"Master!" A deformed eel flew through the stone halls of his boss' citadel. "Breakfast!" Balancing a tray containing a goblet of water, bread, and fruit; Xerxes entered a bedroom.

"More like lunch," mumbled Mozenrath from under the covers. He pulled a pillow over his head and squeezed his eyes shut. No luck. The sorcerer snatched the tray from his sidekick and set it on the ebony nightstand. He was dressed in blue and black striped silk pajamas and a nightcap in lieu of his usual robes and turban. The gauntlet was, as usual, on his right arm. "Those darn jackals! Howling outside my window when I'm trying to sleep. Xerxes, I told you to make them stop!"

"Already tried, already tried!"

"By the time you did, I couldn't sleep!"

Well, is that my fault? thought the eel.

Mozenrath yawned. "Insomnia takes all the fun out of conquering."

******************************************************************

"I've never met this Aladdin," Estrella said to Sadira. The two sorceresses were seated in the Desert Delight Cafe, a forerunner to future coffee shops. "But I've heard about him. I say give him up. He's probably not worth your tears. You're a decent-looking girl, Sad. Charm yourself another guy."

"That's what Selene keeps telling me," commented Sadira.

"I hear a lot have it out with this Aladdin character. Even my ex. I should probably thank 'Al' for that."

"Your ex?"

"Jafar," Estrella sighed. "Promised me the moon, but the day he got that stupid commission as Royal Vizier, he just stopped paying attention to me. I was nothing to him. Typical of the breed. Men. They make me sick, they make me tired."

"How do I get a guy to like me, though?"

"That's easy. You FORCE them to like you."

"My magic spells never seem to work long enough to be permanent. Besides, am I just going to run into a guy?"

"Who knows?"

**************************************************

At the palace, lunch was under way.

"Contrary to popular belief," Haywood moved to seat himself, not noticing a certain monkey had pulled away the silk cushion. He landed on the floor. Everyone laughed. The prince gave an embarrassed smile. "Not dead. I just wanted to see my friend before going home."

"There's something you should know," began the elderly Sultan. "Sultan Adar passed on a few days ago."

"Father..." squeaked the prince. "Is dead?"

"Heart gave out." The sultan removed his turban. "I'll miss him terribly."

"If this is a joke, it's not the least bit funny!"

"I would not joke about something this serious," replied the sultan.

Genie morphed into Sigmond Freud. "Denial is the first reaction to the death of a loved one, thus is perfectly normal. Now tell me about your mother."

"You're an only child, right?" piped up Iago.

"Yes, but I fail to see what that has to with anything," Haywood answered.

"It means the kingdom is yours! I'd be celebrating!"

"Iago!" Jasmine scolded.

"What?" the parrot asked, trying to sound innocent.

"I'm sorry," Aladdin whispered sincerely.

"Sure you are," muttered Haywood.

Abu brought his paw on a papaya, making the juice spurt from the fruit and hit the prince in the eye.

"Really," Aladdin added. "Where is your kingdom, anyway? I've never been there."

Haywood took a map from his robe pocket and opened it on the table. "It's been a while since I've seen it, but it should still be there." He pointed to a dot on the map. "There's the capital, Nadidah."

Aladdin ran a finger along the edge of a dark shape bordering Tabat. "That's the Land of the Black Sands."

"Really?" replied the prince. "I never noticed."

"That's Mozenrath's domain," informed Aladdin.

Haywood looked confused. "Mozen-who?"

"Never mind."

Jasmine glanced over the map. "Haywood? Could Aladdin and I accompany you back to Tabat? Help you get settled in? You stood behind me when Mother died and it's all I can do to return the favor."

"Sure. Knock yourself out." Haywood glanced at Carpet. "What a lovely rug."

"Ever ridden a magic carpet?" asked Aladdin, smirking slightly.

"No, never."

"Ever slain a monster?"

"Nope."

"Why don't you and Jasmine take a ride on Carpet while I finish my dessert?" Aladdin suggested. "I'll be right out."

*************************************

"Doesn't this beat the times we rode the horses through the palace walls when we were kids?" Jasmine asked.

