Doubar grunted softly as he heaved himself up the rope rungs of the ladder that was thrown across the side of the ship. He jumped aboard and pulled out his sword. Doubar looked around with suspicion. "Doesn't seem to be anyone here". As he looked round the cabin, he spotted a red-headed woman, clearly a captive of Rumina and his own little brother,being held by some strange magical force.

"SINBAD!",yelled Doubar,throwing caution to the winds and rushing to his brother's side . "Little brother, are you-"
The instant Doubar laid his hands on the green glow, he was flung back against the side of the ship. Maeve watched in astonishment at the sudden appearance of Doubar and then the venomous strength of the Kohlmar scepter.

"Doubar!",called Maeve,urgently."Are you allright? Doubar!"
The big sailor groaned and rose to his feet. "I'm all right. Now I know what it feels like to be clubbed with a bolt of lighting... Hit me square in the chest… took me by surprise"
"Can you break away these chains?"
"Aye,I can…, but... who are you?"
Maeve angrily checked herself for forgetting the memory curse placed by the evil Rushid on all her friends. "I'm Maeve,Doubar. I'm an apprentice of Master DimDim.. and…a trusted crew mate aboard this ship "
"That's good enough for me…",nodded Doubar,kneeling down beside Maeve and laying a good grip on her chains. He grit his teeth and took a deep breath before tearing apart the iron and setting Maeve free.
Maeve gently rubbed her neck and wrists, glad to be free from her bonds. ". I know I can always count on you". Maeve kneeled next to Sinbad, raised her palms against the green glow and closed her eyes in concentration. "I... I think it's protecting Sinbad -protecting him from outside interference. "
"I don't understand"
"Sinbad's hidden potential for magic is being exploited by Rumina in her fight against Caipra"
"You mean,as long as they both keep fighting , Sinbad will remain helpless"
"Not only that.. this trial may kill him"
Doubar was speechless in anxiety. "We..we've got to do something..",he blurted." Can you help him?I..I still don't remember you, but I have this pain in my head that-"
"Sinbad's got to break free on his own. His memories of his true self have also been stolen away from him. I kept reminding him of various moments .. of even his ship.. but he wouldn't listen…he thinks his first attention must go to defeating Rumina and saving Baghdad"
"Well, that's Sinbad for you"
"What do you mean?"
"Sinbad is just like that. When he sees oppression or any kind of injustice, his attention is completing absorbed into doing whatever he thinks is best to solve the problem. That's the only way to be quick on the feet and stay ahead of the enemy"
"But this is life or death"
Doubar shrugged. "Sinbad's always put himself ahead of others. That's one of his good points"
Maeve sighed and pushed back a lock of red hair. She puffed out some breath in desperation. "You're not helping, Doubar.."
"Look, I'm not saying that-"
Suddenly, Sinbad groaned out loud and clutched at his chest. Maeve leapt to her feet and ran to into the seeing mirror. Her heart skipped a beat. Rumina had summoned a gigantic tornado using the scepter of Kohlmar. In response, Caipra had conjured an equally frightening tornado. Both tornadoes were fending away one another, hunting for the first opportunity to hurl the opposing spell-caster away!
Maeve looked all around the ship and at Baghdad city. "The skies are darkening. The seas are growing troubled. The battle is getting worse. There's nothing I can do about it!"
Maeve sharply drew her breath and bit back a few angry tears. Beads of sweat began dotting her forehead. Her voice quivered and became a despondent prayer. "Sinbad, fight the curse. Try to remember who you really are before it's too late!"
Doubar slammed his fist into the floor in frustration. "Come on,little brother.",he begged.
"You've got to pull through-...". As the big sailor spoke the words, Sinbad glanced up and slowly began to fade- his hands and face growing transparent and washed out of healthy color. Doubar drew back in horror. He gazed this way and that in despair and threw himself upon the glowing barrier once again in a desperate attempt to save Sinbad. Once more he was pitched across the deck, as violently as before. "Maeve, speak to him... make him remember. If this is the only way to rescue him, then so be it. Don't let him disappear forever…". Doubar's voice, towards the end, carried such mournful softness that it had a subduing effect on Maeve's fears; so much so that she grew rational and settled down once more beside Sinbad. She began to speak– in a voice so steady and so even-tempered that her words could have been easily mistaken as part of an intimate conversation between two lovers,

"Sinbad, listen…the first time we challenged Turok, his evil minion sent Master DimDim far away to some distant land. Try to remember Sinbad. And we decided, all of us, that we would keep looking for Master DimDim and never rest until he was safe and sound, amongst his friends. And.. and we had many amazing times together"
Maeve's voice faltered lightly but she pretended as if she was clearing her throat and continued,

"the..the second time we ran into Rumina, she had planned a cruel game for you and ordered her beast to hunt you down in her private jungle maze. But you made it out alive and proved that even a vicious beast can be transformed by some human kindness.."

