A/N: Good news!

I decided to ramp up my publishing schedule. This month, I'll be publishing a Rajah's Curse chapter every week!

See you next Sunday!

Chapter 62: Abbi's Truth

After an exhaustive day of endless work, the guest and speaker lists were done, Ababwa was no more, and we had even found Abu. However, we did not meet the sultan's deadline.

Today, he was collecting princes, speakers, and other guests while we were supposed to be resting. That's what we tried to do all morning. Abbi was not good at resting and I cannot say I was sad when she told me we were going to the magician's study after lunch.

I wanted to use this time to read through some scrolls on the Cave of Wonders and find information on the ring that Abbi used to 'wake me up'. There were also my Ghamese birthday scrolls to go over. Hopefully, one of those sources would help uncover what was going on with me because I wasn't just a tiger these days. My paws clinked against the stone floor. I had forgotten to eat yesterday and was no worse for the ware. I still did not know why I hadn't been able to move of my own volition for most of my time in Ababwa. And most worrisome of all was that if I ventured too far away from Abbi, my body would just stop responding. Since things with the wake were currently in hand, this seemed like a good time to attempt to solve this mystery.

Abbi, though, had something different on her mind. "It's so odd, Rajah," she was saying to me as we entered the study. "I've dreamt of this place more times than I can count over the last few weeks and now it's real."

That marked yet another mystery that I was hoping to solve. From what Abbi had told me thus far, it sounded like she and I had experienced a similar coma filled with dreams about my past time with Jasmine.

It was too strange to be a mere coincidence.

"Aladdin said that the secret admirer in them is real too," she added, "and now Hamed says he's a prince. I wonder if I'll ever get to meet this mystery man myself."

So did I.

I wanted to speak at the wake, but the closest I'd come to being human in the last three days were the nightmares I'd been having recently about being stuck in the Cave of Wonders.

"I keep meaning to ask Hamed about whether SA has been found, but things have been all over the place with the wake planning."

She did not know the half of it.

Abbi shook her head. "I might not be able to help SA right now, but I have great news! Last night, I managed to convince Abu to nab something for me." She held up a new ring.

It was a thin band of gold with a single gemstone that was probably meant to look like a diamond. However, judging by the sloppy cut and how the light reflected off of it, the 'gemstone' was most likely made of glass.

"This is the ring Aladdin used to propose to me…or I guess, Princess Jasmine all those months ago."

Okay…

Abbi smiled at me, but it was not reassuring. Her eyes had that look, the one that bespoke trouble. "You were too busy reading those letters to notice, but yesterday, I came up with the best idea." She proudly pointed at the large orb suspended above the study. "See that there? I thought really hard while I was talking with Abu and I remembered reading about what this giant glass ball does in one of my dreams. It's part of a scrying machine and thanks to Abu, I have this ring so we can use it to find Aladdin!"

Oh.

Abbi ran up the stone stairs to get closer to the orb. "Rajah," she said, "do you think you can work the cloud generator while I do the scrying?" She gestured at a couple of wooden gears. The small one was parallel to the floor. The other large one was perpendicular. That one I could turn, but…

"Come on, Rajah. Trust me," she said. "Please."

I wanted to trust her out of instinct, but this was hardly a carpet ride. She was suggesting we do some serious magic, all for Aladdin's sake. Plus, her eyes still had that look…

My response was to walk over to the door that led to the lower study.

Abbi groaned.

I took a risk and started down the stairs anyway.

Behind me, Abbi said, "Stubborn cat. Fine, we'll find the scroll on it first and then you'll see how perfect my idea is."

It was highly unlikely that my opinion would change that drastically, though perhaps we could ask Sultan Hamed to perform this spell when he returned.

More importantly, Abbi joined me downstairs. I supervised her rummaging through the scrolls and loose papers on the desk.

"There's a lot of notes on here written in some weird language," Abbi said. "Can you read this?"

Abbi placed a paper at my forefeet, but I didn't have…

"Oh, right!" she pulled my borrowed eyeglasses from her pocket and tied them on me. "There you go," she said with a giggle.

