Chapter 13:
We enter the caves and I am awestruck. The entire cave system is composed of precious stones and metals.
"How the heck are we supposed to find a GOLD scarab, in all of this?!" I scream at Saleen. She rolls her eyes at me.
"The scarab is the only thing in this cavern that doesn't shine. Since it's not apart of the caves, the cave will be trying to reject it. So, whether the caves try to cover it with algae or rock, it will stick out like a sore thumb." She says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"Okay, Miss Know-It-All." I mumble under my breath. We keep swimming through the cave, looking for anything dull, until we come to two tunnels.
"So, you guys take the one on the right we'll take the one on the left?" I ask.
"Yep, just keep looking for the scarab. If you find it then just swim back here and blow this." Saleen hands me a conch shell.
"Kay, see you when we get back. Come on wiz kid."
Mozenrath glares at me, clearly annoyed by that nickname, and we swim into the tunnel.
"Keep an eye out for the scarab."
"Yes, I know. We all got the lecture from Saleen. Now let's just find this scarab, because the sooner we find it, the sooner I can be back in my Citadel, plotting my revenge against Aladdin."
I stop, pivot in place and look at him.
"Okay, that's it. What the hell happened between you two? Cause it's obvious you can't stand each other."
He rolls his eyes at me.
"Like I would expect you to understand. But if you must know, it's because numerous amount of times I have threatened his all of family and friends, tried to kill him to so I could take over the Seven Deserts, including Agrabah, and when I was dying, I attempted to switch bodies with him." He looks confused by the horrified expression on my face.
"What?"
"You tried to switch bodies with him! For Pete's sake, how nuts are you? Well there's his reason for hating you. But still, why on Earth do you hate him?"
His face twists into a mask of rage.
"Because he's been handed everything on a silver platter! His genie, his friends, his wife, his position as soon-to-be sultan! I've given up my right hand, slaved away my entire life, and what do I get? Nothing more than incompetent undead servants, an empty kingdom, a bone hand and a stupid, useless flying eel."
"Do you think Aladdin had it easy? He was a street rat. He stole to survive. But, he still helped people in need. I'm a firm believer in karma so this must be its way of repaying you for your ruthlessness, especially to Xerxes."
"What do you care of Xerxes?"
"I care because I've heard how you treated him the entire way here! He's nothing but loyal to you, probably the only person who gives a damn about you and your welfare, and you treat him like garbage!"
"Why does it matter?!"
"Because you have someone who cares for you, possibly loves you, and you take it for granted. Sure, you act like it's no big deal, but it is! I would kill for someone to care for me like Xerxes cares for you."
"And why is that? After all, aren't you a girl from a far away kingdom with loving parents and an ex-boyfriend who doted upon you?" I can hear the jealousy in his voice when he reaches the ex-boyfriend part. But, ignoring that, I realize that I gave part of my cover away.
Knowing that there is no way out of this, I hang my head.
"Okay, I haven't been completely honest with you guys." His eyebrows go up a little, but other than that, he has a poker face on.
"I wasn't sent by my mother. I was sent to the palace by Saleen to get her the oracle."
"I suspected that much, but there is more, isn't there?" I sigh.
"Yes. I'm also not from this time. The year I come from is that of 2013. Onyx wasn't given to me by my ex, Saleen gave him to me to protect me and help me look for the oracle. I've never even had a boyfriend before."
"Yes." Mozenrath says very calmly. Frighteningly calmly.
"I don't even know who my mother is." I break down into tears. Sobbing, I say,
"I was dumped on the doorstep of an orphanage like garbage. My whole life, couples never wanted to adopt me because they said there was something 'unlovable' about me. Friends were out of the question because I was the weird girl. So, when I see someone like you, hurting someone like Xerxes, I can't help but feel angry. Because that has been my whole life. Everyone deserves to feel loved and cared for. Even someone like you. So, go ahead, tell the others about how I'm traitorous, I don't care, I'm used to..."
I'm cut off by the pair of lips pressed to mine and I close my eyes. Tears rolls down my face and he uses his flesh thumb to wipe them away. His hands hug my waist to him, while my hands entangle themselves within his curled hair. He bites my lips and I move my hands to cup his face. His lips taste a little salty, but other than that, they taste mostly of sweet wine.
I break away at the last moment. Gasping for air, I look at him. Both of our tears have stopped. My voice cracks a little when I say,
"Wow. Just...wow. Well... that was...amazing. Was that your first..."
