Chapter 26: Cursed If You Do...
Genie ran his hands over his face after learning everything that had happened in Gloloria while he was away and searching for the Deathseeker. It made him feel even more ill at ease because he'd returned empty handed - no clues, no leads. If the Deathseeker was still around, it wasn't anywhere to be found near the beaches or beneath the waves. Which made him wonder - if it had returned, what did it look like now?
Discovering Abu's capture and the fact that he and Aladdin were still sick with the Deathseeker's illness was even worse news. Aladdin was quick to protest as they rode on Carpet towards the desert.
"Genie, seriously, I'm fine. Nothing's changed with me that I can tell," Aladdin said, frowning. "I'm more worried about Abu."
Genie frowned, his expression skeptical as he used his magic to make a pair of thickly rimmed glasses appear on the bridge of his nose while he reviewed a scroll of unknown origin in one hand. "Yeah, you haven't had any reaction yet. And for previous reference, you were fine up until the point we were almost to town last night and you fell from from Carpet. That could have ended very badly."
Aladdin shook his head. "That was before Ezele gave me the medicine; at least it's helped despite not being the right kind. If we find and defeat the Deathseeker before nightfall, the sickness becomes obsolete. And if we find Aziz, I'm certain we'll find the Deathseeker. There's no telling what they're planning. If we had waited for Ezele to finish the new treatment, Abu would still be in danger to who knows what. At least Ezele's working on it, just in case our plan backfires. We'll deal with that if it happens."
Genie winced as he returned to his normal form. "Sorry kiddo. Might sound like I'm being overprotective, but I really am worried about you two."
"Don't worry. Protecting us, I get, but we need every hand we have to stop this. I want to be a part of that. Not just for me and Abu either, but for everyone in Gloloria." Aladdin's expression turned more serious as he gripped the edge of Carpet as they sped through the clouds. "I don't want either Aziz or the Deathseeker to take our futures - our destinies - away from us."
"Easier said than done," Iago said pointedly. "But if I had the choice, the Hero party could have had one less with a willing substitute."
Genie frowned. "What do you mean by that, Iago?"
Aladdin and Jasmine looked about as confused as Genie did as the bird spoke. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm particularly allergic to epic battles with former sky gods, demon magic blowers and battles that result in either eternal nightmares or certain doom. This guy over here," Iago pointed a wing at Aladdin, "has not only fought said super evil-incarnates before and survived multiple nightmares that could have killed him, but he also WANTS to go. Fair trade."
Aladdin gave Iago a side eye glance, but he couldn't hide his smile. "Thanks, Iago."
Genie rolled his eyes, but grinned widely as his attention turned to the bird. "Sorry, my fine-feathered friend. There's always room at the Heroes Table. No substitutions allowed."
Iago frowned, but shrugged as he shared a look with Aladdin. "Don't wanna cross a semi-phenomenal nearly cosmic powered authority on this one. He always finds some way to bring me in the one time I wanna be left out."
"I don't think this is the only time you've wanted to be left out in any adventure we've been on," Jasmine candidly pointed out.
Aladdin had been about to join in on teasing Iago, but his attention turned ahead when something caught his eye. "Looks like we're here already. And of course it looks worse in the daylight." He winced at seeing the wreckage. It looked worse for wear with the sun shining fully among the rocks and scattered debris. But that wasn't the only thing noteworthy.
"For those of us that are of the non-flying variety, please don't get too close," Genie warned as they landed in the area. Carpet was quick to take a stretch break after everyone had stepped off. "The crater over this way is VERY deep! It won't take you to the center of the Earth, but a fall here would definitely leave a permanent mark. Of the painful variety." He transformed into a hard hat construction worker before putting a line of yellow tape in a square around the crater.
Jasmine's mouth dropped open at the sight of it. "The sands around that crater are pitch black. You weren't kidding about the explosion."
Aladdin folded his arms across his chest as he looked in the same direction as Jasmine. "Yeah, about that. It might have been worse than this if Genie hadn't cleaned up a bit. We couldn't see under the full moon how bad it was, but it definitely made an impact."
Genie made multiple versions of himself appear around Aladdin, laughing with gusto and pointing at the prince while holding their bellies. "Crater, Impact, that's hilarious! Punny and funny! Maybe a few millenia past its prime, but still effective!"