Doubar listened keenly to Maeve's recital and as he listened, his head began to throb. The pain was returning again.

"Oh, you remember Vincenzo,Sinbad? The wicked artist who used his art to take seize control of a kingdom? I..I was trapped in stone and you rescued me.". Dermott screeched loudly from the top of the mast and flew down to Maeve's arm. Maeve smiled sadly, her fingertips gently combing through the hawk's feathery crest. "Dermott appreciates everything that you do for me-"

"Dermott",murmured Sinbad,incoherently.

"That's right!",cried Maeve,alert and relieved. Perhaps there was hope after all. "Try to remember. You must want to remember.. Remember Rumina and the city of mist? How she imprisoned a little girl, Serendib…and kept her in hiding for many years until she could make a useful apprentice out of her? You saved Serendib ,Sinbad and that was when we first found out that you possessed some magical powers as well.."

Sinbad's eyes flinched momentarily but he remained as helpless as before.

"We ran into Rumina again. This time- in the city of Basra, where she was after a powerful obelisk that would give her ultimate power! Rumina became you in order to trick the guards and escape with the obelisk.."

Unknown to Maeve, Doubar lay down in agonizing pain and entered a strange void which pulled him along, faster and faster into a black unknown.

Master Rushid sat alone in his den of darkness. "My memory spell should be unbreakable. But even these simpletons are able to find a loophole and escape." Rushid face twitched for a moment ,betraying a hint of scorn. "But I will still have Sinbad. He will be consumed if he tries to resist me!"
The wizard brooded for a moment. He shrugged lightly and smiled, "It's always good to have a bargaining chip – just in case"
The seeing wall appeared and Master Rushid saw Asif-el-Quidar still cowering below the deck of the Nomad, in fear. "Come Asif, your master commands you". Instantly Asif found himself materializing in Rushid's dark lair.
"You been a terrible disappointment to me,Asif", greeted Rushid, in genuine reproach. "How do you plead?"
"I..I was acting un..under your orders,Master.",blubbered Asif,nervously.
"Yes, you were. But the fact of the matter is, my spell isn't good enough to defeat Sinbad and his little crew. Sooner or later, I expect the good Captain himself to drop in here on a surprise visit and I want to keep myself fully prepared to meet him"
"Wh..what are you going to do?"
"I am going to bait Sinbad into one final gamble which is sure to seal his fate and I need you as part of the plan-"
"Sinbad will never see eye to eye with me. I have betrayed him. He will wish me dead-"
"-which is why I'm bringing…"
Rushid snapped his fingers and instantly, Nassima and Abdul appeared in Rushid's lair as well. Asif-el-Quidar ran to them with a cry, when a ball of flame burst in front of him and Abdul disappeared while Nassima found herself locked behind a gigantic cage of shimmering magic! She began to scream and batter her palms against the cage walls,but her cries were in vain.
Rushid smiled grimly.
"Why do you need Abdul?",cried Asif."I..I exchanged my soul for his. You cannot go back on your word".There were tears in his eyes and he collapsed onto his knees. "You cannot go back on your word!"
"I never gave you my word",replied Rushid,in scorn. "And what kind of a father are you anyway? What kind of a father gambles on his son's life?".
Rushid walked slowly towards Nassima's cage with a pitying smirk on his face. "Now you see your husband for what he truly is"
"No",interrupted Nassima,her eyes returning an unflinching gaze."Now I see my husband's enemy, for what he truly is…"
"Please I beg you",broke in Asif, in woeful despair. "It was a foolish mistake.."
"One you will live to regret"
"I..I'll do anything-"
"Good", remarked Rushid with a smug smile. His eyes narrowed to thin slits."I want you to kill Sinbad"
"K..Kill.."
"That's right. Take this knife and bury it in Sinbad's back at the first chance you get"
Asif found a knife with a thick gleaming blade ,materializing in his hands. He seemed as if in a trance. The mesmerizing influence of the weapon. "And.. in return.."
"Your son will be free"
"I have your solemn word.."
"Yes",replied Rushid,impatiently. "Now I'm going to send you back to Sinbad's ship. Don't fail me"
"Before I go, please",said Asif,softly. "I wish to speak to Nassima.."
"Oh, whatever for?",snapped Rushid. He gazed at the woman,trapped in the cage and relented unwillingly. "Allright. Be quick about it. I will not release your son until Sinbad's blood splatters on the deck of his ship!"

