Chapter 8: False Exit

Aladdin, Jasmine, and Abu peered carefully around the corner, the monkey being the only one who looked very nervous. The path ahead of them was full of monsters of various sizes and forms, flickering in and out from their shadows. Their exit to maze above ground was in sight, but they weren't going anywhere until the plan started.

"I wish it wasn't taking them so long to trigger those traps. If those monsters see us before they have a chance to get it going, then we're in trouble," Jasmine whispered.

"We've got this," Aladdin said, watching carefully along the path ahead. "We don't want to run out too soon, or we'll get caught in the same traps we set up. They should be setting them off right about..." Aladdin trailed off, waiting only a few moments before a loud crash echoed along the dark, vine covered rocky walls of the underground maze.

The sound alerted all the monsters in the maze, but as they approached the trap, it triggered a wave of exploding flowers, causing the poisonous mist to fill the area. The mist caused the invisible monsters to take their full forms. They fell where they stood, stunned to a cold, hard sleep.

"Now's our chance," Aladdin said, before covering his own nose and mouth with his vest as he rushed forward.

The three of them made their way past the unconscious monsters, reaching the end of the underground path and climbing up the stairs leading to the final section of the maze.

Iago and Carpet followed behind them, nearly out of breath as they landed near Aladdin and Jasmine's feet.

"Can we take a break for a minute? Being down there's made me a little more than claustrophobic. Lucky that Rug Man was there to use as a filter against all that stuff."

Carpet looked more than a little uncomfortable, waiving his knobs and backing away from Iago after the bird had used him as a mask against the poisonous smoke.

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest. "We can't afford to slow down now. We're almost out of here." She looked up to meet Aladdin's gaze. "Your plan worked better than expected."

"Setting up those traps was the hard part, but getting past this last stretch of the maze will be harder than what we've faced so far, " Aladdin said while rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes turned towards the sky, scanning the upper part of the maze for any sign of the flying monster that had chased them underground. "That thing wasn't just powerful, but fast. It's probably looking for revenge."

"All the more reason I say we get Blue Boy to fight this battle," Iago said.

Jasmine shook her head firmly. "We're not splitting up. You tried that last time and it ended up almost getting you and Abu killed. Not to mention you left Aladdin to fend for himself."

"I didn't know he was poisoned back then!" Iago snapped. "Geez, I have one idea that turned out not to work and you hold it over my feathers like a flaming candle."

"This isn't the time to be fighting about this," Aladdin said, but he was interrupted by a loud screech above them. His gaze went to the flickering shadow, its true form shifting in and out of view. He realized quickly what it was reaching for. "Jasmine, watch out!"

Even as Iago, Abu, and Carpet were quick to dive to the ground, Jasmine was not fast enough to dodge the monster's claws reaching out for her, plucking her from the path of the maze quicker than she could react. She screamed as the creature soared above the group, holding her arms with in a vice like grip.

Aladdin's jaw clenched as he watched the flying monster carry Jasmine far beyond his reach above the maze, claws digging into her arms. He turned to Carpet. "Not the best plan, but it's the only one I can come up with." Aladdin whispered his plan as quickly as he could to the rug, before Carpet perked up and saluted Aladdin with his knobs.

Carpet was able to peel a long stretch of vine from one of the walls of the maze. The poisoned thorns wouldn't affect Carpet, Aladdin knew. He watched as the magic rug - still at half of his usual length - managed to wrap the vine around the flying creature's neck, making its form flicker into full view. The flying monster noticed Carpet, angered by the sharp thorns digging into its neck as Carpet tugged the knot of the vines around it. The monster squirmed in midair, thrashing wildly while holding onto Jasmine.

Aladdin looked anxiously up towards them. "Come on Carpet, you have to steady him. Jasmine could be seriously hurt if this keeps up." He raced to keep up with the monster, and not a moment too soon, the monster released Jasmine, sending her tumbling to the floor of the maze.

Aladdin broke her fall as she landed, crashing into him and leaving them both sprawled on the ground. Iago and Abu caught up as Jasmine recovered.

"Feel like that was deja-vu gone wrong," Jasmine said.

Aladdin groaned. "We're both in one piece though, right?" He brushed sand out of his hair with one of his hands.

Jasmine glanced above them, her gaze focused a fair distance behind where they stood. "What about Carpet?"

"He'll catch up, but all the effort he's putting in won't be worth it if the monster comes after us. We need to hurry."

Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, and Iago began to run towards the exit of the maze, while the flying shadow monster flew after them. Carpet still held on to the end of the thorny vine wrapped around the monster's neck like a lasso. He tried to tug on the monster's leash of vines, but it was too powerful for Carpet being at half strength and length. The magic rug had an idea, though, as the monster started to close the distance between itself and the group below. Iago and Abu were closest to the exit, followed by Jasmine, with Aladdin being the last in line.

Carpet saw his opportunity to thread a trap, first flying in front of the monster's vision to distract it. The monster screamed, stopping its advance long enough for Carpet to find a place to thread the slack vine through another set of vines that were on the maze's wall. Just like threading a needle through fabric, Carpet was able to tie the vine in an elaborate series of knots. Carpet barely evaded the monster's teeth, but was able to fly away and catch up with Aladdin.

Aladdin gave the magic rug a high five, his hand meeting one of Carpet's knobs. "Nice, I knew you could do it."

But in the moment Aladdin looked over his shoulder, he realized that all of them were still in danger. The flying monster, part bird and part beast, flickered into full view separate from its shadow. Its cry echoed through the walls of the maze, shaking the flowers and the vines furiously. The monster's head moved from side to side in frantic motions. Aladdin saw in the odd angle in which it opened its mouth that it breathed a blue firey blast, burning a part of the maze wall and reducing the poisonous flowers to ash.

"Go, get to the exit!" Aladdin called after Jasmine, Iago and Abu, who stood about halfway between him and the magic portal leading out of the maze. All of them ran quickly as the monster behind them prepared to aim a firey blast towards them. Aladdin almost tripped on his feet when he was just a few strides from the portal, his vision blurring as an effect from the poison flowing through him.

Carpet was close to Aladdin's side. Even at half his original length, the magic rug was able to catch Aladdin before he fell, allowing Aladdin to recover from the stumble quickly.

The two of them leapt through the portal at the exact moment the monster's flame burst forward.


Genie was glad that all of his friends had escaped from the maze, from the look of things. The vision from the mirror faded abruptly, just as Aladdin and Carpet had lept through the portal. Still, Mozenrath was nowhere to be seen, likely waiting for a moment to show himself when they were most vulnerable.

As if to taunt him, Xerxes floated close to the dome that Genie was trapped within. "Genie powerless! Genie's magic kill friends!"

Genie folded his arms across his chest, sticking his tongue out at Xerxes. "If you really think they're going down that easy, then you don't know them too well. Also, there's nothing saying that semi-phenomenal magic doesn't have its bumps and bruises."

Genie realized he needed to find a way to get out of his current entrapment. He looked around the room, trying not to tip off Xerxes for anything that might give him a glimmer of hope in escaping. He realized something he'd said had been a good start to a plan.

If Mozenrath wanted more magic, Genie was going to give it to the sorcerer in buckets, whether Mozenrath wanted it or not.


Jasmine slowly woke, realizing she'd landed on the ground in another unfamiliar place that looked nothing like the outside of the Land of the Black Sand, or even the outside of Agrabah. The walls were made of black sand, the ground was covered in the same, and only a few torches provided light in the dark, dismal interior of another maze. Even if Carpet had been there in his full form, they wouldn't be able to escape via the sky. She remembered Aladdin saying that as long as they made it through the maze, they would be able to return home. But she had a feeling that this circumstance was another of Mozenrath's broken promises.

A familiar screeching took her by surprise only a distance from where she sat up. Abu looked around as he came out of his own dizziness, wondering aloud where they were.

"Wish I could tell you, Abu. Wherever it is, it looks like some sort of maze within a dungeon. We're definitely not outside anymore, but we could still be somewhere in Mozenrath's magic lair. I hope the others are okay."

Abu screeched frantically, resulting in a series of messages that Jasmine couldn't understand. But as Jasmine approached him, scooping him up in her arms and stroking the fur on the monkey's neck, Abu calmed down and spoke more slowly.

"Yeah, that's strange," she said. "Both you and Iago went through the portal at the same time, but he's nowhere to be seen. Then there's Aladdin and Carpet. We haven't seen them yet either."

A voice almost directly behind Jasmine startled her. "That's all a part of the next phase of the test, thanks to you."

Jasmine turned abruptly to face Mozenrath, whose expression flickered between one of amusement at her anger and annoyance at the situation. "Mozenrath, what did you do?"