"It's not that funny!" Iago shouted, causing Genie to merge all of his "selves" back to one being.
"Well, a little bit of levity in this kind of situation never hurt anyone, even if I didn't get the punchline," Aladdin said. "Anyway, doesn't look like there are many clues around here. No obvious sign of Aziz or the Deathseeker. Nor Abu." Aladdin's voice wavered a little on the mention of the monkey. Maybe the others couldn't tell, but Genie could.
"Should we search some of these nearby caves?" Jasmine asked. "Guess it might take us a while to know where to start."
"It's weird," Aladdin said as he turned towards the caves in the distance. "I really thought coming here would give us some sort of obvious clue." But as soon as he'd said the words, Genie noticed Aladdin's eyes went wide. As if he recognized something he did not like the sight of.
Jasmine noticed his reaction too. "Aladdin, what is it?"
"This place. It said it would 'summon' me here, but I didn't think that's what it meant." He looked over his shoulder at each of his friends, scowling. "I dreamt about being here. It was one of the nightmares I had before Abu disappeared the first time. Back when Aziz captured him."
"Okay, definitely don't think that's a coincidence," Iago pointed out.
"Neither do I," Aladdin said, his tone hardened. "Aziz might've crafted the nightmare I had before, but it looks like the Deathseeker's signing on to the same vision too. If I'm right, those two aren't being subtle about messing with us."
Genie wasn't happy about the Deathseeker and Aziz coordinating to hurt them either, no matter how small or big in detail. "No kidding. But remind us of what that nightmare was again, because I don't think you told us."
Aladdin's shoulders relaxed. "That's right, didn't get a chance to tell you guys because of the game. No time to retell the whole thing, but the cave from that same dream should be up ahead. Four branching pathways to choose from. And if I'm right, Abu should be down one of those paths. We have to listen for him."
Genie grinned. "That doesn't seem so bad. Let's check it out!" But Genie's eager attitude was tempered a little by the worried look on Aladdin's face as he turned to walk ahead of them. He knew Aladdin was holding back on something, but he wasn't sure what to make of the prince's hesitation.
When they arrived in the cave Aladdin had pointed out, Jasmine looked around the area, stunned. "None of us have been here before, but It's just like Aladdin said. Four pathways. Hard to know which way to go."
"Yeah, it's way too quiet in here," Iago pointed out as he perched on Jasmine's shoulder. "Sure we didn't take a wrong turn somewhere?"
"Nope," Aladdin said as his attention shifted elsewhere. "Pretty sure we came the right way. Take that back, I would say I'm definitely sure."
"You ever thought we might be walkin' straight into a trap here?" Iago asked.
"That's what I'm trying to avoid," Aladdin said. "Abu wasn't exactly on our team last we checked."
Genie's heart pinched a little at the hurt in Aladdin's voice. "We'll get him back, kid. Just gotta...oh, hey!" Genie's right ear grew to the size of his head, turned slightly in the direction he'd heard the sound. "I hear a monkey."
Jasmine smiled. "Which way, Genie?"
"Far left pathway, can't miss it. It's definitely a way down, but no mistaking that's Abu."
Aladdin found his smile then. "Glad I'm with you guys. Guess there was at least one thing that came out of it that was useful." Aladdin paused a moment, clearly recalling the dream. " 'Remember to keep the voices of your friends close...' " Aladdin stopped abruptly, wincing before shaking his head. "The rest of it wasn't important."
"I thought you said this was a nightmare!" Iago said pointedly. "Sounds to me like it was more a pep talk. Then again, guess I could see why it would be a nightmare. Toxic positivity is a thing."
Jasmine folded her arms across her chest. "Somehow I think there may be a little more to it than that." Genie could tell that she was deliberately calling out her husband for not saying what else was on his mind.
Aladdin groaned. "Maybe later. Right now, at least we know where we're going. But we need to be careful that we don't give ourselves away."
Carpet seemed to not know what to do, whether to offer them a ride or do his own thing. When Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmine moved forward on their own, he decided to fly ahead of them to get away from any other awkward conversations that might arise. But Genie could tell that Jasmine wasn't trying to push a fight over whatever Aladdin wasn't saying, just note the change in conversation. She shared an apologetic glance over her shoulder to both Genie and Aladdin, before walking ahead of them.
