Chapter 25: Death Lure

At the very least, Aziz realized he had his freedom. For now. But as with all deals made in the spur of a moment's notice, it came with a cost.

He was locked in a tentative game deal with a former sky god. Formerly deceased but reborn by strong belief. Such is the nature of some gods, even former ones stripped of their glory. It had been a wild accident. Aziz's true desire had been to BECOME the next Deathseeker. That would have been his wish if Aladdin, Abu and the others hadn't pulled that fake treasure box trick.

None of them had expected that the power contained in the real box was a summoning spell cloaked in dark mist magic. Meaning, as it had been destroyed, some of it had slipped out and been attracted to Aziz's dark and desperate desire for revenge.

The Deathseeker's essence was presently contained in a single magic stone that Aziz had managed to salvage from the wreckage of his former lair. The Deathseeker had agreed to keep Aziz from being pulled back into his containment star if the demon could find him a suitable body to inhabit. Once a physical body was found, the Deathseeker would be able to use it as a sacrifice to "return to its true form." Aziz had teased the idea of his sworn enemies in the nearby town being suitable candidates. He was well aware that Deathseeker had a deeply rooted hatred of Aladdin and his friends.

Aziz now had a comfortable command of power at his disposal, though he had to stealthily negotiate certain terms with the Deathseeker in order to use them. He created a secret lair in a nearby cave not far from the wreckage of the former one. The Deathseeker had agreed to "influence" Aladdin and Abu through their nightmares. Aladdin was putting up more of a fight than expected.

"I would be fine if either one of them were drawn in to our new lair," Aziz said as he paced around. Having the power of a former god was far better than rationing magic from a star. "Even if Abu falls under the influence, it may mean my monkey is gone, but it'll lead Aladdin and the others to my grasp. Then I can finally, FINALLY destroy all of them!"

He didn't dare say his other thoughts aloud, for fear the Deathseeker would overhear them. While he was glad that the former sky god was in on their shared agreement, he had other plans beyond the deal he made.

Aziz was not happy when the Deathseeker requested another task.

There is something else I wish to add to our agreement. Since I'm leaving you in charge of commanding my power to lure them here, I would like you to procure one other item for me. A powerful trinket that will grant me access to the secrets of Gloloria itself.

"Oh, do tell," Aziz said to the stone, his tone intrigued.

There may be a key possessed by one of the healers of the village that leads to a lair not far from here. That lair contains all of the history and secrets of Gloloria over generations, long before I descended from the skies. There may be other forbidden magic to be had in that lair, but the key is something like a master. It can lead to other keys that unlock secrets and treasures in that lair. Bring it to me, and I shall make sure you are amply rewarded.

"Is this the same lair they retrieved the treasure box?" Aziz asked.

Likely. I sensed its magic when my essence was called forth, somewhere beyond the cave. It's among one of the regular townsmembers.

Aziz realized he might know who possessed the key. In which case, that was one more piece of work he'd have to do. But maybe he could create a distraction.

You seem occupied, Aziz.

"Oh, don't mind me, Great One," Aziz said, lacing his tone with all the sweetness he could stomach. He didn't want to risk angering any god-like being, former or not. "I'm brainstorming a brilliant plan. Regardless of which of your potential Vessels ends up here, I'll be crafting a scheme to get the key with ease. It'll depend on which way it goes."

Very well. I leave it to you.

Aziz knew what he had to do, but it was all about timing. Perhaps he had one more chance to force Aladdin or Abu into another thief game after all.

Waking up in the early afternoon didn't give Aladdin too much time to start planning against the warning he'd had in his nightmare. Abu was still asleep, curled up on his pillow but clearly wrapped up in a nightmare of his own as he whimpered. The monkey's tiny legs kept kicking out in rhythm against some invisible force. He seemed to calm when Aladdin reached up his hand, stroking the fur on the monkey's back.

"You're still having nightmares too, huh?" Aladdin said, though he didn' t expect any answer since the monkey seemed too deep into the dream to respond.

Shortly after, Aladdin was startled by a knock on his door. He sat up quickly, his heart kicking up a little until he heard the familiar voice outside. "Aladdin?"

Aladdin stood, going to the door and opening it to see Jasmine standing with a small smile. "Sorry to wake you. I know it was a long night."

