His sibling, Pamela, nodded fervently as she helped push the heavy sack up the stairwell. "What... should we... buy?" she huffed, pushing the bag with all her might. "I hear there are a lot of powerful artifacts in there."

Her cloud Gelert brother slumped down from exhaustion. He laid sprawled over the bag to peer down at his sister. "I'm not sure either, but I'm certain we'll know it when when we see it!" he said, smiling.

The plushie Cybunny nodded in agreement, and also sat down to rest. She felt as though she would burst a stitch if they pushed the bag full of NP one step further.

"Hello? Is someone there?" A beautiful Faerie opened a large wooden door further up the stairs.

"Queen Fyora!" the two pets shouted in unison.

"We've come to make a purchase," explained Alan, still panting over the large bag of Neopoints.

"Oh! Oh, you poor things, let me help you!" Fyora raised her hand, and the bag floated up the stairs. "Come, please, take a look around."

Thy Gelert and Cybunny grinned at each other, and quickly made their way up the stairs.

They entered the tower and gasped in wonderment. They had always tried to imagine what the Hidden Tower really looked like, but this exceeded all their imaginings. Priceless artifacts displayed in glass cases adorned the clean stone wall, all glittering brilliantly in the light shining through a small window.

The siblings began talking excitedly, pointing at all the different artifacts. One by one, they examined each item. Alan's nose made little prints on the glass. Pamela stopped in front of one particular item and squealed. "Alan! Alan, come look at THIS!...

Both of them were in awe of its beauty. It seemed to absorb the light, shining in its own crimson brilliance.

"Ah, I see that the Amulet of Thilg has captured your attention," observed Fyora, jolting the two back to reality.

Pamela grinned, still staring at the amulet. Then, turning around, she said, "You sure are right. Its so... beautiful. I can't think of another word that describes it, really."

Alan nodded. "But... items in your tower have hidden purposes, don't they?"

The Faerie Queen smiled. "You are right," she said. "And the Amulet of Thilg has many hidden powers... some that I'm sure even I don't know about." She paused a moment. "It is beautiful... yes. But, it has unforseen powers. I'm not sure if you should buy--"

Fyora did not finish her sentence, for it was interrupted by the two Neopets yelling, "We'll take it!"

The Faerie Queen shook her head miserably, knowing that it would do no good to explain its dark powers. I hope it will not unleash its powers upon these two, she thought to herself, looking at the pets.

Then, summoning up her courage, she said, "It costs 8.5 million... do you have that much?" Fyora nodded stiffly, taking their money when the two siblings said yes.

"Thank you!" Pamela said happily, taking the Amulet from the glass case. Holding it in her right paw, she gestured to her brother, then went downstairs...

..."Isn't it just dazzling, Alan?" the Cybunny exclaimed as the two Neopets walked out of the Hidden Tower.

"I bet it will make us the strongest pets in all of Neopia!" he grinned.

"It'll make me look very pretty when I wear it around my neck!" giggled Pamela.

"Well," Alan began, "We should put it in the safety deposit box, so that the Pant Devil won't get to it."

"You're right," Pamela said, nodding her head in agreement, "But shouldn't we find out how to use it first?"

"Hey! I know, we can check out the Neopedia!" The two siblings hurried off to World Services to look at the Neopedia.

When they got there Alan asked Pamela, "Should we look up Thilg or Eliv Thade?"

"Both," she replied.

"Well, there is no Thilg or Amulet of Thilg... and Eliv Thade tells us nothing." Alan said in disappointment.

"I know! We can go to Help Services and ask Sarah the Zafara!"

"Great idea, Pam! Let's go."

They both arrived at Help Services to be greeted by the Blue Zafara.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked.

"Well, you see, we need to get some information about the Amulet of Thilg," said Pamela.

"I think I might have the information you need! The Neopedia was JUST updated. Alright, the Amulet of Thilg... Amulet of Thilg... here it is!" she said, handing them a copy of the newest edition of the Neopedia. "Read right here..."

Pamela backed away from the article, until she was leaning against the wall. She was horrified by the thought that this amulet was a source of great evil. Her brother stared at her from the side, while she quivered in fear.

"Aw, come on sis..." Alan said, finally speaking. "You don't believe that mumbo jumbo, do you? It's not like this was the only one in the Hidden Tower. All those amulets couldn't have been made from one single drop of the pharaoh's blood. It's gotta be some kind of sales pitch, you know, to make it seem cool."

Pamela nodded, trying to believe her brother. "Yes... that's right. It can't be," she told herself.

