Chapter 4: Black Sand Shadows
"You're dressed way too spiffy to be somewhere this dark and damp, Al," Iago said, flying slightly ahead of Aladdin. "Like what is that - fine blue cloth and pure gold spun threads? Blue Boy's gonna have a hard time when he finds out you ruined his handiwork."
Aladdin thought Iago was exaggerating, especially since it didn't feel like they'd been in the underground maze for very long. His clothes weren't even marred with sand or dirt, though his boots looked like they were getting scuffed. He agreed they weren't exactly ideal for the situation they were in.
"It's not like I had time to change into something more casual when we were banished down here. Wherever 'here' is." Aladdin studied the ground along the branching paths. "Also not easy to tell what direction we should go since we don't have a map. Was hoping there might've been more clues left behind by anyone who might've passed through here before we did."
"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe we're the only ones who have traveled this maze? Maybe are the only ones still living?" Iago said, his teeth chattering.
"So far, it looks like we've been going the right direction and we haven't gone in circles. Haven't run into anything that would slow us down either."
"Famous last words," Iago muttered. "How are you so sure that we're going the right way?"
Aladdin pointed along the wall, his finger tracing a path forward. "It's the direction of these specific roots - they're different than the other ones we've seen down here. I'm figuring from the way those are looping, they're part of plants trying to reach above ground to find somewhere to bloom. Hard to tell since we don't know the flower type, could be a day or night flower. Either way, that should lead us above ground. Only problem is knowing which of these branching paths will get us there faster." He looked over his shoulder at Iago. "Make sense?"
Iago raised a brow. "Didn't realize you were good with plants."
Aladdin shrugged. "Just learned some things over time. Mostly from Jasmine, who is better at this than me." He shook his head. "Anyway, let's keep going."
Abu screeched happily, energized at the prospect of a sure way out. He scurried ahead. Iago followed the monkey, still dubious but even he couldn't be bothered at the prospect of finding a way out. Aladdin lingered behind, looking back at the path from which they came. Something was bothering him about this place, but he couldn't put specifics on the threat. The closest he came was thinking someone - or something - was watching them, following them down the paths they took. He'd looked carefully through the darkness to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.
Just sand, underground flowers, vines, roots, and shadows, Aladdin thought. Nothing else here really. It's so quiet, it's unsettling.
It was times like this he really missed having Genie around. He wondered if the source of his anxiety had to do with the fact that he, Abu and Iago were brought to this place against their will, not knowing what to expect. He looked again at the scar on his hand. If it weren't for the red mark no thicker than a string of thread, he would have assumed cutting his palm open on the thorn was a distant dream. But the pain had also been too real.
His vision suddenly blurred then, flickering like a candle flame that sputtered with a simple breeze. Aladdin closed his eyes, holding his hand against his head. Still feel like I'm out of it a little. Maybe the mist from the flowers messed more with my head than I thought.
When he opened his eyes again, that's when he saw something move to the side of him. Quick, fleeting, and large - not bulky, but slender.
"Yo, kid, you coming or what?" Iago called from a distance ahead.
Aladdin realized that something was definitely in the same area with him. He wasn't sure of the direction it went.
At least not until the thing lunged for him.
"Whoa!" Aladdin barely got out of the way in time before a set of claws swiped past his arm. He fell back against the sands, rolling just out of the path before a pair of blood red eyes peered back at him. "Guys, run, don't look back!" Aladdin called out to Abu and Iago, who had lingered to see whether Aladdin would catch up.
Iago saw the thing just as Aladdin came running up with it chasing behind him. "What the heck is that?!"
"Nothing that we want to tangle with. Go!" Aladdin shouted.
Aladdin, Abu and Iago ran down the length of the path, the long slender monster leaping within the curves of the caves to barrel after them. Aladdin wasn't sure how the thing could be as fast as it was, until he realized something odd about it.
"A shadow? Where's its actual body?" Aladdin said, just as he felt something swipe at the back of his leg. He stumbled slightly but kept his pace. He realized that the monster was closer than what its shadow appeared, judging from the fabric torn on one of his pant legs. He considered himself fortunate that the monster's claws didn't graze his skin.
