Chapter 06: Fool Me Twice
"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am." Remi met up with Aladdin shortly after the town meeting, where everyone knew the state of things. It was a small crowd that Ezele, Arzin, and Tani had used word of mouth to build among the locals. Aladdin and Genie updated several people of their encounter with the thief, and warned everyone to stay alert until the thief could be found.
"You have nothing to apologize for," Aladdin said gently. He could tell Remi was not only terrified by the threat, but horrified at the turn of events.
"You almost died because of me. T-that thief meant to come after me! You wouldn't have had to..."
Aladdin cut him off with a shake of his head. "No shouldas, no couldas, no wouldas. That's something Genie taught me a while ago. What's done is done. We have to focus on what's ahead. Keeping you and everyone else in Gloloria safe is the first thing. Making sure the thief doesn't get anything else from the archive is another. We still don't know what he was looking for and why."
"Where would someone like that come from? How would they know what I do, who I am?" Remi asked. "I don't leave Gloloria much. I don't have any enemies that I know of. I wouldn't know where to start into thinking into who would do this. No one in town would do something like this that I know of either!"
Arzin interrupted them both before Aladdin could respond. "The question you should be asking is not whether or not the thief's an enemy of yours, Remi, but of Prince Aladdin's. You may just be an intermediary."
Aladdin frowned, realizing that the man had a point, much to his chagrin. "Like I said before, Arzin, I couldn't tell you who it was either." It wasn't a lie, but Aladdin couldn't talk about the nightmare he had as a reference for one point of familiarity. He'd almost let it slip to Genie and Carpet a while back before, but quickly moved on. Genie and Carpet hadn't pressed him on it, either. But there was something else about the thief that jogged his memory, the clue too far out of reach for him to follow.
If he mentioned any of that to Arzin, the man would only mock him further.
Arzin folded his arms across his chest, looking between Aladdin and Remi with annoyance. "So if I'm understanding the current events, you two are the only ones who've had direct contact with this magic thief. I should think between the two of you, you can put your heads together and discover something for us to go on. At least before said thief tries his luck again. He's done this twice so far. Going for a third, he's not going to want to fail."
"Yeah, well, if there's anything I can say about it, we'll have a plan ready. He'll fail, no matter how many times he tries," Aladdin snapped. "Maybe you shouldn't judge things you can't predict. I thought you learned that after what happened with the Deathseeker."
Arzin didn't say anything to Aladdin's words, choosing only to clear his throat before he walked away.
Remi ran his fingers through his hair, frowning as his eyes followed Arzin. "Arzin's changed a lot since the Deathseeker's demise. For the better I would say. The fact that he didn't challenge you just now is him acknowledging you were right. That's about as much as you'll get from him, though."
"I'm not expecting anything else, for sure," Aladdin's tone softened as he turned back to Remi. "Still, he shouldn't put pressure on us both after everything that happened. Maybe after a night's rest the two of us can figure it out."
The archivist's shoulders relaxed. "I really hope you're right."
Jasmine looked over her shoulder to see Aladdin approach her from a distance away. She'd stood near the doorway of the diner waiting for him to finish talking to Remi before heading back to the inn for the night. He smiled a little when she saw him, though she knew that they'd all had a long day.
"How's Remi?" she asked when Aladdin caught up and walked alongside her.
"Better than a little while ago. Don't blame him for being on edge. Wish we both knew more about the thief to be able to say anything about it."
"I'm glad you two were able to talk." Jasmine looked around. "I guess everyone except Genie and Carpet left us behind and went back to the inn?"
"Yeah. Think Abu and Iago turned in for the night. Genie's going to be on patrol again. Hate that he's...well, that any of us are doing so much work on what was supposed to be our vacation."
"I don't think he minds that much if it means keeping us safe." Jasmine frowned, turning to face Aladdin fully. "I don't think you should do any more for tonight. I don't think Genie would want you to, either, not after what happened today."
Aladdin groaned, rolling his eyes as he looked up at the sky. "I don't feel any better knowing we have a magic thief targeting Gloloria, though. There has to be something else I can do."
