The Song of Cacophona
Part 4 of 8


Part 3

     "Where is it?" Cantera demanded. Her guide led her into an 
older section of the city, sections that had been abandoned for 
many years. There were signs of renovations, but for the most 
part, these residences were empty. The walls were crumbling under 
fading paint; the cobbles were thick with dust that had not been 
disturbed within recent memory. The buildings crowded in on 
themselves, overhanging the streets and blocking out the light. 
Cantera was forced to dismount and eventually abandon her horse 
before she reached their destination.
     The undead soldier stopped outside the entrance to an 
enclosed courtyard. Cantera swept over the rotted boards that had 
formed it's gate and into the courtyard. She glanced around 
imperiously, taking in the broken and dust-dry fountain, the dead 
and twisted skeletons that had once been flowering bushes and 
trees. According to the map she had found in Mozenrath's library, 
this was close to the place she was looking for. "Well?" she said.
     The guide shuffled through the dust towards the back of the 
courtyard and through what had been the main room of the house. 
The plaster on the back wall had crumbled to reveal a doorway of 
sorts that had been plastered over when the house had been built. 
     The High Priestess of Cacophona placed her hand on the 
crumbling wall and leaned into the dark opening. A dry wind, 
desiccated by centuries of being sealed off, wafted up and choked 
her. Quickly, she withdrew before the stale air had a chance to 
overwhelm her. She would have to wait until the air cleared 
somewhat. No matter, her army didn't need to breathe. If this 
indeed was the place she was looking for. 
     _This is the place,_ Cacophona sang to her. _Send them 
down._
     Cantera winced and motioned to the leader of her troops. 
"Go," she said, pointing at the opening. "Search for the Place of 
Harmony. Quickly." They filed singly down the dark steps into the 
ancient streets of Agrabah.

***

     The clouds of blue smoke dissipated and the group found 
themselves in the dark dungeons. Iago covered his eyes with a 
wing. "Why do we *always* end up in a dark tunnel? Can't we *ever* 
go anywhere without ending up in a dark tunnel?" 
     Genie's dark green uniform dissolved into another equally 
bizarre combination of heavy trousers, jacket and a rigid hat on 
which was mounted a light. The beam pierced the blackness in the 
tunnel ahead, illuminating tumbled and fallen masonry, timbers and 
other detritus left by the passage of time. "And this is as dark 
and as they come. Nobody's been down here for a *long* time," he 
stuck his hand through an opening and pulled it back covered with 
a sticky web. "Except maybe a few Unkbuut." 
     Aladdin took a torch from the holder on the wall. "Genie?" 
he asked. Genie zapped it and the end began to glow. Aladdin 
handed it to Asad and found another one. Soon, everyone was armed 
with a glowing torch--everyone, that is, except Mozenrath, who 
refused one. Aladdin ignored the challenging look the tall 
sorcerer gave him, and only motioned for him to precede him 
through the tunnel.
     Mozenrath gave him a surprised look. "You want *me* to go 
first? I'm not even armed!"
     "You have your power and you can see in the dark. You're the 
most logical choice to lead us through these tunnels."
     "And you are forgetting one thing," Mozenrath replied hotly. 
He held up his wrist; the golden manacle glittered in the glowing 
witchlight of the torches. "This thing severely limits my power; 
if we're ambushed by those Tinnabulan mamluks, I'd wouldn't stand 
a chance!"
     "Aladdin, he's right." Aladdin and Mozenrath both turned in 
surprise at this unexpected source of support for Mozenrath. 
Jasmine gazed at both of them levelly. "We can't allow him to fall 
into Cantera's hands for any reason; he's needed here. Let Genie 
or Asad go first."
     Briefly, Mozenrath looked as if he were going to protest, 
then thought better of it. "See? Even Princess Jasmine knows how 
valuable I am." He gave her a sickening smile.
