Chapter 14: To Summon or Destroy?

Aladdin had some trouble initially going through the passage; it was a little taxing with small traps in tow that he had to watch for. The traps themselves were really nothing special compared to going through the Cave of Wonders. Dealing with the headaches, however, meant dealing with how they affected him - dizziness, lack of coordination, even simply to string multiple thoughts together in his mind. Things that, to Aladdin's own admission, were a little more complicated.

And seeing the bony remains of non-magic humans like him that had tried before in this passage didn't make him feel any better about it. Nefir had been telling the truth about that.

The further he went, the more Nefir's spell took its toll. His head swam with another wave of pain that hit his senses.

"Seriously, this is not okay," Aladdin managed to lean against a nearby wall as he surveyed his surroundings. He couldn't look directly at the light of the torches in the room because the brightness hurt to look at. "Nefir really didn't have to put me under this spell to make me get the stone. He was only using that as an excuse to test one of the spells against me. Probably."

Aladdin then wondered what other horrible spells that the tome had, not just for the way it'd affected his non-human friends, but humans too. If the imps had a handle on the ancient language, Nefir and his companions could wreck all kind of havoc on both Agrabah and Getzistan. The summoning stone itself could make that possibility even worse.

"First I need to get the stone and a few of the flowers, then worry about anything that might come after I leave." As Aladdin managed to stay firm on his feet, he knew he had to get a handle on controlling the worst of the headaches, if he could. Not that he was in any immediate danger if he did. Though it was weird he hadn't run into any kinds of foes or creatures that might not want him traversing the passage he walked. Then again, if he was dealing with a summoning spirit alongside the sporadic traps of the path, that might be all the danger this place had to offer. That sounded like enough.

It was at that moment that Aladdin felt like he was being watched by someone.

Or something. The cold sensation that ran through him might as well been as real as a bucket of ice water dumped down the back of his vest.

"Hello?" Aladdin's voice was the only one that echoed through the passage. The knot that was in his stomach felt tighter than before, a feeling that took attention away from his headache, but not by much.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but the voice that responded stunned him to silence.

I await your arrival, Aladdin.

It wasn't a voice that Aladdin recognized, but the commanding tone gave him a good guess as to who it was. "So much for showing up unannounced," he muttered. He also reasoned, from the tone, that this was not a spirit who liked to wait around. If the spirit knew his name, then it was likely they knew what Aladdin was there for.

It didn't take Aladdin long to find the room he was looking for - the one that contained the spirit. At first, Aladdin entered a room which was lit dimly by torches and covered with a vast array of beautiful flowers. He had to admit the flowers were just as beautiful as any that grew in Agrabah's gardens.

"I always find it interesting to see who stops and admires the flowers in my room before meeting them. You can tell something about the hearts of ones that do compared to the ones who don't. Especially when it's the first thing they look at before the stone."

Aladdin recoiled on instinct at the very loud, very authoritative voice that echoed through the room. But the disembodied voice floated about the room, not centered in one place. Aladdin's eyes found the stone eventually - he hadn't seen it immediately. Maybe he would've if his head didn't hurt so much.

The summoning stone was nestled in an impressive display of gemstones and designs upon a table that was also lined with flowers for decoration. One seat was positioned behind the table, but it sat empty.

"In case you are wondering, yes - I am seated in the chair behind this table and near the stone. Those who cannot wield magic cannot see me. If you try to grab the stone and run, I will kill you. Without hesitation. There would be nothing left of your body to indicate you were ever here."

Aladdin swallowed against the lump in his throat as he stood to attention. Whomever this spirit was, they weren't kidding around. "Wasn't planning on it."

"Good, at least we are clear on that first order of business. On the second, before you inquire, I am Sufyan, the keeper of this particular summoning stone. There are many spirits who hold similar duties as myself. But comparisons are fickle things that humans do - not beings such as myself who know their worth and uniqueness. One thing that you will realize quickly in our interactions, human, is that I ask the questions. You will provide answers. There is no platform for you to do the same in reverse. I am no Genie to do your bidding, nor a mere servant to your will. You encroached upon MY domain without permission."

