Morgana made a gesture and I felt silent, mute, as to prevent me from saying anything. "My prince." she began.
"I hope you don't mind if I lecture my apprentice here while we ascend to my laboratory. It may sparkled your
interest as it involves our current transaction."
"I'm in a hurry, Jasmine..."
"Believe, you'll want to hear it." said Morgana.
"Very well, but please hurry..." said almost begging.
"I don't trust her Al." muttered Jago with a nodding chatter from Abu.
"Let's see what she has to offer, if it gets iffy, we'll deal with it, but if by any chance she can help, I'm
not going to risk Jasmine." whispered Aladdin.
"First my apprentice, there's Three things any beginner must know. First, is the nature of magic users themselves. The potency of a curse, a blessing, or any spell for that matter is primarily dependant of two
factors: the inner strength and prowess of the spellcaster and the power of the source from which it draws
upon magic. For instance our visitor here. I confound him for a sorcerer because of his flying carpet, but the
carpet itself has the source which allow the enchantment to fly. There are magical items like this one that
allow even the most incompetent person in the arts to perform such deeds, and of course there are spellcasters
like yours truly who don't need them to perform such feats."
"Very interesting, for a newbie, every half-baked sorcerer knows that!" complained Jago.
"Silence parrot, as I said, she is new to the arts. Well continuing, second, there are Three things that can
strenght the effect of a spell. The first is the place: Some places reeks of magical power which you can draw
upon, other times spells only function in a determined area and then there are Places of Power, this are
different from magical places in which they are created by a wizard, sorcerer or the like and only power up
those the creator of Place allows. The second is time; the same spell will be stronger or weaker depending of
when it's cast. For example midnight is a preferred by witches, other use the night first star, or the morning
star, an eclipse or the full moon, winter solstice. Some enchantment even vanish completely at midnight, or
the dawn of the third day."
"Could we please make haste?" asked Aladdin seen how the lecture was getting long.
"As I said it would benefit you too. The third thing is the True Name. Using the True Name of a place,a person
or a creature can guarantee the effect of a spell, or rather target it easily. The True Name of something or
someone is a powerful device. Most low level casters use title instead of its name for protection, some spells
can be outright cancelled by such utterance, and even saying the True Name of powerful beings could be enough
to summon them. A distance killing spell for example needs a True Name... oh but Prince Aladdin be at ease,
for even Aladdin is not your True Name, but your Given Name, most people never learn their True Name. No the
True Name is a complicated matter, but for some spells the Given Name is far enough. Oh we are here." said
Morgana opening the doors to a small dungeon room filled with bottles, a flaming cauldron and other equipment.
"What's your princess illness?"
"That's why we are here, no healer or physician or shaman had dealt with her disease. Every try has failed,
but all agree, if nothing is done she'll..." the prince silence himself unable to even utter the possibility.
"I see. I can't cure her illness if I don't know what it is." Aladdin saw her in despair. "But, I can cure
anything with a brew I can make. However there prince there's the matter of the price."
"If it's not enough..." began Aladdin, anything to save his love.
"The price is fair, but I want to know, if you are willing to meet it and honor it." said Morgana.
"I am. Indeed is a small fee for Jasmine sake."
"Good. Then I shall prepare the cure. But prince remember your deal. While I prepare it let me finish my
lecture." said begging to mix flasks. "Lastly my dear. There's the matter of Deals. A deal made by a magic
user is a contract between the parties and Magic itself. As such no matter how lowly a magic user is, even its
contracts are binding, infallible and almost unbreakable to even the most powerful beings. Many lowly users
have gained great power by deals alone. But even those have to remember that it not only bind the person who
makes the deal, but the dealer is also bound to met the price. Many wizards asked impossible things in return
for what it would result in their own demise only to have a hero actually met the price and be their doom. The
contracts are unbreakable by either party, but it can become undone only if BOTH parties agrees. For example
the prince here has agree to pay me what he offered in exchange for the cure for the princess. And here it
is." said Morgana launching him a golden glowing flask, which Aladdin doing a somersault skilfully caught .
"Thanks." said the prince grimly.
"Now my prize." said Morgana quickly grabbing the hem of the carpet and with a swift motion it was rolled up
and under the witch's arm.
"Carpet! What are you doing?!" exclaimed Aladdin.
"Collecting you present it with the jewels and gold when you offered to strike a deal." said Morgana. "And now
it is mine." said the witch spinning with it. The gold and jewels became a collar, and the carpet became a
cape, as the witch began floating in the air. "Ah... how wonderful to be able to fly without consuming my
precious powers."
"Give it back. Genie!" said extracting an old oil lamp and rubbing it, from the tip of it a blue smoke
emanated and soon it took the shape of a blue D'jinn.
"Hello Al! What's kicking?" said the gleeful genie as the prince grab his face and made him watch Morgana.
"She has kidnapped Carpet." said Aladdin.
"What? How dare you!" said the genie blasting a beam from its finger, but it was reflected by Morgana's new
cape. "Hmmm... that's odd."
"A Genie... mmmh... a Freed Genie. That explain what protected you, and what fired my alarm bell. Did you know
prince that a Genie's powers can do anything, but free themselves without a master's wish. But even when such
time did arrived a safeguard was in place. To undo the shackles a genie uses most of itself to gain freedom,
so much in fact that it becomes but a shadow of the greatness it once was, proof is that he certainly couldn't
heal the princess by himself. Of course even a Freed Genie is a powerful thing. But as I tried to warn you
prince not even such great power can undo our Deal."
"Give it back! Or I..."
"Do what?! By the way I admire how you are willing to sacrifice your lover for a piece of magical fabric. Mind
you is the most logical course of action seeing as how your sweet princess is doom." said cackling Morgana.
"What? You tricked me?"
"Trick you I did, but as I told you I'm also bound by the pact. What I gave is a fresh batch of Panacea."
"Panacea?!" exclaimed the blue genie seeing the golden bottle in Aladdin sach, and then looking out of the
window. "Al we most go now!"
"What?! Not without Carpet" said the fair prince.
"Al listen to me. She is a lousy two-timing cheater no doubt, but she is right. If I can't take Carpet from
her that means she really gave you a Panacea." said the genie.
"So what?" asked Aladdin.
"So, that means we have no time to lose. A Panacea is a powerful potion that can heal any wound and cure any
illness, mundane or magic. But the potion itself only works under the sun of the day it was crafted. If we
don't give it to Jasmine before tomorrow sunrise, it will lose its power and Carpet will be gone for nothing."
explained Genie to the concerned prince.
The prince felt silent, and torned until he finally spout. "I'll return for you Carpet. I promise, Genie take
us." then the blue genie grabbed the prince, the monkey and the parrot and leaving a stale of vapor he quickly
flew away as Morgana laughed maniacally.
"Now my dear Sara, don't believe that I'm done with that prince." declared Morgana