Chapter 05: A Magic Thief
At the diner, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Remi all sat at the counter while Tani served them. But none of them were as interested in the food as to what Ezele had to say. Remi told the town's medic everything he'd learned that morning. He even offered Aladdin's suggestions as to a possible motivation for the culprit. When Remi was finished, Ezele looked between the group with concern.
"No doubt that all of this is concerning. We need to ask around Gloloria as to whom might have been watching Remi on the way home. But doing so may tip off the thief."
"We should still try," Jasmine said. "The thief may not think anyone's going to turn them in. But if we do nothing, they may keep going with whatever plans they've had. Or worse."
"Already bad enough they attacked Remi," Aladdin said, turning his attention to the archivist. "You feeling okay?"
Remi waived a hand, dismissing Aladdin's concerns. "I'm in good company with Ezele. I'm more frustrated that I can't remember anything still. Would make it so much easier if I could."
"Don't push yourself. You might remember something when you're not trying to think of it," Aladdin offered. "There's plenty the rest of us can do in the meantime. Wonder if Genie saw anything last night." Aladdin had the lamp tucked away at his side. He brought it out, rubbing it and expecting his big blue friend to appear. Instead, a robot doll version of him popped out of the lamp. It startled Aladdin so much that he nearly fell out of his chair.
"Hi there, if you rubbed the lamp, Genie is out on patrol duty! Please try again later." It disappeared quickly back into the lamp, leaving everyone who viewed the scene very confused.
Aladdin's lip turned up in an awkward smile. "That probably means I need to go to him. Think he's at the archive now."
"Hey! More fruit over this way!" Iago said, pointing to his empty plate. "The monkey and I are starvin' here!"
Jasmine nodded. "Guess we'll finish up breakfast before we start searching. Though I don't know how much help Iago and Abu will be on full stomachs."
Aladdin shrugged. "Well, I look on the bright side. They probably wouldn't be motivated if food weren't a factor. They might be more invested if they find something that promises them an even bigger treat. What do you think, Tani?"
Tani laughed. "I'll let them know if either of them should happen to find a piece of information we can use, they'll have my custom made pie. It has a good reputation around here."
"Did someone say 'pie'? Maybe we should trade flavors - from fruit to desert," Iago said, flying up to the counter where Aladdin and Jasmine sat. Abu screeched in agreement, licking his lips in anticipation of the treat.
Tani shook her head. "Nope. If you want any kind of pie, particularly my specialty, you'll have to work for it."
"Figures," Iago said, hope deflating from him like a balloon. Abu muttered in agreement.
"Nope, not a single thing happened last night. And believe me, I had enough cups of coffee to keep me awake for days." Genie sat at a table near a bookshelf in the archives, stifling a yawn and blinking his eyes a few times. "Okay, maybe a few hours more than expected. But still."
"You've done a lot already," Aladdin acknowledged, taking a seat across from Genie. "In any case, Remi can rest easier knowing the scrolls are back in his care."
Genie frowned. "Wish I could say I was around his house at the time. Might have gotten a glimpse of the thief with my Genie Senses! Comes with a cash back guarantee." Genie used his magic to produce a box that made a loud whirring sound, to which Aladdin had to put his hands over his ears. "Whoops, guess it still needs work until it goes into full use." He quickly zapped the contraption away.
Aladdin was surprised when his friend looked at him with concern. "You kinda look like you need some rest yourself, kid. Bad night?"
"Is it that obvious? I felt fine for most of this morning. Guess it might be from all the people Jasmine and I talked to around town, both travelers and locals. Still, probably could've slept a little longer this morning."
"I wanted to check in on you after last night, but didn't get a chance. Iago's comments sometimes make me mad enough to turn redder than his feathers." Genie's hair suddenly caught on fire, which he quickly put out with a pitcher of water he made with his magic. "Figured you needed a cooling off period."
"Well, things are good on that end. Iago actually apologized."
Genie's brow narrowed. "Okay, what's the catch?"
Aladdin shook his head. "None. Surprised me and Abu too." He rubbed the back of his neck as he summarized most of the conversation they had the night before. Aladdin made sure not to mention the nightmare - one detail he didn't want attention drawn to.
"It probably feels like a long time ago, but I'm not surprised. Thoughts of what we went through with the Deathseeker are enough to put anyone on edge." Genie frowned at the recall, his expression turning more serious. "You sure you're good?"
"Like I said, I'm glad Gloloria doesn't have anything like the Deathseeker to worry about anymore. That makes it a little easier to breathe around here. The fact we still haven't found anything about Remi's attacker yet though..." Aladdin trailed off, not realizing until almost too late that someone was watching them from outside the archive. He saw the barest flutter of a cloak by the window they sat near.
"Hey!" Aladdin rose from his chair so fast, he knocked it down.
"Al, what are you...?"
"Genie, stay here and guard the scrolls. Make sure that no one gets in here. I'm going after him." Aladdin spared only enough time to say those words before he chased after the mysterious man. Was this the thief? Had he returned to hurt Remi again? Aladdin's mind flooded with questions as he searched around the archive for the man he'd seen.
He glimpsed the figure running past the long memorial of the names of travelers and villagers who were killed by the Deathseeker. But he couldn't make out what the thief looked like. From a distance, the thief's hands looked like they were covered in gloves, his face covered by a bounded cloth except for the slits of his eyes.
"That's gotta be him, no question," Aladdin mused.
