Chapter 10: Wanted, Dead or Alive?
Genie didn't have time to think as the Deathseeker advanced. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Aladdin as the portal sucked them in, barely giving them time to escape the demon's sharp fangs. Genie was able to soften the blow of their landing in the other dimension, using his magic to conjure a large mattress, which gradually deflated and transformed into a blanket which Aladdin lay upon, his clothes and hair still dripping with water from the ocean. Yet Genie realized that Aladdin wasn't moving or breathing, his skin like ice to the touch.
"Come on, Al. Come on, kid, wake up," Genie said. It took several long moments and a few creative methods on Genie's part (bongo drums didn't work as he hoped they would). But Aladdin stirred, gasping and coughing up water. The prince never fully woke, but Genie thanked his luck getting Aladdin to breathe.
Genie sighed. "I gotta get you out of here. Not exactly the safest place being in an unknown world or underwater with an angry demon hunting the two of us."
An unexpected voice called out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, friend. Your companion's human and has lost too much blood, from the look of it. He'll be dead before you reach the surface, and that's assuming the demon doesn't get to either of you first."
When Genie looked up, he saw a tall, slightly stocky man with a long brown cloak. The figure had a long thick beard and thick locks of hair that was gathered into a tie. His clothes were very worn beneath the cloak, reminding Genie of the first time he met Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders. He wondered if the man had once been a street urchin himself, though he had Aladdin beat in age by a slim number of years. If Genie could guess, maybe about half a decade, but it was hard to tell.
The man shuffled his feet in his hand-made sandals. "Do you mind if I take a look at him? I'm a healer who grows medicinal herbs. Something of a necessity when you live in a place like this."
Genie sighed. "Well, considering you gave me such helpful advice, you can't be as dangerous as the thing we just escaped." He moved aside, allowing the man to kneel beside Aladdin. Aladdin didn't wake, but the man could tell that the prince was in a great deal of pain.
"He definitely has some deep wounds, and he's slightly feverish, probably won't improve as long as he stays in these damp clothes or in any place with this amount of moisture. My quarters are a little more dry." He gave Genie a small smile. "You're welcome to come along. Any man or being that's an enemy of the Deathseeker is a friend to me. And well, I haven't had many friends who've survived long enough to see these parts. You two are the first I've seen in a long time."
Genie smiled a little. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I'm the one and only, minty fresh and exquisite Genie of the LAMP! No substitutes necessary." With each word, Genie showed off his powers by making himself grow bigger in size and transform into a number of different figures - including a doctor, lawyer, herbal salesman, and chef - before transforming back to his original form.
The man laughed. "Ah, I guessed you were a being that possessed some powerful magic. I suppose the young man here is a friend of yours."
Genie's jovial expression turned to one of sadness as he nodded towards Aladdin. "Yeah, one of my best friends in an entire millenia. He's..."
Before Genie could say another word, several teeth bearing limbs shot into the portal at that moment, nearly chomping down on both the man and Aladdin both. Genie's semi-phenomenal reflexes were fast, pushing against the giant, snake like forms as they attempted to attack.
"The Deathseeker, here?!" The man said, startled. "It hasn't been able to do that in I don't know how long - that portal's usually good for keeping things in as well as out."
Genie grunted, trying to push the limbs back through the portal. He was not only fighting against the strength of the Deathseeker, but also against the force that was helping to push the sea demon through. "Yeah, well, when you have an angry, former god trying to kill you, it goes without saying they'll try to go through any space to finish the job." Genie looked back at the man. "I'd...hate to ask a favor, but can you...?"
"Take him to safety while you handle that thing?" The man was already two steps ahead of Genie, helping Aladdin to a point where he could support carrying the prince away from the area. "What's his name?"
"Aladdin. Please...hurry...I'll...find a way back...somehow..." Genie shoved with all his might, thrusting himself and the Deathseeker's limbs through the portal to where they disappeared in flash of blinding light.
The man looked down at Aladdin, nodding, though he knew Aladdin was in no shape to respond to him. "Aladdin, eh? Strong name for a strong young man. You must be a special one to have a friend like that fighting for you. Still, I'll make sure you stay alive until he gets back. Wouldn't be able to call myself a healer if I didn't."
The man winced, regretting his choice of words for a reason he couldn't speak further on. He shook his head, then helped carry Aladdin through the narrow corridor, as far and as quickly away from the portal as they could possibly get.
Gloloria was very quiet that night, and Tani couldn't help but think that despite the calm waters that lapped against the shoreline, the town had its own turbulence to deal with. The Deathseeker's attack had left them all alarmed and on edge, and it had taken a while for her to piece together the events of the long day, and the beginning of an even longer night.
She recognized her son's approach from behind her well before he began to speak. "I take it the Princess is asleep in your cabin for the night. As are his companions, I presume?"
Tani sighed, nodding slowly. "The poor girl was so distraught that it took forever to calm her. She still wanted to go back to the beach to search for Aladdin, even though we'd already searched for hours." She took a long look at her son, who didn't meet her expression as he looked towards the beach. "You never told me everything that happened, Arzin."