Aladdin was so taken aback by the boldness of Sufyan's words, that his headache was - briefly - forgotten. Man, I thought Nefir was exaggerating when he said this spirit was touchy, but that turned out to be true too, he thought.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?"

Sufyan's statement felt like such a direct reading of Aladdin's mind that he flinched. He remembered that the spirit didn't like dishonesty or deception, so he was at least thankful that his answer was mostly true. "No, not at the moment."

A hint of amusement crept into Sufyan's tone. "Good. Perhaps we can begin our respective meeting. I would ask you to sit, but I have no chairs for you. Ours shouldn't be a long encounter. Your presence collectively intrigues me, Prince Aladdin of Agrabah. It's one of the reasons why I didn't stop you to begin with. I had heard much of you before from listening in on the chatter of those imps."

Aladdin wanted to ask exactly what Nefir and the others had said about him beforehand, but he remembered that he wasn't the one asking the questions. He stayed silent even as Sufyan paused. He's testing me, Aladdin realized. Testing me to see if I'm tempted to violate his rules. So far I haven't. Not yet.

"A young thief raised in the streets of his kingdom who went on to marry a princess. A habitual liar, even to date."

The words left Aladdin's mouth before he rein them back. "That's not true."

"Oh?" Another amused lift to Sufyan's tone. "You are actually here on the basis of a lie, are you not?"

Aladdin wanted to say no, but he realized that would have been the wrong answer. It was hard for him to think, but he knew that answering too quickly could mean, at best, getting kicked out of the passage. At worst, it meant Sufyan had the power to not just kill him, but erase any trace he'd been there. Somehow, given the pristine upkeep of the room he stood within compared to the skeletons outside, that unnerved him. Focus. Don't let him trip you up.

"A lie by omission, yes. But it wasn't like I had a choice."

"There's always a choice to tell the truth, but whether that truth serves to the benefit of yourself and others around you is dependent on the situation." Aladdin couldn't read much into Sufyan's response, but it almost sounded like the spirit was both disappointed and satisfied by Aladdin's answer. "Sometimes the truth can serve both of you. Or it can serve neither."

At this, Aladdin folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "That's a cryptic way of putting it."

"That mention is a truth in itself, though." Sufyan said with a laugh. "Whether you choose to hear and heed it or not. But I'll refrain from simple riddles and get to the point. What do you seek from me?"

"I'm seeking your summoning stone."

"For your benefit?"

Aladdin hesitated, realizing he was being tested on this answer too. He had to tread carefully. "Getting the stone is more for the benefit of the imps waiting outside the entrance. They - no, their leader, Nefir - tried before and didn't get it."

"I'm aware. I've met him. Particularly difficult in more ways than one."

That made Aladdin smile a little. "Yeah, I'd agree."

"I dismissed him quickly because he annoyed me and tried to take the stone while also trying to take my flowers. He had a particularly devious reason for using the flowers as well. One he likely researched from the language written in the tome he currently possesses."

"I thought that the flowers in here had medicinal properties." Aladdin's statement was one that was clear, but it earned a low growl in the throat of the spirit. Apparently Aladdin had said something wrong. The spirit's brewing anger chilled Aladdin's blood.

"Remember that I'm the one asking the questions in our exchanges, your highness. I include statements that lean more to a question than a dialogue that you respond to. Consider this your first and last warning. The next breath of a question will be your last. Permanently."

Aladdin stiffened, and a long moment passed before he answered. "Yes, sir."

"But since you mentioned a truth - I'll clarify. Indeed, my flowers have many medicinal properties. Is it possible that you seek the use of my flowers as well?"

"Yes. I was put under a curse by Nefir. He read a spell from the tome. Put me under it when I least expected it."

Aladdin couldn't see the spirit, but he had the feeling from the shift in Sufyan's voice that he was nodding along. "Indeed I saw and heard you earlier. You have my sympathies. Very well, I shall give you a few of my finest flowers, thorns removed. Don't want to replace one malady with another, given those thorns' effects on humans. Provided that you survive our exchange, I wouldn't want you to suffer from that particular malady for the rest of your comparatively short life. It would not be a fate I'd wish for on friend or foe."

