Of Lost Dreams by Makkura
Summary:
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Aladdin
Characters: Original Characters, Mozenrath
Genres: Dark/Angst, Romance
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 12/04/04
Updated: 12/04/04
Index
Chapter 1: I
Chapter 2: II
Chapter 3: III
Chapter 4: IV
Chapter 5: V
Chapter 1: I
Makkura regained control of her legs and attempted to follow but the door slammed in her face, a light emanated from the seams sealing her in. After struggling vainly at the handles she stepped back, frustrated, and blasted it with a ball of Blue-black flames. Inspecting the door she found that not so much as a splinter was out of place, her father's magic was far too strong, with lack of a better idea she continued pulling on the door handles.
Mozenrath knew better than to struggle for any other reason than in an attempt to keep as many of his ebony curls intact as possible as Destane pulled him through the corridors of the citadel. Soon, Mozenrath recognized the path, from Makkura's room to the dungeon.
Before long they arrived and Destane shoved him into one of the cells. Mozenrath hit the back wall hard and had to steady himself against it. "Just you wait ..." he thought "soon..." his thoughts stopped there as a blast hit his back and the dark of unconsciousness pulled him to the floor.
He awoke, something telling him many hours had passed as he pulled himself up off the packed dirt floor.
He could feel blood sliding down his sides and seeping into the top of his pants. His back felt cold and numb.
As he left the dungeon and slowly ascended the twisting stairs, again leaning on the wall for support, he wondered fuzzily why Destane hadn't simply killed him.
An eternity passed but he made it to his room. Entering and heading for his bed he stopped at his reflection in the nearby full-length mirror. Dirt from the dungeon floor dusted his pale skin, a few trickles of dried blood had snaked around from his back, giving him blood red tiger stripes. He turned so his back faced the mirror, bracing himself to look, he hoped the injury was not as bad as it had begun to hurt, he turned his head and cringed. The wound was not fatal but would certainly hurt for a long time. Casting a healing spell to stop any further bleeding he let himself drop onto his bed and quickly fell asleep.
***
After a mere four days Destane had allowed Mozenrath to continue with his studies, much to Mozenrath's shock and surprise "But then mommy dearest probably had a say in that decision" he thought bitterly.
He could not concentrate on the spell book in front of him, he had only seen Makkura once since she was locked in her room, she had been walking down a hall and passed by the open door of the room he was in and he had thought better than to catch up to her. She was most likely avoiding him and he had to admit he had been avoiding her, as well as Destane.
He tried again to concentrate on the book.
"What if Destane knew.... No he couldn't have known that we planed to take over... he would have killed us... or at least me...no, her... if he had known." he thought, the book becoming nothing again.
Shouting broke his train of thought, they were yelling at each other, again, but this time sounded worse then ever before. He pulled himself out from the chair despite the stinging protest that emanated from his back. He was in the hall as Makkura's voice became shrill and Destane's became deeper, louder, and very angry. Working his way to the room they were in, the yelling suddenly stopped, Mozenrath sensed magic.
He reached the doors and threw them open, Makkura floated slightly off the ground, two crackling balls of energy at her temples, paralyzed by Destane. Mozenrath stood in the doorway unnoticed and wide eyed. Under immense visible strain Destane lifted his other hand causing a rippling black portal to open behind Makkura.
Makkura forced her eyes open "NO!" her voice high and worried. "MOZENRATH!" she screamed desperately as the portal swallowed her.
Mozenrath rushed forward vainly, only to be thrown back magically to the wall. Before Destane could attack again he dived behind one of the pillars that circled the room. Destane stood where he was, waiting for Mozenrath to emerge. Behind the pillar Mozenrath slid down as low as he could and straitened his gauntlet on his hand. Staying low he slid out and sent a furry of blue-black flames straight toward his mentor...Back to index
Chapter 2: II
II
Mozenrath carefully sat strait up in his bed, breathing heavily. The rest of the memory danced before his eyes, playing itself out in his mind. The fight with Destane, victory, futilely checking for any sign of the portal and finding nothing.
But this version didn't fit; it was not how he remembered that night. The instance regarding the dungeon and the battle itself were true, but who was the girl? ...Makkura... he rolled the name in his head, trying to connect it with something but it refused to be placed.