Genie slowed his speed to allow Aladdin to catch up with him, while Jasmine, Iago and Carpet were ahead of them. He transformed into a small dragonfly, which hovered near Aladdin's shoulder as he spoke. "So is there anything that we need to know at this point for what to expect ahead? Not that I'm trying to pry into your nightmares."
Aladdin shook his head, his voice quiet. "We're already farther along than that particular nightmare was. In it, Abu and I were killed by some weird magic. And I felt every moment of it. His death and mine."
Genie felt his whole tiny insect body twitch with nerves. "Whoa, no wonder you're on edge. How about a nice vacation and fruity sunrise drink once we get the monkey back and destroy evil incarnates? Maybe spending a little more time with the wife too?"
Aladdin's hair fell over his eyes so that Genie couldn't see his expression, but the prince's voice sounded sad. "Feel horrible that not only Aziz took all of us through this, but we have the Deathseeker - in whatever form it's in - to deal with. We don't deserve this. Neither does everyone in Gloloria."
"Don't beat yourself up about it. Take it one step at a time and we'll get through this."
"Thanks Genie. Kinda needed to hear that. Well, I know it, but its nice to have the reminder." Aladdin turned to look at Genie then as the semi-phenomenal being returned to his usual form, the prince's expression more solemn.
But as Genie began to say something else, he quickly realized the presence of something in the passage along with them. He wasn't sure how he missed it before, because the magic it was giving off behind them was pretty hostile. It probably had to be activated by someone. Someone who had been following them a while. Possibly a non-magic being wielding a magic weapon.
"Kid, get ahead of me and let Jasmine and Iago know to board Carpet with you. Something big and magic is behind us," Genie said in a low voice.
Aladdin's brow narrowed as he kept his voice low. "How far away?"
"Too close for my comfort, that's for sure. Go."
Genie didn't have to tell Aladdin twice, nor did he have to tell the prince to be subtle about it. Aladdin had only gotten a few steps ahead of him when the bad thing happened.
Well, series of bad things.
The being that followed used magic to aim a blast at them. Genie realized almost too late that their "magic wielding stalker" had been aiming for Aladdin intentionally.
"AL!" Genie managed to push Aladdin out of the way of the blast, but Aladdin hit the wall hard enough for his jaw to clench. At the same time, Genie yelped as the magic blast hit him and...began pulling him back?
"Genie! Aladdin!" Jasmine cried as she realized how much trouble they were all in. But something stopped her cold in her tracks. Even Carpet, who turned around ready to act, froze in place as they looked beyond and behind Genie.
"What the...why?!" Iago shouted. The parrot's reaction didn't make sense to Genie at first, because Iago usually got annoyed or scared in moments of peril, not horrified and pained. Aladdin hadn't recovered from being pushed into the wall yet, which made Genie feel guilty he'd used too much force to help his friend. So the prince hadn't yet noticed who attacked them the way the others did.
It felt like Genie was being reeled in like a fish but he couldn't turn his head to look back at his abductor. He tried to fight against the magic, but it pulled him in more the harder he tried to resist. It wasn't until he was inside that he realized the container was a seal, something to keep him escaping. Something to feed off his magic in order to give it more power..
But the biggest surprise was who happened to hold the magic spherical prison Genie was held within. And he made his presence very known with a snicker and screeching sneer. "Hello."
Genie would never forget the look of betrayed horror in Aladdin's expression in that moment. The prince's voice sounded much in the same emotion. "Abu, what are you doing?! Let him go!"
Abu only continued to snicker, dark and sinister, as Genie looked up and saw the monkey shake his head. "Nope, nope, nope. Trap!"
From where Abu stood, Genie saw him push a hidden panel in the nearby cave wall, clearly knowing the area better than any of them did. None of them saw the cage drop from the hidden passage in the low ceiling until it was too late. Jasmine just barely managed to clear it, diving to the ground close to where Aladdin was. Iago and Carpet weren't so lucky.
"Hey! Get us out of here!" Iago cried. He'd leapt from Jasmine shoulder as the cage came down, hoping to dive in the other direction but he just barely missed getting out. Carpet tried to use his thin frame to fly through the bars of the cage to escape, but quickly was zapped and thrust backward. The cage, of course, was magic proofed.
