Chapter 17: A Mind's Betrayal

Iago sunk lower on the surface of Tani's table in the middle of their meeting room. Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Carpet, and Genie were all accounted for, alongside Ezele and Tani who wanted to sit in for the conversation.

Initial conversations at the start of the meeting went in a direction the parrot wasn't particularly happy about. "Nice time to change your mind, fearless leader."

Jasmine shook her head. "Aladdin didn't know everything because none of us had a chance to catch up since he's been back. I agree with him - I'm fine with staying put."

"That just leaves the question of whether Arzin is a Vessel or not," Aladdin said. "I think we can safely say he is, based on what we know about how he's acted and how he attacked Jasmine. Not to mention the number of times he's attacked me, including this morning."

"What?!" The collective gasp of Jasmine, Genie, Abu and Iago surprised Aladdin.

"Jasmine, I...thought you knew," Aladdin said with a wince. "Figured since we met up at the memorial, you knew Arzin confronted me about the names there."

"Yes, but I didn't know he attacked you! What happened?"

Tani answered for Aladdin. "Not much value in retelling that for now, Princess. Aladdin's better than he used to be with some medicine and fresh bandages. Before our meeting, I saw that he had a hard time moving his shoulder. When I looked at the wound, it was in far worse shape than last night. Some bruising is normal from a Deathseeker's limb bite, but not as much as I saw. I confronted Aladdin about it. To his credit, he told me the truth. I feel awful that anyone, let alone my son, would do something like that. I apologized to him many times."

Aladdin shook his head. "That's nothing you would need to apologize for. Nor would I want you to."

Ezele shifted his feet, leaning against the wall a distance away from where the group sat. "Aladdin, did you notice any tells in Arzin's demeanor after he attacked you? I realize it may be a difficult thing to talk about."

"You mean the ways he was acting weird? He did mention something about people in Gloloria needing to follow the 'rules'. I didn't know what that meant. Also, the way he looked after he attacked me." Aladdin clenched his fists tightly at the memory. "I'm used to getting that treatment as a former street rat, but Arzin sees me from my role as a prince with privilege. He's never recognized my roots at all, no matter how many times I say it. HIs hostility was definitely from a place that went beyond our conversation. I'm not saying he didn't have a right to be angry with me, but going that far was another level. "

"Oh dear, I had forgotten about the 'rules'. None of you would have known that because I hadn't spoken on it." Tani clasped her hands in her lap as she sat at the table, not far from where Iago was. "The Deathseeker made offerings on many occasions to kill less or even spare us entirely if we - the villagers - offered up blood sacrifices. The Deathseeker would usually communicate that message to those it wounded."

Iago squawked so loud he started everyone at the table. "That explains it! That's why the monkey and I were offered as sacrifices by Arzin before!"

Genie scratched the top of his head. "That puts yet another piece in this whole deadly puzzle together. I have another of the more 'obvious' of obvious questions: why's Arzin coming up as the only Vessel here? And why target us?"

"I can offer a few thoughts on that," Ezele said as he addressed everyone. "I definitely don't think Arzin's the only Vessel we have in Gloloria. The Deathseeker sees him as the most accessible to do its bidding. It also sees all of you as a threat." Ezele's gaze turned towards Genie. "It may be that the Deathseeker is only now using Vessels because it needs time to build back its strength from your encounters with it. There's a distinct possibility that even if Arzin's subdued, the Deathseeker may try to actively influence others who may not know they're Vessels."

Abu sighed loudly. "Bother, bother."

Genie frowned. "I'm with the monkey. This is a headache, especially since we don't know how many in the village could be affected."

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to make this village-wide information either," Jasmine said. "It could create so much anxiety among the villagers on who is and who isn't a Vessel. We don't need to start that level of panic."

"Jasmine's right - we need to keep this information to as few people as possible," Aladdin said. "Not just for controlling panic but also keeping information from falling into the wrong hands."