He stepped from the bed and wrapped himself in the dark blue robe lying neatly on a nearby chair. Resisting a wave of nausea and the weakness that threatened to send him to the floor he made his way to the balcony.
He leaned heavily on the stone railing; his skeletal hand made a small grinding sound against the cool stone. The sound made him stare into the darkness at one specific point, hidden by the night, but he knew it was there." How many times has that street rat stolen and hidden my gauntlet" he thought, almost more worried than angry. But this time was different he hadn't recovered it yet and the separation was taking its toll.
Another wave of nausea tightened his grip on the stone
Xerxes swam to him " Master all right?" the worried familiar asked.
Mozenrath ignored him, speaking would most likely make the nausea more then just a threat. An idea that did not appeal to him. He looked out again toward the night-hidden Agrabah and simply stared, the trouble of his gauntlet and the dream fighting for importance in his mind. Xerxes hanging silent and faithful in the air beside him.
Suddenly a brief flash far out of his borders caught his attention. He looked at the area it had shone itself, but the night hid that as well. Common sense told him the flash had to be extremely bright to be seen from as far as he was, but his sorcerer senses told him it had been magical.
He leaned forward as if the extra inches would yield answers, interest wining over frailty. A cracking sound from below made him pull back and briefly inspect stone he had been leaning on. The inspection lasted only a moment as three of his magic-detecting crystals shattered atop their posts sending the shards in tight circles that, beside the fact they were his and very difficult to repair, were quite a dazzling sight.
A drop of water hit his cheek and he turned his face to the sky only to be met by hundreds of tiny drops that soon had his ebony curls pasted flat to his head. He couldn't remember the last time it had rained in his lands.
After one last glance into the watery darkness he turned and started for the door intent on inspecting the flash. He had not completed two strides when his legs failed, throwing the floor at him. Catching himself with his left hand he grimaced in pain as his right hand took to throbbing. Xerxes went to his master's side with concern but said nothing.
Grudgingly Mozenrath realized the light would have to wait. He needed to rest.
***
A silver ball appeared and landed in the sand half burying itself. It began to quiver as a black, two-dimensional, mist formed a large halo that stood tall like a door. The halo filled in with thick black as clawed feet prepared to escape its depths.
A flash that blazed through the night marked the arrival of the sorceress on the back of a horse like beast.
Makkura teetered in the saddle as the hole behind her collapsed inward and healed itself. Nudging her mount with her heels she sent it forward in no particular direction. Exhausted as she was she struggled to remain conscious and supported herself on the horn of the saddle.
As the weight on its back shifted the mount turned its head to look at its rider. She had fallen unconscious and slumped heavily in the saddle. The mount returned to its vague direction and plodded toward nowhere.Back to index
Chapter 3: III
III
"Ahhhh!!! I still don't believe it" Iago yelled, piercing all the nearby ears.
"Well that should teach you to gamble on diplomatic missions" Jasmine proclaimed and everyone stifled a laugh.
"That's just it, it was a diplomatic mission, I should have gotten special treatment!" Iago shot back.
"Relax Iago, it's not the end of the world... just because you lost all you had" Genie said mockingly.
Aladdin and Abu couldn't keep from laughing as Genie turned into a featherless Iago in a barrel pulling two pockets inside out.
"Oh very funny, thanks for the support!" he responded curtly and started to fly higher then the rest to avoid any further damage to his ego.
"Iago!" Aladdin called after him.
"Let him burn it off." Jasmine suggested gently holding back a laugh as best she could.
Aladdin nodded as the parrot ascended higher into the sky. Suddenly he stopped, gazing over the dunes and turned to rejoin the group.
"Hey..." he started, forgetting his anger " there's someone over that way ...looked unconscious ... might need help...and from the duds on them I'll bet we get a goooood reward..." he trailed off rubbing his wings together.
"Where?" Aladdin asked the hero in him awakening in full strength.
