82. Sandstorm

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Since the dragon attack, Genie had been keeping a strict patrol on the walls. He'd set up telescopes on every balcony, and checked them regularly, announcing to anyone present – or to no one at all – the status from each direction.

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE O'CLOCK!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE-FIFTEEN!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM THREE-THIRTY!"

The guards got used to the constant callouts, at least accepting that so long as Genie was yelling, the coast was clear and they had no reason for alarm.

"ALL CLEAR FROM ELEVEN-THIRTY!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM ELEVEN-FORTY-FIVE!"

"ALL CLEAR FROM – " Genie stopped. He rubbed his eyes. He cleaned off both lenses of the telescope. Then he looked again. He hadn't been mistaken. A giant snake was careening over the desert sands, toward the city.

"ALL NOT CLEAR FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK!" Genie screamed frantically. "GIANT SNAKE FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK! GIANT SNAKE FROM TWELVE O'CLOCK!"

The guards scurried to grab weapons and get into position to defend the gates. "First dragons, now snakes!" Razoul grunted. "What's next, giant frogs?"

"Snakes," Genie said, shaking his head, as he was then wearing a brown fedora and matching jacket. "Why did it have to be snakes?" He then leapt off the balcony, rocketing toward the intruding serpent at full speed.

---

CHRYSE, OLYMPIC GREECE

Sadira, Cassandra, and Icarus tried to shorten the explanation of what was going on into a story that could be told as quickly as possible to Phil. After listening to their rushed tale, Phil sighed. "KNEW we weren't done dealin' with that world," he admitted. "We've got enough trouble as it is, but whenever things end up here from other worlds…well, I guess that's what I train heroes for."

"You wouldn't happen to have anybody in training now," Icarus asked, "would you?"

"Nobody on this island," Phil answered. "Herc, Meg, and Zoë are busy with whatever it is they're doin' on the mainland, and the influx of new trainees is as unimpressive as usual."

"We'll just have to handle those thieves on our own," Sadira resolved. "We can take 'em."

"Because we've done such a great job so far," Cassandra sighed.

"HEY," Sadira snapped. "Get me back in my element back home, and you'll see what I can REALLY do. I can bring them down. Trust me." She turned to Phil. "We need a ride out to the portal. Think you can help us?"

"Well, I've got a barge you can take," Phil said, "but it ain't gonna get ya there nearly as fast as ya want."

"Hmmmm," Icarus mused. "Can I take a look at this barge?"

"Sure. C'mon."

Phil quickly led the trio toward the docks where the barge was anchored. Icarus leapt onto it, examining it. "I've got it!" he cried. "I know how we can crank this baby to max speed!"

He leapt back onto the coast, kneeling in the sand and beginning to draw a rough diagram. "If we could just get a wheel attached on either side," he rattled off, "with paddles to catch the water, we could rotate a handlebar in the center to increase the speed!"

"Nice," Phil said sarcastically, "but where are you gonna get all the stuff to build giant wheels in the span of the next few hours?"

"I can get it in the next few minutes," Sadira announced. She paced a circle around Icarus and his diagram. "I'm gonna need that for reference." Keeping an eye on the diagram, she raised her arms, and all the sand of the beach around the circle she'd marked rose into the air with them.

"Holy…" Phil stared with awe.

"Wow," Cassandra added.

Sadira deftly manipulated the sand into the shape of the mechanism that Icarus had drawn, then settling it on the barge. "That should hold until we get to the other shore," she said. "How's it look?"

"FANTASTIC!" Icarus cried.

"I get it," Cassandra said. "If we get you fighting those thieves in the middle of a desert – "

"A regular sandstorm," Sadira said with a nod.

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" Phil yelled. "Let's GO!" He clambered into the barge.

"You're coming too?" Icarus asked, taken aback.

"I ain't gonna leave the fate of the kingdoms of two worlds in the hands of you three," Phil explained. "No offense to Sadira, but I'm not sure you can make up for the ground you lose by teaming up with those two."

"HEY!" Icarus and Cassandra barked.

"Now get in the boat!" Phil ordered, and Sadira, Cassandra, and Icarus did so. Phil took the helm, and Sadira, Icarus, and Cassandra took their positions at the crossbar handle that connected the two paddle wheels. Carpet was again laid out across the bottom of the boat, weakly waving a tassel to indicate he was still conscious. The three began to crank the handle round and round, setting the wheels into motion and propelling the boat out into the waters and toward the portal.

---

THE BORDERS OF THE SEVEN DESERTS

The boat finally wound up on the shores of the Seven Deserts, after passing through the portal and crossing quite a lot of water. Phil, Cassandra, Icarus, and Sadira left the barge behind, the latter three quite tired out from the propulsion effort. Sadira carried Carpet rolled up over one shoulder.

"So I know I'm usually the downer of the group," Cassandra said after they'd walked for a while, entering desert territory, "but I think it's especially important in this situation. We are NEVER going to get to the kingdom in time if we keep walking."

"I know," Sadira said. "We can stop now. I have a plan." She halted, kneeling to unroll Carpet. "Sorry to have to use you like this," she said softly. "Think you can hold together a little longer?"