He scoffed. "I think the more fitting point in this situation is telling you what you have done. I told Genie that you and every one else in your ragtag group were to stay out of the deal that Aladdin and I made. Absolutely NO magical beings were to be used as aides. That means the bird, the monkey, and Aladdin were to exit the maze without any assistance in order for them to return to Agrabah. Since you and your magic carpet entered the picture, my efforts to test their true mettle were botched."

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the sorcerer. "You weren't planning to let Aladdin, Iago, and Abu leave that maze alive. Don't blame us for helping them, we knew you had ulterior motives. They didn't deserve that."

"Yeah, yeah!" Abu chimed in, shaking his small fist at the sorcerer. When Mozenrath gave the monkey a stern glare, Abu recoiled with a sheepish grin.

Mozenrath's attention turned back to Jasmine. "I consider myself a man of second chances. I've brought all of you into a second trial in the domain I've created. No poisonous flowers or vines this round. It was a nice diversion and test of my magic, but I find that I prefer direct projections of violence. This time I have your Genie helping me in creating the nightmarish creatures you'll find here, lurking beneath the shadows in the turns of this maze. Same rules apply - if you leave the maze alive, you can go back to Agrabah. I won't stop any of you."

Jasmine looked around the area again, her eyes careful to observe places the torch lights didn't touch. "Are you giving us any kind of map to go by?"

Mozenrath shook his head. "I'm sure you can find your way though trial and error. Look at it this way - you'll have some time to find your companions and have a touching last reunion." He smiled at her as Jasmine's expression grew more angry. "Better hurry though, they won't be in safe territory for long. Last I checked on your husband, he wasn't doing so well."

Jasmine had a loose grip on Abu, but at Mozenrath's words, she couldn't recover fast enough to prevent the monkey from launching himself at the sorcerer. Abu forgot that Mozenrath was only partially present in the realm, so the monkey fell through Mozenrath's projection, tumbling to the ground.

Before Jasmine could say anything else, Mozenrath flickered in and out of view, leaving the two of them standing at entrance of the maze, with no way of returning the way they came in.

Jasmine used her hands to pick Abu up from the ground. "Don't worry about Mozenrath. We have three tasks ahead of us now - find the others, get out of the maze, and save Genie. Everything that we thought could go wrong has happened, but we can still turn things around. I'm sure of it."

The two of them walked along the maze's path as best they could, taking care to avoid dead ends in which they would have to backtrack. Jasmine realized how similar the walls of the maze looked. At least in the previous maze, the pattern of the vines, flowers, and roots that lined the walls gave each turn of the path a way to differentiate them. If she and Abu weren't careful, they could be walking in circles for hours. They couldn't afford to waste time.

At one point, Abu lept out of Jasmine's hands, choosing to move a little ahead of her in the maze path. He motioned for Jasmine to follow him. She wasn't sure how Abu was doing it, but he was moving them through the pathways where they weren't hitting dead ends as much. It was when they came across part of the maze that appeared to have collapsed in that he started screeching frantically. As she moved closer to the area where the stony wall had crumbled, she saw the reason for the monkey's alarm.

"Carpet! So that's where he was this whole time." She saw that Carpet was trapped underneath several heavy stones that pinned him to the ground. She looked around, trying to survey if they could dig or pull him out of the debris somehow. The area around them didn't look like it would cave in any more than it already had, but the less they had to move, the better.

"Come on, Abu. Help me move some of these stones. Then we can try to pull him out."

Carpet looked between them, relieved (shown by the eager shakes of his knobs). After Jasmine and Abu cleared out some of the small and mid-size stones, they started to pull him out. It took several tries, but Carpet snapped out of his entrapment.

To their surprise, Carpet had fully returned to his regular length.

Jasmine ran her hand over Carpet's surface. "That monster really took a bite out of you in the last maze, but you're back to normal. Wonder if Genie might've had a hand in that, if what Mozenrath says was true and Genie's magic is also in this realm. Have you seen Aladdin or Iago?"

Carpet shook his knobs, his head dipping low. But before Jasmine could say anything more, she heard a familiar call from down the path of the maze. If it wasn't such a cry of distress, Jasmine would write it off as another of Iago's overreactions. But he sounded like he was fully panicking at whatever sticky situation he got himself into.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Jasmine said as she and Abu boarded Carpet, racing to help their friend.