“I can’t make it out at all.” Ali bent down to take a closer peek.
The path was covered in moss and grass, but taking a step upon it, they both felt solid cobblestone beneath their feet, buried beneath years of neglect. If not for the moonlight they’d have missed it entirely.
“Looks like it curves a bit,” Ali observed. Indeed, they could see that the thin patches of moss twisted and turned up a slope and then out of sight. From where Jasmine stood, she could hear the crashing waters against the cliffs. She thought of the sea-salted rocks and the unsteady boulders and hesitated. And then she thought of the magic carpet and how it must have been feeling right at that exact moment.
“Let’s go.” She nodded.
Together both Jasmine and Ali walked down the curved path. The wind picked up, pushing against them, as though warning them to stay back. And though neither of them knew for certain where this path would take them, or who might await them at the other side, both knew they had to keep going. There was no other option.
WITH THE MOON obscured by clouds, Jasmine’s and Aladdin’s eyes adjusted to the darkness until they could make out the landscape as they hurried down the path. Grainy pebbles underneath the damp moss crunched beneath their feet.
Following the map, they headed toward the site Ahmed had called the Phoenix Trio. The farther they walked, the more the landscape changed. It was so different here, in the parts of the land that Genie’s magic had not touched. Not just the obvious differences of walking so close to cliffs and ocean shores, but the color and texture of this part of Ababwa was starkly different. Gone was the brilliant sheen that hung over Genie’s charming cobblestoned streets, red and purple lanterns lighting the paths, and colorful curtains billowing out of windows; here there was almost no color at all. From the sky and the clouds floating above to the grass snaking across the trail and the deteriorated mountainscapes they walked by…everything here was—
“Gray,” Jasmine said, looking around. “Maybe it’s just because it’s night and there are no lights here. But everything looks a little more somber here, doesn’t it?”
Gray was the perfect word, Aladdin thought. This part of Ababwa felt as though an artist had begun a charcoal sketch but lost interest and wandered away.
The path curved again, taking them toward the edge of the cliffs. Jasmine and Aladdin took care with their steps, gripping one another’s arms over slippery stones. They paused and peeked inside each dark cave that gaped at them along the way, but they were all empty. Just then a strong gust of wind rushed over to them. It made their clothing rustle and their hair flow backward.
“Wow.” Jasmine covered her nose with her hand. “Do you smell that?”
“Salty. Like seaweed.”
“Like that man.”
They glanced about the desolate landscape and the hundreds of caves dotted along their line of sight. Where to begin?
“Wait.” Aladdin pointed to a formation in the distance, three enormous boulders pressed together in a semicircle of sorts. “Their tips are narrow and angled like feathers, sort of how Ahmed said. Maybe those are the Phoenix Trio?”
“That must be it.” Jasmine studied her map and nodded. “Yes, that’s the place.”
The terrain underfoot grew wetter as they walked toward the boulders. Jasmine and Aladdin gripped one another’s hands to keep from falling. Beads of perspiration dotted Aladdin’s forehead. Caves yawned at them along the walkway, the wind tunneling through them as they passed by, howls piercing the night sky and sending chills down their spines. They paused to take in all the hideaway spots.
“What if he’s in one of these caves? What if he’s watching us right now? There are too many of them. He could find us first, and then what?”
“Wait,” Jasmine whispered. “Look.”
Aladdin followed her gaze, and then he saw it, too. At first, he was convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him. But there it was. Smoke billowed out from behind the Phoenix Trio. And then a flicker of light. Orange. It glowed from between the spaces of the boulders.
Quietly, Jasmine and Aladdin made their way toward the source of the light. Closer now, they saw that the boulders overlooked the jagged cliffs. They inched past cactus sprouting along the cliffside. And then both of them saw the opening—the gap between the boulders. The light glowed brighter. Everything felt like it had grown silent and still.
“It might be a trap. The flame is so bright,” Jasmine finally said to Aladdin. “It feels like he’s luring us there.”
“Why don’t you go and call for the guards?” he whispered.
“And what are you going to do?”
“I’ll go talk to him until you can get them over here.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with that man,” she whispered.
“Jasmine, it’s dangerous. We don’t both have to put ourselves at risk like this.”
“Are you serious? Do you honestly think I’ll let you go in there alone?”
“I know, I know. I just don’t want you getting hurt. Whatever is on the other side, it’s not good.”
“Two heads are better than one.” Jasmine squeezed Aladdin’s hand. “Let’s go and see what is going on. We’re getting the carpet back. No matter what.”
“Okay.” Aladdin nodded. Together they slipped through the large sandy boulders and onto the cliffside. Aladdin blinked as he got his bearings. Waves crashed loudly against the shore below. The flame that beckoned them had vanished.
“What is this place?” Jasmine said slowly.
Jasmine had been right, Aladdin realized. This had been a trap. And they’d fallen right into it. He brushed his hands against his clothing—he’d been in such a rush to rescue his beloved magic carpet, he hadn’t brought so much as a kitchen knife to defend himself.
Before they could do anything, however, they heard a voice.
Low and gravelly.
Familiar.
A light flickered back on.
“Well, look who it is,” someone said. “I must say, it took you both long enough.”
