It was a dark night, where a dark man waited, with a dark purpose.

William had always been an ambitious man, always looking for a way up, for something better for something greater. It was his ambition, and his dabbling in the black arts, that allowed him to rise through the ranks and grab the position of Royal Vizier to the Sultan. He was the right hand to the most powerful man in the land. The Sultan listened to his advice and took it, policies were signed by the Sultan, but written by William. Laws were made and broken by the Sultan, in name, but really it was William pulling the strings.

The Sultan was an easily swayed man. Of course he hadnt always been that way. Burt use to be a strong, compassionate leader that was very involved in the running of his kingdom, but when the Queen died the Sultan was lost, until William stepped up at his Royal Vizier, between Burts grief and Williams magic, Sultan Burt was soon putty in his Royal Viziers hands.

It should have been good enough. William should have been happy. But it wasnt enough, nothing was ever enough. Why should he, William Schuester, a powerful sorcerer have to take second bidding to a leader he considered an imbecile?

Thats what led him to this. William slid off of his horse and waited back straight and tall and a staff clutched in his hand. The staff had the head of a snake with eyes that looked like they could stare right through you.

A squat filthy mad hopped off of a camel made his way to him.

"Do you have it?" William asked in a deep, emotionless voice.

"I had to slit a few throats." The man said with a gleam in his eyes as he ran his finger across his neck like a knife. "But I have it."

Out of his tattered and dusty robe he pulled out what looked to be a piece of jewelry, it flashed bright in the light of the moon.

William held his hand out for it, but the man snatched it back.

"No no. Not until I get my reward."

William rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed the item from the mans grubby hands.

"Oh dont worry." William said with a sneer. "Youll get whats coming to you."

With that he pulled something out of his own much more expensive and clean robe. The other half of the trinket the thief had brought him. William held up the two-halves of a golden scarab beetle. He put them together and a bright light shot out of the now complete beetle.

William let go and the beetle stayed in the air, buzzing its golden wings. And then it was off, both William and the man raced after it until the beetle split again and landed in the sand. For a moment William thought hed done something wrong, this surely couldnt be the place. But then the halves of the scarab started to glow and burn red, the earth started to tremble and with a rush of wind and a crack of thunder something started to emerge from the sand.

The man let out a cry of fear and ran to stand behind William. William though, smiled as the sand moved and grew and bubbled until it formed itself into a massive head of a lion. It had to be more than 30 feet tall, looming over William and the thief, its eyes the glowing red halves of the beetle that held led them here.

And then the sand lion spoke. Its voice thundering and rough like the sand it was made of. "Who disturbs my slumber?"

The man just cowered behind William until he grabbed his arm and yanked him forward. "This is it." William hissed at him. "Your reward waits. Take what you will, just bring me the lamp!"

The man gulped, but nodded, his greed overtaking his fear. He slowly walked up to the sand creature. "It is I, Gazeem, a humble thief."

The Lion spoke again its voice making the ground shutter. "Know this. Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. A diamond in the rough.

Gazeem turned to William with a questioning look.

"Go on! The treasure is yours!"

Gazzems lips twitched into a smile and he rubbed his hands together as he stepped forward. The lions massive mouth had opened wide revealing the entrance to the Cave of Wonders. Gazeem hesitated only a moment before placing a foot inside of the entrance.

That is all it took.

Suddenly the lion head roared and started to collapse, tons of sand falling over Gazeem. He tried for a moment to run, but it was no use, the sand swirled and sucked him under. The lion growled as it crumbled, "Seek thee out, the diamond in the rough."

Within moments the entrance to the Cave of Wonders disappeared. The sand smooth and still like nothing had even happened. The thief was long gone.

The two halves of the golden scarab beetle laid in the sand looking like nothing more than normal trinkets. William walked forward and grabbed the pieces and clutched them in his hand, anger thrumming in him. He shouldnt have been surprised that Gazeem was unworthy, but still he didnt take disappointment well.

He looked out across the dark desert, it wasnt over yet.

"Only one may enter." He whispered to himself. "I must find this one, this...diamond in the rough."