He shook his head, his shoulders tensed as he expected bad news. "No, no, I was up. Abu's still sleeping, though. What's going on?"

"Genie said he searched just about every corner of the beach surrounding Gloloria, including the cliffs. No sign of the Deathseeker so far. He checked in with me to say he would go out to the lighthouse and search there too."

"Glad we have someone semi-phenomenal on our side to search around. Still bothers me that we don't know any more about where the Deathseeker is." Aladdin relaxed a little, but his arms remained folded across his chest as he leaned in the doorway. Part of him wondered if the Deathseeker not being found yet was some trick or limitation of what happened the night before. Didn't stop it from threatening me, though.

"Did you want to meet at the diner to talk more about the dream you had? If you walked us through it, we might be able to pick up more hints about what's going on. Though," she paused, her brow deepening with worry. "I don't want to...I mean, it's not that any of us would want to make you relive..."

"I'll be fine, Princess," he said, trying to reassure her with a wink. "And I feel the same way. Going through it with a few second opinions might be good; I'm not under a thief game anymore. Would have to fill in Genie when he gets back, though."

Before Jasmine could respond, both of them were startled by a series of screeches from Abu. At this point, Aladdin could tell that the shift had gone from a few short whimpers to cries of pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Jasmine asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Dunno, he's been restless all morning. Guessing he's still having nightmares. Pretty bad from the sound of it," Aladdin turned, walking over to the bed and scooping Abu's body in his hands. "Abu? Come on, wake up. It's just a nightmare. It's not real."

It took a few tries, but Aladdin did manage to gently shake the monkey awake. It was clear to him that something was wrong the moment Abu opened his eyes. At first, Abu appeared dazed and disoriented, even frightened. But the fear turned to a sneer as soon as the monkey realized who was holding him. Aladdin's reflexes were normally quick, but he really had to pull back fast to keep Abu from sinking his teeth into his forearm.

"Whoa! What was that for?!" Aladdin drew back, releasing Abu quickly. Abu looked ready to attack Aladdin again when the prince reached out his hand towards him.

"Abu, that wasn't okay!" Jasmine snapped. "You could have seriously hurt him just now. That's no way to treat a friend."

"I don't think he can hear you," Aladdin said, his tone careful even as Abu hissed at the princess. He didn't make a move towards Abu from where the monkey had landed on the bed after Aladdin released him. Yet, he held out his hands as if offering a symbol of peace. "Abu? We're not trying to hurt you. It's just me and Jasmine."

Abu looked between them, still on edge and with a sneer in his expression. At one point it looked like Aladdin's words had gotten through, with the monkey blinking rapidly with surprise. But just as quickly, the monkey shook his head, his eyes filled with rage.

Aladdin almost thought that Abu was going to attack him again. But even as the prince lept up, he realized Abu was trying - too late - to flee the room. The monkey ran past where Jasmine stood, as the princess looked in stunned disbelief at the turn of events.

"That wasn't like him at all," the Princess managed.

"Iago had a similar reaction with me when he was under Aziz's influence with that dark magic key." Aladdin frowned. "Come on, let's catch up to him."

The prince and princess raced out of the inn, getting their bearings as they scanned the nearby area to see where the monkey went. Jasmine was the first to point out the direction Abu was headed, away from town and toward the archive deeper inland. Aladdin and Jasmine both kept about the same pace, closing the distance between themselves and the monkey. But as soon as Abu was aware of them following, he moved even faster through the shrubs.

"He's really picking up speed," Jasmine said between breaths.

"Abu's pretty fast when he wants to be. I don't know where he's headed, but maybe we can corner him. Draw him to me."

Jasmine nodded as Aladdin ran ahead, taking an alternate path while she took a close path to the one Abu followed. Aladdin made sure to keep Jasmine in his line of sight, while straying out of the path of where Abu could see him following. This worked for a while, and Abu was momentarily put off guard when he realized on the princess was following him and closing the distance. That gave Aladdin the advantage. They weren't too far from the archive, so he knew where they were. Abu almost whirled around to confront Jasmine, but Aladdin took the opportunity to approach the monkey from behind and grab him.

"Gotcha! You're not getting away this time," Aladdin said.