"Aladdin, Aladdin!" Abu screeched. Aladdin realized that Abu had found an opening they could climb to escape the underground passage. It was a path covered with rocks of various sizes, like it could've been from an old cave in. Aladdin knew he'd have a challenge keeping his balance in escaping that way, but he knew he had no other choice with the monster chasing them.
"That's it Abu - go that way!" Aladdin said.
Iago flew ahead of them, perching just at the top of the entrance leading upward. "Come on, you guys, hurry! It's gaining on ya!"
Aladdin managed to climb up the rocks to reach where Iago stood. The exit wasn't a door, but rather a crawlspace that he realized he could just barely fit.
"Abu, come on!" Aladdin said, realizing Abu was behind him. The monster wasn't having an easy time pursuing either of them, since the rocks were small and loose, making it easy for anyone to slip on them if they moved the wrong way.
Aladdin had just made it up to the top of the rocky path where Iago waited when they both saw Abu lose his path up and fall back to the bottom, right into the path of the monster.
"No!" Aladdin couldn't reach Abu, and it looked like the monster was ready to devour the monkey as soon as he landed at the base of the rocky incline. Aladdin looked around him, grabbing a few stray stones.
"Iago, grab a few of these stones and throw them in front of the shadow."
Iago was able to pick up a few stones with his wings. "Why are we aiming in front of it? Aren't we worried the monkey's gonna get devoured?"
Aladdin shook his head. "The shadow's not the monster's real body. Watch." Aladdin threw two rocks. To Iago's surprise, a form appeared where Aladdin's stones struck. It was definitely a monster, but it flickered in and out of view.
"An invisible monster?! How'd ya figure that one out?" Iago asked.
"Ask later, throw now!" Aladdin said.
Iago and Aladdin pelted the monster with stones, distracting it from chasing after Abu. Every hit made the creature more visible, until it fully materialized, screeching in pain.
Abu recovered from his fall, quickly scurrying up the incline until he leapt on Aladdin's back, scurrying down the prince's vest out of sight. By that time, the monster disappeared entirely, fading into a mass of sand that was darker than the ground surrounding it. Iago and Aladdin took equally exhausted breaths.
"Man, that took maybe a third of a year off my life," Iago said.
Aladdin looked over his shoulder at Abu, who wearily poked his head out from beneath Aladdin's vest. "You good, pal?"
When Abu suddenly burst into tears, Aladdin's expression turned to one of both surprise and concern.
"Monkey, I know it was bad, but was it really that bad?" Iago said.
"Come on, Iago, give him a break. I don't blame him for being scared since the monster was ready to pounce on him. Not to mention it had a large claw span." Aladdin pointed to his torn pants leg.
Iago finched as he saw the hanging ribbons of fabric that reached up to the back of Aladdin's knee. "Man, if it had been any closer, it would've ripped your leg to ribbons. Unless that weird healing magic you had from earlier kicked in again."
Aladdin reached his arms around to lift Abu from beneath his vest and set him next to where Iago was perched. "Like I said before, I don't think that was me. I can't use magic. Although," he looked down the rocky incline where the monster had disappeared, "that thing wasn't what it seemed either. It just turned into sand in the end. Wait a minute."
Iago and Abu shared a confused look as Aladdin suddenly slid back down the incline from where they came, down to where the monster had been reduced to the dark sand. "Uh, Al, I don't think goin' down there's a good idea. It might decide to come back and finish what it tried to start, ya know!"
Aladdin ignored Iago, his palm scooping up some of the dark sand, which was in stark contrast to the color of the sand in the underground maze. Aladdin's eyes narrowed as he recognized why the sand looked and felt familiar.
"Of course he'd be behind it. Using poisoned flowers isn't normally his style, but this definitely shows the connection," he said in a low voice, not loud enough for Iago and Abu to hear him. Aladdin stood, looking around the area, as if expecting another monster to appear. HIs voice echoed through the halls as he shouted. "I know you're watching us somewhere, Mozenrath! Maybe instead of having your minions fight for you, you should come out and fight us directly."