Aladdin frowned, realizing he wanted to ask about what effects the thorns had, but that would be the last question he ever uttered if he spoke it aloud. His brows lifted as he saw three flowers of the same type bundled in mid-air by a blue ribbon by magic. It floated towards Aladdin. He took them gingerly from the space floating before him, then placed them in the pocket inside his vest. True, he couldn't ask Sufyan about what the cure to his headache spell was, but he could be thankful for having access to a potential cure. "Thank you, Sufyan."

"No need for thanks, you were honest about why you needed them and so I respond to that. The imp - Nefir - attempted to take several flowers and ruined them. The flowers take centuries to grow just right. Can't have trespassers ruining what I've worked to cultivate for so long."

"You're as protective of your flowers as you are the stone. They must mean a lot to you," Aladdin observed thoughtfully.

A hint of a smile sounded in Sufyan's tone. "Indeed. Though I would say I'm protective of both for different reasons, based on what purpose they serve. You've convinced me of your need for the flowers. But not that of the stone, which is a much greater responsibility to possess. Are you aware of what the stone can do?"

Aladdin realized this was another question meant to test him, judging from the shift in the spirit's voice. Something was annoying Sufyan, but Aladdin couldn't figure out what it was. He had to tread lightly. Really lightly. Part of him could have said yes to the question. If he were honest about it, though, he had no idea. Only what Nefir told him, which could be a lie. The prince closed his eyes, cleared his throat before he answered. "I really don't know what it can do at all. Only what I've been told."

Sufyan sounded pleased. "Very good. Then I shall tell you, so that you may know its significance. You know nothing of this old magic. Find it annoying when humans are so confident in what such trinkets can do based on rumor, especially those spread from the lips of imps. You may find it more helpful to you than you think, but it's not for me to tell you how to use it. Nor for you to ask how, not beyond the instruction I give you."

Aladdin's attention perked up, as much as he could manage from the pain that lingered at one side of his head. "I'm listening."

"This summoning stone indeed has the power to amplify artifacts of magic, spellbooks, tomes - any of those things. But it also has the ability to destroy them, if you can read the signals of the stone, and speak the incantation properly per the appropriate signal from the stone. Observe this flower. This way."

Aladdin felt the briefest breeze in the room, indicating the direction he should look. Aladdin saw a few flowers shifting in the breeze on the ground. He knelt by them and found his eyes drawn to the blood red petals of a flower fully bloomed.

"I will be using the stone and the appropriate cantation for each effect. Such a small display of power, amplifier or destroyer, won't break the stone for use. For something like a magic tome, such as the one Nefir possesses, it will require a greater effort, perhaps enough to break the stone itself. You will also need to observe the stone to see at what point the appropriate incantation is read. It shifts color, orange when its ready to destroy, red to amplify. The magic of this stone moves in waves. Wait for the appropriate time to pass."

Aladdin wasn't expecting the stone to suddenly flash, appearing beside him and floating in mid-air close to the flower. For a moment, Aladdin felt like he could sense the vague presence of Sufyan standing beside him. Just the barest hint of breeze. Aladdin's attention shifted to the stone, which started to slowly change colors. He saw the orange phase, but Sufyan said nothing. When it shifted to red, Aladdin heard the spirit's booming voice on an incantation he couldn't understand, something similar to the same language that Genie had read from in the tome when it changed all of their non-human friends.

The effect on the flower was immediate. It grew almost 5 times its size. Aladdin scrambled backward, seeing the roots of the flower bulge from the ground. The petals of the flower were almost as big as his head.

"Whoa." That was really all the prince could say.

"It is quite a sight. Let me give you the destructive piece. You may wish to put a bit of distance between yourself and the flower. Not that you will be hurt, but it will be messy."