He snorted, but his voice held no humor. "What's there to tell? The sea demon tore him apart and tossed his body to the waves. Same thing that happened to Ezele."
Tani's expression darkened, her tone more firm. "How can you be so callous about this? A man is dead and you speak of him as if he were nothing more than something to toss aside? I didn't raise you to be this way, Arzin. Your brother's life mattered. Aladdin's life mattered."
"Aladdin was a fool." Arzin snapped. "Him and Ezele both. Their blind ambition killed them both. Heroes who march into battle without plans are no heroes at all. I warned him - his existence was nothing without his Genie or his magic carpet. And even they only bought him time and luck for what eventually came to be."
"You call his plan luck? He had the same idea to carry the flaming swords as you did. You call his attempts to help you luck? Your arm would've had to be cut off if the demon had torn through it any more than it did." Tani said between her teeth, her eyes momentarily looking over Arzin's bandaged arm. "You wouldn't be alive if Aladdin hadn't stepped in when he did. I could say the same of your brother back then as well."
"Bringing Ezele into this is a low blow, mother," Arzin said through his own teeth. "Even so, Aladdin wasn't half the man that Ezele was."
"Aladdin was just as much of a man as Ezele, I firmly believe that as I was the one who raised Ezele, same as you. And while we're on the subject, both of them were more men than you, as I believe your heart has become as dark and twisted as that demon's blood," she said, staring hard into her son's eyes. Arzin looked taken aback, his shock transforming to a sudden, swelling anger. But before Arzin could speak, Tani held up her hand. "I'm not here to spar words with you, Arzin. I wondered if you knew - or even cared - about how your niece was doing in the aftermath of all this. She's with her mother now, you could very well go see them both. I warn you, though - I don't think Miza wants to see you, not in the least right now. But I would urge you to try."
Before Arzin could ask why, Tani turned on her heel, walking away from him. She blinked away tears, though she wondered if they were from the cold air around her, or from the thought that her son was just as heartless as the creature that terrorized their town.
She hadn't known Aladdin for very long, but the young prince's loss weighed heavily on her heart. Tani recalled Aladdin's brief exchange with her before he'd set off to fight the Deathseeker. He'd smiled, giving her a small salute just before boarding his magic carpet.
Don't worry, ma'am, I'll make sure we get Arzin back as soon as we can, and keep the sea demon far away from the village. Promise. Miza needs him, and I know you want him back safe too. I don't want the same thing that happened to her father or any of the other villagers here to happen to him. This cycle has to stop somewhere, and it's gonna stop with me.
She wondered if there was so much more to lose than the events of that day. She didn't really want to find out.
Abu was almost finished stitching Carpet back together, at least on his end of the task. Iago wasn't making that much progress on the other end of Carpet. Carpet appeared to be snoozing from the look of his knobs, though a few times when Iago pulled the thread too tight, he appeared to wince.
"I'm doin' the best I can here, Rug! Be grateful!" Iago said, groaning. "It's hard to sew when your feathers keep splitting the thread. I wasn't made for this kind of labor. Ugh." Iago met Abu's raised brow with a hard look. "Don't look at me like that, monkey."
Abu rolled his eyes and sighed. His screeched low and sadly while brushing a few tears from his eyes. "Aladdin. Genie."
Iago stopped sewing, putting aside the needles and plopping down beside where Carpet slept. "I thought putting together Rug Man here would take me off the trauma of tonight, but honestly - it's not helpin'. Genie's magic would've gotten this done lickety split. Still...you really don't think Al's dead, do ya? He's lived through worse than this - he couldn't have just been taken out like that, right?"
Abu wasn't sure that he could answer Iago's questions, or if he even wanted to considering the truth was hard to come by. He put a paw to his mouth, gesturing over to the closed bedroom door in the far corner of Tani's hut where Jasmine slept.
Iago sighed. "I shouldn't have to keep my voice down for Jas's benefit, we all saw what happened. We're all gonna have nightmares for days. Anyway, if we're gonna go back to Agrabah tomorrow, we'll have to tell the Sultan that Genie's gone, Al's gone, and he's one down for an heir."
Abu glared at Iago out of the corner of his eye, scowling.
"What'd I say? The truth hurts, monkey." Iago shrugged, but paused long enough that Abu realized Iago was just as upset as he was. "Just didn't think it was gonna hurt this bad."
He wanted to throw up, though he doubted that his stomach had anything left to give. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of a cave, and he had the feeling he was just on the inside of place where there was nothing to do but hide. It searched for him. No, not searched, watched. It hunted him. It confirmed the truth.
I know where you are, it's only a matter of time before I reach you.
The voice rumbled and echoed around him, wrapping around him like a suffocating blanket. His mind raced as he tried to determine where he was.
You only know the faintest taste of death, it said. I can make you see it for what it is: a shadow. A shadow that will always follow you, until it decides to consume you.
