"We decided to break into the Sun tower, where the sultan consulted with his war council. The chamber was empty, so Ezra and I surveyed the palace grounds. Beyond the wall upon the desert was the horrific scene of war; The Necromancer's army was pushing through the sultan's ranks to get to the palace. Behind them was my army, led by Qadir. They were pursuing the Necromancer, but his army of dead men seemed endless, emerging from the desert cold in infinite hordes. Ezra squinted into the distance.

"Who are they and why do they come?"

"It is the Necromancer," I replied. "He's after the lamp. He thinks he can use his army to defeat the Jinn and gain immortality."

"He was Tarana's friend," Ezra recalled. "I remember him. We should have realized what his intent here was, in the middle of the desert and upon Tarana's court."

"I heaved a sigh and turned away from the scene sprawling across the snowy desert. "It's too late to dwell on any of that," I said. "We need to find the royal family… and the Jinn." Inside the folds of my shirt where it was hidden, the lamp momentarily blazed hot, as if in protest. "Do you know anything of their whereabouts?"

Ezra considered this carefully. "Not of Sireen's, but Tarana would be locked away with her father. I'll go to the dungeons." In a flash, he was gone.

And then Genius emerged from the lamp, fuming, before me. "This is much too risky."

"Listen. If we get through this and I find Sireen, you will be free. I will honor my half of the bargain if you honor yours," I said.

His face clouded with anger. "Facing my brother was not a part of the deal. I could hear him calling to me—beckoning me closer so he could destroy me and gain his freedom. His powers are destructive, and he will stop at nothing to reach his goal, especially after all this time-"

"We don't even know where he is," I interrupted. "He does not know I am the wish holder, and I plan to keep the lamp hidden for as long as it takes to get Sireen out of here."

Genius vigorously shook his head, seemingly to indicate there was more to the story than I understood. "You can't get her out of here," he said calmly. "Only she can. You are meant for other things."

"What does that mean?"

"I was there when she met with the Oracle. She chose to come here to face the Jinn alone. There is another foe—he is out there upon the sand this very minute, drawing closer. The Necromancer's army will overtake the sultan's, and then they will invade this kingdom. Lord Terrowin is close—too close. And if I recall correctly, there is one person who can stop him. He prophesized it himself."

"Me," I whispered defeatedly.

Genius nodded.

Was this how it was meant to happen? Sireen was why I came back, but it was for naught. My enemy had followed me.

"Is there truly nothing I can do?" I asked.

The Genie shrugged and gestured to the desert. "Look at what is happening. There is much you can do."

I faced the battle again. The Necromancer's army was cutting through the sultan's ranks, and my own army behind them, falling behind in the confusion. I studied it carefully.

"The sultan's men cannot survive an assault of this magnitude. They must retreat."

"There is no one leading them," Genius pointed out.

I took another deep breath, gathering my bearings for the decision I was about to make. I wasn't giving up on Sireen—I would never give up. But Genius was right; the war was about to be won by Lord Terrowin and his undead army.

"How do I make them follow me?"

"You know how."

"A wish? But I've only got one left-"

"Trust me. I'm on your side, Aladdin."

I swallowed hard. "Okay then. Let's do this."

My final wish was made, and thus Genius was liberated from the lamp. But this was only the beginning.

He handed me a horn ornately adorned with rubies. "When you blow this, the sultan's men will respond to you, even while under the Jinn's control. You will have two armies at your disposal against the Necromancer. Use them wisely. And as for this-" Genius held up the lamp that he was no longer mortally attached to, "this could still be of some use to us."

Upon the carpet we flew back over the desert. Below, Lord Terrowin's army was ever nearer the kingdom wind howled around me as the carpet tore across the sky. I put my lips to the horn and blew into it deeply. The sound rang out so powerfully that I'm sure it was heard in the Lost Cities. The commotion below seemed to hesitate. I was too high up to distinguish any of the faces below, but somehow I could already feel The Necromancer's gaze fixed upon me. Again I placed my lips to the horn and blew, and the carpet flew back towards the palace gates. I watched anxiously as the sultan's army responded to the call. With the undead army heavy upon their ranks, falling back was a slow process. But they obeyed the call, and from my place in the sky I watched with satisfaction as the sultan's men flooded back towards the gates.

"Genius, you were right!" I exclaimed.

"Look out!" he responded, forcibly pushing me down low upon the carpet just as the buzz of an arrow whizzed over us. It had missed me by seconds.

"It's Lord Terrowin," Genius remarked bitterly.

Here we go again, I thought.

"Just stay low while on the carpet," Genius instructed, "I'll keep an eye on him."

My life was in the genie's hands, but there was no time to think about that. I stepped off the carpet and onto the bastion on top of the palace walls and blew the horn once again. The gates were opened, and the sultan's men left the Necromancer's army behind upon the desert threshold.

