Three Wishes: Cairo (20 page)

His head was unceremoniously dumped on the ground when Darius had determined that it was time to wake up. Aladdin couldn’t help but smile when he realized that there was nothing quite like being rousted in the morning by a long pink tongue, a wet hairy dog face and persistent whining that said, “I'm hungry and you must get up and feed me now.”

Aladdin painfully opened his eyes, sat up stiffly and scanned his camp and the horizon where the sun was slowly starting to rise. A night on cold ground is by no means comfortable, even with a furry dog pillow to keep you warm, but as the sun crept slowly over their camp, Aladdin immediately started to shake off the stiffness and bone chilling cold that had invaded his body. As he rose and stretched, Darius exhibited his usual lack of patience by running straight for the young man’s legs and exuberantly knocked him immediately back onto the ground.

“Darius!” said Aladdin as he again made his way to his feet. The dog simply bowed to his master with his tail wagging to let him know that all of this yelling was not getting him any closer to eating. Aladdin held up his hand in submission. “Look, if I can't stand, you can't eat, so let me up you silly dog.” Again he rose to his feet, but this time, ever mindful of his exuberant canine.

Aladdin made his way to his pack and reached inside. “If you let me proceed, I might actually have a surprise for you.” Darius had no idea what his master was saying, but played along and stared at the hand that had mysteriously disappeared inside the pack.

When the hand reappeared, Darius lost his mind with happiness and started a celebration dance on his back legs. There was a small cloth in which several pieces of dried hare were stored. Darius smelled them before he saw them and was instantly at Aladdin's feet clamoring for his favorite treat. When Aladdin let the dog have a small piece, it disappeared so quickly that Aladdin was sure he could not have even tasted what he'd just eaten. “You didn't even chew that Darius.” But Darius returned to his hand-staring and whining. Aladdin put a piece of the jerky in his mouth and then, with the small warning of “take it nice,” he extended another morsel of hare gold to his friend, who again swallowed it whole and without a thought.

Aladdin ate the last piece and also some dried berries (Darius had absolutely no interest in these) and then set about waking the Genie. He rubbed the lamp and was still startled when the Genie began his “appearing ritual.” Admittedly, in the vastness of the desert, the lightshow and smoke were sort of anti-climatic, but still, it was an impressive entrance that Aladdin wasn't certain he'd ever get used to.

The Genie also had a different appearance in broad daylight. He still appeared to be ghost-like and with a wavering form, but minus the glow he normally exhibited in the shade and indoors. He did seem well-rested and upbeat though as he greeted his traveling companions, “Good morning Aladdin. I trust you slept well?”

Aladdin smiled. “Oh, it was wonderful sleeping on the ice cold ground with a smelly dog to lay my head on. Since I discovered my own personal genie, I've been absolutely spoiled,” they both smiled. “Seriously, I thought you might want to move around a little bit, as I'm not sure when I'll be able to summon you once we reach the outskirts of Cairo.”

“I understand that and appreciate the thought. Though, in reality, I have no muscles to stiffen, I do appreciate the ability to stand in the sunlight and enjoy my surroundings. I know you didn't ask, but I should tell you that I slept quite comfortably.” He grinned.

Within a few minutes, the Genie was back in the lamp and the lamp was back in Aladdin's pack as the young man and his dog made their way toward the largest city in the region and center of modern civilization.

Travel was again brisk as Aladdin walked and talked with the Genie. Though they were now in Egypt, their real starting point would be Cairo. They were now seeing more travelers on the road, but still had long stretches where they were the only souls in the vicinity. When they did come upon travelers, Darius was the official welcoming committee and ran far ahead to greet passersby. It was a very pleasant trip and everyone they met seemed genuinely friendly and accommodating.

When the sun again began to set in the west, they made preparations for another night of outdoor camping. Aladdin knew that tomorrow they would be on the outskirts of Cairo and that they could begin to ask the people they met about Ameerah. It was here that hopefully, they would begin to unravel the mystery of the Genie's past. Whenever Aladdin coaxed more information out of his traveling companion about his past love, he couldn’t help but daydream about Enna. He continued to marvel at the fact that he had known her such a short time, yet his heart ached to just see her again.

If he had any regrets about making this journey, they were quickly doused when he heard the Genie talking about Ameerah. Friends sacrificed for friends and Aladdin knew that in a few short weeks, he’d be back with Enna, but that the Genie had been apart from Ameerah for decades. He would do what it took to get the answers that the Genie needed. In his private thoughts, he pictured the moment when the Genie saw his long lost love. He planned to immediately grant the Genie his freedom so that he could jumpstart a life that had been stolen from him. He still had two wishes remaining but that didn’t really matter now. If it cost him both of his wishes to bring happiness, then so be it.

As much as the thought of unlimited wishes for one’s desires sounded intriguing at first, Aladdin was becoming more and more convinced that it might not be so wise to go through life with everything handed to him. To work hard means to appreciate the spoils of that labor. If you are given everything, where would the appreciation of your good fortune come from? He did of course, appreciate that he was still breathing thanks to the Genie.