Abu and Iago were surprised at first, but then Iago slapped a wing over his face. "Of course! Mozenrath, Jafar Jr., Ruler of the Black Sand and probably more names that give me a headache just thinkin' about them. Shouda guessed from the obvious Black Sand monster that was chasin' after us."
Mozenrath's voice echoed around them. "So you finally figured it out. Figured I'd throw a big hint since you couldn't tell anything from the maze or the flowers themselves. It's a different approach."
Aladdin's back stiffened at attention, looking around to see where or if Mozenrath would appear. Sure enough, Aladdin was able to back away from where Mozenrath appeared behind him, the sorcerer grinning slyly. "I have to say Aladdin, that's a nice outfit. The gold is a little much, but the blue is my brand of color. Too bad you're all dressed up with nowhere to go."
Aladdin folded his arms across his chest. "Seems to me that you took us from the banquet because you were jealous for missing out on the party, to which you weren't welcome for obvious reasons. Evil's not invited on our doorstep."
"Uh huh," Abu screeched in agreement.
"Perhaps you should reconsider that arrangement. After all, I did contribute those flowers that your princess told you to put on full display. She seemed to like them just fine; it brought a little more excitement than chatting with the usual dignitaries."
Aladdin rolled his eyes. "Pretty sure Jasmine wasn't aware those flowers were poisoned. She wouldn't have put them on display if she knew they had the potential to hurt anyone. I have to admit it, Mozenrath, I didn't think you were one to mess with poisonous magic."
Mozenrath shrugged. "Not new since I know everything there is to know about Black Sand magic. But it does have a certain touch I haven't explored before. In any case, it fooled you for this long."
"Why did you bring us here?" Aladdin asked, realizing Mozenrath wasn't being forthcoming about why he captured them in the first place.
Mozenrath stroked his chin with one hand. "Think of it as a test. I brought only the most useless of your group to try to survive in this domain."
"Useless?!" Aladdin snapped, speaking between his teeth.
"Hey, I resent that!" Iago followed up. "I don't like bein' relegated to second rate just because I'm a parrot who avoids dangerous magic. It's somethin' I'd like to call 'self-preservation!' "
Mozenrath waved a dismissive hand in Iago's direction, but didn't meet the attention of the bird, keeping his eyes on Aladdin. "Or cowardice. Let's face it, Aladdin. Taking aside your furry and feathered friends for the moment, you're the most useless of your group. Former street rat who's always profitted off your good fortune. You ended up marrying a princess and inherited a kingdom. You befriended a Genie and a magic carpet who has saved your life numerous times, including from my magic. What value do you have without them?"
"Why you..." Aladdin reached out to grab Mozenrath by his collar, but nearly lost his balance by falling through the place where Mozenrath stood. Aladdin hadn't realized that Mozenrath's body was a projection.
"Oh, where are my manners? In the middle of my excitement to see you again, I almost forgot to tell you. This may be a realm created by my Black Sand magic, but I'm not actually there," Mozenrath said casually, studying the hand that wore his magical glove. "Too bad for you, since that means you can't hurt me. But since it's my creation, I can very well hurt you."
Mozenrath's glove glowed before firing off a blast towards Aladdin. The prince dodged it quickly by leaping out of the way of the blast. It hit a wall, leaving a hole in one of the vines that was about five times the size of a human fist. Both Iago and Abu were worried at first, but were relieved when Aladdin smiled. "Not one of your better aims, Mozenrath."
Mozenrath snorted. "I would find it boring if I just blasted you into non-existence. I created this maze so you and your companions could prove your worth. When you leave it, you can return to Agrabah and I won't stop you. Your only objective is to survive."
Aladdin narrowed his eyes at Mozenrath, all amusement gone. "Why do I get the feeling you're not going to make this test as easy as it sounds?"