Carpet gave her an "okay" sign with a tassel.

"Thanks," she said. "I really owe you one." She turned to the others. "Everybody get on Carpet."

"I don't think it's in flying condition," Cassandra reminded her.

"I know," Sadira answered. "Just trust me, okay?"

She stood upon Carpet, and Phil, Icarus, and Cassandra followed suit. Sadira was suddenly very aware of Icarus standing next to her in close quarter, his arm brushing her back, his breath occasionally flowing against the back of her neck. She made her mind up to pay him no mind.

"Why do I have a bad feelin' about this…" Phil muttered.

Sadira held her arms out in front of her body, palms flat. She could feel the prickle of magic in the air. The sands around Carpet began to shift, to swirl slightly. They were ready; they awaited command.

Sadira lifted her arms up, bringing the desert sands with her. They rolled into a wave, as though ocean water, lifting Carpet up with it and eliciting a "WHOA" from Icarus and Phil each.

"Get ready!" Sadira warned. Then she thrust her hands out in front of her.

The wave of sand rolled forward, building at rapid speed like a tidal wave in water, and Carpet, despite his laceration, served as a surfboard, careening toward Agrabah as Sadira directed.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"We should be nearing Agrabah now," Mechanicles stated. "All right. Everyone out."

"What do you mean, everyone OUT?" Sa'luk growled.

"Think about the logistics," Mechanicles stated. "Everyone will be focusing on the giant metal monster rushing toward the palace. Which I have to pilot in order to make sure it stays on course. However, that means they WON'T be looking anywhere else for four thieves on foot. So out with you, now, all four of you, before we hit the city walls."

Sa'luk gave a snort. He was beginning to hate how many times Mechanicles' ideas had actually worked. He would have much preferred taking orders from someone who didn't seem so…unhinged. And yet the man had a point, again.

"Do I have to KICK you out?" Mechanicles screeched.

"Let's GO!" Sa'luk charged to the hole in the snake's exterior, still clutching the pine box with the Eyes of Truth kept within, and leapt out onto the desert sands. He heard three THUDs in succession; Haroud, Abis Mal, and Amin had followed him. The snake continued its course for the Agrabanian city walls.

"What now?" Abis Mal asked.

"Now," Sa'luk said, "we stake out a location in which we can use the Eyes of Truth to their full potential. It needs to be somewhere in shade, where we won't be disturbed."

"I know of a nearby oasis," Haroud pointed out.

Sa'luk nodded. "Then we go there," he said. He found it much easier to take suggestions from Haroud, who was much more subdued than Mechanicles. While logic dictated that all of the Guild took their jobs seriously, Haroud was the only one who ever convinced Sa'luk of that.

Haroud led, and Sa'luk kept pace. Amin and Abis Mal followed a few steps behind, chattering amongst each other about future prospects – "We could see anything coming!" "No more arrests!" "No more surprise head colds on the week of a heist!" "And we haven't even scratched the SURFACE of that other world!" "Oohoohoohoo, I know!"

In a harsh whisper, Sa'luk directed his observation to Haroud: "Why do you bother yourself with these imbeciles? It seems incredibly obvious to me that you are far more competent than…than THIS. You could operate on your own without these two holding you back."

"I have my reasons for remaining here," Haroud stated plainly. "And I do not intend to leave my allies."

"I see," Sa'luk said. "Their idiocy does make them malleable – "

"They are not merely tools to me, Sa'luk. Somehow I get the feeling you would not understand. I suggest you merely accept the way things are."

"You're right," Sa'luk growled. "I don't understand your loyalty to these idiots."

"If it bothers you, then leave us be. Then again, might I remind you why you hold the Eyes of Truth in your hand at all?"

Sa'luk just responded by rolling his eyes and giving a snort. Then he was silent for the rest of the walk.

---

The great metal serpent sped down the streets of Agrabah, crushing fruit stands, tearing down the walls of the structures it passed, sending people running for their lives before they could be crushed.

Genie loomed over the city, growing to an enormous size. "Ahhhh, here we have the majestic mechanical snake in its unnatural habitat. This appears to be a particularly beautiful specimen. Now, we're just going to carefully pick it up for further observation…" A gigantic canvas bag appeared in his hands. "Careful, no sudden movements, or we might startle it…"

He slipped the bag over the head of the serpent, stopping it in its path. The contraption squirmed.

"NO!" Mechanicles yelled sternly. "I will NOT be stymied after coming THIS FAR!"

There was a great shudder, and then the serpent's head ripped right through the enormous bag, barging past Genie and continuing its rampage of destruction.

"Well," Genie continued, "it appears our specimen has gotten away from us. However, it won't be long until the snake's natural predator, the Great Blue Owl, will attempt to take it for its prey." And with that, Genie transformed into a gigantic owl, proportionate to the serpent, and let out a great "WHO!" that echoed throughout all of Agrabah.

Genie flew over the metal snake, divebombing it and pinning it to the ground with his claws with another "WHO!"