Abu screeched and twisted between Aladdin's hands, but try as the monkey might, he couldn't get free. He also couldn't bite Aladdin from the way that the prince held him. That was intentional. Good thing Jasmine was able to distract him, he thought. The way he's acting, he might try to gnaw my fingers off.

Jasmine was trying to talk to Abu, but the monkey wasn't listening. It took Aladdin all the nerve he could muster to shout to get through to his friend. He hoped that it would work for the monkey the same way it had for Iago. "Abu, come on! This isn't you, you know us! Snap out of it!"

At that, the monkey froze in place. A long silence passed between the three of them, the afternoon breeze the only sound around them alongside Aladdin's heavy breaths. Abu blinked a few times, as if coming from a long nap. He looked at the prince with recognition. "Aladdin?"

"Yeah. It's me. Jasmine too. If I let you go, you've gotta promise not to attack us again."

"I did?" Abu sounded so confused and guilt-ridden that Aladdin felt his heart lurch a little. Like he hadn't any memory of what had just happened. Like a living, distant nightmare.

Abu then began to cry, the realization of him doing something horrible but not remembering it sinking in.

"Oh Abu," Jasmine said as Aladdin shifted the monkey from his loosely gripped hands into an embrace. She joined in the embrace as they both tried to calm the monkey.

After a long moment, Aladdin found his words, but he spoke in a low voice so that only Jasmine could hear. "We can't keep going through having each of our friends turn against us like this. If it's the Deathseeker's doing, we've gotta find out where it is before it acts again. Genie shouldn't be the only one searching."

"Genie might be the only one of us who can fight directly against it if it's found. Better to be sure about it than run into a trap. Any ideas on where it might be?"

Jasmine had a good point. Aladdin thought about it a moment. "May not be in the obvious places. I suspected as much. I know Genie's searching where we knew before because of the form it took on last time. But it might help to go back to where the cave collapsed in the desert to search for a clue."

"Should we wait until Genie gets back?"

Aladdin shook his head. "We might not have that much time." His thoughts went back to the warning in his nightmare, not to mention Abu's sudden transformation. "Still, better to try to get something in the works. Let's head back to town."

Ezele knew something was wrong the moment the lanterns in his workroom dimmed, plunging the room into a darkness that felt unnatural and even obscuring the light coming into the clinic from the windows in the surrounding rooms. He had the feeling he wasn't alone as he worked on preparing more of the medicine for Aladdin and Abu. He knew that the two of them weren't out of range for falling under the illness associated from the Deathseeker; all the more reason his work was important for time.

However, he sensed that a dark presence was in the room with him.

"Who's there?"

"Oh, so you are as perceptive as advertised. Nice to know. I didn't notice you with Aladdin before, but it seems you're not as easily fooled for a human. Makes it more of a challenge. A welcome one."

Ezele felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach at the sound of the familiar voice. It can't be. He's back?! How?

Aziz appeared in the center of the room, a sneer crossing his twisted, gleeful expression. "Oh it does delight me that we can see each other again, Ezele. But you see, I'm here for only a brief visit."

Ezele gripped the edge of the worktable behind him with one hand, hoping to disguise what he was doing with the other under his cloak. "What do you want, demon?"

Aziz clapped his hands. "Ooh, right to the point, aren't we? Good. I'm looking for a certain key you possess. Same one you might have gotten in the trek to the lair you visited with a certain Prince of Agrabah?"

"Even if I had such a key, what would you use it for?"

"Don't play ignorant, Medic." Aziz had lost its playful mocking, going to a tone that Ezele admitted chilled the blood in his body. "The only thing you need to be concerned about is handing it over to me."

Ezele's hand found the thing it was looking for on the workbench behind him, a vial of a mist magic. Enough of a distraction for him to flee. "Oh certainly, I'm happy to hand you this." He threw the vial on the floor, which flooded the room quickly with a cloying mist. Aziz coughed and sputtered with fury at the simple trick.

The medic almost made it out of the room, before he realized that Aziz took a deep intake of breath, breathing in all of the dark mist and revealing his escape in a matter of a few moments. He wasn't expecting the sudden rush of magic that knocked him from his feet as Aziz breathed out, throwing him like a rag doll against the wall. Ezele groaned, as the back of his head had hit especially hard. He was overcome by a wave of dizziness and pain that made it hard to focus.