"For now, we'll stick to a plan of tending to the sick and making preparations. Arzin won't be a part of the battle unless he agrees to some form of treatment. I do have medicines that can ease the effect of being a Vessel, but it's not a total cure. Not yet. I'll give that news to him myself." Ezele turned to Aladdin. "I would think it best that all of you keep as much distance from Arzin as possible until we can determine he's not a threat anymore. Especially you, Aladdin. It seems of your group, he's the most hostile to you."

"Wasn't my plan to go anywhere near him after what we've learned," Aladdin said, before another thought occurred to him. "Doesn't this mean he's a threat to anyone in the village?"

Ezele shook his head. "The Deathseeker can't make a Vessel do everything at will. The more resistance the Vessel has, the less influence. The more influence, the more control. It varies depending on what the Deathseeker wants of his subject and the level of influence it can inflict. Arzin doesn't have the same hostility towards everyone else in the village as he does all of you. That's one of the reasons why I'll talk to him. He trusts me, even with our misgivings as siblings from years ago." Ezele's expression turned more to sadness. "I'm not worried about his anger turning towards me but rather the mental spiral he may have when he realizes he's unwittingly helped his true enemy."

Tani stood, placing a hand on one of Ezele's shoulders. "I'll go with you, he needs to hear from me as well. I'm unsettled that the Deathseeker seems to drive a wedge in our lives at every turn it can, especially with you two."

"Let us hope that it doesn't do more harm than it's already done, mother." Ezele and Tani nodded to the group just before they left the hut, leaving Aladdin and the others taking their own moments to reflect on everything they'd learned so far.

"Okay, so we let them deal with their family drama while we rest up here. Sounds like a good deal to me!" Iago said, flying over from the table to find a nearby cushion to rest on. "I'm gonna catch up on the sleep I never got. My bird heart can only take so much."

Genie yawned. "I'm gonna take after Iago's lead and fit in a little nap of my own. Maybe you kids should think about getting some R&R while we have a bit."

Aladdin stood from his seat at the table. "We'll meet up again this evening and go with our plans from there."

Miza planned to visit her mother's hut late that afternoon with her father alongside her. She realized he had a meeting with Aladdin and the others that was running a little longer than usual. After doing her usual chores and helping serve food at the diner with the usual villagers, she figured she'd meet up with her father at her mother's place, then return home.

"Home" was now in her father's house instead of her Uncle Arzin's. A part of her was glad to come home to her father again - to be greeted with the warmth and kindness that her father's demeanor had compared to her uncle. It wasn't that she loved her Uncle Arzin any less. It was because he had changed so much to the point where she couldn't recognize him anymore. She could remember moments of her Uncle Arzin being kind to her in her upbringing. Yet, when Miza did anything that put her at risk to the Deathseeker's attacks - like going near the water once when she was younger - he'd been quick and harsh to tell her the rules. It was a lesson she carried with her even now. Now, it seemed he cared more about defeating the Deathseeker than anything else.

She entered the tent where her mother, Yirya, lay. The woman's eyes were closed, her chest steadily rising and falling with every breath. The room was quiet as Miza took a seat beside her mother's bed, taking her mother's hands into her own. It was the same ritual, same practice, same routine. Some part of Miza hoped her mother remembered every conversation they had, and that she would one day wake and greet Miza with a smile. Maybe even a message. "I've missed you, darling," or something like that.

"Mama, Aladdin's back! Miza should have told you sooner, but so much was going on in the village. And Miza's back to living with Papa again too. He said he would come to visit too once he was done with his meeting. We're all trying to do what we can to defeat the Deathseeker, you know? It's the happiest everyone's been in a long time. I...I wish you could see it with me."

Miza would come up with imagined bits of conversation in her head, like her mother was actively engaged with the words she spoke. At this moment, Miza imagined her mother saying "That's wonderful, darling. I'm so happy for all of you. I really want to see and help everyone too. I wish I could."

Miza felt herself smile. "We're so close now, Mama. Miza meant what she...I mean, I meant what I said last time. I would love to travel the seven deserts. I wonder if I can ask Aladdin and Jasmine to visit them one day in Agrabah. It sounds so amazing."