I watched as the men filled the courtyard, their volume of thousands quickly filling the courtyard and spilling out into the palace grounds. Outside the walls, the Necromancer's army pressed forward towards the palace. They would soon catch up…. And then what?

"Aladdin!"

It was Ezra. With him was Sireen's sister, the princess Tarana. They ran towards us, emerging from the wall tower.

"Did you find Sireen?" I asked urgently.

Ezra shook his head. "Both Sireen and Sam are missing. Wherever they are, it's not inside the palace anymore. Also, the sultan has been bewitched; he can be no use to us right now."

"It's you," Tarana said incredulously, looking at me in disbelief. "You were the one who left with my sister!"

"It's a long story," I said hurriedly, "Right now, Lord Terrowin's army is being held up in the desert by the army of the Wandering City. Your men are safe, but we need to defend the kingdom, because they are coming."

Tarana's eyes widened as she looked towards the battle. "There is no time to lose," she said automatically. Ezra, take charge down there. Send the archers to their positions and tell the rest of the ranks to defend the walls; we will need soldiers in the city to protect our people." Ezra bowed his head to Tarana and disappeared down the steps into the tower.

I stared at her, unsure of what was coming next.

She looked back at me, her eyes calculating. "So it's the prince Aladdin my sister lied to me about," she said. "I beg you to tell me, how did we end up here?"

I reached into my shirt and pulled out the lamp. "This is the answer to all of your questions." I pointed, "And out there, the Necromancer is ready to break into this kingdom and seize power in order to find it."

Tarana gasped as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

"I can defend these walls while Ezra fortifies the city," she said, "But I haven't any other men left to spare. And our allies are hundreds of miles away…"

"I nodded. "I know. That's why I'm going out there. I'm going to give him what he wants.

The lamp?" she said. "But isn't it valuable?"

"Not anymore." I explained, "But he doesn't know that.

"Don't be so quick about the lamp," Genius spoke up. "It still has one trick left in it. Come, Aladdin. Let me tell you a secret…

"Raise the white flag!" Tarana shouted to the bannermen.

It was the universal symbol for surrender. But it was only to be temporary. I stood before the closed gates, facing the desert. I waited for Tarana's signal; the gates would open and I would go out into the desert with nothing but a horse, my sword, and the lamp.

"As I stood there waiting, the world fell into a sleepy silence. My thoughts returned again to Sireen. I closed my eyes until I felt the sudden sting of sunlight upon my eyelids. The gates were now opening, and so I walked into the desert alone to face the Necromancer.

Somewhere along the way, the stone beneath our feet turned into sand. Sam walked in front of me, leading the way with caution. The more we progressed into this strange world of the Jinn, the more uneasy I felt. Somehow, being here felt all too… familiar. But I didn't dare say that out loud.

The cavern halls began to dim and fade around us. The air was no longer damp and cool; in fact, it was arid like the desert that lay at the feet of my kingdom.

But it couldn't be…

"It's like a dream," Sam whispered.

"It's not a dream," I said softly. "It's a memory."

Surrounding us now were towering sand dunes, burnt orange in the glorious setting sun, a star like a flaming pumpkin lowering slowly into the horizon. I stopped.

"Sam," I said suddenly. "You have to tell me this now; do you remember what happened that day? The day we found the lamp?"

Sam turned to face me, his expression conflicted.

"You ran ahead of me," I explained hurriedly, "I remember we were running. I couldn't see you over the dunes, but I knew you were near. The sun set and darkness was spreading over the sky. When I found you… there it was. You said you could hear a voice coming from it…"

Sam gazed at me intently as I spoke, as if trying to remember it for the first time. I continued carefully, "You stopped me from getting near the lamp because it seemed dangerous, but then I remember you picking it up and then—you were gone. Your body was there, but you were gone."

"It was calling to me," Sam said slowly. "I remember it now."

I untied the strip of fabric Sam had used to make me a blindfold and used it to tie back my hair. "This time, I have to ask you not to hold me back. It's a mistake we can't make again."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm going to use my magic to bewitch the Jinn. Tarana always told me it was used for dancing—I should've known all along how to use my power. But I think I've figured it out at last."

Sam placed his hands on my arms and looked at me in disbelief. "Are you suggesting that you look the Jinn in the eye?!"

I nodded. "The Oracle told me I could do this, and I believe her. You have to trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Sireen," he said fervidly, "But I can't let you risk yourself for me. I'll protect you if it's the last thing I can do."

"Sam," I said pleadingly, "I'm here for a reason! To prove to you that you are not alone. That you never were. We've been in this together from the start, and together we must end it."

He fell silent. I could see it in his eyes—trust. He would let me lead the way. I turned back toward the blazing sun as it lowered behind the dunes. "Just make sure you have my back in case anything goes wrong," I said, stepping forward.