"Excuse me," interrupted Sarah, "but these articles are all very truthful. I assure you, none of them were created for a reason such as gaining money off of a cool story. Whatever it says in that article is pure fact."

"Well if that's the case, it does say that all of this was taken from someone's journal. Maybe he just kinda made it up..." Alan said, trying to convince his sister.

Maybe... Pamela thought, speaking to herself. "Sarah, do you happen to know who found this journal entry?"

"Not really." Sarah replied. "He's never really given any information about himself. Once in a while we find old scrolls from him left in the mail. We have sent research teams out to make sure he wasn't creating false artifacts; everything has been proven original. I highly doubt this one will be any different."

"So we can't really ask him, if we don't even know who he is..." Alan sighed in a depressed voice. "I wanted to find out if there was more information than what's in this dusty old journal..."

"Wait," Pamela declared, hopping back up to the article. "It says that the amulet was found in The Lost Desert... maybe if we went there, we could ask the locals about it. Surely they would have some knowledge of this if it came from their pyramids."

Sarah was unsure about traveling so far from home, just to find out about an item. However, she figured it wouldn't do any harm if they only stayed a little while. "Well, considering how easy it is to travel there nowadays, I guess it would be a good idea. Promise to tell me if you find out anything, okay kids?"

"Alright Sarah!" replied Pamela.

The two siblings raced off to the Neopian transportation system and hurriedly got a ticket for the Lost Desert. As they headed there in the comforts of modern day transportation, Pamela sat gazing down at the amulet in her right hand. She thought aloud to herself, "A blood red stone, set in twisted gold, it grasps your throat, and forever will it hold..."

...Soon, they landed in the Sakhmet International Airport. The two pets hurriedly got off.

"Who should we ask first?" Alan asked as they walked through the airport building.

"I don't know," said Pamela, shrugging as they entered the bright daylight of The Lost Desert. "Whoever we find, I guess." Nervously clutching the amulet, Pamela had a gut feeling that they'd better hurry.

Strolling down the streets of Sakhmet, the two asked any desert pets that they saw about a mysterious man who searches for scrolls, but no one knew a thing. Finally, they started asking about the amulet itself, but most pets just backed away in horror when they saw it.

After a few hours of searching, the siblings sat down, exhausted, in the shade of a building. "I don't know," muttered Pamela, "maybe the article was a fake. No one seems to know anything about it, or the journal."

"I told you so," Alan replied, sticking out his tongue. Pamela frowned at his childishness.

"Hello, young ones, would you like a trinket from The Lost Desert?" a feeble, feminine voice interrupted them. The two looked up to see an old desert Wocky, with sand caked on her wrinkled face. She was standing in front of a push-cart filled with small jewels.

"Wow! A real peddler!" Alan exclaimed, but Pamela slapped her stuffed paw over his mouth.

"Hello, madam!" the Cybunny said kindly. "Beautiful jewels you have!"

"Why, thank you," replied the Wocky, pushing a strand of silver hair aside. "You seem to have an interesting jewel yourself, that you do! May I see it, young one?"

"Mmmff!" Alan mumbled behind his sister's paw.

"What he's trying to say is, 'sure!'" the Cybunny told her quickly, handing her the amulet. "Can you tell us about this, ma'am?"

The Wocky took the amulet. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed, "Why, this looks like... no, it couldn't be, no!"

"What?" Pamela asked, forgetting her manners for the moment.

"My grandmother told me legends of old, yes," the Wocky began, "This looks like an artifact she told me of, made from a drop of blood it was... but it was said to be lost forever... it does not matter now. The pharaoh's son, he has long since died, that he has."

The ancient Wocky gazed into it for a second before shaking her head. "If this is it, there is one thing you must do, dears. You must destroy it, for it shall bring only greed, treachery and other evils into the hearts of you and others. 'Tis said to be what happened to its discoverers, and how it found its way into your hands I do not know, but you must destroy it, and quickly, before it works its evils upon your young hearts!"

Alan yanked the Cybunny's paw from his mouth. "How are we supposed to get rid of something like this? I mean, it's not like we can just smash it with a hammer!" he shouted anxiously.

"True," said the peddler thoughtfully. "But I know of a Quiggle professor who might be able to help you, yes. He is a regular customer of mine, actually, and searches for scrolls and other artifacts in the desert to send to Neopia Central. In fact, I do believe that he is in the desert now, a guest of the Princess as it happens. You might want to search him out at the palace."