Inside the vehicle, Mechanicles felt the force that had stopped his progress forward, and he began to panic. Something very big (it sounded like a giant owl, though he couldn't make any sense out of that) had obviously landed on top of the snake. "Don't panic," he muttered, "remain calm and strategize…"

Scooter ran wildly about before slamming into his owner's ankle, causing Mechanicles to grab his aching foot and hop on the other one. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" he screamed at Scooter.

The great wave of sand crashed into town, rolling down the main street of Agrabah. "GOT 'EM!" Sadira yelled.

"I WOULD YELL SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THAT'S AWESOME," Icarus screamed, "BUT I'M KIND OF DISTRACTED BY TRYING TO KEEP MY BALANCE AT BREAKNECK SPEED HERE!"

The wave began to lose height as it careened down the streets, leaving the sand that made it up behind. Still, Sadira knew she had enough ammunition for a decisive move. She looked up to the great blue owl and smiled. She knew she could always count on Genie. Sadira directed the wave of sand to cross over top of the serpent, solidifying it as it went, leaving a great binding cuff that held the snake to the ground. "GENIE!" she called out at the wave's crest.

Genie turned to look at the sand wave. "Who?"

The wave crossed over the serpent in the other direction, forming another restraint. "IT'S ME!" Sadira yelled. "SADIRA!"

"Who?" Genie asked.

The wave ran out of sand, and Carpet coasted toward a stop on the side of the street. "Cut it out, Genie!" Sadira laughed.

Carpet suddenly jolted to a halt. Everyone onboard lost his or her balance; Phil toppled backward, Cassandra to the left, and Icarus and Sadira forward. Icarus instinctively reached out to grab onto something to steady himself – his arms wrapped around Sadira's waist as the two hit the ground. They immediately scrambled to an upright standing position, brushing themselves off and avoiding eye contact. Sadira hoped no one saw how much she was blushing. "…Everybody okay?" she asked.

"Yup," Icarus answered nervously, his face also growing quite hot, in a way unrelated to the desert climate.

"That landing could have let me keep more of my dignity," Cassandra huffed, standing, "but I'm fine."

"Never thought I'd say this," Phil grunted as he got up, "but I am NEVER RIDING A MAGIC CARPET ACROSS A SAND WAVE AGAIN."

Seeing that the metal snake was definitely pinned in place (to Mechanicles' frustration, as he practically punched the crystal panels, trying to get the vehicle to move), Genie sped down toward Sadira, turning into his preferred size and form in a twinkle. "You're back!" he cried happily, spreading his arms wide. "And not a moment too soon. Pret-ty sure that's Mechanicles again. You'd think he would come up with some more original ideas than trying to attack the city twice in the same week with giant metal reptiles. Soooo, who're your friends?"

Sadira quickly pointed at each of her allies. "Icarus. Cassandra. Phil. But we'll have more time for that later. Right now…we kiiiiinda have a problem." She held up Carpet, who waved weakly as the wind blew right through the hole in his fabric.

Genie gasped dramatically. "OH, you poor thing!" In a burst of light, he became an old woman sitting in a rocking chair with a pair of knitting needles, beginning to patch Carpet up with blue thread. "Just a minor tear. Easy enough to fix, with a little tender loving care," he said in a high-pitched voice.

Phil stared blankly before asking, "Okay, is this guy for real?"

Sadira took off for the opening in the metal serpent's casing. She leapt inside, rushing toward the snake's head, hoping to find the thieves inside and end the conflict once and for all.

"WAIT!" Icarus yelled, taking off after her. "YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM ALL ON ALONE!"

"YOU CAN'T TAKE ON ANYONE NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU HAVE WITH YOU!" Phil yelled after Icarus, joining the chase.

Cassandra shrugged and ran after them.

Sadira found her way to the head of the snake, and her appearance startled Mechanicles, who backed up against the wall. Desperately trying to think of a way to best someone in combat from inside a machine, let alone a strange one he hadn't built the inner workings of, Mechanicles opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sadira. "Where are the rest of you?" she barked.

Mechanicles responded with a smug grin. "Oh, my, it appears they aren't here. I must have lost them somewhere along the way."

Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil caught up at that point. "You LOST them?" Sadira yelled.

"He ditched 'em while he used the snake as a distraction," Phil realized. "The rest of 'em got away with the Eyes of Truth."

"NO!" Sadira cried angrily.

"I'm not surprised, frankly," Mechanicles stated. "How could your feeble minds hope to compete with the greatest thinker in – "

"SHUT UP!" Sadira removed the last of the sand from the bag at her belt, imbuing it with magic and tossing it so that it showered over Mechanicles. Suddenly overcome with drowsiness, Mechanicles reeled, then toppled to the ground and began snoring.

"Not so tough without your screwdriver, are you?" Sadira and Icarus snapped at the comatose body in unison. Startled, they turned to face each other, then broke out into large smiles. "NICE!" Sadira cried, holding up her hand for a high-five, which Icarus enthusiastically returned with a loud SMACK.

The royal guard arrived, gathering outside the snake. They saw Sadira and Icarus exit it, dragging the comatose Mechanicles, while Cassandra and Phil followed. "Here," Sadira said, gesturing to Mechanicles. "He's all yours. But he's all we found."

Mechanicles was transferred to possession of the royal troops. "I've been waiting to have THIS one in custody for a long time now," Razoul hissed.