Iago simply pointed and they all changed course. Soon they came upon a young woman dressed in a long sleeved purple shirt with a square gold trimmed neckline, deep purple pants that were tucked into black boots, what looked to be a long modified gold rimed black skirt was wrapped around her waist and left open in the front, her black hair was wrapped tightly in a long pony tail with a red silken ribbon that must have been several feet long as well as at least a foot wide.
"Must have passed out from the heat." Aladdin said eyeing the inappropriately dark colored and heavy clothing.
"AHHHH!!" Iago yelled, again causing everybody pain from the pitch of his squawk.
"What?" they turned to him, annoyed
Iago's frightened eyes were fixed on the horse "T...that! What kinda horse is that?!" they all turned to look, no one had noticed the strange mount. It resembled a horse in basic structure but instead of hooves it had clawed feet, the mouth seemed a little more pointed and carnivorous with large cupped ears and a fleshy tail that divided into two flattened petal like ends.
The creature made no attempt at attack and despite the savage appearance eyed them with a domesticated calm. "I don't think it's a threat" Aladdin said without much conviction. "Besides she's riding it, it must be tamed."
"Hmmm no supplies." Genie observed with suspicion. "Not even any water...or canteen for that matter."
"Either way" Jasmine broke in "Whoever she is she needs help. By the way her horse was headed she would have just narrowly missed Agrabah." The rest nodded in agreement. Aladdin cautiously took the rains, made sure the stranger wouldn't fall off and lead the steed toward the city ahead.Back to index
Chapter 4: IV
IV
Mozenrath awoke to find the morning and much of the day past but, aside from the throbbing in his right arm, he did feel a little better then earlier that night the rest had done some good. He pulled himself from the bed, noting he hadn't removed his robe, and again went to the balcony. He looked over his dead city damp from the rain that had since stopped and then his eyes slid up to meet the tiny speck of the city mocking him in the distance.
The name and face of the girl in his dream still rolled and bounced about his mind, he couldn't place her and didn't feel he needed to yet they continued to pester him demanding a position in his thoughts that wasn't there.
He looked to Agrabah again and scowled his thick eyebrows drawing together. He turned, striding more successfully then the night before, dressed, and headed out toward the stables.
He leaned against a wall as a mamluk prepared a fine black horse for him. He mounted the steed with less difficulty then he had expected, mumbled about how much he hated horses, and steered it toward Agrabah " That's it" He thought to himself with a weak laugh "Aladdin must have finely driven me insane" another weak laugh " I cant wait to tell him the good news" He laughed again but a little stronger, it made his head spin, he kicked the horse and took it to a gallop leaving small black clouds in his wake.
***
Makkura opened her eyes to the sunlit, blinding white marble of palace walls. "Not white..." she thought nearly panicking. Her eyes focused, no, the trimming around the room was different, not green and gold. She sat up to find she was on a luxurious bed and scanned the room, quickly finding the door. Sliding down off the bed the cold floor repelled her bare feet nearly sending her back up, she decided to bear it and padded toward the door.
Just as she passed a mirror she stopped and went into reverse aligning herself so her image stared back at her. A sneer twisted her lips making her look like an annoyed gargoyle as she took in her reflection. She had been dressed in light blue harem pants with a matching top far too small for her tastes. Her trim waist that was completely exposed, she cringed and had second thoughts about leaving the room.
"At least they didn't bother with any ridiculous slippers," she thought to herself bitterly and they hadn't taken her hair down as well. She allowed a slight smile as she noticed her regular clothes neatly cleaned and folded on a nearby table.
***
Black pounding hooves became more distinct as the black sand yielded to the regular golden sand that made up the rest of the deserts. One of these black hooves suddenly sent a tiny silver ball skidding across the dune drawing the attention of the dark rider.
He slowed the horse to a stop and looked down to the insolent little ball. Dismounting with a small grunt he ambled over to the tiny bobble and picked it up. There was magic inside but he was running low on time, slipping the object into his sash he remounted the steed, with difficulty, and dug his knees into its sides to send it off again.
***
"Ahhh. Sultan. How good it is to see you again." said a tall woman dismounting a magnificent winged horse.
"Why, Queen Hippsodeth. I had not expected you till later. What a delightful surprise." the little man responded with a fairly unroyal giggle.
