Chapter 08: A Thief's Game
"Do you think we'll find them this way?" Miza asked as they drew closer to the cliffs on the outskirts of Gloloria. "We were here before when Miza was hiding that time from Uncle Arzin."
Aladdin made the same observation about the place they were going. Back when Arzin was controlled by the Deathseeker, Miza had tried to escape from him and hid away in the caves by the sandy cliffs outside Gloloria, headed towards the desert. Aladdin had found her by chance as he discovered one of her lost sandals by the entrance of the cave. Some of the cave entrances you really had to search around to know they were there. They were hidden even from above the area Carpet flew. It was the perfect spot to hide from anyone - or anything.
"It's possible," Aladdin said as he gripped Carpet's edge.
"Miza hopes Abu and Uncle Arzin are okay."
Aladdin nodded as he met the girl's eyes with his own. "I hope so too. Get ready, Carpet's gonna take us down there. Hold on tight everyone." Miza held on to the edge of Carpet the same way Aladdin did, as Carpet did a slow spiral down between the cliffs to where Aladdin remembered the location of one of the cave entrances.
When they landed, Aladdin surveyed the area, trying to see if they had been spotted in any way. The area was quiet, apart from the wind blowing the sands around them.
"Abu! Uncle Arzin! Where are you?" Miza called. But only the echo of her own voice answered her.
"Did it occur to anyone that we might be signalin' whoever captured Abu and Arzin that we're here?" Iago said. "Not about to join you in a scuffle with that magic thief!"
Jasmine's hands hugged the sides of her arms. "He likely would have shown already if he were waiting for us."
"Wondering if they're in a place where they can't hear us from out here," Aladdin said. "Let's try checking some of the caves. Don't go too far...Hey!" Miza had already started running ahead of Aladdin, checking a few short caves where nothing appeared to have been there for a while.
It was then that Aladdin, Jasmine, Iago and Miza saw the same - and first - signs of something being in the area, though faint from the lingering breeze through the tall rocks and paths between the caves. Carpet was doing his best not to notice.
"Footprints to the west," Jasmine said. "More a few here from what I can tell."
"What are these big marks over here?" Miza asked, pointing to heavier marks that weren't covered by the wind moving the sand over. Aladdin realized what they were based on the depth and width.
"Someone dragging a sack through the sand." His eyes followed the sack marks, which were paired with a set of what looked like boot tracks. But then his eyes widened at the abrupt shift in footprints.
"What in the world?" Aladdin said aloud as he saw distinctly large claw marks in the sand. He knelt to study them closer, surveying the difference in the prints. Whatever they were chasing had shifted to another form - from human to not. Aladdin felt his breath grow heavier from the thought.
Iago shuddered as he made the same observations over Aladdin's shoulder. "Magic thief is one thing, but a magic thief monster - that's a whole other bunch of bananas. And not the kind the monkey would like."
"A m-monster?" Miza asked, her voice full of nerves.
"Not a big one, but big enough," Aladdin said, shaking aside his fears as he stood. "Carpet, everyone, we're going this way. Head towards the entrance of that cave. Stay close."
When they arrived, Aladdin felt a dark sense of deja-vu as he stepped off Carpet and walked into the cave. He hadn't set foot in the space since the Deathseeker was alive, not to mention he was reminded of the nightmare with Abu from earlier. For a moment he stopped walking, flexed his fingers and clenched his fists open and closed. He recalled the feeling of his body fading to ash. It felt so real, like it actually happened, he thought. Normally I'm not freaked out by nightmares, but I keep thinking about the Deathseeker and the links my nightmares had to what happened back then. If we find the thief, I might have an answer to them, whether they're close to reality or not.
"Aladdin, what is it?" Jasmine reached his side as Iago, Carpet, and Miza moved onward ahead of him. It wasn't a cave that went too deep within compared to the other caves in the area, but they still had a short trek to go to search.
Aladdin shook his head, not wanting to worry her. "Sooner we finish up here, the better."
Before Jasmine could say anything else, a terrified yell echoed through the cave. Aladdin's eyes widened as he realized the source.
"What on earth made Iago react like that?" Jasmine asked.
"Can't be anything good. Come on," Aladdin said as he ran forward.
Iago had been the first to turn the corner of the cave to reach the dead end. He hadn't realized there was anyone there until he flew into the figure's stomach. Miza was frozen in place, even as Carpet tried to shield her from the view of the figure Iago had run into. The bird spared no time to fly behind Aladdin in a trembling heap once he saw them turn the corner. His wing pointed to the figure just beyond where Miza stood.