"Ugh…" Sadira clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "I thought we HAD them! They could be ANYWHERE by now!"

"And if they have the Eyes of Truth," Icarus wailed, "it's only a matter of time before they put them in one of their heads and the Eyes are lost forever!"

"I just…I wish we had SOME idea of where to go!" Sadira snapped.

"Hang on," Cassandra said, something occurring to her. She looked up at the palace. "That palace isn't easy to ignore when you see it, okay? I saw it in both parts of my vision. When I saw that snake destroying the city, it was from THAT angle." She pointed down the street to the palace. "But when I saw the guy with the claws, it was like I was looking at it from over THERE." She moved her hand, pointing away from the palace.

"So if we get in that position," Phil concluded, "and we move in that direction, we'll find 'em!"

"There were trees, too," Cassandra remembered. "We're probably looking for some kind of jungle…"

"Or an oasis!" Sadira finished.

"But how are we gonna get there?" Icarus moaned. "If we start to walk…it'll be too late!"

"NEVER FEAR!" Genie cried, barging his way in between them all. "If you'll all direct your attention over there…" He gestured, and Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil all looked where he was indicating.

Everything went dark, as though all the city were just a giant room with the lights turned off. A row of stage lights suddenly flicked on, illuminating a set of red curtains that were suspended from nothingness. "HE'S FASTER!" Genie's voice boomed out, amplified, as two spotlights appeared on the curtain and began to swirl around in figure-eights. "HE'S STRONGER!" Genie continued, and the two lights converged into one, focusing on the center of the curtains, where they would part. "HE'S BETTER THAN EVER! HEEEEEEE'S…THE MAAAAAGIIIIIIIC CARPEEEEEEET!" The curtains parted wide open, revealing Carpet, who leapt into the air and stretched out to show off that he was completely repaired. Carpet then flew in a loop around Genie, Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil happily.

The lights came back on as Sadira and Icarus applauded. Phil was dumbstruck for a few moments. Then he yelled, "WHAT EVEN JUST HAPPENED?"

"When you hang around Genie," Sadira said, boarding Carpet, "you learn not to question things. Now, let's go!"

"Whoa. No. NO," Phil insisted as Icarus and Cassandra followed her; he crossed his arms, then swiped them outward. "I am NOT gettin' back on that thing!"

"But I'm not driving this time," Sadira argued.

"Would THIS be more your speed?" Genie transformed into a shining blue motorcycle, his face situated below the handlebars.

"Don't question things…" Phil muttered, blinking rapidly and shaking his head to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Don't question things…don't question things…"

"Just get on the…vehicle thing Genie turned into!" Sadira barked.

Phil sighed. "I'm gettin' too old for this…"

But soon enough, Carpet, laden with three passngers, and the Genie-cycle, with one satyr aboard, took off in the direction Cassandra had indicated.

---

In the shade of the oasis, just a few palm trees surrounding a small pool, Sa'luk, Haroud, Abis Mal, and Amin finally stopped to rest. "Here," Haroud announced. "I believe this should be satisfactory."

"It is," Sa'luk said with a nod. "Well? You know what has to be done! The Eyes of Truth will be all the more powerful if one of us replaces our own eyes with them!" He held up his gleaming blades. "Any volunteers?"

"YIPE!" Abis Mal squeaked.

"Not me!" Amin insisted.

"I must decline," Haroud said. "After all, I do not want to cause unnecessary dissent." He had known from the very start that Sa'luk had stolen the Eyes with the intent of putting them in his own head. He supposed that were Mechanicles there, the engineer might protest, but he wasn't, so all were in agreement.

Sa'luk smiled. "Then I suppose it falls to me." He raised the blades to the side of his own face. "I would advise the faint of heart not to watch."

"Ewwww…" Abis Mal quickly turned away, looking back toward Agrabah.

He turned in time to see Carpet and a blue motorcycle speeding toward the oasis at top speed. "WHAT?" he roared.

Sa'luk, distracted by Abis Mal's yell, looked out in the same direction. "No…" he muttered, striding to the oasis' edge and looking out at Carpet, seeing Sadira riding front and center. "Does she NEVER give up?"

"That's not our biggest problem," Amin pointed out, pointing at the motorcycle.

"THE GENIE!" Abis Mal growled.

"He shall have to be dealt with," Haroud stated.

"Then he will be," Sa'luk insisted. "Draw your weapons and follow me! Once and for all…we finish this!"

He ran out to meet the oncoming rush of heroes. Haroud and Amin drew their swords.

"Yes," Amin muttered, "finally time to show them what I can – "

"I'lllllll take THAT!" Abis Mal grabbed the sword out of his hand, claiming it for his own. "Thank you!" Abis Mal then ran after Sa'luk, and Haroud followed. Amin brought up the rear, unarmed and miffed.

"They're coming toward us," Sadira observed from atop Carpet. "They're ready."

"Well, so are we!" Icarus asserted. "We…we are ready, right?"

"NO," Phil yelled from his seat aboard the Genie-cycle, gripping the handlebars for dear life, "BUT THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE'RE GONNA GET!"