Aladdin ran after the thief as fast as his legs could carry him. The ground wasn't as even as the paths of Agrabah, but it didn't slow the prince down for how light he was on his feet. When it seemed like Aladdin closed the distance between them, the thief reached for something at his side. Aladdin sensed an attack was coming. He barely dodged three daggers that found their mark in a tree near him as they ran further away from the beach and more inland. But even as it slowed him down, Aladdin was able to see the path of the thief as he ran towards the outskirts of Gloloria.
There's nowhere for him to run on the path ahead except for the cliffs that drop off towards the desert, Aladdin thought. Nothing but rocks and boulders out that way. I might be able to catch him when he stops before it.
But even as Aladdin neared, he realized with growing horror that the thief's intent was exactly the opposite. He ran towards the cliffs without slowing down, picking up speed.
"Stop! Don't!" Aladdin called out, his eyes wide as the thief only managed to look over his shoulder, just before leaping off the cliff.
Aladdin gasped, running and stopping just at the part of the cliff the thief lept from. He couldn't see anything but a floating cape that took its time spiraling down the path the thief should have been tumbling.
What in the world? Aladdin thought. He just...vanished.
Aladdin realized that he'd been tricked. A magic-wielding thief. He should have thought of that before, given the thief's intent on stealing the scrolls in the archive and the few details of Remi's attack he'd learned.
But just as suddenly, the hair on Aladdin's neck began to stand up as he realized there was someone standing directly behind him. The figure reemerged, grabbing the sides of Aladdin's arms with a vice-like grip before the prince could turn around. Both stood very near the edge of the cliff. Aladdin grunted as he struggled to push the thief backward, away from the cliffs. But the figure was much stronger than he appeared, tightening his grip on Aladdin's arms enough to bruise them.
The figure leaned in close to Aladdin's ear at that moment, a familiar whisper that made Aladdin's blood run cold. "You should be watching your back."
Then the thief used all his strength to throw Aladdin over the cliff's edge.
Genie had - indeed - not listened to Aladdin's warning, instead using the moment to track down Carpet to help. By the time they caught up to the place Aladdin had been, the prince and mysterious figure had vanished. They were able to catch up to the location where three daggers were embedded in the side of a tree.
"Come on, he was right there a sec ago," Genie groaned. Carpet appeared to give him the knob equivalent of a side-eye. "Don't look at me like that, Rug-Man. I'll have you know that I have a great sense of timing."
At the moment he heard Aladdin yelling "Stop!", Genie's spine stiffened. "Okay, maybe my timing needs a little work. Let's go!"
Carpet and Genie raced off in the direction of Aladdin's voice, which quickly turned into a yell. Only a cloak of dark mist remained where the figure had been standing, but Genie saw the briefest moment before Aladdin was thrown over the cliff. "AL!"
Carpet's reaction was quick as he swooped down the edge, catching Aladdin before he could hit the side of the cliff on the way down, jagged sharp rocks in tow. A second too late and Aladdin would not have survived the fall. Aladdin gasped as he recognized his friend, clutching Carpet's edges as they made their way back over the cliff where Genie waited for them.
Genie surveyed the area, groaning as he realized the figure was long gone. Carpet landed on the ground, Aladdin laying on his back as he tried to steady his breath.
"Thanks Carpet," Aladdin managed, before looking up to see Genie standing over him. "Genie? I thought I said..."
"I very intentionally did not listen to what you said," Genie said, frowning as he abruptly cut Aladdin's statement short. "Had I actually stayed behind at the archive, I would not have found Rug-Man here and you would have been smashed flatter than a pancake by that guy you were chasing, whom I'm thinking might be the thief in question."
"That was my thought too. He was way too suspicious to run away like that. Where did he go?" Aladdin asked.
"Disappeared in a puff of smoke - poof like me but less stylish." Genie did his best impression of the cloaked figure disappearing in a puff of dark smoke. Then he shifted back to norma. "Going after a magic thief like that and not knowing what you were running into? What were you thinking?" Genie hadn't been angry or frustrated stating the last question, more like pointing out the obvious in a mild-lecture. As Aladdin looked up at him without words though, Genie realized that not only was Aladdin hurt by his words, but the prince actually looked scared. Aladdin appeared to struggle with something else that was bothering him.
"Oh kid," Genie's voice softened. "That was a lot just now, wasn't it?"
Aladdin closed his eyes a moment, taking a long breath before opening them and speaking again. "Just glad you guys came in time. I thought I was chasing an ordinary thief with a few tricks up his sleeve; he lured me into a last minute trap. Probably came back to steal again and wasn't expecting to see us."
Genie frowned. "Did he sound like anyone you recognize? Anyone from Gloloria?"
"Don't know for sure. Something about him felt familiar, though. His voice, the nightmare..."
Genie's brow narrowed in confusion as he looked between Aladdin and Carpet. Carpet couldn't really give a "look" in return, but his shrugged knobs indicated his own confusion. "Nightmare, Al? You wanna run that by me, because I missed the memo."
Aladdin shook his head. "Forget it. Not important. Let's get back to town and let the others know what's going on. Until we figure out who this thief really is, I don't think any of us are safe."
Aziz resisted the urge to clap his hands together in delight as he saw Genie, Aladdin, and Carpet leave. He didn't want to give away his hiding place or give any indication of who he was to ruin the progress he'd made. But every part of his plan was going smoothly.
"So Aladdin's actually putting the pieces together - linking the nightmare with the intentions of this fabled thief. I thought my human disguise was a good substitute for the real one. The very real human I've chosen as my puppet will come forth soon." He addressed his words as he watched Aladdin, his eyes like targets on the Prince's back. "Your fears are about to get far more real, Aladdin. After all, I'm making it your destiny."