Pamela and Alan grinned. Could this be the archaeologist they were looking for? If he was, what kind of answer would he have for them?

"Thank you," Pamela said respectfully, bowing.

The Wocky handed the amulet back to her. "Do hurry, young ones!" she exclaimed.

The pets nodded quickly, and ran off towards the palace...

Pamela sighed unhappily. "You're right," she said reluctantly. "But we can't let that stop us. This is the only lead we have, and we can't just give up because of something as small as that. We'll just have to do the best that we can." Alan nodded his agreement.

"I hope this works." he mumbled. They both took deep breaths and headed for the palace gates.

"Who goes there?" shouted a desert Lupe that stood at the front gates of the palace. More desert Lupes stepped up barring the way, though.

"I am Alan and this is my sister, Pamela. We have come to speak to the professor." Maybe that would work; they didn't exactly have to say his name when he had a title. The Lupes murmured amongst themselves a while before responding.

"Which one?" the first guard asked, giving them a suspicious look.

Alan looked at Pamela with a face that said his confidence was steadily withering. "There's more than one?" he asked weakly, while turning back to the guards.

"We came to see the Quiggle professor." Pamela stepped in. "We have a very important question for him, and we're sure he's the only one who can answer." Once again, the guards conferred amongst their ranks.

"What do you need to ask?"

"It's about this amulet," she said, waving the Amulet of Thilg under their noses. The guards stepped back, as one, trying to avoid the red amulet.

"Do you know what you have there?" one of them shouted as he backed away. "We cannot let you into the palace with such a dangerous object!" They all murmured or nodded their agreement.

"Well, we're not leaving until we see him." Pamela said, stepping forward. The guards continued backing away, trying not to let the Amulet come within six feet of them.

"For goodness' sake, let them in!" a tired old voice shouted from behind the guards. Everyone turned to see a shriveled old Quiggle that looked to have been out in the sun too long.

"But Professor Ahern..."

He raised his arm motioning for silence. "Come with me." The two siblings followed, Alan sticking his tongue out at the weary guards.

He led them through the large palace, not even once glancing at the wonderful tapestries that bedecked its large walls. Pamela and Alan couldn't help but gawk at the sights as they passed. They thought they had seen everything worthwhile when they went to the Hidden Tower! Finally the old Quiggle led them into a large room, obviously made for visitors to the palace.

The bed was heaped with old scrolls, and a magnifying glass sat atop the pile. "Now, what is it that you want to see me about?" Professor Ahern asked.

"Didn't you hear us when we were outside?"

"I only heard parts of your explanation; my ears aren't what they used to be, you know." They both nodded. Once again Pamela revealed the Amulet of Thilg. "Jumping Jehosophats!" he hollered, jumping away. "What are you doing with that thing?" He scrambled away from them, terror plainly etched on his wrinkled face.

"We bought it."

"What fool would sell such a dangerous object to a couple of young Neopets that don't know anything about it?" He closed his eyes and tried to massage his own temples, as if he had a powerful headache. "I'm sure that after you bought it you did some research, yes? Then much of what I have to say you already know. I can't help you at all. All I can do is leave you with these words:

'Don't ever let it out of your sight, and don't ever put it down. It is too dangerous to leave lying around for someone to pick up. But remember this... don't tell anyone that you have this amulet, or it could spell disaster. And, if anyone were to find out, and they react with interest instead of fear, run away. It can only mean trouble..."

"Um, but aren't you reacting with interest? You know, since you're telling us all this?" Alan questioned.

"...I'm trying to warn you!" the old Quiggle yelled at them. "Disrespectful whelp... anyway, get on out of here. I have research to do... just keep that amulet safe, alright?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Alan sighed. With that, the two siblings walked out the door and proceeded to leave the palace. At the gate, a guard stood in front of them menacingly.

"Are you two done with your audience? Then be gone, and don't ever let me see you here with that cursed amulet again!" The guard shooed them from the gate, and slammed it shut behind them.

"Well, that was RUDE." Alan said loudly while sticking his tongue out at the door.

"Oh come on, Alan." Pamela said, trying to calm him. "Don't let him bother you."

"Not only that guard, but all that old Quiggle guy did was warn us. He didn't really TELL US anything." Alan said to his sister.

"If it was important, I'm sure he would've told us." Pamela replied. "It's getting late anyway. We were so busy hunting the guy down that we lost track of time. We need to get going home..."