The Genie-cycle skidded to a halt before the four thieves, who themselves halted and waited in a line. Carpet also pulled to a stop. Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, and Phil leapt to the sandy ground, facing down the four thieves. Genie then transformed into his default body, folding his arms.

"Let me guess," Sa'luk said, holding out the pine box. "You want the Eyes of Truth back?"

"I'm guessing you don't just want to hand them over," Sadira replied.

"As a matter of fact, I don't," Sa'luk said with a slight nod. "In fact…the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't need to know the future. The Eyes would have been convenient for me…nothing else. But if they were suddenly gone…you would be quite upset, wouldn't you?"

"What are you DOING?" Abis Mal asked, sensing that Sa'luk was about to commit an act he'd find horrible.

"I've decided I don't want the Eyes anymore," Sa'luk said, opening the box, held in his right hand, and looking at the eyes inside. "I just want to watch you SUFFER!" He raised his left hand, ready to plunge the blades into the disembodied Eyes. Then his left hand shot downward, blades flashing.

Cassandra cried out, "NO!"

Phil yelled, "IT'S A BLUFF!"

Genie rocketed toward the box, shrinking down to a size that would allow him to comfortably fit in the palm of one's hand. He landed in the box, standing in front of the Eyes, spreading his arms out before them. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" he yelled.

The blades halted a hair before they reached Genie. "Did you REALLY think I would destroy them?" Sa'luk asked with a laugh.

He slammed the lid on the box shut.

As he heard the sound of pounding from inside, Sa'luk said, "I had always wondered if boxes had the same effect on Genies that jars and bottles do. It seems they do." He turned to Haroud. "TAKE THEM!" Sa'luk launched the box into the air.

Haroud caught the box and began to run.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Phil pawed the ground with each hoof before taking off into a charge; Abis Mal leapt in front of him, sword brandished.

"And you." Sa'luk stood before Sadira. "It's time I made sure you can't bother me again."

"Go ahead and try," Sadira responded, making a hand motion that directed Icarus and Cassandra to back off.

As Icarus and Cassandra moved away, Amin glared at them. "You won't get away from ME so easily!" He charged at Icarus at full speed, ready to tackle him.

Icarus took two steps forward and one to the side. He put out his foot. Amin tripped over Icarus' leg and faceplanted in the sand, skidding for a few feet. Cassandra suppressed a laugh.

Abis Mal slashed out at Phil's neck with his sword; Phil ducked the blow, aiming a punch to Abis Mal's stomach. His fist connected, Abis Mal reeled. The thief quickly rebounded by striking out again with his sword. Phil dodged it to the side, then again when the blade flashed toward him yet another time. Three times Abis Mal lashed out at Phil, and three times Phil evaded. Phil's fist slammed into Abis Mal's face.

"Owwww…" Abis Mal whined, staggering back.

Phil headbutted Abis Mal in the stomach as hard as he could. Abis Mal tumbled over backward, and Phil gave chase after Haroud.

Sa'luk struck at Sadira with his left fist. Sadira called a wall of sand up into the air; Sa'luk's fist pounded against it, and she was protected. Sadira then raised her arms, and a geyser of sand erupted on either side of her. The two bursts of sand rained down upon where Sa'luk stood; Sa'luk responded by leaping backward so that the sand cascaded onto empty ground. At Sadira's behest, a tidal wave built up in front of her, and it crashed forward; Sa'luk simply slashed his way through it, forcing his body through the great wave, proving that he was stronger than the wave of earth. He got close enough to Sadira to jab the blades on his right fist toward her face; she narrowly dodged, and a ragged lock of her raven hair fell to the ground. As Sadira ducked, she turned her body in a circle, spinning around on one foot and aiming the other at Sa'luk's chest; she struck him in the solar plexus with her heel. As Sa'luk staggered, Sadira righted herself, then ran away from him, looking back.

"I didn't take YOU for a coward!" Sa'luk laughed, chasing after her.

Sadira didn't bother telling him why she was running. She wasn't trying to escape. She was trying to put enough space between the two of them to attempt another move. She spun back around, thrusting her hands out toward the sand that spanned the distance between them. The ground erupted upward, forging itself into a great mound of sand twenty feet tall.

Amin Damoola righted himself, turning to charge right back at Icarus from the other direction. He ran at full speed. Cassandra stepped between them, putting out her arm at Amin's chest height. He crashed into her arm, and his feet went out from under him; Amin landed hard on his back in the sand.

"Okay, you should really stop trying," Cassandra sighed.

Phil caught up with Haroud, leaping into the air and pouncing on the thief's back. Haroud toppled to the ground. The pine box flew from his hands, hitting the sand. Haroud managed to roll over from beneath Phil, looking up at the satyr, sword drawn. Phil roughly knocked the sword out of Haroud's hand before punching him twice in the face, then leaping off him to run for the box.