"Now, let's try that again, shall we?" Aziz teased. His eyes roamed over Ezele's body as the medic lay on the floor, finding the golden chain looped around the medic's neck. "Of course you'd have it. It was hidden under your cloak, as expected. Guess I'll have to get you to loosen your grip on it a bit." Aziz's hand glowed with the familiar magic Ezele was expecting - the spell Aziz had stolen from Gloloria's archive. Because he was prepared for it, Ezele began to chant what he knew of the defensive spell to counter the attack. Pain flooded through him, but he bared it as well as he could.

Aziz hadn't expected Ezele to defend himself. The monster's eyes were wide with surprise. "What spell are you using?"

"One you clearly didn't steal from our village," Ezele said through clenched teeth. "You learned all that you could about attack spells, but you apparently ignored every defensive and counter spell contained in the scrolls from Saztou."

Aziz clicked his tongue. "I hoped to use your own magic against you, but it seems I was wrong. Let's try a different approach. Something a little more...god-like."

It was Ezele's turn to be surprised as the spell shifted suddenly, more intense than before. His hand exploded with pain, as if the bones in his fingers and wrists were on the verge of breaking. He screamed, his defenses falling quickly against the spell Aziz wielded. He could tell it was terribly powerful magic. He could tell it was something beyond his capability to wield. But more than that, Ezele knew that somehow Aziz was wielding a power that could only come from something like the Deathseeker itself.

Just as quickly as the magic came, it left. While the spell hadn't actually broken Ezele's hand, he felt the pain linger far after the attack, slow to fade. Aziz casually snatched the gold chain containing the key from Ezele's neck. He didn't hesitate in putting it around his own.

"Thank you so kindly. I really don't think I have any more use for you, and I can't have you causing trouble for me or the new leader that I swear fealty to. You might remember it, considering it's ruled over Gloloria before."

Ezele's eyes widened as he realized who - what - Aziz referred to. He couldn't keep the anger from his voice. "No, it can't be. Your lies are cruel!"

Aziz laughed. "Oh, but if only I were lying. You may have cheated Death before, Ezele, but there isn't any future left for you. Perhaps, after all this time with cheating fate from the Deathseeker, it was your destiny to die after all, by another hand. The pleasure is all mine."

Ezele barely had any strength left from Aziz's last attack. He prepared himself for the worst, but was surprised when a figure rushed into the room, stopping Aziz's attack mid-gesture as the intruder knocked Aziz to the ground. The two in a tense struggle of limbs before they broke apart. The familiar figure recovered faster than Aziz, standing not far in front of Ezele to protect him.

Aziz was stunned. "How would you be here NOW, at all times?!"

"My luck and gut don't usually steer me wrong. Guess that answers the question I had about something being off," the familiar voice said, almost amused. "Thought you said you wouldn't show up in Gloloria after the game you made us play, Aziz. You're lucky that wager is over."

Ezele breathed a little easier. "Prince Aladdin, your timing was impeccable. How did you know Aziz was here?"

Aladdin looked briefly over his shoulder at where Ezele lay, but he didn't appear to want to look away from Aziz for too long. The medic could see the conflict in the prince's face, torn between checking on him and facing off against the current threat. "I didn't. Actually had my own reasons for stopping by. You okay, Ezele?"

"Managing," Ezele said with a wince.

Jasmine and Abu showed up in the room then, quickly reaching Ezele's side. Jasmine helped the medic sit up, enough to sit and lean against the wall behind him. "Ezele, what happened?" Jasmine asked.

"Too long of a tale. For the short of it, Aziz has something important of mine in his possession."

Aziz laughed. "Yes, as much as I wanted to create another game for Aladdin to play, Ezele made my task more difficult than expected. Not to mention you all showing up unannounced. Still, I don't mind making a few adjustments, as long as the end result is the same. Maybe I could have even made a trade, with the price being the life of a certain former street rat."