"Is it really that amazing, my darling?"

Miza had not been looking at her mother at that moment, but the clear sound of her mother's voice snapped her to attention. Yirya slowly sat up in her bed, smiling at her daughter as if no time at all had passed. Like the last five years had only lasted a day and her sleep hadn't been so long. Miza's mouth moved, but it took a while for words to form as she stared at her mother.

"M-Mama? Mama's really awake?" Miza felt tears prick from the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill over. It had been far too long.

"Why yes, my darling. I'm awake now. I wanted to give you the good news in person." Miza's grip had loosened from her mother's hands, and so Yirya had taken the time to switch roles, of a mother taking her daughter's hands into her own. Yirya's hands were cold to the touch compared to Miza's warm ones, though the girl didn't mind.

Yet to Miza, something felt different. Like something wasn't quite right. She tried to push the feeling away, to be happy that her mother had finally returned to her, however unexpected it might have been.

"What good news, Mama?" Miza asked, genuinely curious.

"Why, my darling, you are about to play a very important role - for everyone in Gloloria."

"Really? You're going to let me fight too?" That was Miza's guess. It wasn't a stretch if her mother had remembered the conversations they'd had over at least the last two moon cycles. She wanted to show she could do things just as well as the adults around her, be a part of something, be a hero.

Like Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie and the others. Like Papa.

To Miza's surprise her mother shook her head, Yirya's voice sounded more cheerful as she went on. "Oh no, not that. Why would you need to fight at all? Instead, you'll be the bait for the fish."

Miza frowned. "Miza...doesn't understand."

Yirya's grip tightened on Miza's hands. That was the moment the girl knew something was very wrong. That her mother wasn't really her mother at all. She had the same body, but her mind was somewhere else. Someone else. It was the same as Uncle Arzin had been when he attacked Jasmine on the beach. Before she could say this, a white hot pain shot up her arms, filling her head and her body with a burning sensation so suddenly that she didn't have time to scream or cry out.

She managed only to speak a few words before she fell to the floor. "Mama...why...?"

"Ezele! Ezele!" Remi rushed over to where Tani and Ezele were waiting around Arzin's cabin. Tani and Ezele had been all through town looking for Arzin in an attempt to speak to him, first trying the cabin, then cycling to the common places like the diner and places where the fire catapults were being built. In the end, the sun had disappeared below the horizon and the moon was starting to peek its way above the clouds in the sky.

Remi placed his hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath.

Ezele, with a warm smile, placed a hand on the young man's shoulders. "Easy there, my friend. Get your breath before you say anything. Don't tell me you ran all the way from the memorial here?"

"I did," Remi said between gasps. "I had...I had to because... you both need to know. Too important."

Tani frowned, her brow furrowing. "For you to come in such a rush, I should hope it would be. What would be so important to nearly kill yourself running that fast?"

"Yirya...Yirya's awake."

Ezele's eyes widened. "Yirya? After all this time? How is she? Is she well?" His heart lurched at the sound of his wife's name, the woman he hadn't spoken to in years, even in the short time before his "death" at the Deathseeker's hands. He'd hoped that his medicine would have progressed her condition, but he had no idea that it would wake her so soon.

I was supposed to meet up with her and Miza after meeting with Aladdin and the others. But I was so focused on finding Arzin that I didn't...couldn't...

"That's not the only thing, there's more than you know," Remi's voice broke through Ezele's thoughts as the young man finally stood, looking between the two of them. "Yirya was running through the memorial. She was headed on the opposite side of town, towards the cliffs leading to the desert. She was carrying Miza. Miza...looked badly hurt."

"What?" Ezele and Tani's said, their expressions full of horror and concern.

Remi held up his hands. "I don't know much! I only know what I saw and what Arzin was able to tell me. I - I tried to ask more, to see what was going on and what he knew, but he shoved me so hard to the ground, I blacked out. I came here as soon as I woke up and remembered what happened. I - I'm sorry. I really tried..."