I nodded gratefully.

Peering down at the first paper, I did recognize the language. Of all things, it was a very unusual dialect of Anglic. Even more extraordinary was that I was fairly certain these notes were written in Jasmine's hand. They were certainly cyphered in a way that pointed to her handiwork which suggested this was something important.

I took the page carefully between my claws. Then I gave Abbi a meaningful look as I handed it back to her.

"Perfect timing," she said, pocketing the paper. "I think I found the right scroll. Shall I read it out to you?"

Yes.

Though I loved my eyeglasses, having her read the scroll aloud would help ensure we both got the same information and could be on the same page about this scrying machine idea.

She read:

One of the countless achievements of Syrah of the sand witches is her

contributions to the field of divination, specifically scrying. Scrying is the

art of inverting time and space to enable magic users to see their prey

across vast distances. Seeing-glass mirrors and crystal balls are often

favored for this task. Traditionally, these more common scrying tools

require the use of the prey's true name, purpose, or essence as an anchor.

However, Syrah's revolutionary scrying hourglass requires only a

personal treasure of the target and divine light. Not content to settle for

one innovation, Syrah further refined her ingenious invention through the

inclusion of a push-operated cumulonimbus gyroscope generator. When

Syrah's prodigious scrying hourglass and remarkable push-operated

cumulonimbus gyroscope generator are used in tandem with a single item

that is of personal significance and value to their prey, any enterprising

pair of magic users may easily fulfill their scrying needs.

"There, you see, Rajah? I told you the giant glass ball was used for scrying and this even said how it works. We're all set."

Hardly.

The scroll felt like a biased account. Furthermore, I wasn't sure Aladdin's old engagement ring for Jasmine counted as an item of personal significance and value.

"Let's go find Aladdin!"

No.

I tried to block the stairwell. There was no way we should be doing this right now. The wake was tomorrow.

Too much depended on that.

I wanted to explain my compromise of doing more research and working together with Hamed to find Aladdin after we saved her life.

Instead, I grumbled and…

Stepped aside for Abbi to pass?

"I knew you'd see reason!" she proclaimed, giving my cheek a rub. "You care about Aladdin nearly as much as I do!"

No, I really didn't.

But I couldn't even shake my head. For the first time since returning from Ababwa, my body was acting without my consent.

And this was so much worse than just being forced to listen to Aladdin.

I followed Abbi up the stone tower. She placed Aladdin's ring in the serpent holders on top of the scrying hourglass. Then she told me to start on the gears.

Despite my efforts to resist, my body obeyed without hesitation.

Phantasmic storm clouds formed in the orb above us staining our surroundings crimson.

"Yes!" Abbi cried. "A little more, Rajah!"

No!

I didn't want to do this!

Please!

But it didn't matter. My paws turned the gears faster.

Lightning crackled and struck, but I was facing away from Abbi. I couldn't see her or the hourglass and I still couldn't stop!

Then her voice rang out, "There he is! Thank Allah! It's dark but I can see him! Aladdin's alive! And he's with…Hamed? No, he's wearing the hat, but he's too tall and young to be-"

Crack!

In the next instant, the glass ring shattered. Shards went everywhere. Several burned icy holes into my body.

A scream joined my roar of pain, then the sound of flesh slamming into stone.

Jasmine!

She'd fallen off the tower. I could smell her blood. I didn't care about my injuries. I didn't think. I jumped down after her.

My glass paws met hard stone and there was another:

Crack!

The cry that came out of me, the pain, wasn't human.

I didn't care. I didn't need legs.

Damn it! Focus Ren!

I didn't have time for this!

The jump had landed me where I needed to be. I was by her side. There was so much blood and it was coming from her head. Was she breathing? She had to be!

I couldn't lose her.

Not again!

I tried to nuzzle her, to rouse her, but I couldn't manage it. The extra movement was too much. I felt the fissures of pain ignite all over my brittle and broken body and I knew.

In the next moment, I shattered.