Gaia: Daughter of Aladdin

by Armitage, J. A.

  It was impossible to know, but I had a feeling that without me, The Vizier would take over. There was something that connected us. I might not know what, but I knew I was going to have to be the only one who stopped him. I’d done it before. I’d made him go away when I was only a babe in arms. This time, I’d make him go away for good. One of us was going to have to die. I just needed to get the lamp and get out of this gods-forsaken place before that person turned out to be me.

  I carefully trod through the jewels, tiptoeing and keeping my hands to my side as I watched the path in front of me and only glancing up every so often to check for the lamp. I’d been searching for over half an hour when something had me paralyzed with fear. A voice boomed out, echoing off the walls and shaking the already precarious piles of gold and jewels. I spun on the spot to see The Vizier standing at the entrance to the cave at the base of the stairs.

  “Well, you’ve made this very easy for me,” he cackled. “If I’d have known you’d come here of your own volition, I’d have waited it out rather than chase you all over town.”

  Beside me, a pile of coins shuddered. “If I find the lamp, I’ll use it to get out of here before I give it to you.”

  He laughed, an evil guffaw that bounced off the walls, reverberating through the cavern.

  “No, you won’t. I know you have feelings for the genie. Such a fool. You’ll do as your father did and free him. He was a fool too.”

  “My father was no fool!” I shouted out and immediately regretted it as a few coins fell to my feet.

  “Yes, yes, yes,” he replied lazily. “That’s why he’s currently living on the streets instead of in the palace. He doesn’t even know who he is.”

  I looked around, ignoring his sneers. I needed to find the lamp before he did. I’d have to use it. It meant that Genie would never be free, but at least, I’d have the lamp, and I’d be out of here. I’d find another way to free Genie. I’d destroy the lamp.

  But as I turned to run away, a stack of gold came toppling down. A chain reaction started, bringing the gold crashing down around my ears.

  “Damn you!” I heard The Vizier say above the noise of the gold. Presumably, he was running up the stairs to save himself as the ceiling began to rain sand down on me.

  I ran, dodging falling sand and gold, but it was clear I wasn’t going to make it. The entrance to the stairs was no longer there, and neither was The Vizier. My fears were coming to fruition. I was going to be crushed to death under the Badalah desert.

  The noise was deafening as thousands of Rubees worth of gold crashed down around me. I’d not found the lamp. Not even seen it. Genie couldn’t save me now. No one could. I scrambled through the falling debris, but it was too late. I tripped and felt myself falling. Before I hit the ground, someone scooped me up and pulled me into the air. The ground beneath me felt like it was moving, elevating me and the mysterious stranger upward. My hair flew out in front of my eyes, causing further disorientation, but a cool breeze hit me as we flew upward. For a second, my mind turned to Genie. Someone was gripping me tightly, someone who wanted to save me. One hand held onto him, fearful I’d somehow fall, but with the other, I dragged my hair from my eyes. My mouth fell open in surprise when I saw who had saved me and then again when I saw how.

  “Fath...Aladdin. What are you doing here? Where did you get this...this...?” I looked down and saw it wasn’t the ground coming up with us; it was a carpet. We were flying through the air on a carpet.

  He grinned at me. “I don’t know where it came from, but I feel like it knows me.”

  “It knows you?” I asked incredulously.

  He shrugged as we swerved around a particularly large pile of gold. “I have déjà-vu about this place. It’s strange. I feel like I’ve been here before.”

  “You have!” I replied as we ducked under a falling chest. “Do you remember how to get out?” I screamed as the whole place began to disintegrate around us.

  “Nope, but I have a feeling the carpet does.”

  We flew higher and higher, dodging sand and gold, and then, as there was nowhere else to go, the carpet flew us right into the falling sand.

  I clamped my eyes and mouth tightly together and held onto my father as sand closed in around us. The carpet began to falter. We were being crushed to death. And then when I thought I’d never breathe again, the carpet pulled free, and we were catapulted into the air.