Mozenrath clasped his hands together, narrowing his eyes at Aladdin. "This test is not meant to be easy. It's intended to show how without magic and your useful companions that you are worth nothing." Mozenrath started walking towards Aladdin, his words echoing through the cave with every pause. "Your luck can only get you so far, your brawn is useless against magic, and even something as small as a flicker in this realm can kill you." Mozenrath shoved against Aladdin's chest, forcing Aladdin to the ground as the sorcerer stood over him. But Aladdin didn't back down.
"You underestimate what I can do. You would think after all the times I've foiled your plans, you'd get it by now."
Mozenrath shrugged casually. "Fine, prove it. Just know that being careless in this realm could not only cost you your life, but also your friends. Or maybe you're so useless that they won't need you to survive."
Just as Aladdin was about to respond, Mozenrath's shadow began to disappear. "I'll be watching from a distance, Aladdin. We'll see who has the last laugh. I'm certain it'll be me."
After Mozenrath faded away, Iago and Abu both let out breaths that they'd held for a much longer time than they needed to. Aladdin slowly got to his feet, brushing off his clothes before rejoining the bird and monkey.
"So, hearing all that, Mozenrath's not gonna let us leave this place alive, is he?" Iago said, breaking the silence between the three.
Aladdin shook his head. "He can try whatever tricks are up his magic glove, but definitely won't be falling for them. Just have to keep our eyes open for anything weird as much as we can."
"Can we just get a rain check on this test for another time and have Genie take us outta here? Fine time for you to have left the lamp with Jasmine instead of carrying it with you!"
"No, Iago. It's better that she has the lamp. If we tried to summon Genie here, it'd be a trap waiting to happen. Remember, Mozenrath wants Genie's magic. We don't know what else he's up to yet, but I wouldn't doubt that this 'test' is a distraction from his real plan." Aladdin looked toward the path ahead of them. "For now, we keep going. If what Mozenrath says is true and we can find the exit ourselves, then we need to get back to Agrabah. I just hope everyone at the Palace is okay."
Abu screeched a few words that caught Aladdin's attention. Aladdin offered his hand for Abu to climb up his arm and perch on his shoulder. "I think they may be looking for us, pal. But I'd feel better knowing we did everything we could to get out of here rather than waiting for them to figure out where we are. Mozenrath didn't exactly give a clear signal that he was behind all this until now."
Iago's feathers ruffled along his back. "That means he must be planning somethin' big."
"Or we cut into his plans somehow. Which means we can't linger too long before he tries something else." Aladdin motioned his head to the path before them. "Let's go."
Genie scratched the top of his head as he walked through the mostly empty streets of Agrabah's marketplace. A few merchants were cleaning up their stands, preparing to go home after a long day of selling their wares. Genie tried to question several of them about the strange flowers that were brought into the city, but none of them - at least the friendly ones who took the time to answer - recognized the description.
"Man, I've been at this at least a few hours," Genie said, looking up at the full moon in the sky. "Hang on guys, I'm trying to figure out what happened to you."
He suddenly heard a group of shady merchants talking in an alley, approaching his area quickly. Genie leapt behind an empty stand, peering from behind it to see the group move into the area.
"I can't believe that guy bought out our flowers and gave us his own to deliver to the Palace. Man, we got a double pay day," one of the merchants said.
"Tell me about it, I was thinking the guy was going to scam us, but his flowers looked a lot better than ours," another said.
The third merchant scratched the underside of his beard, looking between the other two merchants as they spoke. "I think it was a good trade, but still - that guy gave me the creeps. I mean with his flying pet and the fact he was dressed all in robes? Doesn't that seem fishy to you guys? The petals of those flowers looked so red - almost like they were on fire if you looked at them long enough."
The first merchant shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we got paid and can take food home to our families, the flowers are out of our hands. Also, it's not as if they had our names on it. The Palace would probably appreciate a batch of flowers with petals that vivid."