"I want to give you the same advice that you were probably giving Remi earlier - you're not going to be able to help if you try to force yourself to remember things more than you're ready to." Jasmine looped her arms around his waist and he responded by pulling her closer to him. "Get some rest tonight, see what we can do for tomorrow. Okay?"
"You're right. Thanks Jasmine." The two of them made their way on Carpet back to the inn, Jasmine resting her head on Aladdin's shoulder while they flew under the moonlight.
When they arrived, Iago was starting to settle in. Carpet quickly found a place to curl up, appearing to signal his work was done for the day. Iago shook his head. "Ugh, I thought magic rugs don't sleep, but apparently, he's got other ideas. Have any of you seen Abu?"
Aladdin frowned. "Huh? We thought he was with you."
Jasmine appeared as surprised as Aladdin at first, but calmed when she took a few moments to consider the situation. "He could be with Genie. Maybe he wanted to help in his own way."
Iago folded his wings behind his head as he settled in. "Welp, not my problem. If the monkey wants to do double work, he's on his own. I'm gettin' some shut-eye and not thinkin' twice."
Aladdin looked around the hallway. "Guess we're the only ones turning in early around here, then. Just as long as he's safe, I'm not worried about it." He turned to Jasmine as she turned to him.
"Goodnight my handsome Prince."
"Sleep well, Princess." He kissed Jasmine on the lips, a deep kiss that sent shivers all the way down to her toes. When they pulled apart, Jasmine saw the disgusted look Iago gave, even as she watched Aladdin walking towards his own room.
"So, I might end up regretting asking this, but I just wanna know," Iago started. Jasmine quickly realized that this was probably a question that she didn't want to answer, based on his tone. "Is there some reason why you and Al are sleepin' in separate rooms on this trip? I mean, he's the Prince, you're the Princess - you could be sleepin' in the luxury suite. At least the equivalent in these parts."
Jasmine took the opportunity to throw a decorative pillow squarely at the bird as he squawked in protest. "This isn't that kind of vacation. Not that it's any of your business, Iago. Goodnight." She walked to her own room, closing the door promptly behind her, leaving Iago and Carpet alone.
Iago managed to move out from underneath the pillow, groaning. "Yep, I was right. Fully regret asking that question."
Abu had the distinct impression that he was being followed. Not that the person or thing following him made themselves known.
He'd spent some time with Genie that evening near the archive, before getting tired and heading back to the inn to get some sleep. Abu could only guess that everyone else - aside from Genie - had returned by now.
He could sense the figure behind him getting closer. A sudden snap of a twig made Abu turn around, ready to pounce. He waited a long while. And waited. And waited.
Nothing showed, but Abu still felt the sensation of being watched. It wasn't until he heard the heavy intake of breath that he realized that he was in trouble. He couldn't tell where it was coming from at first, but the exhale of dark mist that wrapped around him like a storm cloud was the most obvious giveaway. Abu coughed and coughed, trying as hard as he could to get fresh air. But the cloud was too thick, too stale, and made his limbs suddenly drop like weights. All he wanted to do was sleep.
The figure behind him sounded familiar, but Abu couldn't place the name as it sounded like his voice was coming from a distance away. "Hello, my monkey. I've missed you after all this time. I was wondering when the perfect time to take you back would be. Perfect to hit Aladdin where it hurts the most."
Abu felt panic rise in him, realizing he'd run into some kind of magic trap. It had to be the magic thief Aladdin was talking about from earlier. But why did the voice sound so familiar? Who was the thief? But as his mind grew heavier, he couldn't thread together his thoughts.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Another voice that was more familiar in the moment called out suddenly. Abu recognized it beyond the haze - it was Arzin. Did he realize Abu was in trouble?
Abu fell to the ground, not able to move but able to make out bits of the conversation happening somewhere close to him.
The thief began to laugh. "So it's really you. Figured you would show up eventually. Not this soon in my plan, but it'll do."