     Aladdin's mouth tightened but he said nothing. Turning to 
Genie, he motioned for the djinni to enter the tunnel. "You go 
first. "
     Genie, back in his habitual form, floated forward slowly. He 
zapped some more webbing and led the way into the tunnels and they 
entered the Old City of Agrabah.
     Built layers upon layers of ancient ruins, the undercity of 
Agrabah was a veritable rabbit warren of tunnels. The streets and 
alleys of the old city had simply been covered over by the 
successive generations until what was now Agrabah sat atop a maze. 
The streets ran in straight lines, while the alleys twisted 
amongst the gridwork of streets. Dwellings had been built 
haphazardly and built over in equally haphazard fashion. More 
things had been lost in the undercity than most people dreamed 
existed.
     Under the guise of supporting himself as he climbed over the 
fallen masonry and bricks, Mozenrath marked their path in glowing 
glyphs that only he could see. Never one to pass up an 
opportunity, he might have need of a quick exit from this maze in 
the near--or distant--future. His quick mind took in everything he 
saw and filed it away for future reference; who knew when he might 
need a quick way into the Palace of Agrabah? The thought made him 
smile, which he carefully kept to himself.
     In what had once been a square formed by the intersection of 
two streets, Aladdin called a halt. He pulled a map out of his 
sash and unrolled it. Everyone gathered around, except for 
Mozenrath again, as he consulted with Genie.
     "Where did you say Cantera found the entrance to the lower 
city?" he asked, angling the map of modern Agrabah to catch what 
light there was.
     "Right about here," Genie said, pointing at an area to the 
north and west of the Palace.
     "And which way have we been heading?" 
     "West," Mozenrath answered before the djinni could draw a 
breath. Aladdin nodded and bit down his tongue to prevent himself 
from asking 'How can you be sure?' He was tired of lectures, and 
of Mozenrath's insufferable attitude.
     Genie, however, felt no such compunction. He pulled out an 
elaborate looking systems of spheres and disks. After a few 
minutes of fiddling with the positions of the disks, he looked up. 
"West."
     "How far?"
     "Oh, less than a mile, I'd guess. What with all those twists 
and turns..."
     Aladdin drew an imaginary line on the map. "Which should put 
us somewhere around here. Just south of the entrance the 
Tinnabulans found." He let the map snap up and looked around 
nervously. "We'll have to be careful; the Tinnabulans should be 
close."
     They regrouped and proceeded with caution. Genie sent small 
wind-up toys around corners to report on any activity they might 
find. Their progress was slow; a few steps, wait for the word that 
the way was clear, a few more steps, more waiting. It chafed 
everyone's nerves; when the alarm came, it was almost a relief.
     The attack came from behind. Asad's shout was all the 
warning they had before the Tinnabulans were upon them. Aladdin 
pushed his way to the back, shoving Jasmine into an opening. "Get 
in!" he shouted as he brought his scimitar up to block a blow. 
Abu, Carpet and Iago rushed in there with her; there was no room 
to fight and they would have just been in the way. 
     The attack didn't last long; there were only four ghuls to 
deal with and of those Asad dispatched two, Genie one and the 
other fell beneath Aladdin's blade. As they stood panting from the 
exertion, Jasmine touched Aladdin's shoulder. He looked at her and 
knew what she was going to say. 
     "Aladdin, Mozenrath's gone."

***

     Mozenrath pulled what power he could around himself and 
melted into the shadows. The sounds of battle faded rapidly in 
this labyrinth; it only took a few turnings to lose Aladdin and 
his useless cohorts. 
     He paused and listened for sounds of pursuit. None. He 
smiled at Xerxes. "Time to get out of this place," he said softly. 
Making certain once more that no one had followed him, he pushed 
away from the wall and into the darkness of the tunnels. 
     Xerxes followed closely. Mozenrath paused to reach out with 
his undersenses, feeling for the quickest way out of this maze. He 
found a promising tunnel and hurried into it.