The mountain of sand solidified into a shape. When Sadira had first gained her powers, long ago, she had called upon a mystical amulet to summon a destructive sand spirit. She had destroyed the amulet herself, for the sake of Aladdin and Jasmine, and since then had been unable to call living creatures up from the sand. However, she could still forge the shape of a golem, and she did so, a great hulking and vaguely humanoid shape that towered over Sa'luk. Sadira stood behind the golem. When she swept her hand outward, the golem mirrored her movement, striking Sa'luk aside. Sa'luk leapt back up, charging at the golem. Sadira reached out, closing a fist; the golem wrapped an arm around Sa'luk and picked him up. He slashed through the golem's arm, falling back to the ground.

After Icarus and Cassandra sent Amin crashing to the ground for the third time, Icarus turned to catch a glimpse of Sadira controlling the golem. "Whoa…" he muttered, impressed.

The golem needed to be more solid. And it needed repair. Sadira concentrated; the golem's shape hardened, shrinking a bit as the sand particles compressed closer together, and its lopped-off arm regrew. She struck out at Sa'luk again; he evaded. She slammed her hands onto the ground; Sa'luk leapt backward, out of the way. Sa'luk made to charge around the golem at Sadira. Sadira turned, making the golem turn, and brought down her arm in a fluid sweep. The golem caught Sa'luk up in its palm, and Sadira slammed her hand back down to the ground, getting to her knees to press her palm more closely downward; the golem pinned down Sa'luk. Sa'luk struggled, but try as he might, he couldn't break free of the golem's grip, and when he rammed the blades at his knuckles into its sandy skin, there was just a metallic CLANK and the blades bounced off.

Phil scooped up the box, opening it and letting Genie out. "LET ME AT 'EM!" Genie yelled, growing back to his preferred size. "Oh, hey, thanks for the save!"

"Don't take it personally," Phil grunted. "You still freak me out. Now, can you DO something about those jerks?"

"Four jailbirds, comin' up!" Genie promised. He sent a burst of magic at Amin. A metal cage appeared around the thief. Amin shook the bars desperately only to find that they wouldn't yield.

Haroud had gone back to help Abis Mal back to his feet after taking the blows from Phil; the two looked over at Genie just in time to see the burst of magic rocketing toward them. They had enough time to let out startled yelps before they, too, were trapped in a cage.

Finally, Genie sent a blast at Sa'luk. The cage appeared around the golem's hand, cutting it off from the main body; the sand collapsed, inanimate, around Sa'luk. Sa'luk stood and grabbed at the bars, but his efforts to bend, break, or warp them were as fruitful as Amin's.

Sadira then let go of the energy she had put into the golem. It crumbled into a great pile of sand. Sadira let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Ya do the time," Genie said, strolling past all three cages in the garb of a NYPD officer, "ya gotta do the time."

At a loss for words, Sa'luk let out a roar of rage.

And Sadira, Icarus, Cassandra, Phil, and Genie gathered, looking smugly upon their defeated opponents before breaking out into cheers and exchanging high-fives all around.

---

Razoul was just as happy to take in Amin, Abis Mal, Haroud, and Sa'luk as he had been about Mechanicles – though one thing did confuse him.

"I believe that is Sa'luk of the former Forty Thieves," he informed Sadira. "Based on reports…we had believed him to be dead."

"Well, obviously, reports were wrong," Sadira said decisively.

"But it was said he was turned into solid gold – "

"And that's not a golden statue that tried to steal the Eyes of Truth, is it?"

Razoul sighed, giving up. It was a mystery he would either have to let go of completely, or bring up to Aladdin and Jasmine when they returned. "Bring these dogs to their cages," Razoul ordered the other guards, who had loaded the cages up into wagons that they then began, at Razoul's command, to drive toward the dungeon.

"Well," Cassandra said with a slight smile, "you saved the Eyes of Truth. Thanks."

"It wasn't a big deal," Sadira stated. "Trust me. You have no idea how much I have to deal with that kind of thing around here."

"I might have a bit of an idea," Cassandra retorted. "Do YOU know how much insanity happens back where I come from?"

"And speakin' of which," Phil said, "I'm thinkin' it's time we get back there. They'll have been waiting for those Eyes for about two hours."

"Aaaaahhh…about that," Genie said, almost guiltily. "I've noticed in the past sort of a…time difference between your world and our world. See, in the Olympic world, time passes a liiiiiiittle bit faster than it does here. So you might actually have been gone about a day over there."

"WHAT?" Phil raged. "Okay. That's it. WE'RE GOIN'. Goodbye, so long, yada yada." He turned to begin walking out of the city.

"You're seriously gonna make us walk the whole way?" Cassandra asked in frustration.

"You got any better ideas?" Phil grunted.

"I do!" Genie chimed in.

"Fine," Phil sighed. "I'll bite. Whaddaya got?"

"The snake!" Genie gestured to the great metal contraption. "If Mechanicles can drive it here, we can drive it home!"

Phil protested, "But nobody knows how to drive that th – you're going to drive us home, aren't you."

"BINGO!" Genie cried.

"We do kinda need to take it back anyway," Cassandra pointed out. "To fix the Temple."

"Well," Icarus said, "I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah," Sadira agreed, avoiding his gaze. "Well…thanks for all the help. I'll miss you."

"Me too!" Icarus emphatically agreed. "You know. As a friend."