  I tumbled through the air, sucking in deep breaths. The world spun around beneath me, and I was aware that the first rays of sun were beginning to light up the sky. My trajectory changed, and I stopped flying upwards and began to fall. A scream was pulled from my lungs as I finally stopped tumbling end over end and saw the desert below me. For the second time in almost as many minutes, my father sent the carpet into a dive and grabbed me before I could fall any further.

  “Are you alright?”

  I shook my head, shaking the sand from it and pulled it back from my face. Below me, the sand was leveling out, and the cave was once again lost to the desert. In the far distance, a shock of purple smoke disappeared into the mountains. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

  “The Vizier! He’s gone that way. We need to get him.”

  The carpet lowered us softly to the sand. My father stepped off it.

  “I’m not chasing that...thing. I don’t know who he is, but there was something malignant about him. I felt it the moment he entered the cave.”

  “You were in the cave before he was? Why?”

  “I saw you. You ran right past the tower when I was looking out of the window. I saw that man chasing you. You’ve done a lot for me, and it looked like you were in danger. I raced after you both, but you were so far ahead that I lost you both. With nothing else to do, I walked through the streets trying to find you. A couple of hours ago, I saw a small light in the desert. At first, I thought it was a firefly, but then I realized that it was too far away.”

  I lit up the tip of my finger to show him. He raised an eyebrow.

  “Magic,” I pointed out. “A bit like your flying carpet.”

  “It’s not my flying carpet. I saw it in the cave and stood on it without thinking. I was as surprised as you to find it moving. I do feel like I know it, though.”

  “Maybe you do,” I mused. He’d gotten out of the cave once before. Maybe the carpet had helped him then too. “So you followed me into the cave?”

  He nodded. “I did. I thought it was pretty weird how there was an opening in the desert floor, but I’d seen you go down. I’d only been in there a few minutes when The Vizier entered. I knew he was bad news from the start. I could feel a coldness about him. I watched to see what he would do and when it became apparent that the whole place was caving in, I came to save you. And here we are.”

  “And here we are,” I echoed. “We need to head to the mountains. I need to catch him.”

  My father looked over to where the mountains were burning brightly in the morning sun. He shook his head and then turned back to look at me.

  “I don’t understand what it is you are getting mixed up in, but I know evil when I see it.”

  “But...” The world began to spin around me as the heat blazed down. I’d barely slept all night, and apart from a beer in the inn, I’d not eaten or drunk anything in hours. “I don’t feel so well.”

  Blackness pressed down on me, and I found myself falling. Once again, my father caught me. The last thing I remembered as I lost all consciousness was being whisked into the air.

  2

  9th July

  “Where am I?” I asked groggily as I opened my eyes. I rubbed the sleep from them and tried to sit up. Everything was dark. Panic filled me until a warm hand took mine.

  “It’s fine. You are here with me.”

  “Aladdin?”

  “Yes. Here, take this.” He passed me a cup filled with water. I swallowed it greedily.

  “Where are we?” I looked around. In the dark, I could just about make out his silhoue
tte.

  “You are at my home in the bell tower. I was going to take you back to the palace, but you wouldn’t wake up, and I didn’t want to take you back in that state. Especially after...”

  “After you stole my mother’s purse?”

  “Yes, after that. I thought they’d throw me in jail for hurting you. I figured I’d let you sleep and take you back when you woke.”

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “I don’t have a watch, but the clock struck two a while back. You’ve been out all day.”

  I closed my eyes and let out a groan. I’d been gone too long. Freya thought I was in The Forge. I guessed the others did too.

  “I should get back, I said, trying to stand. I wobbled and fell over.”

  My father passed me an old coat. “Lay down. Use this for a pillow and get a good night’s rest. Finish the rest of this water. I’ll take you up to the palace first thing tomorrow.”