"Yes. And I must assume that it was yours as well." He says breathlessly. I nod my head.
"Well...we should probably get back to looking for the scarab." I say sheepishly.
"Agreed." We keep swimming down the tunnel looking for the scarab, when I spot something out of the corner of my eye. I stop and tug on Mozenrath's arm.
"Look over there." I point to the algae covered area with a bit of gold peeking out. We swim over to it and I try to pull it out, but won't budge.
"Could you?"
"Yeah." Mozenrath lifts up his globed hand and aims at the scarab. Slowly, but surely, the scarab is pulled from its place in the rocks. The scarab then floats into Mozenrath's hand.
He dusts off the scarab and looks at me.
"We'll head back and call the others."
"Okay, sounds like a plan."
"Don't be so hasty to leave dear."
We both turn to the direction of the voice.
"Who's there?" I ask nervously. A dragon shaped figure steps forward.
"Zachariah?"
"Yes, my dear Evangeline."
"Wait a minute." Mozenrath cuts in.
"You know him?"
"Yeah. He was the first person I met when I woke up on the shores. Though he wasn't very helpful."
"I only seemed unhelpful because you had to discover everything for yourself. If I had revealed everything prematurely the results would have been fatal." I feel faint at that part.
"Well, then could you tell me why I'm here?"
"I'm afraid it is still premature for that. When the time is right, you will be told everything of importance. Now, for the matter at hand, the scarab is a powerful artifact. You must make sure that Nasira does not get her hands on it. Otherwise you two will especially be in danger."
"That's the same thing the oracle said. Why do we suffer the most if Nasira succeeds?"
"The young sorceror will be hung for his crimes. But Destane will be the one to order it. And you will have to witness it, but that is not the worst of it."
"What's the worst part?"
"You'll end up being executed as a witch, but not before you give birth."
"Birth?"
"Witch?" Mozenrath asks, clearly not concerned about the birth part.
"Yes, witch. But I cannot..."
"We know, you cannot reveal it at this time. So can we leave with the scarab now or not?" Mozenrath crosses his arm and looks impatiently at Zachariah.
Zachariah sighs.
"You know, your impatience will hinder you in the future. But, yes you can go now, your friends will be waiting at the end of the tunnel for you."
"Thank you." I say. We start to swim in the other direction, when Zachariah shouts out at us,
"No matter what secrets are revealed, you two must not give up on each other, or you will surely lose!"
"Thanks, we'll be sure to take that to heart." Mozenrath shouts back, sarcastically. We head further down the tunnel and we find that Zachariah was right.
Aladdin, Saleen, and Jasmine are waiting for us at the end of the tunnel.
"Did you find anything?" Saleen asks tiredly. I nod my head and Mozenrath shows her the scarab.
"Great. Let's head up to the surface so we can head to the Cave of Wonders. Genie will know the way, and it should to take at least two days to get there." Aladdin says.
We all make our way up to the surface. Saleen and I walk on the shore calmly while everyone else stays underwater. I nudge Saleen's arm.
"Don't you think you should give them back the ability to breath ABOVE water?"
"I was just getting to that." She raises her arms and starts muttering again. The same golden light envelops us all and once again I don't feel anything. But it's obvious that everyone else does because they come up gasping for air. They all start walking up.
I turn to Saleen.
"I'm going to go look for the others. Here, hold the scarab until one of them take it from you, okay?"
"Yes, I will give the scarab to any other member of the group, and not run away with the scarab. The oath remember?"
"Right." I walk off looking for the others.
"Onyx! Xerxes! Genie! Iago! Carpet! Abu! Where are you guys?" No answer.
'Where could they be?' I continue to walk down the coastline, yelling for them. Then I see Xerxes swimming towards me. A smile creeps up on my face, but then I see that Xerxes wears a face of distress. He's screaming and comes barreling into my arms. Xerxes is breathing heavy, so I try to calm him down and say,
"Xerxes, breath. What's wrong? Where are the others?" I look in the direction he came from, trying to see what he's so afraid of.
"Monster has everyone. Xerxes get away because Xerxes small. Wriggle out of monster's hand. You help, defeat monster. "
"What?! You want me to defeat a monster? I can't do that!"
"You defeat Mozenrath."
"That was completely different." The eel shakes his head at me.
