. The next morning, the hourglass was gone.

     "I knew that was a scam. I knew it!", the Zafara cried.

     "It's strange only the hourglass is gone. Why not take anything else from us?", the Acara inquired.

     "I don't know, but you're a fool, Ethan. I’m so angry at you right now", the Zafara snarled.

     Meanwhile, in a different city

     The same cloaked figure that had stolen the hourglass arrived at the stairs of a palace. He knocked on the gates. "Open up!", he called.

     "Who is it?", a voice from the inside replied.

     "Barkat."

     "Barkat who?"

     "Stop being a dummy, Hani."

     One of the gates opened to reveal a snickering desert Cybunny. "Sorry, I was just teasing. You have the artefact?"

     "Yes. But why so much trouble for this thing?", he asked him.

     "It was father's last gift to Ammar... and, well, even though it has little value, it's valuable to him."

     "Ah..." He removed his cloak, revealing himself to be a desert Lutari. He sighed.

     Hani noticed his discomfort. "Hey, I know you said you were done with your thieving life, but... still, thank you."

     Barkat shrugged, "Yeah, alright, I get it. Anything for you or your brother. You're my family, even though we're not actually related, after all." He added, trying to change the subject, "You know, someone did try to steal this thing from me."

     "They did?", asked Hani, as both made their way into the throne room.

     "Yeah. It's quite funny who it was, actually. It was-"

     A voice interrupted him. "Barkat. Brother." It was Ammar, the king, a muscular shadow Gelert.

     "I suppose you brought back what I requested of you?", he asked the Lutari, to which the latter nodded, and gave the hourglass to him. "Thank you, Barkat. I apologize if I caused you any trouble."

     The Lutari bowed slightly. "That's alright, my king. Always my pleasure to serve you."

     Ammar then left the two of them alone, as he returned to his study with the hourglass.

     "So, anyway", said Barkat to Hani. "I must return home."

     "Sure. But, hey, hey, before you leave. Who tried to steal the hourglass from you?", he said as he followed him outside.

     "Hanso. You know, the guy who saved Faerieland, not at all handsome?"

     "He did?", Hani chuckled. "That's funny. Wonder what he's doing around here?"

     Somewhere else...

     "Sire?", a Kacheek nervously approached a throne.

     "Yes?"

     "W-we were surveying the treasure room, and- and-"

     "What? What happened?"

     "One of the hourglasses... it's gone, sire."

     "What?!" The man he was speaking to was a middle-aged Gelert with bandaged fur. He pounded a fist on one of the armrests of his throne. "How?! If nobody knows where we are!"

     "I-I don't know how to explain it either, sire... wh-what are you doing?", he asked as the Gelert furiously rose from his throne. "Sire??", he scampered towards him.

     He looked outside in silence, anger burning in his entire being.

     "Sire?", his servants asked him. His family was concerned, too.

     Finally, he said, "Someone broke into our city. The city my forefathers worked so hard to protect from evil. But how?" He mused for a bit. "Either someone found the entrance, or... someone from here must've tried to make contact with the outside world... oh, confound it!"

     "Don't you think it's about time we let ourselves be known to the world, father?", the eldest of his children, a young brown Xweetok woman, suggested. "I'm sure those who wanted to harm us must be gone by now..."

     "Maybe, my daughter. But just in case... we'll have to get our armies ready."

     "Father, you can't be serious!"

     "I am, my daughter. I don't want anyone to hurt you... us."

     She then suggested, "But father, before you do anything you regret, why don't you send a man to look for the hourglass?"

     The Gelert sighed. "Very well, my daughter. I shall send someone to the outside world. I just hope that will be safe..."

     The following day

     So the leader sent a man looking for the missing artefact - one of his best men, a Kougra. He exited the city, making his way through a series of tunnels that lead to the opening of a cave. The man looked around at the sandy dunes, the wind blowing in his face.

     "Well, at least there's still sand... but... has the sun gotten any brighter?", he said as he covered his face with his arm.

     He wandered around aimlessly, hoping to find somebody to talk to. After a while, he did.

     "Good morning...", he said to a group of Neopets.

     "Hello...?" The man who replied was Ethan the Acara, and he was with his family.

     "Pardon me, are you from around?"

     "No, we are not. Why, are you lost?"

     "A bit."

     Ethan approached him. "Are you looking for something?" He got a better look at the man. "You seem thirsty... come, we'll give you some water."

     The Kougra nervously approached the group, and drank water from a canteen they gave to him.

     "Thank you...", he said.

     "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

     "I am Emir. I come from a distant city."

     "What are you doing wandering the desert, Emir?"

     "I could ask you the same thing, foreigner."

     "Well, my family and I decided to move to a city here, named Kheru, I think that's what it was called, right?"

     "Kheru, huh... so it still exists, as well", Emir muttered to himself.

     "What was that?", Ethan asked.

