CHAPTER 10 - PART 2

Azul was leading Ali across the hallways and corridors and staircases of the huge dark palace of Karak. The prince of Agrabah was impressed, for it was a big and impressive place and yet Azul knew very well her way around.

"This is a maze!" He said letting her drag him along. "I can't believe how well you know this place!"

"This comes from a boy who's lived in a palace just as big his whole life."

"No, really… this place is more complicated than my parent's palace." Ali was saying while looking around. Everything in that place was magnificent.

Azul kept Ali's hand in hers and she was running, trying to get to the temple as fast as possible… and trying to get Ali to do the same, for the prince kept stopping to admire the glory of the dark palace.

"Ali!" Azul scolded him. "We're not tourists!"

"I know," He smiled. "But it's a real shame that this beautiful place has to be destroyed."

"Believe me, after living in this palace during certain time the only thing I want is to get out of here and never come back."

"And yet," He said mischievously. "You are going to leave this palace just to go directly to another one."

Azul looked back at him, a small smile on her face and blushed lightly. Ali chuckled softly. He knew they were in the middle of a crisis, they were in danger, they were in a very dangerous situation… and he couldn't help it but feeling good as never before having her with him again.

"Do you have any idea what that ceremony is like or anything?" He asked curiously.

"Not the slightest idea. But we'll manage. Once we're there with the stones and the amulet we'll see what we have to do. Good thing we have the key and everything."

"Wow, you've became quite an expert on this kind of stuff." He smiled. "I'm amazed."

"YOU are amazed?" She laughed. "What about those stones or the medallion or the music you used to open the doors of the throne room?"

"And wait until you see this book I have. You are going to love it… it belonged to your ancestor, Azrak."

"So you know about Azrak, do you?" She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, he's an old friend of mine. Quite a nice guy I must add. I met him."

Azul giggled and Ali frowned but he giggled at well.

"No, really… there was this sanctuary in the desert and then Reeh and I saw this snake with jewels on its back… and we follow it but then the snake fused into a flute and the doors opened and then Azrak…"

Ali stopped when he realized what he was saying. It all sounded so unreal, as if he was making a story. Azul kept running and dragging him along but he could see a small smile on her face. He shook his head.

"I guess you won't believe what I'm saying…"

"After being in Karak I believe anything, Ali."

"What if I tell you about this stone that makes Reeh run like the wind…? We can travel from one side to the other of the desert in just one night."

"Interesting." She smiled at him. "Sounds like a fairy tale… but I believe you."

"I know." He smiled sincerely.

"I still can't believe you have the stones and the amulet! You are fantastic Ali!"

"Am I?" He smiled proudly. "Oh well, I need them for a different reason but I had to get them in order to get to you… I had no idea we were going to need them to destroy Karak."

"I can't wait to hear everything about your adventure. We'll have a lot of things to tell each other when this nightmare is over."

"For me the nightmare ended the moment I saw you again, Azul… now that I'm with you I am happy again. I feel powerful and strong… must be your influence. Your blood in my body… how wonderful is that?"

"Yes." She said softly. "We really complete each other… even with the stones, you needed them to get to Karak, and now we need them to destroy the city. And now we share a very intimate bond… a blood bond."

"You and me share the same blood." He smiled tenderly.

"We are almost there!" She announced.


But suddenly she stopped and Ali stopped with a jolt, almost running over her. He didn't have time to ask why the violent stop for he could see a company of a half dozen guards appearing right in front of them. All of them were armed and they didn't look happy.

Azul gasped and stepped back. A violent and hateful expression appeared on Ali's face as he stepped forward and grabbed his sword. He put Azul behind him protecting her with his body.

"I hate those guys!" Ali said through clenched teeth.

Azul's face reflected her fear. Ali had that scary look on his face once again. But the guards were moving slowly to them, menacingly.

Azul's gaze went to a small corridor at their left. She didn't want Ali to fight those guards, so she grabbed Ali's arm and pulled him with her.

"C'mon Ali! This way!"

"But…"

"Trust me!"

They started to run down the dark and small corridor but the guards were coming right behind them groaning savagely and yelling at them to stop.

"Are those guys friends of yours, blue eyes?" Ali said while running.

"I know them."

