In the Heat of the Fright part 2

"Rick." Al called, giving me a small shake. "It's time to wake up." I yawned and pushed his hand away.

"No, I don't wanna." I heard him laugh and he pulled his arm out from underneath me. I hit the floor and rolled over to glare at him. He chuckled at my expression as he leaned over me.

"Come on, get up." I sat up now and gave him a shove, making him fall back and I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and sat back up. Carpet rose up with a stretch, leaving Iago and Abu sleeping on the floor. I waved at Carpet and he waved back before coming over to settle near me. Abu and Iago woke up and took one look at their arms around each other before both leapt apart screeching at one another.

"Just a bad dream! Just a bad dream!" Iago chanted as he raced to the other side of the boat and Abu scowled.

"What's the report Captain?" Al asked Genie and Genie got a surprised look on his face before changing into a captain's attire.

"Uh, uh, right on course mate." Genie said and Al nodded. Suddenly we slammed into something and all of us flew towards the front of the boat. Iago growled and moved out from under my arm.

"Yeah, a collision course as usual." He muttered and I laughed.

"Oh, come on that was a wakeup call." I said and Al rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well that wakeup call puts our trip on hold for a while." He said and then leaned over to look at the damage. "Awaiting your orders captain." He said teasingly and Genie grinned with a cheesy expression. He changed into a mechanic, his ball cap turned backwards and he poked at the hole with a wrench.

"Rug-man, think we can patch up this tub?" Carpet gave him a thumbs up and then Genie made one of his hands appear with tools for each finger.

"Rush job! Pit crew, suit up!" Genie zapped Iago and Abu into overalls and base ball caps like his own. "Here." He zapped one on my head and I grinned at him. "Part of the team." I laughed and then Al jumped from the boat and onto the rock we crashed into. He then turned to us.

"I'll scout for some breakfast." He called and then I got up.

"Can I come too?" Al nodded.

"Sure." I waved at Genie and he waved back.

"Don't dawdle, boys! I want to get as far from her-ha ha, I mean here-as possible." I gave Genie a puzzled look at his rushed comment, but then ran to catch up to Al. For a while we walked along the tropical jungle.

"Stay right, by me." Al said tucking arm around me as we got futher in. I laughed and moved away from him.

"Relax, Al." I said and ran ahead wanting to explore a little and to get out from under his arm.

"Don't go too far, Alaric!" Al yelled worriedly.

"Don't worry so much, Al!" I called back and then jumped over a root as I ran through the trees.

"Alaric!" Al yelled and I stopped running.

"What?" I yelled, but then there was nothing. Shrugging, I went to look for fruit and soon found plenty to bring back. I had headed back to the boat a little later, having my arms full and Genie put me back into the boat. That had been over an hour ago. Most of the food was gone now and Al was nowhere to be seen. Genie was getting antsy; Iago and Abu were watching him with identical confusion; Carpet sat on the side of the boat kicking water back and forth, and I was sitting there watching Genie too.

"What's taking Al so long?" Genie worried aloud as he paced back and forth in the boat. He looked at his wrist watch nervously as he spoke.

"Did he say breakfast or brunch?" The watch muttered and I frowned.

"Genie, do think that something is wrong?" I asked and he stopped pacing.

"No, of course not." He said calmly and then he leaned against the side of the boat, using his hand to shield his eyes. "Where is he?" He asked wildly.

"Well, why don't you go look for him?" Iago encouraged with a hint of sarcasm.

'Yeah, yeah'. Abu chattered and Carpet nodded as well.

"NO!" Genie shouted, blowing Iago back into us and we all hit the side of the boat. He had sounded utterly terrified. Catching our wide-eyed looks, Genie coughed. "Uh, I mean….No that wouldn't be wise, because," He said much gentler. "Uh, I, uh, have to review Al's map! Check it for accuracy, you know."

"Oh, sure." Iago scoffed, going to land on his shoulder. "It's not like you're….scared!" He snarled right into Genie's ear.

"No, no, no, no really!" Genie shouted and he lifted Al's book to read from it. "Okay, we passed the bend in the river, and the fallen tree. Hmm…" Genie looked up from the book at our surroundings and I did the same. To both our amazement it was like we were back in the same place we had been just yesterday. But there was no village…. Something wasn't right at all.