"Yeah. A friend. You're a good one." Sadira looked back up into his eyes. For a moment, she wished she hadn't. Her gaze connecting with his asymmetrical pupils sent a slight jolt of energy through her. "Well, maybe I'll see you around, seeing as our worlds are right next to each other."

"Yeah!" Icarus nodded frantically. "I'll DEFINTELY see you again!" He spread his arms wide. "Goodbye hug?"

Sadira nodded. "Goodbye hug!"

They embraced quickly, and they both smiled at the sensation of it. Then they let each other go, and Sadira waved as Icarus followed Genie, Phil, and Cassandra toward the metal serpent.

"ALL ABOAAAAARD!" Genie had shifted into a conductor's garb, a train whistle with a chain levitating over his head. "Next stop, Delphi, Olympic Greece!" He pulled the whistle's chain twice.

"Can we put in a detour at Chryse?" Phil groaned. "I ain't hoofin' it all the way out from Delphi." Genie nodded as Phil boarded.

Sadira turned to move back toward the palace. "Not bad for my first job palace-sitting," she remarked to herself. She looked down at her new garment, thinking about how even though it looked good on her, she should probably acquire some pants again for convenience, and also that Icarus was about to head back for his own world at top speed for who knew how long. "Eh…I'll forget about it," she told herself, trying to shake the empty feeling in her gut. "It's not like we'll never see each other AGAIN. And there are better guys out there. Tons of them!"

Aboard the metal serpent, Genie took his place at the crystal panels, examining them to figure out how they worked. Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil stood a few feet behind him, ready for takeoff.

"You're gonna miss that girl, aren't you?" Cassandra asked Icarus.

"Yeah," Icarus said, "but maybe it's for the best that we don't see each other for a while."

"Huh? You two seemed to be getting along pretty well."

"Yeah, but…" Icarus shuffled his feet. "She's sort of…distracting. I promised you that I'd be faithful to you forever, but…I keep thinking about her! This way, when we go back, there will be no one on my mind but – "

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ZEUS!" Cassandra screamed. "Genie, DON'T make this thing go anywhere. I need to explain something to Icarus BEFORE we leave."

"Okie dokie!" Genie said with a nod.

Phil sighed. "This better not take long."

Cassandra seized Icarus by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I'm going to tell you this for the LAST TIME. I am NOT INTERESTED in you, and I never will be. Trust me, I'm actually surprisingly happy that you're my friend. Which probably doesn't suggest good things about my mental health. But you and I are NEVER going to work out. And you wanna know something else? I can't even get my own mind off Hades' stupid minion. I've been trying to forget him, but I can't! Now, you like Sadira, and from what I can tell, she has a thing for you too!"

"She…does?" Icarus was taken aback.

"YES!" Cassandra seethed. "Are you BLIND? She LIKES you. A lot. You like her, and she likes you. And there is NOTHING stopping you two from being together except your own stupidity! So I'm only going to ask you this ONCE, and then I'm never going to bring it up again. After this, you can fawn over me and believe we're going to get married and have a thousand kids for all I care. But do you wanna waste your life chasing after me when you and I both know it's never gonna work, or do you want to go back out there and take a chance with someone who WILL make you happy? WELL?"

For a few moments, Icarus stood completely still, unmoving. "Is…he okay?" Genie asked.

"Eh, that's just a side effect of havin' your brain fried by the sun," Phil explained. "It takes him about ten minutes to process when people tell him basic information."

"I…" Icarus suddenly, slowly stated. "I…am…an…IDIOT!" He then leapt out of the vehicle, hitting the Agrabanian streets, running toward the palace at top speed.

With three synchronized shrugs, Cassandra, Genie, and Phil ran after him.

Sadira had made it back to the palace gates; the guards began to open them for her. "Well," she sighed, "back to business, I guess."

Then she heard the scream echoing from far behind her: "SADIIIIIIIIIRAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She turned to behold the screamer in surprise. "ICARUS?"

Icarus bolted toward Sadira, and she ran toward him. When they met, Icarus grabbed both her hands, clasping them in front of him. "It's you!" he sputtered. "It's always been you! I'm so sorry for not seeing it earlier!"

"WHAT'S me?" Sadira asked.

"YOU'RE the one I want to be with!" Icarus gushed.

"But Cassandra – "

"Was a bad old habit! I was blind! She doesn't really want to be with me. You…you knew that all along."

"Yeah," Sadira admitted.

"All this time, I've tried not to feel anything for you because I didn't want to be unfaithful to her!" Icarus continued. "But that…reeeaaaaally doesn't make any sense."

"Hey," Sadira replied, "when we're in love, we do a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense. Believe me. I know. I once…usurped a princess in order to get at a guy."

"To make a long story short," Icarus said, "you are the most beautiful and amazing creature I've ever seen! I want to be distracted by you for the rest of my life! It's you that I never wanna let go, and I'll wait for you for a thousand years!"

By that time, Cassandra, Phil, and Genie had caught up. "Oh, no…" Cassandra pounded her forehead with her palm. "He was probably doing really well before he launched into the stalker bit." She then yelled to him: "YOU JUST MET HER A DAY AGO, YOU KNOW!"