"Geez, you should really pick your friends out better!"

"What about YOUR friends during your journey?"

"Oh no!" Ali said almost amused. "Let's not get into it!"

Azul shook her head. She was very worried for she understood the danger and urgency of the situation they were in but still she had to smile.

Finally she stopped and pointed at a huge wooden door right in front of them.

"That!" She screamed. "That's the temple!"

"Open it!" Ali said. "I'll take care of the guys… be quick about it though, I really don't feel like fighting against 6 men."

Azul took the half key she had kept with her for the last weeks and then the other half of the key that was inside Aswad's bag. One was made of gold and the other half was made of silver.

"Alright." She said looking at them and then pressing them together. "This has to work!"

The two halves fit perfectly and with a flash of light the two halves fused into one key. A beautiful golden and silver key.

"Open the door!" Ali hurried her. "They are almost here!"

Azul put the key inside the lock of the door and it opened immediately with a loud noise. It was as if no one had entered that place in centuries. As if that door had been kept closed for a long time. Azul stepped back as the huge door opened but Ali almost pushed her inside, for the guards were practically there. He entered the temple after Azul and both of them pulled the heavy and huge doors closed. They closed with another loud noise just in time, for the guards were already there and as soon as the door closed Ali and Azul could heard them right on the other side, hitting the door and yelling at them.

"They are going to break the door and enter here!" Azul said alarmed.

"So we must hurry then!" Ali said taking Azrak's book out of his satchel.

"That is a BEAUTIFUL book!" Azul said in amazement. "Where did you get it?"

"In the village of Hessa, near Agrabah." Ali explained as he paged the book. "Your grandfather Azrak lived there, you know that?"

"No." Azul said looking at the book over his shoulder. "I didn't even know I had a grandfather named Azrak that happened to be a powerful magician."

"Ah! The surprises of the family tree!" Ali said casually still paging the book.

"And how did you know Azrak lived there, Ali?"

They stopped and looked at the door. From the noise outside they could say more guards had arrived to reinforce the attack against the doors of the temple.

"Well," Ali said. "The Oracle told me about Hessa and everything…"

"The ORACLE?!" Azul's eyes widened.

"Oh yes." Ali smiled at her. "You would've loved to see that!"

"Good Allah!" She giggled nervously. "You sure have a lot of things to tell me!"

She looked at the temple they were in. It was a small place, compared to the normally huge spaces of the Dark Palace of Karak. It was a circular room rounded by high columns and there was some kind of altar in the back of the temple. It was a stone altar and on that altar there was a huge stone, like a gem or a diamond. It was red and was shinning beautifully thanks to a stream of light that was coming from an unknown spot of the high ceiling.

"That must be the center of the power of Karak." Azul said softly.

"Funny how something so beautiful can be so deadly." Ali said finally opening the book to the blank pages.

Azul just nodded at him. Ali was going to say that the temple reminded him of the sanctuary of Azrak but he didn't have the time, for the attack to the doors of the temple was getting stronger.

"Alright," Azul said. "What should we do?!"

"Please!" Ali said to the book. "The spell! We need the spell!"

Azul looked at Ali's stressed face. She was going to comment that he was talking to a book but before she could say anything a blue, bright glow came from the book. Her eyes widened in surprise and a small and mischievous smile appeared on Ali's face.

"I told you this book would help us!" He said happily.

"But…" Azul was impressed. "Ali… there are letters… letters appearing on those blank pages… look at that!"

"Oh yeah!" Ali shrugged casually. "It keeps doing that all the time."

Ali smiled at her, but she had her eyes set on the book and Ali thought her eyes looked beautiful shinning with that blue glow from the book.

The glow finally ended and Azul examined the words that had just appeared on the book. They were in their normal language, just as the rest of the book.

"It's the spell." She said softly. "The spell to vanish Karak from Earth… the spell Azrak cast on Karak centuries ago."

"The spell you have to perform now, blue eyes… everything is in your hands now."

"Me?" She looked up at him. "Why?"

"Because only you can cast this spell. Because you have the strength of Azrak's blood in you. And we must hurry, for those guys out there are about to break this door!"

"What should I do?" She said alarmed.