"What plan do you mean, thief? I know what you are, but I'd like to know who you are and what you plan on doing with the monkey."
If Abu wasn't so tired, he'd feel flattered by how Arzin sounded like he cared. It wasn't an emotion he was used to seeing from the man, given how Arzin had treated them their first time in Gloloria.
"It matters not to you, Arzin. Leave me to the monkey, or I'll make you regret it."
Arzin chuckled. "So you know my name. If you think that'll scare me from stopping whatever you're doing, you're wrong."
Abu tried to move as he heard the sounds of the two fighting, but his arms didn't obey no matter how hard he tried. He tried his legs next, pushing against the sand beneath his feet, but they dragged, giving him no momentum to push himself upward. Abu wanted to run away, escape, try to flee where Arzin was giving him an out of the situation. But nothing in his body wanted to cooperate, not even his tail.
He heard Arzin suddenly call out - an expression of pain, but it was cut short by something that the thief did. A long inhale, just like the breath Abu had heard before he was struck by the mist. Then someone falling to the ground near him. Abu screeched with alarm, but it only came out as a whimper as he saw Arzin lying near him, motionless.
"A 2-for-1 capture," the thief said with a laugh. "Perhaps tonight will be a good one after all. Okay then." Abu could barely hear the last words before he drifted to sleep. "I've very special plans for the two of you. Very special, indeed."
No matter how much he tried to get closer to the echoed voice, it always moved further away from him. Always just beyond reach. He ran down the path, legs burning from the effort. Before this, he'd run through the desert without stopping. The night air at least helped a little, as he'd never get that far if running during the day. His body was still drenched with sticky sweat, his clothes clinging to his body though he felt no need to slow down despite the pain. If he slowed - or worse, stopped altogether - he would lose the way.
As the path wound through the caves, the earth slowed his speed, impeding his progress. The ground wanted to swallow him whole as his feet sunk into the dirt. He didn't care, he'd fight the earth, he'd fight the sun, he'd fight anything. If only it meant he'd reach the voice that called to him.
Calling, screaming, desperate cries from several directions. They beckoned him to follow while warning him to stay away - a contradiction he couldn't help but answer. He never felt more compelled to reach his destination. The destination was not a particular place, but to the owner of those cries. The screams weren't human but the urgency was all the same. The pain within them more evident as they drew on.
I'm coming, he said. Please, hang on. He hoped his voice carried the way the distant screams reached him, pulling at the strings of his heart. The ache lingered to where he thought they would snap, the way the muscles of his legs had the same tightness.
But like a cord that had been cut, the screaming stopped. Silence. So sudden that he gasped. He stood on a branching path, a path leading in four directions. He'd hoped the screaming would direct him to where he could help, but there was no beacon, no direction, nothing telling him to go.
The screaming was replaced by laughter. At first it was a low rumble, like distant thunder. But it grew, echoing from every pathway before him.
Which way do you go? Which way? Which way? A different voice taunted him.
He had to keep going. The earth was up to his knees. Stopping and slowing down were not options, they would not keep him afloat. The land would drown him, a ready made grave.
He heard the screams then, but they were so far away.
I'm coming, he said, please hang on. Please wait for me.
A dark figure suddenly appeared before him, stopping him short. It wore a long cloak, its hands bandaged, and face covered except for its eyes and mouth, the latter twisted into a sneer.
Wrong path, it said.
Get out of my way! I don't have time for your games, he snapped.
This is the end for you, Aladdin, it snapped back. You should have remembered to keep the voices of your friends close. You never know when they may suddenly be...snuffed out.
The figure took a long breath, as if preparing to blow out a candle. But instead of extinguishing a flame, Aladdin felt the breath blowing on him, turning his entire body into slowly decaying ash that blew apart in the breeze. The sensation of it burned him like a red hot flame - from the outside inward - so sudden and sharp that he had no time to scream.
As Aladdin slipped away, he noticed the source of the screaming just behind the figure. Abu had been there. And like Aladdin, he was fading to nothing more than ash.