Which left Aladdin, Jasmine, and Abu in a tense stand-off.
Genie wondered if parts of Aladdin's nightmare had been anything close to this reality. Because from the way he was seeing things, he wasn't sure what route it would take to get worse.
"This is most definitely entertaining, more entertaining than I would have ever guessed in my all too long quest for revenge against that street rat. Former or not." Aziz said, a wide grin crossing his face as he watched from the viewing crystal in his new lair. The Deathseeker had predicted, correctly, that Aladdin would find his way to their abode, based on a former nightmarish illusion that Aziz had conjured. But the Deathseeker clearly had other ideas, those that paid off rather well.
It is fortunate that everything went to plan. At least in terms of what I have contributed.
Aziz winced. He knew that the former sky god was taunting him for his failure to capture the key from Aladdin. But surprisingly, the Deathseeker wasn't so much angry as looking to other things, more focused on the plan of luring Aladdin and his friends to their current location. Aziz figured he would move on to other topics aside from his obvious failure.
"O noble one, does this mean that Aladdin can be subjected to the full might of the curse? Shall we begin that process?"
No, the influence I have over him is still too little. But it seems the monkey has done better than expected. I can feel the toll this is taking on him.
Him meaning Aladdin, Aziz knew. Knowing his sworn enemy was hurting from the turn of events and betrayal thrilled the demon. "Excellent. Now what can I do to..."
The Deathseeker was quick to silence him as he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head, halting his question. Aziz loathed how it could manipulate the mood in a room. Aziz was only permitted to use its magic because it willed him to. He knew this very well.
You will do nothing but watch. It is for the best, as I believe what you will see will quench your thirst for revenge. When it is closer to the time, then you may act. But not now. Patience here is best.
"Yes, my liege." Aziz was just able to make his voice sound convincing, partially because he was excited to see what would happen next. But the other part of him still wanted to have fun with tormenting the street rat. Very well, he would wait his turn. But he longed that opportunity would come sooner than later.
Aladdin managed to stand, though there were moments in doing so where he thought his legs would give from under him. His body felt so tired, his mind a haze of jumbled thoughts at the scene around him. But he had to focus. They were all in trouble and if there were any time Aladdin needed to step up to the challenge, it was now.
"Jasmine, you okay?" Aladdin asked, looking over his shoulder as he stood protectively in front of her, putting himself between her and Abu.
"Close call," she said, catching her breath. She stood close to Aladdin's back , looking in horror at all of their captured friends. "Abu, what have you done?"
The monkey only responded with a series of sneering cackles, each one feeling like a punch to Aladdin's gut. He swallowed against the lump in his throat as he spoke to the princess in a low voice. "He's going to react that way the more you try to scold him. He's not the monkey we know right now. The Deathseeker and Aziz are likely controlling him."
"What do we do?" she whispered.
"I'll try talking with him. Find out what he really wants." Aladdin turned his attention to Abu, doing his best to keep his cool despite the situation. Genie was inside the magic containment sphere that Abu held in his paws. Aladdin saw him shrug and knew that Genie really couldn't do anything in the moment, not as long as he was in the sphere. "Abu, looks like you're the one obviously in charge here. What do you want from us?"
Abu's expression didn't change as he glared at Aladdin. His voice was an eerie screech, far removed from the usual monkey they knew. "Aladdin gone."
The prince recoiled a little, not expecting the monkey's directness. At least he's to the point. "Besides wanting me gone, what else do you want?"
The monkey began screeching a number of different things quickly that Jasmine clearly didn't understand, based on her follow-up to Aladdin. "I didn't catch any of that."
He couldn't look at her directly, but Aladdin addressed Jasmine over his shoulder. "You weren't meant to. Abu was just going on a villain-like tirade that sounds a lot like something Aziz would say. Stuff about having magic power at his hands now and making sure we know that he's not going to take being on the sidelines anymore."
"Guessing that's what he's being told to say."
"Definitely sounds like it," Aladdin said. "There's no reasoning with him. Jasmine, I need you to be on standby."
It was Jasmine's turn to flinch. "Aladdin, whatever you're going to do..."