“But what else do I need?” he thought, “I have a palace of my own and I'm in love with a princess. Do I really need even two additional wishes?”

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As he finished his evening preparations, fed and watered Darius and ate the last of his provisions, he glanced to the east and saw the vague outlines of campfires filling the evening horizon. “Wow,” he said. “That seems like a very large group of people following the path we just traveled. I wonder where they’re heading.”

“Probably just a group of travelers who have banded together for safety,” said the Genie. “They must be traveling faster than we are because we did not see them last night and we’ve not passed any towns since yesterday. Probably wise to avoid any large groups at this point. We should get an early start in the morning.”

Once the Genie returned to the lamp, concerns surrounding the group behind them disappeared as Aladdin dove into the open arms of exhaustion and fell fast asleep.

His experiment had been a resounding success. Alchemy was now on the road toward Egypt. He hoped to find some answers to questions about the course of his life. But his main hope was that he might just run into Ameerah and the little band of altruistic bleeding hearts that had trashed The Plan and side-tracked him to this new course he now traveled. He had persevered, but not without consequence and not without nagging delay. A lesser individual would have given up and thrown himself to the mercy of the Gods. But Alchemy was not just any individual. He was a wizard, chosen by the very same Gods who now appeared to have abandoned him. But he was confident that he would be triumphant in the end. He would find Ameerah and she would pay a steep price for the sacrilege she had performed. He would take care of her first and then he would begin his ascension to the throne of Egypt where he would then rule the world just as he had always planned. Heaven help any being who got in his way.

He had been wise to wait a day to escape the confines of Altanan. He was unable to join the hordes of angry townsfolk because his current disguise precluded contact with anyone from the town. He was currently very recognizable and most people were looking for him in more ways than one. He was happy to allow the young thief to feel the brunt of a town that had, like most angry, irrational groups, totally reached the wrong conclusion based on what their eyes told them. They worked as a cohesive unit, blinded by their anger and the betrayal they thought Aladdin had wrought on them.

One guard had innocently suggested that perhaps Aladdin had been the perpetrator. It was close enough to a theory and had started this whole event careening down the path of misguided justice. For Alchemy, this unbridled bloodlust suited The Plan quite well. He worked best when the rest of the world around him was in complete chaos.

There was an irritating voice in the back of his mind telling him that more caution was in order. And though this voice was strong, he was able to push it down. He was not one to get too caught up with negative thoughts. It was better not to dwell on negativity. Great thinkers throughout history had the ability to compartmentalize their thinking. Alchemy's mind, with all of its power was now focused entirely on the bounty that he hoped awaited him in Egypt. He had already dealt with more obstacles than anyone should ever have to and yet here he was, within striking distance to his desired goals.

Despite his bravado and limitless confidence, he still had a hesitance in regards to a showdown with even a weakened and much older Ameerah. How she had defeated him with no magic and no power still weighed heavily on his mind. Whatever powerful magic had banished him to this parasitic existence simply could not have been controlled by three mortals. For all of his bluster and self-confidence, Alchemy still felt a persistent tug of reluctance at the thought of a new confrontation.

Cairo was going to bring The Plan to a head.

He heard a muffled growl and then felt cold steel roughly on his neck at the same time he heard the voice. “Don't even think about moving you murderer!” This quickly shocked Aladdin to full alert. “I should remove your head right now, but I promised my wife you'd stand trial.”

He heard Darius bark and cry simultaneously as he was jerked to his feet. As his head cleared, he was amazed to see both town elders and soldiers from Altanan completely surrounding their camp. The look in their eyes was so frightening that he didn't even contemplate his normal flight response because somehow he knew by their faces that he'd be dead instantly. He searched frantically for Darius, but was relieved to find that the dog had been harnessed and silenced, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.

He soon found his voice. “What is the meaning of this? I may not be a favorite son of Altanan, but I am a citizen and I'd like an explanation as to why I've been tracked like an animal and treated this way!”

“Oh, you want an explanation; of course, forgive my manners,” spat out the guard. “You will be tried for the regicide of the Sultan, the assassination of Katar, his esteemed council commander and for the kidnapping of Princess Enna, heir to the throne of Altanan.”

“Enna? But she is on a trip with her father. She will not return for several days!” stammered Aladdin.

“So, you were aware of the royal schedule, yet you're but a commoner! Perhaps their early return foiled your plans and you were faced with no choice but to murder your way out of the palace!” The crowd grew angrier, their emotions stoked by the mere mention of the word ‘murder’. One old man who was leaning on a cane called out, “STONE HIM!”

But Aladdin's main concern right now was Enna. “The Sultan is dead? But I could never harm Enna or her father.” Aladdin's eyes scanned the crowd for a familiar face and a sympathetic ear. But he found only lust for revenge in the eyes he locked onto. Many of these people he saw almost daily in town, yet he couldn't find even one sympathetic face in the crowd. His eyes eventually landed on the two guards that he had escaped from in the forest. “You two! You both know very well that the Princess and I were friends. You saw her letter in the clearing behind the palace. Please tell them what you saw!”