"I could not help but be early" she stated with a pleasant smile "I hope that isn't any inconvenience"
"Nothing we cannot handle" the sultan delightedly.
"Oh?" the queen wondered a little playfully.
The tiny man looked at her fondly. "Aladdin and Jasmine found a young woman today. Poor thing was unconscious and rather unequipped for travel. Ahhh but do not worry she seems to be doing well and should come around soon enough."
"Oh dear" she said with genuine concern.
"Yes indeed, the strange thing was the beast she was riding. Nothing anyone has ever seen before. Thankfully Aladdin led it through the side streets. Would have caused quite an uproar in the market place." he stated with another little giggle.
"Beast?" she asked.
"It's down in the stables." he said in a matter of fact manor. "Ub.. would you like to see it?" he asked sheepishly.
She smiled playfully in response and they started toward the stables.
***
Makkura pushed the door open a crack and peered out into the long hall that reeled off in both directions. "hummm" she thought to herself "No guards?." She was a little surprised but decided to use it to her advantage and set off to find her way out. She didn't notice the little monkey run off in the other direction.
***
Abu chattered as he climbed up to Aladdin's shoulder signaling that the stranger had awoken.
"Thanks Abu" Aladdin said and set off to greet her with Jasmine, Iago, Genie, and Carpet close behind.
The little group came to the room they had left her in only to find it empty. Aladdin looked puzzled and turned to Abu. "Where is she?"
Abu chattered and pointed down the long hallway.
Before long they came upon her as she looked out a window, trying to recognize the city she had found herself in. "Uh. Hello?"
She startled at his sudden appearance and whirled around to face him. Recovering quickly she responded the best she could motioning out the window "Where is this?" her words came out refined but awkward.
"This is Agrabah." Jasmine tried to be comforting. "You're in the palace. We found you unconscious in the desert on your ... horse." she paused for a moment. "What is your name?"
The stranger seemed a little taken back by the question as if reluctant to answer. "Makkura." she finally responded
"Well Makkura I'm Aladdin and this is Princess Jasmine, Iago and Abu." he motioned to the rest, Genie and Carpet staying out of sight.
She nodded to each but said nothing. Everyone felt awkward just standing in the otherwise empty hall.
"Perhaps we could show around the palace." Jasmine suggested feeling the need to break the tension. Makkura simply nodded again and moved to follow them about the palace.
***
The massive wooden gates that marked the entrance of the most despised city loomed before him. Mozenrath could feel the horse beneath him tiring and it wouldn't have surprised him if its heart exploded and it dropped dead on that very dune.
Fate seemed to smile on him, for once, as he made out the fair sized caravan slowly entering the city through blissfully wide-open gates.
The comfortable crooked smile spread itself across his thick lips as the horses of the caravan started as he blazed past, causing a few people to be thrown off their mounts.
He avoided trampling the various people of the market place that had presented themselves to just such an end but only to keep from delaying himself further. Either way he could make it up later.
Then came the obstacle of the palace wall. Long before the horse reached it Mozenrath figured a way in. He turned the horse sharp to the right and bounded off to an all-to-convenient cart that rested near the wall. The horse managed over the wall, in a way that would put professional horse jumpers to shame, even if it did nearly break all its legs upon landing in the gardens.
Amazingly the steed remained intact and raced to the palace doors. Mozenrath ignored the shouts, curses and threats that emanated from the dumbfounded guards that started to chase him up the marble steps.
Just as he reached the doors he reared the horse, bringing its front hooves down hard on them. The doors jarred just enough and he slid the exhausted horse inside.
***
The Sultan's eyes widened as the dark horse clopped into the throne room. His eyes widened even further as he observed Mozenrath atop it looking rather confused, sickly and as tired as the horse.
The Queen beside him stood ready in a battle stance, remembering the various descriptions that she had pieced together about a young evil sorcerer.
Mozenrath simply stared at them from his high vantage point.
***
Makkura stifled a yawn not caring much more for the royal portrait in front of her then the last few she had been shown.
Everyone turned at the shouts of the guards followed by a solid thud that came from the doors that led into the palace.
Aladdin turned to Jasmine as if to confirm what he had heard. Jasmine nodded. Aladdin then turned to Makkura who looked at him with a rather unconcerned face. "Wait here." he said holding up his hand to stop her if she objected.