Aladdin didn't say anything as his hands balled into fists at his sides. Ezele could tell that Aladdin was seething, holding himself back in the moment. None of them could afford to be careless. If Ezele had to guess, Aladdin was being cautious because he didn't want Aziz to hurt anyone else, including the medic himself. Aziz had far more power than before. It wasn't hard to guess the source this time.

"My new master has other plans for the likes of you, Aladdin," Aziz said, pointing a sharp clawed finger at Aladdin's chest. Aladdin didn't flinch. " I look forward to seeing what it does. But I did want to make one more move before I leave. He'll have to come of his own free will, of course."

Aziz's tone had a strange, song like quality to it towards the end of his speech. Ezele realized, too late, that it was meant to be a spell. Before Ezele could shout a warning, Abu gave a sharp, shrill screech of pain before he fell back against the nearby wall where Ezele and Jasmine were.

"Abu!" Aladdin said, his anger faded into horror as the monkey slumped over. The prince's horror didn't fade when the monkey suddenly woke again with a start. Ezele didn't realize why until he heard the monkey began to laugh. Almost with a sneer that matched Aziz's tone.

"Not again," Jasmine said with a wince.

"Again?" Ezele had no sooner spoken the words than he saw the monkey join Aziz's side without a hint of hesitation, even climbing up to perch on Aziz's shoulder.

"Abu, don't do this," Aladdin said, his tone firm. "Aziz isn't your friend. He's got something planned, and it's not going to be something that benefits you. You know how he was, how he treated you when you were in the same band of thieves. He used you where he could. You knew that even longer than me."

"Oh, you are not a convincing narrator at all, bringing up the past," Aziz said with a casual wave of his hand. But Ezele noticed something flicker in the monkey's expression. Doubt? It appeared as if monkey was trying to think through something, but couldn't. The moment faded all too quickly as the monkey laughed bitterly.

"Come on, Abu. This isn't you. Please." Ezele could tell it took all of Aladdin's nerve not to beg the monkey outright. But Abu was too far gone.

A smoky portal opened up behind where Aziz stood. He only turned once to look at Aladdin before he stepped towards it. "Finder's Keepers, street rat."

"Losers bite!" Abu followed, as they both disappeared through the portal. Aladdin ran towards it, but too little too late to follow them as the portal closed.

"That two faced jackal." Aladdin quietly cursed. "Should've known he was still involved somehow. Really thought we banished him too."

"There may have been a possibility that the Deathseeker freed him. A deal, perhaps." Jasmine helped Ezele to his feet as the medic spoke. "You wouldn't have been able to tell what he would do, your highness. Though I regret to say that Aziz's trickery took from us both unwittingly."

To Ezele's and Jasmine's surprise, Aladdin shook his head as he looked between them. "Not exactly. Think this belongs to you actually." Aladdin walked over to them, unclenching one of his fists and placing a very familiar object in Ezele's uninjured hand. Aladdin hadn't been clenching his fists in anger, the medic realized. He'd been doing it to hide something. Something small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

"The key!" Ezele's eyes widened. "How did you...?"

"Snatched it off the chain when I first tackled Aziz. If he didn't notice, pretty sure you guys wouldn't have." Aladdin smiled a little, somewhat sheepishly. "Let's just say some habits die hard. Words from a former thief. The chain stood out in the struggle. Sorry that I couldn't snatch the whole thing, but at least it can be threaded through something else. Aziz will definitely be mad once he finds out, but hopefully it won't be for a little while."

Jasmine raised a brow at Aladdin. "You know, sometimes your old trade habits can come in handy for good. Kind of like a superpower."

"Yeah well, that superpower didn't come in handy when it came to helping Abu." Ezele started to protest, but stopped as the prince looked in alarm at his wrist. "Aziz broke your wrist?!"

Ezele lifted up his injured hand, flexed the wrist only a fraction before wincing. "No, but its definitely sprained. Nothing that a bit of treatment and rest won't help. I'm more worried about you and Abu both. The Deathseeker's influence seems to linger in you both."

Aladdin frowned. "We were coming to see you for Abu because of how he reacted earlier, but I feel fine? Tired maybe, but fine. I don't think I'm in as much trouble as he is. Guess it's good that we didn't bring Carpet or Iago with us for the trouble we ran into, but then again..."