Jasmine saw the figure before Aladdin did, her eyes going wide and one hand cupping her mouth to keep from screaming. When Aladdin did finally see who it was, he knew why. The figure spoke before any of them could.
"Was wondering when you would finally show up. You're later than expected. You should have left my niece home with her parents." The voice sounded so detached that it didn't seem to acknowledge his niece's sharp recognition of him, nor her horrified reaction.
"U-uncle Arzin?" Miza managed, her voice quivering. Aladdin couldn't help but notice the poor girl's hands shaking even as her body remained still. Arzin wasn't anything like the man they'd seen the day before. He donned a long cloak that covered most of his body, but not his face or hands. His hands were more like those of a beast, sharp claws extended from limbs thickly defined by enlarged muscles and protruding veins. His facial features were more angular, hair hanging in strings framing his face as if he'd taken a dive in the ocean. He appeared taller than he once stood. Aladdin noted that Arzin now could probably rival Genie's normal height, provided Genie wasn't using his magic to make himself bigger than he typically stood.
Arzin's eyes were the more striking feature among his transformation. Beneath thicker brows were the pupils of eyes that were slanted, like those of a cobra waiting to strike. And more striking was the fact that he didn't appear to blink. Arzin's gaze focused squarely on Aladdin at the moment. It left Aladdin with a heavy knot in the pit of his stomach, like he couldn't evade the man's attention even if he tried.
"What happened to you?" Aladdin said slowly.
When Arzin grinned, the whole group flinched, as the motion showed Arzin's very bright, sharp teeth beneath a slightly disjointed jaw. "You're unsettled by my new form, are you? Good. The price of having power is a small one, but if it brings me closer to my true self, then so be it. And I've a certain thief to thank for it."
"The magic thief did that to you?" Jasmine asked as she approached Miza's side, standing in front of the girl as if to shield her. "Why?"
Arzin casually shrugged. "He was looking for an assistant. I volunteered once I realized his motivations matched mine, that he would grant me an extension of his power if it meant taking back Gloloria from the likes of you."
"Taking Gloloria from who?" Iago said, his fear turning to confusion. "It's official, his brain's broken. Evil tends to do that sometimes."
"What are you even saying right now, Arzin?" Aladdin snapped. His once momentary shock faded into annoyance. "As if we've done anything wrong since we've been here. The only one that's wrong in this whole situation is the thief. We came to save you and Abu."
"Save me?!" Arzin said, laughing so cruelly that Aladdin realized he wasn't laughing in humor at all, despite his smile. It didn't reach his eyes. "I don't need your help. But I do believe you came to save the monkey, which is why I opted to meet you personally."
"Where's Abu?" Aladdin said, his jaw clenched as tight as his fists balled at his sides.
"He's with the Master now, who has requested for you to meet him. Alone, I might add. I am your humble escort."
"I smell a not-so-humble trap," Iago said, whispering in Aladdin's ear. "In case that wasn't obvious, kid."
"Yeah, I get it, but this isn't exactly a situation we can walk away from. I don't think Arzin would be willing to wait for Genie to get here either," Aladdin muttered over his shoulder to the bird. He turned his attention to Arzin again, whose gaze hadn't left the prince once. Aladdin had to steel himself against flinching. "What if I refuse?"
"I'll take that as a proposal," Arzin said, his smile fading quickly to a sneer. "Had I assumed that as your response, the Master would kill the monkey without a moment's hesitation. All I'd have to do is say the word."
"You wouldn't..." Jasmine began, but Miza's words cut her own off sharply.
"This isn't you, Uncle Arzin. You wouldn't hurt Abu like that. You know Abu's Miza's friend, along with Aladdin and the others. You wouldn't."
As Jasmine put her hands on Miza's shoulders to help steady the girl, she looked over her shoulder to Aladdin, who had the same look of deep regret that he felt. He had the option to send Miza back to town, but he never imagined that asking her to join them would result in...this. The pain in the girl's voice was too great a burden to bear. She doesn't deserve to be put through this, he thought. Not at all.
"He's not your uncle right now, Miza," Jasmine said gently. "He's...something else."
Miza looked over her shoulder to Jasmine, her eyes shiny with tears. "He's a monster again? Like when the Deathseeker was around?"
Aladdin closed his eyes, feeling his own nerves stand on ends at the recollection. He wasn't sure how Arzin came to be this way, only that he wanted to do something to turn him back to the way he was - for both Arzin's sake as well as Miza's.
"Yeah, something like that." Jasmine had to swallow her nerves as she told the girl the truth.
Aladdin found his own voice then, realizing what he had to do. "Jasmine, wait here with the others. I'll join you guys later."