Neither Icarus nor Sadira was listening to her. Sadira's face lit up with a smile, and she felt blood and heat rushing to her cheeks. "Really?" she gasped.

"Really," Icarus emphasized.

"Well," Sadira replied, "I think you're one of the sweetest, most adorable people I've ever met. And if I could go love-crazy just ONE more time…I wanna do it over you."

"Sadira," Icarus said solemnly, "will you be my girlfriend?"

"YES!" Sadira cried.

Driven by instinct, they kissed. It felt electric, but also RIGHT, and they caught themselves wondering how they hadn't found each other before, where they obviously belonged.

As Genie wiped away a tear with a handkerchief he'd produced from nowhere, Phil interrupted: "Ah-HEM. Did you two maybe forget a few things? Like the fact that YOU LIVE ON TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLDS?"

"I could move!" Sadira said, breaking away from the kiss. "After I'm done taking care of things here."

"Or I could move here!" Icarus suggested.

"You two really were made for each other," Cassandra sighed. "Okay, seriously, NEITHER of you should be stupid enough to throw away your entire life for somebody you met A DAY AGO."

"But how else can we even KNOW if we can work out?" Sadira asked. "Genie even said there's a time difference between our worlds!"

"I have an idea!" Genie cracked his knuckles, rubbed his hands together, and, with a grand gesture, caused a great explosion of magic on the ground. When it cleared, two mailboxes on posts remained. "These boxes can transport letters between your two worlds!" Genie announced. "Put something in here – " He placed the handkerchief in one, closing the door and reopening it to show the box was empty. "And it comes out here!" He opened the door of the other mailbox, and there was the handkerchief. He removed it from the other box, then replaced it, closing the door and reopening the other box to show it had moved back. "And it works both ways!"

"We can write to each other!" Sadira realized. "We don't have to leave our home worlds! You know…until we WANT to."

"I'll write to you every day!" Icarus vowed.

"The letters might be a liiiiiiittle slower getting to Agrabah from wherever you are in Greece given the time difference…" Genie warned.

"That's okay," Sadira said. "If Icarus can wait a thousand years for me, I can wait a few weeks for his letters."

"Speaking of the time difference," Phil broke in, "CAN WE GET A MOVE ON ALREADY? We've probably been gone for THREE days at the rate you've been horsing around!"

"I'll think about you," Icarus told Sadira.

"And I'll think about you," she replied.

They kissed one more time, drinking all they could from each other, trying to make it feel like a permanent memory that would last them until either penned their first letter to the other. Then, feeling the angry glares of Cassandra and Phil, Icarus and Sadira parted, waving to each other.

Sadira watched the others go before turning to enter the palace grounds, taking a postbox with her. She hastened her steps. "I have a letter to write," she said to herself quite happily.

---

The metal serpent slid smoothly back across the desert sands, headed toward the ocean and the portal upon it. As Genie worked at the crystal panels, Phil, Cassandra, and Icarus had each taken a more or less comfortable position sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls. One of the postboxes was propped up by them.

"Genie," Icarus said, "you wouldn't happen to have a quill and parchment on you, perchance?"

"You want to write to her ALREADY?" Cassandra asked, keeping a tight hold on the box containing the Eyes of Truth; she knew they were safe, but all the same, she didn't want to let them go until they were definitely back at Delphi.

"I have so much to ask her," Icarus replied, "and so much to say!"

Genie took a quick break from his driving to conjure quill and parchment for Icarus, who set to writing immediately.

Phil and Cassandra exchanged glances. "All's well…that ends well?" Phil said, almost an inquiry.

"Yeah," Cassandra answered, satisfied.

---

Chapter 82:

· Did I name this chapter after the song "Sandstorm" by Darude? Did I listen to that song on loop while writing the battle sequences here? Yes. Yes, I did.

· I didn't exactly spell out Haroud's reasoning for remaining with the Guild. It's actually something I'm still working on in terms of headcanon. I just thought I'd give you his general stance on it and let you interpret it how you want for now.

· Well, when I looked it up, I read that the way you're supposed to catch a snake is with a pillowcase. So that's what I went for.

· The sand golem is partly inspired by the one in Sadira's debut episode and also partly influenced by Marshmallow from Frozen, though it doesn't have as much autonomy as either being because I needed to specify how much power Sadira lost by crushing the amulet and because the mental image of the golem copying Sadira's movements was just too good.

· Genie's ability to summon prison cages from nowhere is based on a fate he gives to Mozenrath at the end of "Two to Tangle."

· The time difference is there to explain why when Aladdin and Hercules met in "Arabian Knight," Aladdin was already betrothed to Jasmine but Herc was still a teenager, but both groups are about the same age now. Trust me, I'm going to make that VERY relevant later, when the Mane Six return to Olympic Greece to find that a little more time has passed than they thought, meaning more stuff has happened than they would have expected.

· Interdimensional mailbox may be godmodding. Don't care. And those who are within my inner circle know I want to avoid having people uproot their lives to move in with lovers they just met as much as possible.

· With this interlude over, it's time for EoH to go on another hiatus while I take in all the research I need for the next storylet, where we catch back up with the Mane Six in time to explore certain of the Nine Realms…