She stood not responding as they rushed off toward the throne room. She sighed and as soon as they were out of sight headed off in the same direction.
***
"What are you doing here!" the sultan bellowed in his royal voice just as Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Carpet, Abu, and Iago arrived.
"Mozenrath." Aladdin seethed through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here?" he repeated after the sultan but already assumed the answer from the look of him.
Jasmine couldn't help but feel guilty as Mozenrath had clearly weakened from the separation from his gauntlet, his face was sunk in and he resembled one of his mamluks.
Mozenrath slid from his horse, doing his best to not reveal his weakness in front of them. He stood holding the rains and looked at them. He didn't know how to answer the standard question, he didn't have an answer, coming had been something of an uncharacteristic impulse. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to be back in his citadel and away from the awkwardness and possible threat he had just ridden himself into.
Then another whim presented itself, one he felt all to willing to oblige. He marched over to Aladdin.
Aladdin stood where he was not sure what to expect but also unwilling to back down. Mozenrath couldn't do any real damage without his gauntlet, right?
Soon Mozenrath stood about two feet away, face to face with the street rat. He was still a moment, infusing Aladdin with an odd amused look that sent a shiver down Aladdin's spine. Before anyone knew it Mozenrath reared back with his good hand and punched Aladdin solid on his jaw.
Aladdin stumbled back, Jasmine moving to help him steady himself. Everyone moved into a defensive position but Mozenrath merely gave Aladdin one last snide glare and turned gracefully away to simply leave.
***
Makkura crept up from behind and peered cautiously into the throne room staying well out of sight. She took in the situation scanning over the ones that had led her around the palace, now joined by a djinni and a flying carpet, to a tiny man, to the tall amazon woman at his side and finally to the tall slender man walking back to a near dead horse they were all turned to.
Her eyes went wide as she recognized him, covering a gasp with her hand. She took a step forward still unnoticed. Another step and then she broke into a run, and nearly sent Aladdin tumbling to the floor as she shoved past him and Jasmine.
Mozenrath's face turned to one of shock (as did everybody else's) as he suddenly found himself with a strange woman's arms wrapped tightly around his chest.
He gazed down at her, then realization took over. He remembered her, not only from the dream but from reality, the dream had been a memory. Holes he never knew he had in his memories filled in, things that should have made no sense did.
"Makkura..." he said it remembering her in full, staring out into space, Aladdin and co. were shocked and forgotten behind them. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back slightly to get a better look, to make sure it was indeed her and that he had not become completely delirious.
She looked up fondly at him in the eyes. Then her expression turned to one of concern as she gazed at his sunken features. Immediately she turned her attention to his right hand to find only bone.
She took his hand in hers, the closest he would ever allow himself to get of an ashamed look crossed his face so briefly that only she caught it.
Aladdin finally pulled out of the shock that held the rest of those in the room still. "Y..you know him?" he asked not knowing of anything better to say.
Makkura turned her head to look at him and narrowed her eyes. She released Mozenrath's hand and a small glow appeared in front of her. The glow solidified and separated in half, each half going to one of her hands, all in a tiny fraction of a second. The energy in her hands flared into blue-black flames and engulfed them into the brief nothingness of teleportation.
Everyone looked about at everyone else dumbfounded, not sure what to do and left with only a half-dead horse.
***
The blue-black flames briefly lit the dim throne room and yielded the two sorcerers' back to reality. "You...I..." he stuttered not knowing what to ask her first.
She looked up at him again. "Who took it from you?" she asked bluntly, almost angry.
"Aladdin." he said absentmindedly as if the answer was plain knowledge. Just then the strain from the hectic storming of Agrabah's palace caught up to him. He grimaced and went to the floor in a crouch, holding his skeletal wrist in pain and resisting yet another wave of nausea.
Blue-black flame flared again and he found himself in his bedchambers. She persuaded him to stand and led him to the bed, pushing him down gently and making him stay. He had tried to resist, not wanting to be cared for like some small child, but his strength abandoned him and the bed seemed softer then usual, he laid down and closed his eyes with a tired sigh.