"We sailed all night and are back where we started!" Genie panicked and Carpet got to see as well.

"Ahhh!" Genie screamed and again we flew back. "It's Mirage! It's her magic, isn't it?"

"What?" I asked and Genie pulled me against him.

"That's it, stand back!" He shouted and I flailed against him as his arms tightened.

"Genie!" My voice was slightly muffled by his arms, but he took notice. I couldn't see past his arms, but I knew he was using magic.

"What are you doing?" Iago screeched about whatever it was Genie was doing. "Besides choking the kid!" Genie's arms loosened a bit, letting me free and he grinned sheepishly at me.

"Sorry." I only blinked as I took in what Genie had done to the boat. He had made it bigger and made of metal and there was a large gun on the top. Genie zapped us all into war helmets and then got behind the giant weapon.

"I'm bringin' down anything that flies!" He declared and Iago and I exchanged looks.

"Ahhhh!" Iago screamed several minutes later, clutching at his smoking tail feathers. He was the latest victim of Genie's wild shooting. The one before had been at a shadow that a cloud had casted in the sky.

"I blame you!" He snarled at me and I rolled my eyes. Behind me, Abu was snickering. "You were the one that said: Why don't you fly up and see if you can find Al, Iago?" He mocked in my voice.

"Oops," Genie apologized. "My mistake! I'm a tad…itchy. I thought you were Evil Incarnate!" Iago wasn't convinced.

"You owe me." He snapped at me and I grinned. Suddenly Abu grabbed my arm and started to screech loudly.

"What? What's wrong?" he pointed at the sky and I gaped.

"Uh, Genie?" He looked up at my tone and gasped.

"Yah! Oh!" Slowly things were disappearing and it soon became apparent that Genie was right in his thinking of Mirage. We were in the middle of an empty space! Everything was dark and all around us it had the appearance of being in outer space with the exception of large chucks of rock that floated around.

"What's happening? Where are we?" Genie asked in a panic, looking around with bugging eyes as his head flew off.

"In a world of trouble! Mirage's world, Morbia!"

"Morbia?" I asked and Iago nodded, forgetting his anger at me momentarily to hide on my shoulder instead.

"Yeah, this place is like Evil Incorporated! We gotta get out of here!" I winced as he hollered in my ear.

"I knew it!" Genie wailed and we looked at him. I had never seen him so anxious before and though I tried to hide it, it worried me that he was so afraid. "I tried to get away, but now she's here! I mean, we're there! Which is here!" Iago flew off my shoulder to grab Genie's face.

"Snap out of it! You're the only magic we have on our side! And you're scaring the kid!" Genie looked at me grinned apologetically. I scowled at Iago.

"I wasn't scared!" I shouted at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right!" he scoffed back and I folded my arms across my chest.

"Right. At least we're all together. Except Al." Genie said quietly. Suddenly he threw his head back. WHERE'S AL?"

"Aladdin!" I called out into the vastness and heard nothing. Carpet offered us to get on him and we did, flying off in search of my missing brother.

"Where is he?" I asked and Genie patted me.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." I nodded, but it didn't ease my worry that Mirage did something to Al. If she was as evil as Iago claimed, then we were in for a heap of trouble. Screaming caught our attention and we looked up ahead to see a figure falling.

"Al?" Genie called and I patted Carpet.

"Carpet!" He went faster and we caught him as he fell further, pulling him onto Carpet. Genie located a large asteroid that had a large cave in it and Carpet flew us inside.

"Thanks, guys. I'm glad you caught me instead of her." Al stated as we sat in the low ceilinged cave.

"I'm glad you're okay." I said and he hugged me.

"No problem, Al. we were just fleeing for our own pathetic lives at the time." Genie offered and he shined a flashlight at us.

"Uh, ya might wanna keep the kids out of the spotlight!" Iago snarled landing on the end of the flashlight.

"Whadda you mean?" Genie asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, Aladdin's the one she wants to pulverize into KITTY LITTER! Not to mention that she'll be after 'Laric next!"

"Me?" Al and I echoed at the same time, each of us pointing at ourselves.