"Aw, but sis!" Alan whined. "It's so fun here! Look at all the peasants and peddlers! Can't we just stay a little longer? Maybe even visit the Shrine?"

"No!" Pamela responded. "It's time to go home. We can do this another day."

"Alright..." Alan said, finally giving in. He walked with his sister to the transport system, which would take them back to Neopia Central. What they didn't realize on the way to the transport, though, was that they were being watched by the palace guard, who had followed them outside.

"I can't believe those KIDS got the amulet..."the guard said to himself aloud. "It would make a fine addition to my collection..." He held up a bottle to himself. "I knew this morphing potion would help... I got in with no problem." With one swig of a different potion, he dispersed the magic of the guard's potion and returned to his normal self. He shrunk almost a foot in size, and now stood only on his back legs. He wore a tattered cape and mask, and had an evil look in his new Kacheek eyes. "I'll have to make sure those kids don't make it back home... At least not with that amulet intact." He quickly followed behind the two in the shadows until he had caught up with them, just outside of the transport's door. He leapt in front of them, and dashed quickly into the young Cybunny.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!" Pamela yelled at the Kacheek.

"Watch it? You're clearly the ones that bumped into me! Why don't you take your own advice and be more careful next time?!?" the Kacheek asked, thrusting his cape before him, then dashing off.

"What a weirdo!" Alan mumbled to himself. "It seems like that's all we've seen during our visit, a bunch of weirdoes."

"Hush now, Alan." his sister replied, quieting him. "It's not polite to say such things about people. Let's just get the ticket and get home with this-"

She jerked away for a second and gasped. The amulet she had held so dearly in her paw was now nothing but a small stone. She threw into the dirt and squealed, "Alan! The amulet! It's gone!..."

"I mean that I no longer have it!" Pamela cried back.

"Did you drop it somewhere?" Alan asked, quickly looking around the sand under his paws.

"I had it right before..." Just then Pamela's eyes went wide. "Before that Kacheek ran into me!"

That was all Alan needed to hear. He looked up and briefly saw the Kacheek dashing further into the crowd. "There he goes!" he shouted. "HEY! Stop, thief!" The two siblings quickly took to their feet and chased after the mysterious Kacheek. Dodging peddlers and merchants, they tried desperately to keep the Neopet in their sight.

"He's heading for Coltzan's Shrine!" Alan shouted as they bolted in that direction. Just as they were about to catch up, the Kacheek stopped before the large monument. This spontaneous action caused Alan and Pamela to stop in their tracks, as well.

"Who..." puffed Pamela. "Who are you?"

"Give us back our amulet!" said Alan, bearing his teeth.

The Kacheek merely chuckled. "Your amulet? Just because you bought it from some Faerie, it's suddenly YOUR amulet? I merely came back to get what's rightfully mine!"

"Yours?" asked Pamela, clearly confused. "That amulet belonged to..." The Cybunny trailed off as she took a closer look at the Neopet. "No... you can't be. You can't be!"

"Who?" asked Alan. "Who can't he be?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked the Kacheek, stepping forward. "I may look a tad different now, but I'm still the same old Kacheek. The same Kacheek who was 'overcome' by a simple riddle. The same Kacheek who's had his precious amulet stolen by a couple of snotnosed Neopets. The same Kacheek who is known as... Eliv Thade!"

Alan and Pamela's jaws dropped. "Eliv Thade?" asked Alan. "But you're... you're suppose to be..."

"Dead?" snapped Thade. "Yes... stories do have a way of twisting themselves around, don't they? No, I'm not dead. A bit mad, perhaps, but not dead!" Thade chuckled in a way that sent chills down the siblings' spine. "And, because of that wretched Usul, I've been tracking down my amulet for years!"

"But, they just found out about you a few months ago," said Alan.

"TIME MOVES SLOW WHEN YOU'RE INSANE!" shouted Thade. "But thanks to you two, I now have my precious amulet back! And now... you will see its true powers!"

Before either of the Neopets could do anything, Thade lifted the amulet above his head and slipped it on around his neck. Alan and Pamela held each other tightly as they witnessed the horror that took place...

...Just as soon as the chain touched the Kacheek's neck, a blinding red beam was emitted from the amulet. Thade cackled with delight.

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake. A crystal statue, apparently shaped like a Krawk, emerged from from the eerie sand dunes. Dark rain began to fall from the sky.

"Muhuhuahuahua!" the Kacheek laughed loudly, "Fools! Now you'll see the true power of this amulet!"

Alan and Pamela looked at each other in terror. Tears began to gather in the Gelert's eyes, but the Cybunny just screamed.