As soon as Asif stepped into Nassima's prison, she flew into his arms and clung tightly to him. "Why didn't you tell me?",she asked, her voice sounding muffled from tears.
"I felt a fool..",managed Asif, brokenly. "-forgive me"
"I suspected many times that you were in trouble. Then a few months ago, you watched over Abdul so fearfully that I even wondered if my little son was in danger of being taken by some hidden enemy. And now, my nightmares have come true!" Nassima drew back and wiped her eyes.
"I must kill Sinbad.. set things right …somehow"
"A murder to cover a gambling debt!" Nassima spoke with emphasis." Can one sin hide the other?". She took Asif's hands in hers and pressed them warmly. "There is something you should know.. I too have kept something from you. Something which I never thought was important.. until now…"
Nassima paused for a moment and then continued,
"I know Rushid"
"What?"
"It's true. He was an elder in the village where I grew up. I was only a little girl then. Rushid was already wealthy and famous. Everyone knew of his powers. Although all of us were equally gifted, his talents became special indeed. They knew later of Rushid's contempt for humans when he moved out on his own and began rubbing shoulders with the likes of Turok and his evil family.."
"So,Rushid is a human after all? The village you spoke of..."
Asif glanced curiously at Nassima who returned a sad smile.
"No",said Asif, comprehending her meaning. "Rushid is a true wizard. And by "equally gifted", you mean that you also possess-"
"once possessed…magical powers"
"But,what happened to your powers? Why haven't I-"
"I gave them up"
"You… what? Why?"
Nassima came closer and rested her head against Asif's chest. "That was the only way I could be with you"
She lifted her head and gazed deeply into Asif's eyes.
"So you see, my love.. just because we possess magical powers and are pure magicians, it doesn't mean that we have to hate and destroy the humans amongst us. We were taught that humans are in no way inferior to us. They are wise, noble, loyal- and full of love and affection for their family and friends-"
Asif stood in silence, listening to her words.
"You don't have to do whatever Rushid tells you to do", said Nassima, softly. Her fingers closed around the knife tucked at his waist belt. She pulled it out and handed it to him.
"But.. Abdul?. We cannot give him up.. I wil-"
"I'm only asking you to do what is right"
"And what is that?"
"You will know it… when the time arrives"

"I appeared as 'the cruel taskmastor' to the moor, the 'angry wizard' to the celtic sorceress and 'the thinker' to the inventor…hmmm… how shall I show myself to Sinbad's brute of a brother?", thought Rushid,aloud. He shot a cursive glance at Nassima who remained seated on the floor of her cage. Nassima was staring ahead, her eyes shining with tears. "Afraid for your husband,my dear? Do you think that after all he's done, he deserves sympathy?"
Rushid smiled a smug smile to himself and then to Nassima. "Not in the mood to talk. Well, it's understandable. I wouldn't worry if I were you. Asif-el-Quidar will return in triumph. Like a rat on a sinking ship, he will scurry to the highest place of refuge to keep himself safe – even if it means –killing a dear "friend". Suddenly he rose up in expectancy. "Hush now, here comes Doubar. Get the stage ready! Off with the cage and in with the wall."
Nassima fade out from sight and the den fell into darkness with the gigantic wall once more lining the far side of the lair.

Doubar scrambled up to his feet ,his hand reaching for the sword at his side. "I'm getting tired of this falling and getting up routine. Just what is this place? Have I descended into the underworld?"
"Come now, you don't really believe that",chided Rushid,stepping into view.
"Who are you?",asked Doubar,advancing with his weapon.
"I am Rushid, the person responsible for your stolen memories"
Doubar's eyes widened in rage. "Then,you are also responsible for the misery that has come upon us. Sinbad is about to die because of you"
"I hope so. It's the least he could do for me"
Doubar grew speechless in fury. He barged forward and put out his arms to grab Rushid. But just as Doubar's hands laid a firm grip on his shirt, Rushid vanished into thin air!
The strange world around him began to spin, faster and faster until Doubar found himself, traveling once more, through the same void and awakening on the deck of the ship.

Maeve wiped away hot tears of anger, forcing herself not to give up as she continued to struggle with Sinbad. He began to fade away even more as the battle between Rumina and Caipra reached a new peak. As quickly as they had appeared, the tornados vanished and a sandstorm was about to begin.
"I will bury this city in sand",yelled Rumina, raising the Kohlmar scepter. Suddenly sand from the beaches surrounding Baghdad city began to swirl towards the Sultan's Palace. To counter her attack, Caipra conjured a steep hill which carried her and the Royal family to a safer height. Rumina instantly followed with the scepter leading the way.