This attention made both men very uncomfortable, but eventually one found a voice. “We caught you lurking outside the palace. That is true. We gave chase for two days and eventually you used the darkest of magic to elude us. Our friend is still recovering from your attack. As to this letter; only Katar was witness to its contents and conveniently, he is dead.” This again brought a response from the crowd. They were tired, hungry and in the throes of anger. They wanted more than anything to accomplish their goals and then head back home. They spent two days walking with little food and none of the comforts of home. All were looking to the guards for answers, which put quite a bit of pressure on men who were used to taking orders, but not really used to making decisions. At first, it was a nice feeling having that power to finally give orders and have them obeyed. But now, decisions were being made that would have to be explained to their superiors when they returned.

Like all mobs, as their feet grew more tired, their desire for immediate action increased. The first rock was hurled by the man with the cane who had no desire to return Aladdin to the town. It struck Aladdin in the arm. Even though he was old and his strength was failing, it nonetheless brought a wince of pain from Aladdin and a response from Darius who broke free of his captor and chomped with great satisfaction into the man’s good leg. Darius was immediately taken down again. Aladdin watched the old man howling in pain with a long line of spittle dropping from his mouth. He had one thought. “Good boy.”

Soon, chants of “Kill Him” filled the morning atmosphere. Even those who had sworn to bring Aladdin to justice had decided that it would likely be easier and less cumbersome to just end it right here. They didn't have all of the facts, but like most mobs, they had enough to convict him right on the spot and head back to the familiar settings of their homes.

Aladdin was running out of options, and though he didn’t think it would help, he yelled out anyway. “If I kidnapped Princess Enna, why is she not here with me? Please think about this, I am innocent!”

That question brought a swift kick to the stomach from one of the guards. “You will not speak of the Princess again. I have no desire to even contemplate what you did to that poor girl.”

Again, his reminder of Princess Enna and the first seeds of violence brought even more screams of retribution from the crowd.

Another rock flew and this time, it landed squarely in Aladdin’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Apparently the decision had been made and the guards were no longer part of the solution. The townsfolk were now practicing their own brand of justice. The guard who was closest to Aladdin was the next person struck and he glared in the direction from which the rock flew and then thought better of it and just moved for cover.

Aladdin shakily stood and tried one last attempt to reason with them, but was again pummeled by a rock directly on the knee which hobbled him and again sent him tumbling to the ground. For the next ten minutes, the line between human and animal was blurred. Seemingly reasonable and rational people, who were tired, hungry and angry over the death of their beloved leaders, brought forth their wrath on the young man. They flailed about wildly with the hope that they could return home and claim some sort of victory over a horrible situation. Even those in the mob who had some doubts about this course of action would never have spoken those thoughts aloud for fear of finding a few rocks aimed in their direction.

For his part, Aladdin continued to claim his innocence, begging as he endured projectiles from every direction. It was an endless assault which seemed to go on forever.

And then, for just a split section, he saw Enna. Her silhouette was unmistakable. She made direct eye contact with him, hesitated as if confused and then just walked right past him. Before he could even speak her name, another rock found its mark in the back of his head and took him to the ground. This time, he would not rise again.

Aladdin now lay sprawled on the ground with his hands covering his ears and head. He knew that the time for talking was over. There was no one to hear him. His body was on fire and a mass of contusions and wounds. His mind was spinning with thoughts of pain and this new question about Enna’s sudden appearance. Every few seconds a new agonizing occurrence would spring up as yet another rock would find its mark. He could feel the cool trickles of blood that poured from various wounds that had been inflicted on him. He was now fading in and out of consciousness. His only consolation was that he heard Darius barking and growling helplessly as his master was tortured. At least they weren’t hurting him. He knew he was dying. His final thoughts were of the girl he would never see again, the dog whose anguished howling still filled his ears and of his friend, the Genie.

The Genie!

Of course! He still had one card to play. His pack had fallen to the ground within easy reach. With his last remaining strength, Aladdin clutched the bag, reached his hand inside and rubbed the lamp.

Nothing happened.

His final thought before losing consciousness was one of utter despair. He had so many questions that would never be answered.

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              Once they had secured their vengeance, most of the crowd turned away and immediately started returning to their senses. They’d had their fill of revenge and now wanted nothing more than to return home. Having burned off the fire of hatred, they would now leave the young man exposed to the elements. None checked on Aladdin’s condition and most could not even look at each other.

It was over. They had expended all of their blind rage and, without a single command from the guards, immediately started walking back in the direction of Altanan. Not one of them had seen the young girl as she walked by. Most were breathing heavy and concentrating on their feet as they would now try to forget what had happened today and return to some semblance of their normal lives back in Altanan.

It would be a long walk home. There would be no celebration; only quiet contemplation about what this mob had done.