"Do you know where he's hidden it?" she asked but soon realized that if he did he would have retrieved it already.
"No." he replied "Even Xerxes couldn't trace it."
"Xerxes?" she asked
"My familiar." He lifted his hand and the eel slid under it on his way to the new person sitting on the side of his master's bed. She drew back slightly as the eel sniffed the air around her suspiciously. She glared at him and catching an equally threatening glare from his master he backed off.
She turned her attention back to the problem of his gauntlet. "I'll see what I can do.." she mumbled while thinking.
He looked at her quizzically but said nothing, not wanting to taunt his nausea any further. She got up still thinking and slowly edged toward the door. "Take Xerxes he may be of help yet." he said but the simple sentence made his head spin and he grumbled a curse under his breath.
She turned back to him and eyed him over. She laid her hands on his chest and called on her magic, focusing it into him. He grimaced but didn't protest and allowed the magic to help replenish him. Feeling better he sat up only to be pushed back down "It won't last long." she explained.
Without another word she headed out the door. Xerxes looked again to his ill master, unsure about the stranger, but followed his orders and swam after her.Back to index
Chapter 5: V
V
The light of the blue-black flames did little to combat the blazing red light that the setting sun cast through the windows that lined the obscure hallway.
She looked left and right, surprised by Xerxes who hung next to her, not a single guard in sight "This shouldn't be that hard. There are not even any guards about." She muttered to herself under her breath.
She had wandered the halls, having to avoid relatively few guards by her standards, for a short time before deciding she needed more of a direction. "You can trace magic?" she said turning to the eel.
Xerxes bobbed in the air indicating yes.
"Then trace any magic in this palace" she commanded.
The eel gave her an annoyed look, showing that he felt doing so was useless. She glared at him venomously. He responded with a mid-air twirl and went off down the hall smelling the air for magic.
They stopped short of rounding a corner, hearing voices in the nearby room.
"Awwww... c'mon Al..." Genie complained.
"Don't worry Genie. It won't have to stay down there forever," Aladdin consoled
"That doesn't mean I have ta like it." Genie responded pushing out his belly and chin in an effort to look disgruntled. "Can't ya just keep it with you?"
" We don't know what is going on with Mozenrath," Jasmine said.
"Yeah" Iago broke in. "That chick is either gonna help him or blow him a way...and if she helps him she's gonna want to get the gauntlet." He said biting down on some fruit, Abu chattered in agreement.
"But he wouldn't be able to get it out anyway, so why does it have to be all the way down in the vault?" the genie pleaded.
That was all Makkura needed. She turned and set off back down the hall as quietly as possible. After yet more wandering she found herself in the lower parts of the palace. She managed past the guards by the dungeon, past what seemed to be an abandoned lab, past several locked doors that Xerxes indicated held nothing magical behind them; until Xerxes finally stopped before one heavily locked door.
"Magic there." The eel creeched.
Makkura eyed the door before focusing her powers to its locks. They were reinforced with the genie's magic and didn't budge. She wanted to simply blast it out of frustration but didn't feel up to dealing with the guards and assorted heroes that would surely be alerted.
She looked to the door of the room next to it. Its locks popped easily under her magic. The room was for little more than storage, the wooden boxes that lined the walls were most likely filled only with grain or dates.
She cleared the appropriate wall and melted the stones, being that they were not protected as the locks. As soon as the molten rock cooled she stepped through to find more of the wooden boxes that occupied the room before.
"Where?" she demanded barely turning to the eel.
Xerxes sniffed about locating a chest that had been pushed to the back out of sight. She pulled it out finding it had yet another enchanted lock. She sighed, annoyed and unimpressed that again only the lock itself had been seen to.
The chest ground on the stone floor as she turned its back to her. She focused again and the hinges warped and pulled away from themselves splitting the top open.
She sat a moment before reaching down into the chest, letting a small headache subside, but instead of the leather of the gauntlet she was surprised by the cold sting of metal. She pulled the object out and gazed at it then turned to the eel in the air at her side, confusion changing to annoyance.
"Only magic." Xerxes stated defensively.
She finished glaring at him and turned back to the lamp she held. "Wait" she mumbled "Is this the djinni lamp?"