Ezele listened as Jasmine explained what happened earlier in their encounter with Abu. It was about what the medic had suspected. But he wondered why the treatment hadn't had much staying power for the monkey. Until he thought about it more carefully and the realization hit him.

"Suppose I can take the words out of your Genie's mouth for this situation - I blew it."

Aladdin frowned, his brow furrowed. "Why would you say that? You didn't do anything wrong."

"The difference between the way you and Abu were influenced by the Deathseeker's magic sickness remains in the way you developed it. I made the potions specifically to combat the way it invades the body through the skin, consistent with physical wounds. But you and Abu inhaled the smoke, which means to treat it, you'll have to inhale the magic cure. I should have thought about it sooner."

"Then are Aladdin and Abu still sick?" Jasmine asked.

"Unfortunately, Princess, yes. Perhaps not as they could have been if they'd had no treatment at all. With Abu, the answer's obvious. He's become a Vessel, not under just the Deathseeker but also Aziz. With his highness, it seems he's fortunate, for now. Although..."

Ezele found his mind racing. He remembered treating so many of Gloloria's usual townspeople when they fell under the Deathseeker's sickness before Aladdin and his friends had destroyed it. Some had been influenced to act in ways that were more aggressive and cruel, such as his brother Arzin. But others, like his wife Yirya, had been in a prolonged sleep where it was hard to tell if they knew their dreams and nightmares from reality. He'd been in the same type of sleep once, when the Deathseeker had nearly killed him. The medic didn't want Aladdin to fall to the same fate, or even worse.

Jasmine and Aladdin shared between them an equally worried look. "What aren't you telling me?" Aladdin asked.

"It may be nothing, but it wouldn't hurt to check." Ezele noticed that the lanterns in the room had returned to their normal intensity after Aziz had left. He motioned for Aladdin to approach him. "Look directly into the light of this lantern. It may be able to tell me what the progression of your sickness is."

"Wasn't aware that you could track that kind of thing," Aladdin said, wincing.

"With magic, there are always tells." He motioned for Aladdin to look towards the flame. The prince did so, but it was clear that he was nervous. Reflected in Aladdin's irises was the hint of moon gold Ezele was looking for. And much to his horror, it was actually worse than he expected. The tell was much like the stages of the moon - quarters, half, and full. Aladdin was at half a full moon shape just in one corner of his iris.

"As I thought. I don't have very much time to make the medicine needed to treat you before..." Ezele trailed off.

"Before what?" Aladdin asked. "What did you see?"

Ezele explained his observations, then went further. "You and Abu have the same sickness, but different reactions. Abu's reaction was much like my brother Arzin's - mind control, waking nightmares, lost memories, heightened emotions that spiral out of control. Yours is like my wife's when she was first attacked by the Deathseeker."

"Wait...do you mean Aladdin might fall into that horrible sleep that Yirya had been in?"

"Yes. My brother and daughter could tell you what that was like, moreso than me since I was the Deathseeker's captive. Yirya doesn't remember much other than it was like a trance, a long sleep. She certainly didn't realize it was for years that she was in that state, and her case was fortunate. It's not that I fear Aladdin will become a Vessel. Instead, it will be like he's in an eternal sleep until the point he isn't."

"Until I'm not. I don't know what that means," Aladdin said honestly.

"Let me speak plainly then, your highness," Ezele said, his tone wavering. "If you succumb to the sickness within you and the medicine isn't made in time or doesn't take, you're a waiting target. The Deathseeker will have the ability to draw you deeper into its nightmares. Make you relive every single Death it has projected for you and more - visually, emotionally, physically. It becomes your reality. Not much different than the warnings and nightmares you've had from it before you've been through before. You forget yourself and the world around you. Jarring, I'm sure. Imagine this time, however, that there isn't a way to wake up. If you die in your nightmares under its influence, you will never wake again."

Aladdin closed his eyes with his head bowed, and the medic realized that Aladdin had some grim idea of it after all. Ezele hated breaking the news so bluntly. Jasmine only held Aladdin around his waist in response, hugging him at his back. But to the medic's surprise, Aladdin seemed more determined instead of deterred when their gazes met again. "In that case, I've got a former sky god to find and destroy, an old enemy to send right back to the stars, and a monkey to save. And I don't have a lot of time to do it."