Aladdin did so, but eyed the towering flower nervously before watching the floating stone. He watched the cycles of the way the stone glowed. First yellow, then orange. Sufyan called out an incantation that Aladdin mouthed alongside the words. The effect was immediate. The large flower had moments of green ooze that streamed down the stem before the ooze turned black. Then the entire flower - petals, stem and leaves, turned all to black before dissolving into nothing more than ash.

Aladdin's eyes widened.

"I would venture that a more powerful magic trinket or object, in the wake of destruction, would have a more powerful effect. But you understand, don't you?" Sufyan asked.

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

"And do you recall the incantations?"

Aladdin had to think a moment before responding, because it was so tempting to ask in the form of a question. "I don't recall the destructive spell."

That made Sufyan laugh. "Very well. I'll repeat it for your use. For if you speak one word of it wrong, the magic will not work, and you will have to wait until the next opportunity in the cycle to try." After he did so, he asked again. "Do you need me to repeat the amplifier?"

Aladdin shook his head. "No, I think I've got it."

"Good. Then the stone is yours. You passed the test, Prince of Agrabah. What you do now with the stone is up to you."

Aladdin was so stunned that he had to scramble when the stone suddenly flickered and shifted quickly to him, as if it had been thrown from a hand. He did catch it, but almost shifted his weight too much with how his headache shifted his balance.

"Wait..." He stopped himself from asking the question "That's it?"

"No waiting about it," Sufyan said. "You've a task ahead of you that involves a precarious deal with those imps. Knowing what you do, you may hand the stone over to them to complete your deal or you may choose to take a different path. I choose not to get involved with it because I only deal with those matters which involve complete truths."

Aladdin understood completely, a wide grin on his face. "I get it. Thank you Sufyan."

"Fair warning that you're grateful to me, a spirit whose intentions initially were to kill you, as the fate of most greedy mortals and non-magic beings have been by my hand. But despite your history with lies, your highness," Sufyan said. "The path you craft, I see now, is true. See that you stick to it, hmm?"

Aladdin had no sooner left the room that it had disappeared behind him, leaving a solid wall - a dead end in the passage. It was as if the room he'd once entered hadn't existed at all. His migraine was starting to ramp up again. It made Aladdin miss when he'd been so focused on the conversation and keeping himself alive in Sufyan's presence that he hadn't noticed it.

He looked down at the stone, turning it over in his hand a few times. It was about the size of his palm, smooth and cool to the touch despite its warm colors. Aladdin also quickly checked the inside pocket of his vest. Sure enough, the three bundled flowers were there, intact.

"Guess these are the only things left behind that make everything I just went through real," Aladdin said, before looking behind him at the empty wall. Was that really all to Sufyan? Can't really tell if he was friend or foe. Or either of those, for that matter. Wonder if I'll ever see...well, talk to him again.

He started to walk forward, but the voice that echoed behind him made his head throb.

A few final words, Prince of Agrabah. I should hope that we never have to see each other again. My realm has multiple entrances and I have several artifacts to protect. If you should seek me, then your life would be on the line yet again. Don't put me in a position where I would have to make a choice to kill you.

Aladdin winced. "I'll try not to."

The other measure I wanted to tell you is a word of advice. I originally wanted to ask you but it didn't seem like you had any knowledge of it from what I could indicate from your stance. Seems that you have someone searching for you in the passage. Someone who followed you.

"Followed me in here?" Aladdin stiffened. "But you reject anyone who's hostile to you."

True, Sufyan said. But this individual had no business with me - it is none of the imps that you were with earlier. It seems this individual's business lies solely with you. Perhaps you should meet with them before something rather precarious happens. Just a word of advice.

"Wait!" Aladdin started, but he could feel the shift in the air indicate that Sufyan was long gone. "Great, who at this hour would know that I was here, and how?" He shook his head. "Guess I'd better find out before Nefir and the other imps do." Aladdin made his way back towards the entrance of the passage as quickly as he could manage.