     The Kougra blinked, surprised. "Hm? No, nothing, Kheru - I've heard it's a great city, although I've never been to it."

     "I see... where are you going?"

     "I have no destination... my master sent me to retrieve something that was stolen from him."

     "What was it?"

     "An hourglass."

     "An hourglass?"

     "Yes... it's very important to him."

     "Why, is it magical or something?", asked Asriel, who joined in the conversation.

     "...No... it's just a very precious relic."

     "Hm, that's interesting... a man sold me an hourglass the day before yesterday-"

     The Kougra's eyes lit up. "Was it a golden hourglass encrusted with rubies?"

     "Yes, it was... but, sadly, for some reason, someone stole it from us, we don't know why or who might've stolen it." The Kougra frowned. "I'm sorry, I wish we could help you, somehow."

     "I can help you with that", a voice said. It was the elderly cloaked Lutari from before.

     "You. You were the one who sold me the hourglass!", exclaimed Ethan, angrily.

     "Yes! And I'm the only one who can lead you to it... for a price." This made Emir grab him by his shirt. "Or not", he said weakly.

     "What makes you think I am to trust the words of a scoundrel like you?", roared the Kougra.

     "I know who stole the hourglass from the foreigner", the Lutari said. "My son, Barkat, who works for the king of the city of Kheru."

     "How do you know that?", asked Emir.

     "If you let me down, I'll tell you." So the Kougra put him down, and the Lutari wiped himself and accommodated his garments. He cleared his throat and turned to look at Ethan and his family. "No hard feelings, eh?" But they weren't amused. "Bah, foreigners... so soft. Not used to the hard life of the desert. Don't you agree, big guy?", he said to the Kougra, who also wasn't very amused.

     "Should you keep stalling, thief, I'm going to use my sword against you", said Emir drily.

     "Sheesh, alright, big guy. Anyway, my son, a softie, ran away from home when he was young. He somehow made his way to the city of Kheru and was taken in by the nobles there. He thought he'd get rid of me that easily. Oh ho ho. No. I-" But Emir drew out a scimitar and held the Lutari at sword-point. "Ah, come on, seriously!?"

     "I do not care about your pathetic backstory, thief. Tell me what I need", Emir said darkly.

     "Fine! Anyway, six months ago, the servants of the former king brought him some gifts, including the hourglass. I know that because I followed them with the intent of... borrowing something from them, ya know? The former king was very ill and wasn't going to live longer than that, so he gave the treasures as parting gifts to his eight sons. His heir got, among other things, the hourglass. I, however, don't know how the servants got the hourglass. And well, since my son is also a thief and works for the nobles, I know that he's their man for the job."

     Emir's face showed worry. Then the Lutari asked, "What, you're getting so worked up over an hourglass?"

     "No, it is not because of the hourglass in itself, it's just that that means someone stole from my master's treasure room, and-"

     "No one's supposed to know where it is?", asked Asriel.

     "How did you-"

     "Well, since you're so worried about it, I figured..." Emir sighed, and covered his face with his hand. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

     "No one is supposed to know."

     "You can trust us, sir. We mean you no harm", said the young Eyrie as he approached the big, muscular shadow Kougra.

     Well, the Mauket was out of the bag, Emir thought. And these people, sans the thief, seemed trustworthy... and well, they were the only people he had found after wandering the desert alone for hours on end, too.

     So he told them. "I come from the city of Nebu. I serve my king and his household. I have been doing so for many years now."

     Ethan's face lit up. "Nebu? The city of legend? But didn't it-"

     "Vanish? Yes... our forefathers destroyed the city and went underground, so as to hide from our enemies. We have been hiding for many decades. How come you know about it, foreigner?"

     "I'm a historian. And I'm especially fascinated by your history", he said.

     "Yeah, tell me about it...", muttered Alamar.

     "Very well then... so... maybe you can help us", said Emir.

     "Help you? How?", asked Ethan.

     "You said you were going to the city of Kheru. I could accompany you and maybe speak to the king."

     "Ah! Well, that isn't going to be that easy, big guy", exclaimed the Lutari. "You can't see the king without an appointment."

     "Then you shall get us one, thief."

     "How?"

     "You said your son works for the king. Maybe you can convince him somehow."

     "I'm sorry, but did you miss the part where I implied that we don't get along very well?"

     "But you know how to get his attention, right?"

     "Well, yeah, I do... huh... so it's time to trust the scoundrel, eh, big guy? Talk about prices."

     "Do not anger me, thief."

     "Alrighty, big guy."

     "My name is Emir."

     "Alrighty, big guy whose name is Emir", the Lutari said with a mischievous smile. Emir was unamused.

     The Acara then introduced himself to the Kougra. "I'm Ethan, by the way. This is my wife, Anna, and our children, Asriel and Alamar."

     "Huh, curious names, you foreigners have. Very well. Let us go."

     So the group made their way to the city of Kheru.

     But what was Hanso doing in the Lost Desert, you ask?

To be continued…