Dermott screeched loudly from Maeve's side.
"I know,Dermott. I know",said Maeve,woefully. "He hasn't got much time.. Sinbad! Remember the last time we ran into Rumina? We used a powerful stone of pure white magic.. a stone which stood for everything good in the world ,to destroy Rumina's lair up on Skull mountain"
Doubar quickly rushed near Sinbad.
"You will never guess where I've been to",said the big sailor. "But never mind-"
"Nothing I say seems to be working.", cried Maeve,in desperation."Why won't he remember all the things I tell him?"
"Did you tell him about our fight near the Skull mountain?"
Maeve shot a "how did you know" look, but Doubar quickly answered her with a faint shrug. Meanwhile,Dermott grew more and more agitated and took to the air with a loud screech. "Dermott's upset",said Maeve.
"Dermott",echoed Sinbad, so softly that Maeve could hardly hear him.
"That's right, Sinbad.",cried Doubar, loudly." During the battle, when none of us could beat Rumina's army or her boulder monsters, Dermott bravely took the stone in his talons and flew right up to Skull mountain. A long drop and the wretched place exploded into dust!"
"Dermott",said Sinbad, once again.

The pain seemed to be melting away. Sinbad was alone, standing in mid air in front of a beautiful temple guarded by the fearsome Tohmohkhgrra, keeper and protector of the Kohlmar scepter. "So, your time has come,weary sailor",said a voice ,from within the temple. "Come inside and find solitude."
Sinbad felt a warmth surround him. Suddenly it seemed as if he was as light as a feather. All worries and cares had slipped away. Only peace and contentment awaited him. Sinbad eagerly reached the steps of the temple when a green glow shot out from inside and covered Sinbad from head to toe. "Come",called the voice. "Come join us. You have waited so long.." Sinbad took a step inside when he heard the loud screeching of a hawk.

"Dermott! What are you doing? Dermott! Stop!",yelled Maeve,in alarm as her brother soared from a height and tore directly at the glow surrounding Sinbad. The hawk was thrown with a violent force across the ship and into the air from where he recovered and quickly, beating his bruised wings, made a bee-line for the glow again!
"Stop it! Dermott!",cried Maeve, gazing through terrified eyes as her brother madly darted back and forth ,each time receiving harder blows that threw him farther and farther away!. Dermott screeched loud and long, each time. "Stay calm, Dermott. Come to me",implored Maeve, reaching her wits end. Finally, the strength of the glowing shield became too much for the hawk. Maeve ran to the spot where Dermott lay and gently gathered him into her arms.

"Dermott",whispered Sinbad to himself. Then it came to him with a violent start! That frantic screeching of the pesky hawk, flying up to the balcony and trying to make off with his sword- the one Rumina nearly killed. "So, his name is Dermott.. ". The fogginess that forever swirled around Sinbad's reasoning capacity ,slowly began to clear.
"Caipra!", screamed Maeve. She closed her eyes and frowned in fierce concentration. "You've got to stop fighting with Rumina. Sinbad is slipping away and he will be consumed by the power of the scepter. Please, hear me. Please, stop before Sinbad fades away". Maeve fell to her knees and Doubar threw a strong arm around her.

"Maeve!",gasped Sinbad. The temple had vanished and in its place, stood Maeve, as beautiful as he remembered her, her clothes sparking whiter than before. "You're here"
"You've got to remember",whispered Maeve, her voice sounding sweeter than the sweetest music.
"I do remember. I will never forget you."
Maeve's face altered to that of sadness. "I have lost my brother… DimDim is the only one who can help me"
"I will help you. I will find your brother somehow.", began Sinbad. "You have my word of honor that he will be safe and-". Suddenly he stopped in confusion." It can't be!"
"What is it?"
The screeching of the hawk was loud at first. It annoyed Sinbad, throbbing at his temples and grew stronger and louder until it drummed into a headache so painful that the world around him began to grow bleary and cold.
"Why are you crying for your brother?" asked Sinbad, through the raucous noise that clamored for his attention." I can hear you. Why are you afraid?"
"Remember", echoed Maeve, returning a smile.
"I do remember!", pressed Sinbad,battling the flashes of pain shooting across his memory. Suddenly his eyes tore open in realization.
"Dermott is her brother – transformed into a hawk. That was Rumina's curse"
Sinbad clutched at his head, as searing pain rattled his body and began to choke the life out of him. "Maeve.. Maeve!",he cried."H..help me!"
Sinbad's voice grew faint and echoed several times through the narrow tunnel.

"She cannot hear you",answered Master Rushid. "You are here now. Safe and sound, victorious from passing a most difficult test!"