"Let me see…" Ali started to read the book. "This is the ritual you must perform…" He said walking to the altar. "You must place the stones in the holes here in the altar, pretty much like I did in Azrak's altar… and you must wear the amulet…"

Ali was going to take the amulet off when Azul stopped him.

"No Ali! Wait!"

"What?"

"Aswad said you cannot survive in Karak without that amulet!"

"I know, but this has to be done!"

"But Ali.."

"It'll be only for a couple of minutes, blue eyes." He said tenderly cupping her face. "I'll be alright… besides now I have Azrak's blood in my body too… I'll survive."

"But Ali…" She tried to protest. "I don't want you to…"

"It's okay." He smiled taking the three stones off the wooden box. "Here you have the stones.. and the ritual… you must read this as you do what the book orders you to do."

"Alright." She said softly taking the three stones in her hands.

"Only you can do this, my love… I'll be guarding the door."

"This won't take long Ali." She said softly. "I promise it."

"I know." He smiled and took a last look at the book. "Uh… just one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"This is the part that got us into this mess in the first place." He said pointing at a line in the spell. "Azrak cast the spell in a way that as long as he was in the city, Karak would live. I think you should skip that part."

"But then we won't have time to escape before the destruction of the city!" She said alarmed.

"We'll escape!" He reassured her. "I promise it to you!"

"Are you sure about this?" She asked not very convinced.

"I'm sure… I don't want any kind of future troubles involving Karak and your precious blood, my blue eyes…"

Ali stopped, for the attack to the doors was so strong then that they thought the doors would give up in any second. Ali looked back at Azul and caressed her face softly.

"Besides I don't want OUR children to live through this all over again in the future."

A sweet smile appeared on Ali's lips and the same wonderful smile was mirrored in Azul's face. They looked at each other tenderly as a warm feeling flooded their chests. Even the noises of the attack to the door seemed to fade away. Azul put her hand on the hand Ali kept on her cheek and she pressed it against her amorously, her eyes locked on Ali's.

At that moment, as the thought of their future children came to them, they felt things were for real between them. They were just a step away from the blessed day they'd be one forever, and just the thought of it was enough to make them feel dizzy and lose track of time and space… and of reality.

But a very loud noise brought them back to reality. They woke up from their trance and looked at the door.

"They are breaking it Ali!" Azul said alarmed.

"I know." Ali took off the amulet and placed it on Azul's neck. "C'mon my girl, this is almost over… just read that spell and we'll be home!"

Azul nodded and Ali grabbed her face pressing his lips against hers urgently. They pulled away and Ali went to the door as Azul went to the altar.

"Do it!" Ali screamed at her. "Now!"

She nodded and placed the book on the altar. She gulped and she was going to start to read when another loud noise made her turn to the door. Ali was leaning against it, sword in hand, trying to keep the guards from getting in there. But it was obvious that without the amulet Ali had lost strength.

"Ali!" She screamed at him knowing that without the amulet Ali was defenseless.

"Don't worry about me!" Ali yelled back. "Concentrate on the spell! Please Azul! Do it!"

She nodded not very convinced and turned to the altar. Her eyes went to the book and she gulped.

"May Allah help us!" She whispered.

She pressed the three stones against her chest and started to read out loud the words in the book.

"I, Azul from Azrak's blood summon all the good powers of the universe, I summon you to vanish from Earth what has to be vanished… to disappear from Earth what needs to be taken away. For the Dark City of Karak holds within it all the dark and evil powers of the universe… I claim what's good and pure to replace what's dark and evil…"

The red stone of Karak started to glow in a very menacing way. It was pulsing and making strange noises. Azul's eyes widened and she almost stepped back. She was scared. But Ali's voice reassured her.

"Keep going blue eyes!" He was screaming and even if she wasn't looking at him, from the tone of his voice she knew the door wouldn't resist anymore. "Whatever you see or hear… please don't stop!"

"I hold the authority to summon the powers of good, for I've been proven in purity, wisdom and courage…"

She wasn't very sure about what that meant exactly but she placed the three stones in the holes on the altar as she was saying those words. The stones started to glow brightly as well and Ali and Azul felt how the ground was starting to shake under their feet. Azul gulped and tried to focus on the spell.