Ezele only then realized the harsh, protruded knot on the side of Remi's head. He must have hit his head hard after Arzin shoved him.

Remi fell forward, but Ezele was able to catch the young man in time before he hit the ground. Ezele looked up at Tani. "Mother, can you care for him? Looks like he might have a bad concussion."

Tani nodded. "I can. Do you want me to take him back to my cabin or his?"

"Take him to his residence. He shouldn't be up and moving about, but he also shouldn't be sleeping either. I'll arrange a team to search for Yirya, Miza and Arzin."

Tani frowned. "Are you going to be okay searching for them? What do you think happened?"

"Don't really want to speculate too much at this point. The only thing I know for certain is that it's nothing good," Ezele's expression was pained.

"Are you going to ask Aladdin and the others to get involved?"

He shook his head. "Since it involves Arzin, no. Too much risk. Their efforts would be better spent helping the villagers prepare against the Deathseeker, should it mount a sudden attack."

"Okay, I trust you son. Just be careful."

Ezele nodded before racing off to the middle of the village to make arrangements. Tani couldn't help but shake her head as she made her way with a weakened Remi to his cabin. How on earth did we ever get to this point? Yirya, Miza, Arzin...I hope all of you are safe.

"Aladdin, we need to head out in a little bit. It's sundown," Jasmine said as she opened the door to Aladdin's room. To her surprise, Aladdin was sleeping on his side facing where she stood. He lay on the top of the sheets of his already made bed. It was the first time she'd seen him sleep peacefully in a while.

She took a seat on the stool beside Aladdin's bed, using her hand to smooth the hair from over his brow and out of his eyes. You really were tired, weren't you? she thought.

"Hey, you kids ready to go, or...Oops." Genie poked his head in the doorway and immediately winced. "First I walk in on Al this morning, then I walk in while he's still sleeping. Man, I'm 0/2 on politeness today."

Jasmine put a finger to her lips. She kept her voice to a light whisper. "I'm going to take a vote that we let Aladdin sleep tonight. He needs to rest and give himself time to heal."

Genie's shoulders relaxed. "I was going to take the same vote for Iago and Carpet. Iago finally fell asleep after a night of insomnia. Carpet has been non-stop hauling supplies, so he's pooped. Between you, me, and Abu, I think we still have a good team to work with." Genie flexed one of his arms, in which he teased a floating boat - making it move with the ripple of muscle along his bicep.

Jasmine smiled, standing from the stool and placing a soft kiss against Aladdin's temple. "Sleep well, my handsome prince," she whispered, before leaving with Genie to the beach.

Jasmine did notice that the number of villagers on the beach making supplies were considerably less than usual, but didn't think much of it. She thought that maybe some were between shifts for work, or went to the diner to eat and take much needed breaks. It wasn't until she was helping make arrows with a few of the villagers that she saw a group that actively avoided her when she approached the area asking for more arrowheads. Even the person who gave her the supplies only handed over what she requested without saying much else.

Had something happened? There was a tension in the air she couldn't place the origin for. She wondered if Ezele and Tani had the chance to have the "conversation" with Arzin. If so, she reasoned it must not have gone well for people to actively keep their distance from her. Maybe the conversation about Vessels had spread after all. It wouldn't be a stretch, judging from their earlier conversation. It looked like they weren't chatting up Genie as usual either, based on what she saw a distance away where the cluster of fire catapults stood tall and looming on the beach's sands.

Genie took a break to step away from several duplicates of himself chopping wood, approaching her. "So Jas, it might be me being slightly paranoid, but I get the feeling people are avoiding us."

Jasmine sighed, speaking in a low tone only he could hear. "I thought the same thing. It's a complete mood change from earlier today. Something must have happened. Or maybe..."

"It's an attitude change towards us, specifically." Genie finished, frowning. "I don't know what we could've done. It was only a matter of hours ago everyone was chatty." He transformed into a small bee that hovered near Jasmine's ear. "Did ya want me to see what the buzzzz around town is?"