"What?!" Jasmine turned sharply to Aladdin. The next words she mouthed so that only he could understand. What are you doing? He could seriously hurt you.
"Trust me. This is one situation I can tell isn't a bluff. If Arzin and the thief keep their word, this is just a meeting. Nothing else." Aladdin returned his gaze to Arzin, his brow narrowed as he made his voice louder and more firm to Arzin. "Am I right?"
Arzin held up his hands. "Exactly. I wouldn't want to harm the guest of honor to meet the Master personally. After all, it is a reunion of sorts."
Reunion? That would mean I met him before now, unless that means the time the thief tried to kill me, Aladdin thought, but realized he didn't have enough information to guess on what it meant. Too many questions. Need to figure out what this means anyway.
"Don't hurt Abu or Prince Aladdin," Miza said as she issued the warning to her uncle. Aladdin had to give it to the girl, she was being incredibly brave in an otherwise horrible situation. He hoped that she would be okay after this.
Arzin didn't respond to her, keeping his focus trained on Aladdin.
Jasmine turned Miza away from Arzin, as Carpet readied to head out of the cave. Iago didn't spare another second boarding Carpet, while Jasmine helped Miza onto the magic rug. Jasmine looked over her shoulder to meet Aladdin's returning glance, her expression clearly worried.
"I'll be okay, Jasmine," he said in a low voice, making sure his back was turned to Arzin so the man couldn't see what he'd say. "Genie's on his way here. If you see him, tell him what's going on and that I'll see him once I'm done. Just going to see what's going on, what we're up against. I don't think this is going to be long."
She nodded slowly, recognizing Aladdin's plan for what it was. "Be careful."
Aladdin watched them leave. He didn't dare look back at Arzin until he knew they were safely gone. He turned where Arzin had finally stopped looking at him, attention turned to a secret panel that had opened up on the rocky wall. That hasn't been there before, Aladdin recalled.
"The Master used a bit of his power to make this place his domain," Arzin offered, as if reading Aladdin's thoughts. "It's much more extensive now than it seems. After you, your highness."
Aladdin struggled to ignore to Arzin's taunts, managing to succeed only by hurrying on the path forward. "I don't understand why you're making me go first if you know the way."
Arzin snorted. "Making sure you're not trying anything out of the ordinary. Given your former profession, I'm surprised you'd think I wouldn't check to see if your friends would follow you. But since your monkey's life is part of the wager, you all seem smarter than that."
Aladdin's teeth clenched tight as he kept moving forward, without a word. Clearly, Arzin was trying to provoke him, but he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction. Also clear to the prince, Arzin was under some kind of control. His personality was similar to how it'd been under the Deathseeker. Bitter and cruel in turns, but exaggerated, Aladdin recalled. I wonder how much of this is the magic thief trying to imitate the Deathseeker's tale. Wouldn't surprise me considering the thief stole the Deathseeker's history scroll from Remi. However brief the thief had it in their possession, there's gotta be a connection.
He thought about it while moving through the turns of the cave, while Arzin prompted him which directions to turn next. If the magic thief had access to the scrolls Remi kept, he'd know all about the Deathseeker's influence and abilities. What wasn't clear was how the thief knew about Aladdin. Aladdin's past as a street thief hadn't been chronicled in the Deathseeker's history scroll. Remi had said as much. He also knew Arzin wasn't likely the source either, given Arzin's antagonism towards Aladdin.
Before the prince could think upon it more, the area they approached in the last small area of the cave gave him pause. In the center, just beyond where they stopped, was a amber crystal pillar. Within the center of the pillar, trapped beneath layers, was Abu. The monkey's expression was pained. It appeared like he was in a long sleep.
"Abu!" Aladdin raced forward. He only had a moment of surprise when Arzin didn't stop him, but as he ran his hands over the crystal trapping his friend, his anguish turned to anger. Aladdin turned sharply to Arzin. "What did you do to him?"
"You're asking the wrong person. And it's a shame you ignore me, given we've known each other for much longer." The voice came from beyond where Arzin and Aladdin stood, approaching from Aladdin's right. The thief was still dressed in his thick robes, face and hands covered as before. The dim torches that illuminated the area did nothing to reveal anything about the magic thief, nothing beyond what Aladdin had seen before. Aladdin narrowed his eyes at the approaching fiend, but he was at a loss.
"You really don't know who I am, do you?" the magic thief taunted, silently daring Aladdin to guess his identity. "It's a shame that you don't recognize the history that we have together. All three of us, that is."
"Three of us...you mean you know Abu too?"