  I wanted to argue, but my brain wasn’t cooperating. I let the bliss of oblivion wash over me. My father was right. There was no point going to the palace in the middle of the night. It would only raise questions.

  The smell of eggs woke me from my slumber. I opened my eyes to find a plate of food. The eggs were covered in spicy sauce, and a couple of sausages completed the meal. My father handed me over the plate and a cup of steaming hot coffee.

  “Where did you get all this?” I asked, downing the coffee in one. My headache disappeared almost instantly.

  “I know people. I do a bit of work for some of the restaurants, and sometimes they feed me. One of them owed me, and I thought you needed something to eat and drink more than I do.”

  I thanked him, then split the eggs in half. “We can share,” I said with a smile.

  I missed how easy it was to talk to my father. He didn’t remember himself, but the man I once knew was still there.

  “Do you think that the queen will be too upset with me?” he asked, demolishing the last sausage.

  “Come on,” I said, standing up and taking his hand. “Let’s see.”

  I was just about to head down the steps of the tower when my father tugged on my arm. “We have transportation, remember?” He pointed to the carpet.

  “We can’t possibly travel on that in broad daylight!” I said, but he pulled me toward him. The carpet took off, knocking me off my feet.

  My long black hair flew out behind me as we flew over the streets of Kisbu. My heart raced with excitement as I took in the city below me. Most people didn’t notice, but every so often, someone would look up at us in wonder.

  “People will think they are going insane,” I laughed as we flew over a group of children who were pointing up at us.

  “Everyone is already insane,” my father said. “Most don’t remember who they are.”

  “I think you might remember when you see the palace.”

  He started to push the front of the carpet down to lower us to the palace gates, but I had other ideas.

  “Let me steer this thing,” I said, gripping the front of the carpet. I swerved it away from the guards and up to a certain window. The window was closed, but we were able to land on the terrace outside it.

  My father peered out over the view of Kisbu. I watched him as he took it all in. This was the view he’d woken up to for the past eighteen years of his life. A flicker of recognition flickered briefly in his eyes. It gave me hope. I opened the door to his bedroom and ushered him in. The room was empty. Thankfully, my mother had gotten up and left the room at some point earlier. I pushed my father into the en-suite bathroom with the demand that he have a bath, and while he did that, I looked through his wardrobe to find a suitable outfit.

  I passed the outfit through to him and stepped back out onto the terrace. In the far distance, I could just about see the peaks of the mountains where The Vizier was hiding. I knew roughly where he was now. I could send guards out into the desert to capture him.

  I tapped my fingers on the railing, willing my father to hurry up. I missed Genie. I needed to let him know I was alright, but a part of me felt excitement at introducing my parents to one another. My father knew my mother was the Sultana, but it was unlikely that she’d remember him as the thief that stole her purse at the restaurant the other day. She’d barely seen him. I wasn’t going to remind her of the fact either.

  A tear came to my eye as my father joined me on the balcony. He looked like the man I’d grown up with. He held out his arm and gave me a grin as I linked my arm with his.

  “I think it’s about time you met The Sultana.” I gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Just don’t mention the purse. She’ll never put two and two together.”

  It wasn’t my mother, however, we stumbled upon first. Jamal walked around the corner and stopped in his tracks when he saw who was in the palace.

  “Gaia...And The Sult...”

  I shook my head and gave him a meaningful look.

  “Aladdin. Mr. Aladdin, sir.”

  He walked forward confidently and held out his hand for my father to shake.

  “Pleased to meet you.”

  There was something about the way my father shook hands with Jamal. He was so regal and yet jovial. The Aladdin that had grown up on the street and was now back on the streets was still there, but the eighteen years of training and leading a kingdom hadn’t left him.

  “I’m looking for Mother. Do you know where she is?”

  Jamal’s face lit up. “Actually I do. She’s in the breakfast room. She’s feeling well today,” he added pointedly.