"It's okay," he said quickly to stop and assure her while keeping his voice in a low whisper. "Please, I need you to trust me. Just stay close while I give the signal."
Jasmine was about to ask him what signal, but Aladdin figured it would be obvious the moment he acted. Without another word, he ran, slid, and used his hands to flip Abu in mid air. The monkey was so startled that he struggled to keep hold of the orb holding Genie. The moment the monkey lost his grip on it, it gave Aladdin the advantage he needed. He used his hand to swat it in Jasmine's direction across the sandy floor. "Jasmine, catch it!"
When Abu recovered after landing on the sandy ground, he tried to race towards Jasmine to retrieve the magic orb, but Aladdin grabbed him. The two fought fast and hard as Aladdin lay on the ground, trying to get to a point where he could hold Abu in a way that wouldn't hurt either of them. To Aladdin's credit, he wasn't fighting with the monkey. The monkey was fighting him. Judging from the monkey's attacks, Aladdin knew that Abu was really trying to hurt him.
"Hate to say it, Al, but the monkey's got the advantage!" Iago shouted. "Placing my bets he's gonna leave some permanent scars once you guys are done."
"Stop encouraging him, Iago!" Aladdin shouted, though he struggled to keep his attention on Abu. " Abu, I'm not trying to hurt you! Please stop!"
"Aladdin, hang on!" Jasmine cried. "Still trying to find a way to free Genie."
"Try a harder surface to break the orb against." Aladdin said.
Aladdin didn't realize that Jasmine was preparing to throw the orb against the cage that held Iago and Carpet until Genie shouted the warning. "Jas, I don't think that's a good idea! Breaking one magic thing against another might be reactive...WHOA!"
Aladdin heard the crash, but a blinding flash of light and the area rumbling startled them all. Aladdin dropped Abu, but the monkey couldn't recover to attack the prince. The area around them shook so violently that it was hard for Aladdin to get to his feet.
That's when he realized the ground beneath him and Abu was crumbling. Aladdin and Abu screamed as they were plunged quickly into darkness, the area caving in beneath and around them.
It took Genie a moment to get his bearings after being broken free from his magic prison. The blast was so loud that even as a semi-phenomenal being, he felt the effects in his eardrums and rattling his brain. "At least I'm free, but forgive me if I'm a little dizzy." His voice sounded like he had woken up from a long nap.
"That could've gone much more smoothly, but at least the Princess freed us all," Iago said, flying free of what remained of the cage. The door was long gone, and the whole top of the cage had blown off in the magic blast. Carpet appeared dazed as he flew out, shaking himself off from being covered in dirt and sand.
Genie heard Jasmine groaning a distance away as she lay on the ground, surrounded by bits of rock and debris that had fallen during the explosion. He rushed to her side quickly as she sat up, holding the side of her head. "Princess?"
"I'm okay, Genie. Think I just passed out during the blast. Wasn't expecting it to be that powerful. I'm so sorry."
"Hey, wish I could have warned you a little sooner before you let the orb fly into the cage. You had the right idea, at least."
Jasmine looked around, frantic. "The others?"
Genie felt her same sense of panic as he looked around. Iago and Carpet were fine, but the path behind them all was completely blocked off by fallen stones. The only one of them that could slip through the cracks in the stones safely was Genie. "Let me get you guys to a safer place and then go check on them."
Genie was good on his word, as he told Jasmine and Iago to stay aboard Carpet in a safe, stable nook in the pathway while he went to see how Aladdin and Abu fared in the aftermath of the blast. He wasn't prepared for the level of damage on the other side.
The path where Aladdin and Abu had once been had completely collapsed. Not only that, it looked like two levels of devastation where slabs of rock and stone and debris had fallen in. "Aladdin! Abu!" Genie called out, but he couldn't hear anything more than the sound of shifting sands spilling down between the cracked areas leading in the descent below.
The cave was deceptive like that. Genie thought it was a small nook that they would easily be able to traverse like the other lair Aziz had once frequented. But this? This went deep. Much, much more deep.
Oh no. No, no, no. Tell me you guys are okay, Genie thought. He spared no moment making the descent downward, hoping his friends were safe. Because if the fall wasn't bad enough, the dark powerful presence that he felt wafting up from wherever they'd fallen made it clear that they were in a world of trouble.