     He rounded a corner and pulled up abruptly. The patrol of 
ghuls reached out and grabbed him without a second thought. "Uh 
oh," Xerxes croaked. "Wrong turn."
     Mozenrath struggled in vain against their inhuman strength. 
There was little he could do as they held his arms pinned at his 
side, so he inspected the room into which he'd stumbled. Someone 
had erected a single lamp far above. The bright blue light it cast 
formed a lake in the darkness beyond which it was impossible to 
see. As he pushed his undersenses outwards, a low, throaty laugh 
made him stop in surprise. 
     "If it isn't Mozenrath, ex-Lord of the Black Sands. So good 
to see you again." The voice drifted to him out of the darkness 
outside the circle of light. 
     He froze as the owner of the voice stepped into the light so 
that he could see her. She looked quite angelic with the light 
streaming down and picking up the golden highlights in her 
shoulder-length blonde hair. Her eyes, however were shadowed and 
not just physically. The wildness there unnerved him. "Cantera," 
he said in his calmest, coldest voice. "What's the matter? Get 
tired of playing with your bug collection?"
     She bristled and gestured to the ghuls that held him 
captive. They twisted his arms behind his back and forced him to 
his knees and forward, so that he was almost touching the floor 
with his face. He saw the hem of Cantera's robe swish into view 
and pile together as she bent. She put a hand under his chin and 
lifted his face. "You don't know how happy it makes me to see you, 
my dear Mozenrath." 
     He looked up at her, mouth twisted and jaw clenched. "You 
don't know how much it turns my stomach to see you. How did you 
survive the maelstrom? Everything caught within that storm should 
have been killed."
     "Cacophona saved me so that She might live. Even after you 
so rudely deprived Her of Her physical Self."
     "That's impossible. She was destroyed!"
     Her smile was like a writhing serpent. "You destroyed only 
Her physical manifestation. She lives still, in me." She tapped 
her fingers against her temple.
     Shock made him stare at her. "What do you mean by that?"
     "She is in my mind. She commands me and I obey Her."
     He gaped at her. "She's *inside* your mind? You're mad, 
Cantera!" 
     She shook her head. "No, and She will live again. Just as 
soon as I reform Her body." 
     Mozenrath went cold. Releasing Cacophona into this world had 
not been easy on him; he suspected that her rebirth would somehow 
involve him yet again. 
     Cantera saw this in his eyes and nodded. "Yes, you know what 
lies in store for you, don't you, Mozenrath? Your name is anathema 
to my Goddess; you will atone for the crime you committed against 
Her. You will become known as the one who sacrificed himself so 
that She might live again." She dropped her hand and stood. 
Gesturing curtly to the ghuls, she said, "Lock him up and make 
sure he doesn't escape. I need him."
     The ghuls dragged Mozenrath to his feet. Cantera had already 
turned away, dismissing him. He shouted at her, "It won't work, 
Cantera. I don't know what you're planning, but I'll tell you one 
thing, it won't work, not if *I* have any say in the matter!"
     She turned and rubbed her temples. Her face was lined as if 
something pained her. "Rant all you please, Mozenrath, but you 
will find it a bit more difficult to stop me this time. Agrabah is 
not my true goal; there is something I need here. Once its 
usefulness has been exhausted, it will be destroyed." She let her 
hand drop to her side and looked at him with eyes gone suddenly 
black. "And that's something you're going to help me with, aren't 
you my little sorcerer?" Grinning, she gestured and the ghuls 
pulled him out of the light and into the darkness. 
     The sorcerer struggled against their hold. Although not 
nearly as powerful as this own Mamluks, ghuls had tremendous 
strength. It was part of their nature; they no longer felt pain or 
anything remotely resembling human emotion and so had no 
conscience. They would rip a man apart as easily as he would rip a 
piece of cloth. 
     They dragged him through the tunnels of the lower city. 