"Yes, sir. Heroes and Evil Incarnate don't mix!" Iago informed Al and then he turned to me. "And you just had to catch her attention as well. So there you go!"

"You got that part right." Al commented and then Iago turned to me.

"And you just had to catch her attention as well. So there you go!"

"I won't let her do that. We need a way to defeat her." Al said rubbing his chin in thought.

"But, Al…" Genie sounded really worried and Al looked up at him as he stood.

"We can't hide here forever."

"Sure we can!" Genie hollered as he picked me up and he zapped Al into a chair. He let me fall then and I landed on Al in chair as he went and covered the cave entrance with a flowery purple curtain, which he pushed open. "It has a spectacular view! Albeit, into a terrible black nothingness…." Abu whimpered and I patted him.

"Aladdin!" Mirage's voice called from outside and we all jumped at that. Al slid an arm protectively around me.

"She is after you!" Genie squeaked and he huddled closer grabbing onto Al and me. I had never seen Genie so afraid before and I patted his arm to which he at first jumped and then grinned at me thankfully.

"You can't hide." Mirage's voice boomed and Genie shrank, going to hide in Al's fez. "My fire cats are famished! They shall find you, Aladdin… And then that little brother of yours!" Al's arm tightened around me and we sat there for several minutes wondering what we were going to do.

"Can we beat her, Al?" I asked, looking up at him. "We are in her realm." Al ruffled my hair.

"We can beat her. We just have to find her weakness." Al stated firmly and we then turned to find Genie. He was floating in the corner, his back to us. "Genie?" Al called and we received no answer. I arched an eyebrow at Genie's unusual quietness.

"Genie?" I called this time and touched his arm. I pulled my hand back as I felt that it wasn't his skin I felt. It was something plastic and I was proved right when the plastic float turned to face us.

"Uh-oh." I said poking the Genie float and hearing it squeak. "Al?"

"He's gone." Al murmured and we looked at one another. Where did he go? "It's just a dummy."

"So, shove it in the lamp and let's call it even!" Iago squawked and I frowned at him.

"Iago!" He winced at my shout.

"The lamp! That's it!" Al pulled out the lamp and gave it a rub, hoping to get a hold of Genie. Instead we got his answering machine.

"Hi. Can't come to the lamp right now. Leave a wish and I'll get back to you…I hope!"

Al and I looked at each other. Both of us had worry on our faces. Where was he? And what was he doing?

"Hey, if the fire cats are after him, we're in the clear!" Iago cried and I rolled my eyes.

"You know we can't leave him here." I said and he grumbled, though he really did look worried about Genie.

"Carpet, let's go!" Al called and we jumped onto him as he headed towards the cave opening. "There's no way we can let Genie face them alone."

"Oh, it's easy. We just lay low and-" I grabbed Iago mid sentence and pulled him onto Carpet.

"Don't worry, Iago, we'll rescue Genie." Iago grumbled under his breath and I laughed. We flew out into the wide space and I poked Al.

"Al? What do you think he's doing?"

"I dunno, Rick. But don't you worry. We'll find him." He said confidently.

"How can you be so confident?" I asked, wanting to know. He grinned at me over his shoulder.

"You have to believe it. That's what being a hero is, Rick. Believing that no matter what, everything will be fine."

"Oh." Al turned back around and Iago rolled his eyes.

"Please. Being a hero, is having no regard what so ever as to danger. And that is you and Al all the way." I grinned and he rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, gee. Oh, boy. Maybe we should just go back in that nice little hole!" Iago moaned.

"What's wrong?" I asked looking at him.

"What wrong? Look at that!" He grabbed my face and turned me forward and I gaped. A large Sphinx-like building was floating there and in front was two huge fire pits with fire that was blazing wildly. I realized that they were fire cats not actually fires and the cats hissed and growled at something.

"Whoa…" I muttered and I then saw Genie come running out of the building and the cats hissing and growling intensified. He was…yellow with fear and he cowered as Mirage appeared before him, her back to us. Al frowned at her as we approached and we kept silent as she spoke.

"Of course not, Genie!" She scoffed with glee and I frowned at her as she cackled wickedly. "My beasts are growing! Your cowardice is a sweet treat for them."