"Correct. I didn't think you would be so quick on the upkeep, but here you are, putting the pieces together." The thief chuckled. "Here I thought that your happily married life would dull your senses. It's definitely made you more boring."
"You really know nothing about me to think that, thief," Aladdin snapped. "What did you do to my friend?"
"The monkey's fine, for now. I've put him under a spell long enough to be able to make the wager I've yet to propose to you. Arzin was - at first - an advocate for the animal, but he came to my way of thinking quickly. Apparently his hatred of you overshadowed him interfering with my plans, among other things."
Aladdin didn't like the sound of any of that. "Only because you're influencing it. Look, I don't know who you are, nor do I care. You need to let both Arzin and Abu go," Aladdin said, his fists balled at his sides.
The thief laughed, but it was without humor. "And what leverage do you have? As you can see, Arzin works with me by his own will. We both have Abu in our possession. As I recall, I asked Arzin to have you meet me." The thief's voice turned much more menacing, as if he were a monster. The coldness of his hissing tone sent a chill down Aladdin's spine. "Remember your place, street rat."
If he kept pressing his luck, Aladdin knew he thief could harm either Abu or Arzin. He steadied his breath, controlled his tone, but couldn't quite keep all of the bite of his fury away. "Then why did you invite me here?"
The thief walked up to stand beside Aladdin, placing his hands over the crystal enclosed over Abu. "You wish to have Abu back, I wager? Then how about a game between thieves? For old time's sake?"
Aladdin felt cold rush over him then, his body tense in every muscle he had. What did this guy know about a "thief game"? This wasn't a general term, the way the magic thief said it was very specific - emphasized. That hadn't been anything Aladdin had heard in a long time, not since his days in the Thieves Den in Agrabah. He had witnessed many, only participated in a few, but otherwise avoided them. Once a "thief's game" was evoked, you couldn't get out of it. Usually the bargaining chip was obvious. He didn't realize that the meeting Arzin had escorted him into was a wager. He'd walked right into it.
Who IS this guy? And how long have I known him if he's evoking this? Aladdin thought. He tried to place the origin of the voice as the figure talked, but whatever magic surrounded the thief did a good job of masking any hint he could give off. The voice was familiar to Aladdin's senses, but distorted. Probably distorted by magic. If Genie were here, he'd be able to tell more than me.
"Before you think anything else, boy, I should think you can recognize the obvious, given your former profession. This is a game between you, me, and Arzin. Not your friends, and certainly not your Genie. You know the rules, and what you stand to lose if you break the terms."
Aladdin felt dread at the pit of his stomach, but struggled to swallow against it. "Go on. Name your game."
"You will undertake a series of tasks for me. The first one I will give you two nights to complete, not counting this evening. You will obtain one of the healing scrolls written by Gloloria's old sorcerer Saztou. One is with the archivist Remi - ask for it. But I also want you to steal the other original from Ezele."
"W-wait a minute...you're asking me to give both of Saztou's scrolls to you? To get permission to get one and steal the other without them knowing?"
"Correct. Shouldn't be difficult given your history, you know. Stealing and keeping secrets, that is?"
Aladdin didn't like the reminder of his previous exploits or dishonesty at all. This guy knew way more than he was letting on, and it filled him with rage. "Let me make something very clear - I am not a thief anymore," Aladdin snapped. "And I wouldn't betray the town or the people who have taken me and my friends in. I wouldn't betray Remi or Ezele like that, either."
"Oh, but you very much will," the thief said, his tone calm, overly polite. "If you value your monkey's life as much as I know you do. Otherwise, you might as well say your goodbyes now."
Aladdin narrowed his eyes at the masked thief, his jaw clenched. The thief was antagonizing him, but Aladdin knew he had to keep his focus. "You're not going to tell me what other things I need to do? How long does this game go on?"
"One thing at a time, but I'm glad that you're being proactive, nonetheless," the thief said. His voice sounded like he was smiling. "This first test of your loyalty will determine how long the game goes on. Though there is a shortcut you can take to avoid the game entirely."
"I'm listening," Aladdin said carefully, realizing he might have an out of an otherwise tricky set of terms.
"Find out who I am. Return to this cave before the due time for each task, and speak my true name. You have a maximum of two guesses per task I give you. Guess wrong though, and you'll be punished." The magic thief's words twisted with a sick sense of glee on the last statement, making Aladdin flinch.
"What do you mean by 'punished'?" Aladdin said. A part of him wished he hadn't asked it as soon as the words left his mouth.