"If you could, but be careful, Genie. I don't want to rattle anyone's nerves more than they already are. I'll keep making supplies this way while you check things out."

Genie nodded. "Beeee right back. Oh, and don't let Abu start monkeying around. Making supplies is serious bizzness."

Jasmine rolled her eyes and bit back a smile as she went back to her work, leaving Genie to flutter away.

Ezele was relieved to hear from his search team that they had found Yirya near the memorial site, but his heart leapt in his throat for two reasons in that moment: the sight of his wife crying while she lay on the ground and the fact that Arzin and Miza were nowhere to be found.

One thing at a time, he thought, trying to calm his own nerves.

"Yirya? I'm here, Yirya."

Yirya looked up at him as he knelt down beside her, using his arms to help her sit upright. "Ezele...Ezele, I-I've done something horrible. Something I can barely remember, but I still know that I did it."

"It's all right, love. Tell me what happened."

"Pieces of my memory...I was in my own mind, but yet I wasn't. Miza was talking to me, and I felt like I was just on the cusp of waking up, actually being able to speak to her. But something was wrong. Something else...someone else..." Yirya's voice trembled, more tears falling down her cheeks. "I saw her fall to the floor - I'd done something but I didn't know what happened. But I know I hurt her - that the cause was me. I remember picking her up, trying to find you, and the last thing I remembered was Arzin taking her out of my arms and telling me 'Well done, your role has ended in this.' He used some odd magic...lightning. That was the last thing I remember."

Ezele drew in a long, shaky breath, realizing that what he'd feared was true. The Deathseeker used Yirya to hurt Miza, and somehow she remembered just enough to know what it did. And now Arzin, also under the Deathseeker's influence, took Miza to who knows where. My wife and brother are Vessels, the only Vessels we know about in all of Gloloria.

He thought it was far a too cruel and coincidental fate. Maybe it was the Deathseeker's way of targeting him, of making him pay for being the only one alive among his group banished to the other dimension. If it hadn't been for Aladdin and the others' efforts in helping him escape, would Yirya and Arzin have still been influenced? Would Miza have been taken?

Ezele found it hard not to blame himself for simply being alive and causing this much misfortune among his family. But he swallowed against that fear, knowing that he couldn't waste time in such a spiral of regret. He had more important things to worry about, like getting his daughter back safely. Even his brother, if the man wasn't already too far gone.

"I'm so sorry, Ezele. I'm so, so, sorry," Yirya said, her voice still choked up from sobbing. "My mind was not my own. It was...I fear it was..."

Ezele embraced Yirya as her voice trailed off, burying his face in her shoulder and holding her as if he wanted to lift the weight of the guilt she felt. "No, no, no, this isn't your fault. You didn't know, you weren't able to control it. Let's get you back to the village, get you treated for this sickness. You'll be okay. I'll keep my team looking for Arzin and Miza, for as long as it takes tonight. We'll find them."

A few members of Ezele's search team agreed to take Yirya back to her residence. He wanted to stay behind a little to give an update to the rest of the team before he headed back. But a surprising voice behind him made his heart catch in his throat.

"Ezele, I'm really sorry. I didn't know all of this was going on. No wonder the whole village has been on edge tonight."

Ezele turned to face Genie, who looked like he'd heard every word of the exchange between him and his wife. Ezele hadn't seen the magic being so worried since Aladdin had been near death in the other dimension. He closed his eyes.

"I was trying to spare you the burden, considering all that you each have done for me so far, especially bringing me back to Gloloria. I still don't want to trouble you all, Genie. I don't know what Arzin - no, the Deathseeker - is planning with Miza."

Genie placed his hands on Ezele's shoulders. "Look, if it's a search you want, then we're happy to help. We'll get Miza and Arzin back; just say the word - and we're on it. It's the least we can do considering how much you've helped us."

Ezele sighed. "Thank you, my friend. I'll tell you what I know. But please, if you can find Miza without forcing an encounter with Arzin, the better. If such comes to be, I know that I can face my brother. But I can't face him hurting any of you any further."