"Well, if it's cowardice they want, I've got the market cornered!" Genie squeaked loudly and Al stood.

"You're wrong, Genie!" He yelled and I stood too as Mirage looked over her shoulder at us. Genie perked up.

"Al!"

"You have courage, Genie!" I yelled and Mirage narrowed her eyes at us.

"Your jinni is a craven creature." She hissed and I folded my arms across my chest angrily.

"He is not! You're wrong Mirage!" Al nodded from beside me.

"Genie put himself on the line for us. That's true friendship and true bravery."

"Hey, you guys are right! I was so busy being afraid I didn't even know how brave I was!" Genie concluded as he turned back to his normal color. I poked Al as I saw that the fire cats were starting to get smaller.

"Look, Genie!" I pointed.

"Without your fear to feed them-"

"They're shrinking!" Genie finished and he grinned. Mirage definitely didn't like that and she hissed.

"Fire cats, attack!" She yelled and a third cat that wasn't around before came leaping out at Genie. But luckily Genie had seen it and he turned into a lion tamer.

"Cool down!" He yelled bravely and the cat started to shrink and in a panic it flew away from Genie in a blazing fireball.

"Come on! Let's go get that stray!" Al called out and Carpet lurched forward with us. Iago of course hadn't hung on and fell off on a rock behind us.

"Hey!" I heard him screech, but we were trying to catch the runaway cat. We chased the cat from rock to rock until we caught up to it. Abu gave it a raspberry and with a small meow, it shrank to about the size of one of the Sultan's toys.

"Bad kitty!" I shouted at the cat and it disappeared. Abu and I celebrated with a high-five and Al laughed at us.

"Do not lose your strength, my pets!" Mirage cried. "Find their fear and feed!" She shrieked.

"I am very much scared!" Iago screamed and to see a fourth cat that no one seen before was chasing him.

"Iago!" I hollered as I saw the cat knock him from the sky and then cornered him against a rock. We were too far away to do anything but watch. Genie appeared behind the cat before it could get Iago and he growled at it in form of a dog. Iago flew up and landed on Genie's back for protection and the fire cat disappeared under Genie's glare.

"Genie, you beat 'em!" Al exclaimed as Carpet swooped us down close to them.

"Way to go!" I added.

"No!" Mirage screamed and we were blasted back by her scream. We all fell off Carpet hitting the rocks below and Al grabbed the back of my vest to keep me from falling down into the abyss of nothingness below. Genie, still a dog, was on the rock behind us keeping a grip on Iago. The fire cats went yowling back to the palace and suddenly it disappeared and instead a giant Mirage's disembodied head floating in the sky with glowing green eyes appeared. It was really scary looking and Al took the opportunity to pull me up as she started talking.

"This defeat will only fuel my victory next time, Aladdin!" She cried out in a hiss and then there was a large blinding flash of light that made me shut my eyes.

I opened my eyes to see that we were back in our boat and on the river once more. I turned from where I was laying on the side of the boat to see Al beaming at me. I grinned back and we turned to Genie.

"We did it!" I grinned and Genie hugged me.

"We did do it! Yup, there's nothing like conquering Evil Incarnate." Genie beamed and I laughed.

"Conquered, am I?" We all jumped as Mirage's voice floated from behind us.

"Ahh!" Genie screamed and let go of me jumping into the river.

"Oh, that jinni…" I turned and saw that it was actually Iago and he started laughing loudly in his normal voice. "What a scaredy cat!" I shook my head and then held in a snigger as a fire cat paw edged up over the boat with a loud meow it scratched at Iago. The parrot screamed and flew away, landing in my arms. Genie grinned as he popped up from the side of the boat and Iago scowled from my arms.

"Better a cat than a chicken." He winked at us and we all burst into laughter. Iago only muttered lowly and when the laughter died down I turned to Al.

"Hey, Al, can we go get something to eat? I'm starving." Al sighed heavily and I frowned. "What? What?" Genie and everyone else started laughing. "What did I say?"

The End

Poor Alaric will he ever get more food? Hope you guys liked it and next on the list is Genie Hunt! Ahh, look out for a jealous Alaric, old man! Please review!