"Could be a major one, like me taking another of your friends captive. Or something more minor. Let me give you an example." The thief pointed beyond where Aladdin stood, and Aladdin looked over his shoulder to Arzin He saw Arzin hold up his open left palm, extended flat and turned upward in front of him, as if reaching his hand out for someone to grab it. As soon as he clenched it into a fist, a red glow surrounded his hand.
Aladdin felt his body start to feel like it was burning from the inside out. He fell to his knees, grunting in pain as he watched as his hands began to fade away into ash. Just like the nightmare.
"No, Arzin, stop!" Aladdin said through clenched teeth. It took everything in the prince to keep from screaming.
"Don't kill him, Arzin. Remember the agreement. Just a warning," the thief said.
Arzin unclenched his fist, the magic fading away quickly. Aladdin struggled to breathe as he knelt on the ground.
"I hope that was a decent example of what you'll experience if you're wrong. Arzin and I have abilities that could do the same to your monkey as well. Or any of your friends. So be mindful. It could be painful for you, even as a 'minor' punishment."
"You've made your point," Aladdin said, though he wasn't happy to admit it. It didn't seem that any part of the game was fair. He hadn't expected it to be. Games like that never are, he thought.
"Very well. Arzin, if you would escort Aladdin back to his friends? He'll have to figure out how to break the news of his task without breaking the agreement."
"With pleasure, Master," Arzin said. At first, Aladdin thought Arzin would follow him out the cave, but Arzin clenched his fist again - this time palm faced downward. It caused yet another light to surround Aladdin in the moment. Aladdin felt himself being lifted from the ground, hovering in the air.
"Arzin, what are you doing?!" Aladdin snapped.
"Being your escort of course. Master told me to be courteous bringing you in, but never said anything about sending you on your way. I will be monitoring your progress for each task in the game. Better not think about cutting corners or involving your Genie. I will know if you do." A wicked grin crossed Arzin's face then, further distorting his features from the man he'd once been, now more monster. "Get going, boy."
Before Aladdin could argue, Arzin threw his fist out like a punch in mid-air, sending the prince spiraling through the air, back down the path which they'd traveled. In certain turns of the cave, Aladdin collided hard against the rocky walls several times along the path, enough to rattle him down to his teeth. Pain shot through his back and arms with each hit. The collisions didn't appear to physically harm him apart from faint bruises blossoming beneath his skin. Somehow it made Aladdin think the magic was protecting him from getting much worse injuries.
At the end of the path, just before he would have collided with the last wall, something caught him. The hidden pathway before him closed quickly, just as Aladdin realized two familiar hands grabbed him in mid-air as the magic faded away.
"Al, you okay? Talk to me."
"Genie?" Aladdin winced as he managed to speak. Genie lowered them to the ground, and Aladdin realized they weren't alone. Jasmine, Carpet, Iago and Miza were all with them. Genie set Aladdin down on Carpet, who waited as Aladdin got his bearings. The prince winced, still sore.
"Man, looks like the thief did a number on you," Iago said, skeptically. "Seems to me like you did more than just talkin'."
"The thief didn't do this. Arzin, he..." Aladdin stopped as he not only realized he'd linked Arzin to harming him, but knowing what that would mean to Miza. But Miza's expression revealed to Aladdin that she already knew what he was going to say. There wasn't any mistaking her sadness, but she seemed to take it much better than he thought.
"Uncle Arzin's working with the monster, since he's a monster now too, right?" she asked. "Sorry, Prince Aladdin. Miza told him not to hurt you or Abu."
Aladdin shook his head. "To me, Arzin's just as much of a prisoner as Abu. And this isn't your fault - he's not listening because the thief's controlling him somehow." He updated the group with as much information as he could. He omitted the hidden details of the challenge, like the thief and Arzin had warned him on. At the very least, they needed to know that Aladdin needed Remi's scroll.
"Great! Blackmail in order to get the monkey back!" Iago said, pacing around on Carpet's surface as Aladdin finished. "Should've known there was a catch."
"I don't understand," Jasmine said. "Why would the thief want you to give him back the scroll from Remi's archive if he took it in the first place?"
"Maybe he missed something the first time through. That's the only reason I can think of," Aladdin mused. "In any case, without that scroll, he's not letting Abu or Arzin go."
Genie nodded with understanding, though his own expression was serious. "Kid, I know you said you wanted to do this without my help, but...you know I'm going to be on standby if you need me, right?"
When Aladdin didn't say anything, Genie's frown deepened. He didn't meet Genie's gaze at all, his eyes tracing the patterns of Carpet's surface.
Jasmine realized there wasn't a point in pressing the matter further. "Let's get back to Gloloria, everyone. It's late enough already. I think we've done everything we can do here, for now at least."