Coming to what used to be a doorway, they threw him inside. As he 
whirled around to face the entrance, one of them shoved a heavy 
slab of masonry in front of the door to block it. Without his 
power he could not move it. Mozenrath beat upon the slab with his 
fist in impotent rage before he gave up and turned to slump 
against it. He felt a familiar stirring around his neck and 
absently reached up to give Xerxes a reassuring caress. 
     "Blasted female was supposed to stay *dead*," he griped. 
     Mozenrath pushed himself against the slab and turned to face 
it. The slab did not cover the doorway entirely; he could see a 
slight opening along one side where the wall had crumbled. Using 
his undersenses, he peered through the small window and saw the 
passage outside empty. He gathered his will and focused it in his 
hand and gently touched the door. He drew back sharply as sparks 
leapt around his hand. He winced at the stinging pain in his 
fingers. 
     "I've got to get this thing off," he muttered as he rubbed 
the manacle on his wrist. Looking around the room, he could see no 
other obvious exits. "Xerxes, go look for some way out of here." 
He wasn't hopeful; the place had been cleared of debris. Cantera 
must have had them prepare this cell in the eventuality that he 
was caught. Or he could just be flattering himself, he thought 
morosely. 
     Xerxes flew around the room several times, inspecting every 
inch of it. He returned to Mozenrath and shook his head. "No way 
out," he croaked.
     "I was afraid of that," the sorcerer said softly. "That 
leaves only one alternative." He turned to the slab, put both 
hands upon it and pushed. Gritting his teeth, he pushed with all 
his strength, digging his heels into the dirt floor. The slab 
moved perhaps a fraction of an inch. Mozenrath slumped against the 
stone and panted. "This thing must weigh a ton!" he gasped.
     He had to get out of there. He had no intention of becoming 
part of Cantera's scheme, no matter what it was. But how? Without 
his power and imprisoned behind a stone he couldn't hope to move 
by himself? Calling for help was out of the question, as well. So 
what options did that leave him? His wits.
     Determined to escape before the ghuls returned, he ran his 
hands over the slab, trying to pick up any clue he could that 
might help him. The slab itself wasn't that thick, only about six 
inches or so, though it appeared to widen slightly on the edge it 
was resting upon. Pressure on certain points caused the slab to 
rock outwards about an inch. Not much, but it meant it was 
slightly unbalanced *away* from the entrance. 
     Dropping to his knees, the sorcerer scrabbled on the ground 
around the base of the slab. The floor, though hard-packed earth, 
was dry and crumbled to dust under his fingers. His triumph was 
short-lived, however, as his fingers brushed against paving stones 
under a layer of dust. 
     He sat back on his heels and thought. What could he do with 
this? Think, Mozenrath, he told himself as he found himself 
staring at a pile of stones. Curious, he crawled over to them and 
lifted one. Paving stones, much like the ones under the layer of 
dust...Flat and thin--thin enough to slide under the stone.
     "Xerxes," he said to his familiar as he surged to his feet. 
"I've got a job for you." The eel slipped out of the shadows where 
he'd been waiting and hung in the air before him. Mozenrath looked 
at him then at the door. "Hmm. Almost, but not enough." He pointed 
at the gap between the slab and the doorjamb. "Go out there and 
clear away as much dust as you can away from the bottom of that 
slab. Get up underneath it, if you can." He gestured towards the 
opening. "Now go."
     The eel nodded and squeezed through the opening. Once 
outside, he went straight to the bottom of the slab, just as 
Mozenrath had ordered him. Concentrating, Xerxes adopted the shape 
of a fox and started to dig away the dust and packed earth from 
around the base of the slab.
     Fifteen minutes later, he reappeared in the opening, covered 
with dust and back in his natural form. Mozenrath looked up from 
his pacing. "What took you so long?" he demanded. "Never mind," he 
said as Xerxes was about to explain. He dropped to the base of the 
stone and started positioning the paving stones along the bottom 
edge. 