Genie moved out of his hiding space as he saw the group of merchants walk past. He exhaled a long breath. "Looks like I found the merchants I was looking for. Don't think they would have talked to me on their own from the look of it. But who would sell them those flowers with robes and a 'flying pet'? Hmm." Genie thought for a while, before his usually blue face paled. "I know only a few people who would fall under those descriptions, with the level of magic I witnessed just before Al and the others disappeared. If it's the person I'm thinking of...man, those guys are in trouble."
"Glad to know my threatening reputation precedes me," a familiar voice spoke from behind Genie. Way too close for Genie's comfort. Genie was so startled that he transformed into a rocket, crashing into a nearby merchant stand. He'd have to clean that up later.
When Genie recovered, he saw Mozenrath standing a distance away, arms folded across his chest while grinning and standing alongside Xerxes.
"Oh hey there, Mozenrath. Long time no see," Genie said, nervously laughing as he stood upright. "You might've given me a teensy scare there. What with appearing out of thin air all of a sudden."
"Genie very scared!" Xerxes said, his own toothy grin widening. Genie cringed at the sight, but managed to keep his composure.
"So, if I had to take an educated guess, you guys were responsible for sending those smoky flowers to the Palace?"
Mozenrath nodded. "Correct. I had a similar conversation with Aladdin not very long ago."
Genie's expression turned more cold. "What did you do with them?"
"Oh, don't worry - Aladdin, Abu and Iago are all still alive, for now. But depending on your answers to my demands, they won't be for long. I've asked many times for you to be handed over to my domain in exchange for the lives of your friends, but I realize now that I should ask you directly."
Genie rolled his eyes. "I've told you what seems like a millenia's worth of times. I'm a FREE Genie. Spelled F-R-E-E, in case you were wondering. I don't feel like playing the role of someone else's eternal servant. The fun of that roleplay would get old really quick, if it was fun at all. Maybe in a masochistic sense it might be...but not my thing. Not that I'm judging."
Mozenrath and Xerxes shared a look between each other, before Mozenrath casually shrugged. "Okay. I'll tell Aladdin and the others you sent your regards and fondest farewell."
"W-Wait. Hang on." Mozenrath had turned his back to Genie as the semi-phenomenal being stumbled on his words. Almost anticipating the hesitation, Mozenrath looked over his shoulder, waiting for Genie to continue. Genie's brow narrowed, but he reluctantly looked between Mozenrath and Xerxes with resigned compliance. "Okay, what exactly do you want?"
Mozenrath clapped his hands together, turning to face Genie in full. "I knew you would see it my way. I will give you until sunrise tomorrow to surrender. Come meet me at my palace in the Land of the Black Sand. I don't care who you tell, but let me make my terms perfectly clear: No Princess or Sultan, no palace guards, no funny business. You will commit yourself to me and me alone. In return, Aladdin, the monkey, and the parrot get out of my created domain alive. No strings attached."
Genie raised a brow at the sorcerer. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than what you're telling me?"
Mozenrath groaned. "Of course you would ask the same question as the former street rat! There's so much that's annoyingly similar to the two of you that it's ridiculous. Makes me want to vomit."
Xerxes laughed hysterically then. "Genie not make it if wait until sunrise. Poison in Aladdin's veins will kill."
Genie's expression fell to one of wide-eyed horror, even as Mozenrath covered Xerxes's mouth quickly to prevent the slimy being from saying more. "Al."
Mozenrath's brow narrowed. "May I remind you not to spill the details of the plan to our enemies, Xerxes? Precisely why I chose not to tell you everything in one fell swoop." The sorcerer turned his attention to Genie again, his composure regained from anger to cool amusement. "Xerxes is only partially correct. The poison in Aladdin's veins now won't kill him, but it'll make things a little more painful for him the longer he spends in my domain. Not to mention all the mystical beings that could kill the three of them very easily. All the more reason for you to make your decision quickly. Farewell, Genie. Hoping to see you again very soon."
The false sweetness in Mozenrath's tone with his final words was enough to make Genie's stomach turn as he watched Mozenrath and Xerxes disappear in a cloudy swirl of Black Sand.