He saw the silhouettes at the end of the cave, the limbs of the demon that coiled like cobras and bared their teeth and spines in the shadows of a blinding red light that came from behind them. He couldn't see them well without squinting, his eyes blurring, stinging with fresh pain. But while the figures at the end of the cave didn't move toward him, their shadows did, lengthening along the floor of the cave until it merged with his own.
He didn't realize that the shadow had taken shape into a form behind him until it grabbed his body in its clutches, holding him captive high in the air. He struggled against the shadows that held his arms, legs and torso, but they tightened around him in a vice-like grip. As he looked above him, eyes wide, he realized the shadows were taking the shape of something. Something too familiar to him and filled him with a building dread.
The snake shadows merged into a sharpened point, a long blade that gleamed black and shining. From the angle it had in the cave, and the red light made it seem like the blade was on fire.
This is Vengeance.
The blade positioned itself over his heart.
This is Death.
The blade rushed down.
Farewell, Aladdin.
When Aladdin woke from the nightmare, he thought he'd actually been stabbed through the heart. His fingers searched for the hilt of the sword, the weight on his chest felt heavy and made it hard for him to breathe as he gasped for air. But he realized quickly the weight on his chest wasn't a blade or weight at all, but an all too tight bandage. A bandage of...leaves?
"What is...this?" Aladdin sat up in a bed he didn't remember laying in, realized several parts of his skin were wrapped in green bandages that looked like leaves. It took him several moments to remember what happened and that the wounds from the attack he'd suffered tangling with the Deathseeker weren't nearly as bad as he remembered. Or had they been? His thoughts waded through his mind like a slow fog.
"Seriously, I thought it was worse than this - I thought...I thought I was dead..." he said aloud. Aladdin didn't realize someone had been listening until he heard a voice from another room.
"You almost were, my good man. Good to see you're finally awake. I bet your Genie would be very happy if he were here." The unfamiliar man, dressed in a long dark robe and sporting tied back hair and a full beard, appeared in the cave room entrance to look at Aladdin with concern. He carried what appeared to be a set of clothes and some handmade blankets. He set them down and took a seat in a makeshift stool at the foot of Aladdin's bed. "I apologize for the lack of comfortable accomodations. When you're living as a cave dweller, you try to make the space you're living in as best as you can. I'm lucky I have a green thumb to know what plants and materials can be made in these parts. They don't call me a healer for nothing."
"I...wait, what? Where? How? Who?" Aladdin found his words jumbled, so much so that the man laughed a hearty chuckle at the prince's fumbling.
"You're full of questions, aren't you? One thing at a time. First tell me how you are."
Aladdin took a slow steady breath, which calmed him a little. "Freaked out, honestly. I don't remember how I got here."
"That I can answer. The Deathseeker chased you and your Genie down into this dimension. Genie brought you here."
"Dimension?! Is Genie okay? Where is he?"
The man sighed, his somewhat light expression fading to something more somber. "Still fighting off the Deathseeker, I think. At first he was stuck behind the portal when he arrived here, tried a number of creative ways to get out. I wanted to talk to him at first because I saw him come in, but I wasn't sure if he was friend or foe. For a time he was able to escape, but then when he returned, he brought you with him. Then, the Deathseeker tried to enter...you probably don't remember any of that, do you?"
Aladdin shook his head, raking his damp hair out of his eyes with his fingers. "No, I don't."
"Well, that's a story I only know a portion of. I didn't have the chance to talk more to him, other than getting his name and yours as well, Aladdin. Other than that, I don't know much about you. I just know you're the first to be trapped down here with me in a long time - I wasn't about to let you die."
That statement sobered Aladdin rather quickly, his breath catching. "T-Thanks. Somehow that doesn't feel like enough to say, considering..." He winced, doubling at the waist as a sharp pain twisted at his gut.
The man smiled a little. "Still not healed yet, it seems. But you're on the way, that's what counts." The man took the stack clothes off the top of the heap he'd carried, handing them to Aladdin. "Here's something to replace the clothes that were ruined when you came here, since I don't think you want to walk in these parts just wearing leaf bandages. Sorry, your old clothes were too torn, bloody and wet for me to salvage. The Deathseeker did a number on you. I hope you don't mind the replacement being made from rags."
Aladdin snorted as he looked at the clothes. "These look fine. I grew up on the streets of Agrabah - I know a little something about wearing rags. These are actually better. You made them?"
"Like I said, some skills come in handy, specially if you're in survival mode. I'm just glad you're okay, Aladdin. I'll let you get dressed and then we'll talk more. Maybe I can jog your memory a little and you can tell me what happened." He started to leave, but Aladdin's voice stopped him.
"Yeah, it's the least I can do to thank you...um..."
The man winced. "Yeah, I know your name, but I just realized I never told you mine. Ha, sorry, my people skills are rusty. Might as well say I'm like a ghost." He shrugged, but held out his hand to Aladdin.
"I'm Ezele."