     "When I push on this thing, you need to slide these stones 
underneath the edge as far as you can," he instructed his 
familiar. Xerxes nodded and positioned himself next to the first 
stone.
     Mozenrath turned and leaned his back against the slab. 
Bracing himself, he pushed backwards as much as he was able, 
pushing the stone off balance. Xerxes slid the stones under the 
slab as quickly as he was able. 
     It came crashing down just seconds after he had gotten clear 
as Mozenrath dropped it back to the ground. He leaned against the 
thing and panted, but only for a moment. He knelt stiffly and 
stacked more stones on top of the ones under the slab. "Again," he 
croaked then put his back to the slab again.
     Slowly, painfully, they got enough of the paving stones 
underneath the slab to unbalance it. Mozenrath had only a few 
seconds warning before the thing toppled, and only just managed to 
keep himself from tumbling onto the slab as it crashed outwards. 
     Not taking a second longer than needed, Mozenrath scrambled 
over the slab and hared down the tunnel. Xerxes flowed along next 
to him. Wanting to put as much distance between himself and 
Cantera as possible, he trusted to his undersenses and luck. The 
random turnings were designed to confuse anyone following him. 
This plan, however, lead him straight into a patrol of ghuls.
     He whirled and headed down another corridor. The sorcerer 
rounded a corner and found himself face to face with Cantera. He 
got a glimpse of something she was holding, a set of bells of some 
sort, then a ringing sound pierce his eardrums. He slipped to his 
knees as the sound assaulted him, and cowered there, hands pressed 
tightly over his ears in a feeble attempt to block out the sound. 
He leaned against the wall and gritted his teeth. 
     Mozenrath felt himself pulled away from the wall and into a 
vortex of wind. He winced as he felt something slice into his 
cheek and his hand. Pushing himself away from the wall, he 
stumbled down the corridor away from Cantera, and he hoped, her 
ghuls. 
     The bells rang again, and he twisted with renewed agony and 
fell. He heard Cantera laughing while he struggled. Glancing up at 
her, he saw her pull a blue crystal out of her robe and point it 
at him. Light flashed in front of his eyes and he felt as if he 
were being sucked into the crystal, threads of himself unraveled 
from the rich and varied tapestry that made up his being. She'd 
trapped him, and he had to get away before the crystal devoured 
him completely. He saw a sleek gray shape fly at Cantera, only to 
have her bat it carelessly away.
     Gritting his teeth against the pain it caused, Mozenrath 
forced himself to concentrate on his translocation spell. He had 
to put distance between himself and Cantera or she would have him. 
Her hold on his was growing by the second and it was getting 
harder and harder to concentrate. He needed something to help 
break her hold on him...
     When he released the spell, the manacle flared to dissipate 
the energies he'd gathered. The pain in his hand overwhelmed him, 
forcing him to his knees., but it also gave him strength. Drawing 
on his power, he loosed it at random, using the pain and shock to 
drive him forward. Desperately, he gathered everything he had into 
a defensive strike directed at Cantera. The backwash of power 
caught them both, their screams blending into a twisted, horrific 
duet. It worked; Cantera's hold on him broke. Something in his 
soul ripped, and he cried out in agony. When the spell dissipated, 
he dropped to his hands and knees. Finding himself free, he picked 
himself up and stumbled away before she could recover.
     The Lord of the Black Sand ran blindly through the tunnels, 
knowing only that he needed to get away. When his strength finally 
gave out, he turned a corner and stumbled to his knees. Falling 
forward, he stared at the dry earth under his hands and heard 
someone call his name as if from a great distance. The roaring in 
his ears deafened him, but did not drown out the spiritual pain he 
was experiencing. He had had part of himself ripped out, and that 
pain threatened to overwhelm him. His vision filled with light and 
the wooden flooring rushed up to meet him a moment before 
everything went away.

*****

MORE TO COME...