Xerxes bobbed a yes.
Her grip on the handle and spout tightened as she closed her eyes. She suddenly stood straight "Those bastards!" she yelled startling Xerxes who looked quizzically at her. "It's in there. They put the gauntlet in the genie's lamp!" she explained.
A bang at the door was the only thing that stopped her from throwing it to the ground and putting some nasty dents in the metal. Aladdin followed closely by Genie came through the now open doors.
"Hey that's My lamp and I'd thank you kindly to give it back." Genie called over to her.
"I'd thank you kindly to give the gauntlet back." She shot back.
"You can't get it out of there and we won't give it to you so you might as well just scurry along home." Aladdin informed her with a confident smile.
She looked at him seriously then a tiny smile twisted the corners of her mouth. "Perhaps." She said giving Aladdin a bad feeling.
"Now Genie!" Aladdin and Genie went for the lamp only to have her dodge and escape through the hole she had made earlier, slipping away through doors that lead into the hallway.
She ran, followed closely by Xerxes "How get out?" he asked while checking behind them to see Aladdin not far behind.
"Only the djinni can go in there.." she said. "So we'll just need to give them a reason ...we just need a hostage." She explained as casual logic. Xerxes gave a scratchy laugh.
Aladdin was just close enough to catch the word 'hostage' and immediately thought of Jasmine. The thought of Jasmine in danger sent him even faster and with a leap just caught Makkura by her ankles. She went down hard and lost her grip on the lamp.
They slid a little way on the white marble, the lamp went bouncing across it, the ring of metal against marble pronouncing its freedom. Aladdin struggled to better restrain the sorceress.
Genie made a dive for the lamp but Xerxes got there first and scooped it up in his mouth. "Ewwww... eel slobber!" he yelled turning his hand into a fishing pole and casting the line at the eel.
The line wrapped around his tail, pulling him back. The struggling of the familiar nullified any backward pull and he was able to keep his place in the air.
"Yup. He's a live one!" said the genie in full fishing gear pulling harder on the pole and making the eel lose a little distance.
Makkura realized the boy was too strong for her and that she would not be able to fend him off. "You pervert! Get off me!" she yelled.
The slur hit true and threw Aladdin's guard making him too conscious of exactly how he proceeded in the struggle. He pulled back instinctively. Makkura used it to her advantage and was able to blast him off with a fury of blue-black flames sending him into a nearby wall.
She ran over to Xerxes and snatched the lamp from him, unconcerned with his plight.
"Awww man!" Genie said turning his attention to Makkura and allowing Xerxes to swim free of the line.
"What's going on!" Jasmine called running straight toward Makkura with several guards and a worried sultan behind her.
"Watch out Jasmine!" Aladdin warned. But was too late. Jasmine gasped as Makkura jumped at her pulling out her ribbon, setting her hair free of it. Jasmine ducked and spiraled herself on the floor.
She flipped herself over expecting to see Makkura standing over her. But as Jasmine saw the sorceress hadn't been after her and now had the sultan wrapped firmly in the ribbon. "Father!" she yelled.
"Now." Makkura said trying to catch her breath "I think that you don't have much of a choice." She held up the lamp.
Genie looked to Aladdin for instruction. Aladdin thought a moment and nodded for Genie to get the gauntlet out. Reluctantly Genie went into his lamp and retrieved the gauntlet.
The moment he was out Makkura grabbed it away. She took a few steps back showing no sign of giving anything back. She gave them a snide look, "My thanks."
"Release the sultan!" Aladdin commanded through clenched teeth.
Makkura paused a moment. "Of course." She said and with a flip of her wrist the ribbon launched the sultan into the air.
"No!" everyone yelled as the sultan plummeted toward the hard marble floor. All were relived to see Hippsodeth catch him on Carpet
"Why thank you my dear." Said the little, shaken, man.
"Nobody threatens my man." she responded glaring at the fleeing sorceress.
"HEY!!!!!!!!!!! She still has my lamp!" Genie said and took off after her.
"Genie wait!' Aladdin called after him. But Genie ignored him and sped up to head her off.