"Not different. Same. Friends need you now! Go rescue them. You can do it." I look at Xerxes with a cocked eyebrow.
"You really think I can do it." He nods his head enthusiastically. I sigh,
"Fine. But go get everyone else. I feel like I'm going to need all the help I can get." Xerxes swims off in the opposite and I break into a run.
I run for a while until I see it. It is a large, seaweed covered, monster with orange eyes. The monster holds Genie and Carpet in one hand, while Onyx, Abu and Iago are in its other fist.
"Help! Get us outta here!" Iago screams. The parrot spots me.
"Oh thank goodness. Evangeline, help us! Please, I'm begging you!"
'Iago should learn to keep his beak shut.' Cause the monster spots me. It reaches down with the fist that hold Genie an Carpet.
"Evangeline! Run!" Genie yells at me. I dodge and duck the monster's fist.
"What is this thing?"
"A seaweed monster. Only indigenous to the shores of the Seven Deserts. Very rare. And they only come out of their habitat when someone takes their sacred fruit." Says Genie as he turns into a blue Charles Darwin and glares at Abu an Iago.
I keep running from the monsters fist. Then I get an idea. Stopping in my tracks, I shout to everyone,
"Cover your ears!" Genie poofs up noise canceling headphones for everyone, except the monster.
Steadying my feet, I let the haunting melody come from my body. The monster stops advancing towards me and stands still. Its eyes glaze over and I smile.
"Drop the creatures you have in your fist." Iago, Abu, Carpet, Onyx and Genie come tumbling out of its hands. It's a long way down, but Genie poofs up a large pillow for everyone to land on. They still have the headphones on.
'Perfect. Then they won't hear this next part.'
I turn back to the monster.
"Marvelous. Now go back to wherever you came from and don't ever come out again." The monster nods his head and walks groggily to a cave nearby and heads in.
"Wow. It must have really been scared of your eyes." Genie says behind me. He's crossing his arms and looks at me suspiciously. I look at him with a confident expression.
"Yeah. They seam to have that affect on people."
'He better keep his mouth shut. Or I might just have a genie in my collection of lackeys.' Just then Mozenrath, Saleen, Jasmine and Aladdin come running up. I look to make sure the headphones are gone, which they are, thankfully.
"Where's the monster?" Says Aladdin, looking like he's preparing for a fight.
"It's gone." I say. His posture relaxes a little, but not the whole way.
"Well where is it then?" Mozenrath looks at me impatiently and crosses his arms. Iago answers for me,
"She defeated the monster! The beast looked into her eyes and it ran for cover. You know, Evangeline could be a real asset to us in defeating monsters!"
"Humph. I don't know if we should go around trusting people who are still holding a certain secret from us, Iago." Genie glares at me. If looks could kill, I would have been incinerated.
I look at them all innocently and say with a serious voice,
"Well, you don't know what that secret is. It could be a harmless one, like I have a sixth toe or I can juggle six balls at the same time." My teeth are grinding themselves into oblivion.
Mozenrath shoots me a knowing look, then turns to the others.
"Look, let Evangeline have her secrets. We all have at least one that we don't want anyone to know, not even our spouses." He pointedly looks at Jasmine and Aladdin.
"Besides, knowing Evangeline, her secret will probably not be a big deal."
He winks at me, then raises his gloved hand. The glove glows a little bit and next thing I know, I'm standing in a cobalt blue version of my traveling clothes that Saleen gave me. Jasmine and Aladdin are wearing their usual gear, and Mozenrath is in his usual elegant wardrobe.
"Hey!" Says Saleen.
"Only I am allowed to make changes to the clothing." Mozenrath glares at her and she backs down.
"Well, now that the monster is out of the way, and we have the scarab, what's our next move?" I ask, waiting for someone to answer.
"We go to the Cave of Wonders. It's about a two days journey from here, so we'll have to stop overnight." Aladdin says in a heroic leader type tone.
"Well, I'll see you guys later." Saleen starts to make her way towards the water. I'm suprised.
"You're not going with us?"
"No, I'm afraid not. I have to look after my kingdom, that and I don't do well with deserts. And I can't leave Armond for a long period of time. So, just get me the scarab when you're done, you know, if it isn't destroyed by Nasira's potion."
"Okay. Well, I guess we'll see you then. Thanks for helping is find the scarab."
"No problem. Be careful dears." She blows air kisses at us and dives into the water.
"Alrighty then. Let's get moving."