  That boded well. My plan wouldn’t work if she had one of the migraines that frequently plagued these days.

  “Thank you, Jamal, we’ll go and see her now. Mr. Aladdin saved my life the other night, and I’d like to introduce him.”

  Jamal’s eyebrows shot skyward. “He was in The Forge?”

  Aladdin looked between us with a great deal of curiosity.

  “Not quite. I have news, but I think this is more important. I’ll come to find you later. Can you make sure the guards are doing their jobs properly? I think we might need all the protection we can get.”

  Jamal hesitated. I could see he was torn between wanting to follow orders and curiosity about what was going on.

  “I promise, we’ll talk,” I added. “Find Freya, and I’ll come to talk to you both.”

  He didn’t look particularly pleased, but he let us go on our way.

  Outside the breakfast room, I made to open the door, but my father put his hand out to stop me.

  “What’s the matter?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t do this.”

  My first thought was to remind him that my mother barely saw his face when he stole the purse, and it was unlikely that she’d remember him, but then I realized it was something else stopping him. He was nervous because he had a crush on her.

  “Come on,” I said, taking his hand in mine and trying to keep the grin from my face. “She’ll love you.”

  At least, I hoped she would. I was pinning everything on it.

  My mother’s face lit up when she saw my father. I saw a hint of recognition in her eyes. It was fleeting, but it was definitely there.

  “Mother, this is Aladdin. He saved my life the other day. Aladdin, this is Sultana Jawahir.”

  My father lowered himself into a deep bow as my mother smiled at me questioningly.

  “A pleasure, Mr. Aladdin. You saved my daughter?” she turned to me. “Gaia, what happened?”

  “It’s a long story, but Aladdin saved me. I thought you’d like to meet him.”

  “Why, of course, please take a seat and join us as our guest for breakfast.” She turned to one of the servants and ordered more food to be brought up from the kitchens.

  I noticed that she looked back quickly, barely taking her eyes from my father. I picked up a bread roll and began to nibble on it.

  “Tell me, Mr. Aladdin. Have we met before? You look very familiar to me.”

  My fathe
r shifted his weight and began to fiddle with the edge of the tablecloth. It was so unlike him to be nervous. It was cute.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but a swift kick in the shin shut him up. He’d been just about to mention the restaurant where he’d stolen the purse.

  “I don’t think so. He’s just a man from Kisbu,” I said before he could say otherwise. “He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

  My mother reached across the table and put her hand on his. “Well, thank you. My daughter is everything I have. We are both lucky to have met you.”

  I swear I saw the tips of my father’s ears go pink.

  “I need to go and...er, speak to Jamal and Freya. You two enjoy your breakfast.” I picked up another bread roll and left them to it. The sparks were flying already. They didn’t need my help anymore.

  I left the room, but instead of looking for Jamal and Freya, I headed to Genie’s room.

  My hands shook as I pushed his door open. I’d lied to him and ended up falling into the trap Genie said I would. He’d tried keeping me safe, I’d set off for The Forge. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

  He sat there, his face in a book. When he looked up, he stared at me blankly. My heart fell. His memory had left him again.

  “Hello?”

  I closed the door behind me and went to him. A sense of relief washed over me, knowing that his anger at me for leaving without telling him would not happen, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of loss. The sense of loss that could only happen when the person lost is sitting right there.

  I took his hand in mine and pleaded with my eyes for him to remember me. The irony of it was not lost on me that the exact same scene was playing out with my parents in another part of the palace. The only difference was, they didn’t remember each other at all. I’d seen the spark of recognition in my mother. In Genie, there was nothing. I was completely gone to him.

  “The Vizier is back,” I said, but I could see there was no point. The sparkle in his eyes was dead. Despite my subterfuge, seeing Genie like this made me all the more determined to get to The Forge to see if they could help. I was willing to do anything it took to get Genie back, to get my parents back.