Makkura fell back, not yet free of her momentum and nearly dropping the gauntlet, as the genie appeared in front of her. "Nobody steals MY lamp!" he bellowed blowing himself up to massive proportions.
She snarled at him and was soon off in another direction, only to be stopped again by the genie. "Oh, wanna get tough huh? Ok I'll get tough!" he changed into an animal control uniform and sent a net toward her.
Makkura reacted instantly pulling at the already loose ribbon and tracing it in a pentagram shape. The ribbon held its place in the air, swirling along the path of the pentagram. The net turned back to energy as it neared the ribbon and was absorbed into the center, changed into blue-black flames that were in turn absorbed by Makkura.
Everyone had caught up by now and saw Genie pull back with an impressed "Wow."
Makkura was clearly worn out and looked about at the group surrounding her. "Very well keep the lamp." she gasped and threw it to one side, Genie happily getting a hold of it. She stood a moment weighing her options, which were too few. She slipped the gauntlet on her right hand and grimaced as the hot burning power surged into it. Blue-black flames allowed her and Xerxes an escape.
"We have to go after her and get the gauntlet back." Aladdin said with his usual conviction.
"Oh I don't know Al. She's pretty strong. You saw that magic changing thing she did." He said holding onto his lamp tightly.
"Ahh don't worry about that." Iago broke in. "Even a two dinari wizard can pull that off with enough practice. Anyway a spell like that is usually not even worth it; takes more power to do then it gives."
"A two dinari wizard can pull off anything with *enough* practice." Genie commented.
"Doesn't matter. Mozenrath is too much of a threat and I don't think he's too happy that we had his gauntlet for so long." Jasmine said in full support of Aladdin.
"Let's go Carpet!" he said helping Jasmine up.
***
Makkura fell into the room from the flames and wrenched the gauntlet off her now burning hand. Forcing herself to her feet she turned to the bed she had left Mozenrath in to find him gone. She continued to catch her breath and left the room to find him.
He was in the first room she checked, sitting on the throne. He'd fallen asleep with his head back and his arms stretched out along the arm rests.
She approached carefully not wanting to startle him. When she was about arms distance from him he opened his eyes and looked at her. She held out his gauntlet and he had it on before she could even tell it had left her hand.
He stood and held up his hand, flexing it and letting little blue flames dance about the brown leather, a look of pure relief on his face.
She smiled at him "Come, you still have to rest."
He looked down at her and started to object, but that proved to be too much and was silenced by dizziness. He teetered a little as she pulled him from the throne room back to his chambers.
***
The group was silent as Carpet sped over the dunes that soon turned noticeably black even though only lit by faint moonlight.
"Uh... Al do you want the rug man and I to hold back. So the magic detectors don't go off?"
"I think he's probably expecting us. We can't depend on surprise." Aladdin responded. The silence returned quickly.
***
"You didn't have to pull me the whole way." Mozenrath gave her a disapproving glare. and wrenched his hand out of hers.
"Yes I did." She responded simply letting him regain his hand.
He was about to talk back at her when he felt the alarm of other magic in his kingdom tugged at the back of his thoughts. "Surprise, surprise." He mumbled under his breath, looking off toward the balcony.
"I don't feel much like fighting them. I had to use your gauntlet just to get back." She pointed out.
He turned back to her. "They're not getting away with this." He said holding up his fist.
"I never said they would, but revenge can wait a little while." She said to him sweetly. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down slightly as if to be sure of the floor.
He looked at her awhile, feeling the same way about the prospect of fighting and of his condition. In what could only be described as a swooping action he compensated for the height and distance that separated them; held her across the back of her solders and waist, pulled her close and pushed her head back with his lips on hers.
The sudden action caught her off-guard and she made a small sound. He persisted in the kiss and pulled her even closer. Finally she succumbed to him and wrapped her arms around to his back.
Just outside a thousand new shades of red came into existence on the faces of the group hovering in mid-air. The intention of an attack faded. They all turned to each other and silently agreed to not push their luck and turned back toward Agrabah.
A while passed before they pulled back. Makkura stood in his arms a moment before opening her eyes with a deep breath. "They're gone." She said still a little distant.
"So they are." he said and kissed her again.
To be continued...Back to index