The strange statue began to split open, and from the inside, a horribly ugly Krawk stepped out of its remnants.

Merchants and peddlers ran around the desert, scared out of their wits.

One Desert Peophin screamed, "Oh no! The legends are true. The evil pharaoh has returned!"

The Krawk stared into Alan's eyes. Alan, extremely frightened, just stared back. Then, the Krawk's eyes began to swirl. The poor Gelert began to fall into a trance. The Krawk snapped his fingers and Alan dashed around the desert, destroying everything in his path.

"You see, young pet..." the Kacheek began, but was interrupted by the Krawk.

"Ahh! Free at last!" the Krawk roared, "Now, to get my revenge on the pathetic creatures of this land! I'll start with you, foolish Kacheek. You may have been the source of my resurrection, but," he gave a wicked smile, "I stand in no one's shadow!"

"What--NO!!!!!" the Kacheek screamed, "After the years of planning..."

The Krawk lifted a staff and pointed it towards the Kacheek.

Meanwhile, Pamela, who was extremely frightened, just stood there, completely stunned. Alan continued on his rampage throughout the desert. Then, as each pet stared into his eyes, they would became entranced, and join him in wreaking havoc upon the landscape.

The situation seemed hopeless...

Thade looked in horror at the Krawk, who simply laughed. Thade was soon a frozen crystal, looking out through the glass. The Krawk grinned, ceasing his laughter. "Aww, you look so sad, my friend! Why the long face?" he cackled, stepping forth. "Oh, I'll fix it for you, don't worry." He grinned menacingly, raising his staff. "REST IN PIECES!"

He seemed to move in slow motion as Pamela watched. There had to be a way. Maybe... just maybe... she covered her eyes as she watched. No, it's too late... there isn't. Then she looked up. "Yes, that's it!" Getting up and gathering courage, she ran towards the former pharaoh, crying out. The Krawk stopped just before his staff touched the delicate glass. Pamela jumped into the air and wrestled the Krawk to the ground. In a desperate attempt she grabbed the staff, and with unknown strength, ripped it from the Krawk's tight grasp.

"NO! What are you doing?!" the Krawk cried, extending his paws.

"This is for Alan, you creep!" Pamela cried. Swinging the staff, she looked away as the red beam came out, hitting the target.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" the Krawk cried out, looking on with horror as his legs began to crystallize. "This isn't supposed to -" he was cut off as the crystal reached his mouth and enveloped his head.

Looking away once more, she raised the staff. "And this is for all the pets you've harmed!" Swinging it, she heard a *CRACK*. The pharaoh's evil reign had come to an end. Pamela gasped and fell over, feeling suddenly sick. Looking at her dreadful work, she smashed the rest into pieces, and buried it in a pile. Last of all she smashed the amulet, and buried it in a separate mound. Then, cracking the staff in two, she buried it somewhere else. Nearby, she could see the crystal around Thade starting to melt away.

Thade walked over, as if in a dream, looked around, then screamed: "MY AMULET!" He appeared filled with rage, but merely gave Pamela a furious look and dashed away. The Cybunny was too tired to pursue him, and could feel herself sinking away into exhaustion. In clouded vision, she could see pets coming towards her, running and yelling her name. She fell back with exhaustion, and muttered to the sand by her side, "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, Pamela, are you going to wake up?" The Cybunny stirred, her eyes opening slightly.

"A-Alan? Is... is that y-you?" she muttered, getting up.

"Yeah, silly! It's me. You've been like this for three days. We're going home... back to Neopia Central."

Pamela smiled. "Wh-what happened?" she said after a bit.

"Well, looks like you defeated that pharaoh guy. The Professor came out and said he'd like to interview you when you feel better, and the Princess congratulated us on a job well done, and rewarded us with eight and and half million Neopoints! Now we have nothing to worry about, and there won't be an Amulet of Thilg ever again!" Alan smiled. Pamela looked up at him and returned the smile. Everything was back to normal.

Fyora sat smiling at her crystal ball. "I see... they've put the amulet to rest. Well done!" She turned as a Light Faerie tapped her on the shoulder.

"Errr... Miss Fyora, the new shipment of Hidden Tower items has arrived."

"Excellent!" Fyora said cheerfully. "Did I get all my orders?"

"Yes... fifty Jhudora the Dark Faerie dolls, one hundred Faerie Queen dolls, 20 baby paint brushes, and oh... here's something. One Amulet of Thilg..."

The End