Jasmine had taken longer than she wanted to find the secret entrance to the passage. But she presumed that was part of the point - it was hidden so it wasn't exactly something that was easy to get to. She made sure that nothing had followed her, before going into the secondary entrance. The passage itself was pristine and oddly linear, like it wanted you to follow its twists and turns with purpose in order to get to the grand area. She'd heard everything that Nefir and his group had to say to Aladdin. Yet, she still wasn't sure what to expect.

She did manage to cross with the other entrance, just to see if there was a path that led to that from where she came in. Thankfully it didn't require too much backtracking. Nefir and the others hadn't noticed her at all from where she hid, but there wasn't any sign of Aladdin. From what she could hear from their idle chatter, they were impatient, but there was nothing to learn beyond what she had when she'd left them. When she was sure the coast was clear, Jasmine hurried onward along the path.

Just hope I can reach Aladdin before he returns to them. Can't let their plan have any chance of happening. Not while I can stop it.

The traps in the passage were tricky, but Jasmine had been on enough adventures to navigate her way through sliding walls, flying spears, dropdowns to seemingly bottomless pits, and other tricky scenarios. (All of those were present in this particular passage.) The fact that Aladdin had seemingly - hopefully - made his way through this already while under Nefir's difficult spell was impressive. She'd made it through too, though her cloak was worse for wear after it was caught in a few traps. She'd managed to wrestle free before the worst of the trap caught her.

There were three things after that stretch that unnerved Jasmine once she had a moment to stop and survey her surroundings. She hadn't gotten too far in before she started seeing the skeletons, which were unnerving enough. Nefir hadn't lied about the non-magic users who met their end here, from what she couldn't say. The second part though was finding Aladdin's fez at a fork in the pathway. It looked like it had been there a while.

Did Aladdin realize he lost it? she wondered. Was this on purpose to help him find his way back from a looping path further ahead? Or was this a sign of something going horribly wrong? She wasn't sure of the answer, but the possibilities and the length of time Aladdin had been gone all twisted her stomach in knots.

The third was the yell she heard a distance away. It wasn't that far, but she was close enough to run towards it. So she did in a burst of panic and urgency to get to him wherever he was.

As she turned a corner, she nearly collided with her husband.

"Whoa!" Aladdin's shout of surprise made it clear where he was coming around the corner, but she was the one that ended up losing her balance. She almost fell face first, would have twisted her ankle if the momentum of her fall had continued. But Aladdin put himself in the path of the fall intentionally, taking most of the blow as they both tumbled to the ground.

"Aladdin! Oh no, I'm so sorry." Jasmine looked down at him where he flinched on the ground. He looked up at her after a breath, surprised at first but then relieved.

"Hey Princess. Should have figured you were the one to follow me."

"How did you know? You're not mad? Aladdin, I was so worried..."

He shook his head quickly, but seemed to regret it as he winced. She realized he was still working through the effects of the spell he was under. "Not a good time for questions or answers. We can catch up later. Right now, we need to run. Unless we want to get caught by the thing that's responsible for all these skeletons. My best guess anyway."

Jasmine didn't see the monster, but she definitely heard it. The yell she had heard wasn't human or even Aladdin, but a beast that traded between yelling like a human and a monster. The snarls and shrill yell that was more clear the closer she was. It took Aladdin and her both a moment to get to their feet. It was close, but hadn't caught up with them. Yet.

"What in the world?" Jasmine gasped as she realized the trick at the same moment she heard Aladdin explain.

"It fooled me at first too. Accidentally triggered a trap and opened up a secret passage back there. Thought I heard a human yell - someone in trouble and still alive. But as I was about to go into the passage, I saw the bones behind the hidden wall - a lot more than the ones in here. Then I saw the monster. It's definitely not friendly." Aladdin pointed to the left leg of his pants, which had claw marks that revealed his bare leg. At least that was the worst of the attack the monster had on him. He didn't seem hurt from that otherwise.

Aladdin had been about to say something else, but the monster's dual human cry alongside its shrill roar echoed through the passage. It was way too close now, probably just a few turns behind them. Jasmine saw the prince wince, the loud sounds probably weren't helping his aching head, either. Aladdin held out his hand to her. "Come on, let's get outta here."

She took his hand without hesitation and they ran.