Haywood was turning slightly green. "I need to stand up."

"No, Hay! You might --" Too late. "Lose your balance."

"Are you all right?" Aladdin asked.

"Only thing hurt was my pride," replied the prince.

"Good. Then let's go."

**************************************

Thirty minutes later, Carpet was whizzing about the borders of Tabat. Aladdin and Jasmine sat at the front, with Haywood and Abu behind them. Iago and Genie brought up the rear.

Haywood clutched his stomach. "If man were meant to fly, he'd have been born with wings."

A mischievous gleam flashed in Abu's eyes as he whispered in his master's ear.

"He wants to go faster?" asked Aladdin. "All right, then. Mush, Carpet!"

"Genie," began Iago. "I noticed you ate your pheasant with the little fork."

"Your point being?"

"That's the salad fork. You're supposed to eat the main course with the big fork."

The genie morphed into a blue facsimile of Miss Manners. "Now, now, little birdie. Pheasant is the only exception to that rule."

"Hey!" snapped Iago. "I used to live in the palace -- only perk of working with Jafar. Besides, before I hooked up with him, I traveled with a theatre troupe. One of the understudies -- Etta Quette -- always lectured on table manners. So if there was an exception to that fork rule, I'd know about it!"

The magic carpet came down for a landing.

Haywood's hair was standing on end. His face was no longer green, but a pasty white.

Genie looked around. The streets of Nadidah were empty. There was a slight breeze, blowing loose sand over faint tracks.

Iago opened a water keg. It was filled to the brim. "Hmm...maybe the whole city decided to move."

Haywood walked toward his own palace. "Maybe we'll find something there. Leave for a few years, and the entire kingdom goes nuts."

Jasmine shrugged. "It doesn't even look like anything happened. The city looks more deserted than destroyed."

Genie morphed into Sherlock Holmes. "Something's afoot."

The palace, like the metropolis surrounding it, was empty.

Genie returned to normal, well, normal for him anyway. "Let's split up. The bird and I will search the kitchen."

"You're still hungry?!" Iago squawked. "You ate three-fourths of the pheasant!"

"I'll check the throne room," announced Haywood, going down one alabaster-lined hall.

Aladdin and Jasmine shrugged and headed down another hall. Their footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor.

Abu let out a warning squeak. The trio ducked into an alcove, and not a moment too soon. Two mamlucks passed by.

In the throne room, Haywood glanced around.

"Your highness?"

The prince turned around. "Kadir?"

"Yes," replied the Captain of the Guard.

"What happened here? This place looks like a plague hit it."

"In a weird way, it did. A couple of days ago -- just after your father's funeral, in fact -- an army of those dreadful zombies, the mamlucks, invaded the border and the palace. Everyone took one look and ran the other way. I'm the only one left. Look out!"

Haywood felt himself being grabbed by behind. He struggled, but two mamlucks were gripping tight.

"Well, look who decided to make a comeback!" Mozenrath, now in full robes and turban, stepped from behind a pillar.

"Let me guess," began Haywood. "Mozenrath?"

Kadir drew his sword, but four of the mamlucks pulled out theirs. The two holding Haywood released their grip to join the duel.

"HELP!" yelled Haywood at the top of his lungs as he, the sorcerer, and the mamlucks vanished.

Jasmine perked up at the scream. "That sounded like Haywood."

Aladdin ran toward the throne room. "It came from this direction." He threw open the heavy doors.



Kadir let out a deep sigh as he dropped his sword. "They're gone. Probably to Mozenrath's citadel."

"Then that's where we're going," declared Jasmine as Genie and Iago joined them.

"How are we going to get to the citadel without Genie and Carpet setting off those magic detectors?" wondered Aladdin out loud.

Kadir pushed a button on the back of the ivory throne. A bookcase on the edge of the wall folded inward, revealing a darkened staircase. "I found this passage after the invasion. It's probably how the mamlucks got into the palace."

Iago peered into the set of stairs. "A few years ago, I wouldn't go in there if you paid me. But now this conscience of mine just can't be ignored. Who's going first?"

Jasmine lit a torch. "Mozenrath won't get away with this."

TBC