"Now, for the powers I hold and for the goodness I've proved I command the Dark City of Karak to vanish forever from Earth… to the realms of darkness and solitude, where this dark city cannot cause any damage… where this city cannot spread the evil on Earth… where this city cannot wound the hearts of the people of Earth with its evil and its darkness… vanish forever now…"

She stopped remembering she must skip the part about Azrak's blood. She skipped it quickly and continued with the last words of the spell.

"I, Azul of Azrak's blood command Karak to be forever vanished from Earth!"

The amulet she had on her chest started to glow even more brightly than the stone of Karak and the three jewels. Azul was feeling a powerful energy running across her body. Her whole body was shaking and her hands were glowing as well.

Ali was still trying to resist the attack of the guards to the door, but he kept his eyes on Azul and they were wide open in amazement. He never thought his blue eyed angel had such power in her.

"All Mighty Allah!" Ali said softly feeling his own body getting weaker without the medallion.

Azul had finished reading the spell and the earth was shaking under them. She looked at the red stone of Karak one more time. The stone was glowing and pulsing in a way that Azul thought it would explode any second.

"In the name of Allah!" She said by her own. "I want Karak to disappear forever from Earth and from the hearts of the people that were hurt by this cursed city in one way or another!"

As soon as she said those words there was a strong wind in the room, so strong that it opened wide the doors. Ali jumped out of the way of the wind but as soon as the doors opened Ali realized that the guards of Karak were running away in terror. He looked at them breathing heavily and he realized the spell had worked.

"This is going to be destroyed!" He yelled. "We have to get out of here!"

He looked up at the altar and he saw Azul leaning against the altar, her hand to her head. His heart stopped for it seemed as if she was going to pass out.

He was feeling really dizzy and weak but he practically flew to Azul's side just in time to catch her when she collapsed.

There was a blue glow around her and Ali noticed it. The spell had totally worn her out.

"AZUL!" He screamed holding her limp body.

"Ali!" She said weakly looking up at him. "The amulet Ali! Take back the amulet!"

Ali was touched realizing how much she worried for him. She took the amulet off her neck and placed it around Ali's.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly.

"I am…" Ali said alarmed. "But what's wrong with you?!"

"I feel… weird…"

"Oh Allah!" Ali said looking at the red stone that was about to explode. "We don't have much time, blue eyes… when this stone is destroyed, Karak will vanish and we must be out of here by then…"

"Ali… I feel so… weak…"

"I'll take you out of here my love!" He said picking her up. "We'll escape now!"

The walls of the temple were falling down by then and Ali knew the whole city was falling apart by then. But just when he was going to take Azul out of there the glow of blue light that was involving her became brighter… and suddenly it was like a flash of blue light.

Ali and Azul closed their eyes blinded by that light. Azul's head rested on Ali's shoulder and they stayed like that for a few seconds until Ali opened his eyes. He was alarmed of what he could find…

But what he saw was not what he expected… for Azul was still in his arms. And her dark hair was cascading over her shoulders and he was wearing her usual blue pants… and his blue shirt, the same she had borrowed from him that day long ago in Agrabah, the day Nasir had spilled the red painting on her shirt. Those were the clothes she was wearing the night she had been kidnapped. It seemed like an eternity then.

Ali smiled even though Karak was falling apart around them. She was not wearing the Karakian dress anymore… or the Karakian hairdo. She was once again the Azul he knew and he loved so much. His Azul.

"Blue eyes!" He said. "You succeeded my girl! The spell worked! You are free from the powers of Karak now… we all are free now!"

"What?" She said weakly opening her eyes and looking at herself. "Oh my gosh!" She giggled. "Oh Ali! My clothes! My hair!"

"Yeah!" Ali laughed with her. "Welcome back my darling! Allah, I missed you!"

Azul snuggled against Ali's chest, hugging him around the shoulders tightly. Then he put her down.

"How do you feel?" He asked concerned.

"A little weak… but great! I love these clothes!"

"You look so cute wearing that shirt!" Ali smiled and took her hand. "Now let's go… we have no time to lose… we must get out of Karak now!"

Ali and Azul left the temple of the powers of Karak. The place was falling down. Everything was falling in pieces and there were noises and energy all over the place. The prince of Agrabah knew they must move fast, for the City of Karak was vanishing form Earth and this time it was forever.

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