Mozenrath: Five more minutes, mommy…

For a moment he couldn't remember where he was and sat up in a panic as he heard someone moving nearby.

Considering he has a palace full of mamluks, I don’t think he’d be woken up by things moving. Heck, things bonking into the furniture wouldn’t wake him up.

"Oh, it's you," Mozenrath said blandly.

What type of archenemy says ‘Oh, it’s you’ to a hero?

He leaned back against the rocks and took several deep breaths.

Why? He seems to have woken up perfectly pain-free.

His injuries had worsened during the night and he was sore and stiff.

Yet he shows no real evidence of such things.

He tried to settle himself into a comfortable position, but the rocks seemed intent on making him as uncomfortable as possible.

Yeah, that’s rocks for ya.

His hand throbbed and added another level to the pain.

**leveling up noise**

Aladdin set a clay mug full of steaming tea

near him along with some meat and bread. The smell and sight of food turned Mozenrath's stomach and he turned away.

Look, Al’s nice, but even he has some limits.

"You have to eat, or you'll not have the strength to ride."

Aladdin: Yea, verily.

Why does he need strength to ride? Al can just tie him to the horse or something.

Aladdin picked up the mug and held it out. Reluctantly, Mozenrath took it and the bread.

"I'm touched," Mozenrath said slyly as he sipped his tea.

How can he be sly about that?

Aladdin didn't look up from his preparations for the day's journey.

Al’s preparation for a journey consist of: Bad guy. Let’s go there.

"I would do the same for anyone."

No, you wouldn’t.

In fact, if this were in character, you wouldn’t be doing it to him.

Mozenrath's lip curled. "Noble Aladdin. You know that if our situations were reversed I would let you rot here."

Aladdin stood and picked up the roll. "I know." He disappeared around the boulder.

Al: Bye

Mozenrath waited a moment, listening to the quiet pop and crackle of the fire.

It’s still there? Or did a new one suddenly teleport into the fic without warning?

He had nearly dozed off when he felt a push against his hand. He looked up.

How does he look up when his hand isn’t above him?

"What are you doing, Xerxes?" he demanded of his familiar. The eel was tugging at a familiar object.

"Xerxes take this. Hide 'til Aladdin gone."

Mozenrath picked up the battered, ordinary looking lamp.

…I never really thought of it as ‘battered’

Unremarkable in appearance, yet he could feel the power within it. He smiled wickedly at Xerxes.

As opposed to smiling nicely.

"Well done, Xerxes." He tucked the lamp into his sash and leaned back against the rock.

How does that work to hide the lamp?

Aladdin: Is that a lamp in your sash, or are you happy to see me?

Mozenrath: Shut up

He grimaced as the pain in his ribs and leg warred with the dull pain in the ravaged remains of his hand. He clenched and unclenched his hand to ease the pain, but the dull ache within the bones was a constant reminder. He dozed off and when he awoke the sun had moved up over the cliffs and he was alone.

What? Aladdin couldn’t put a sleeping guy on a horse by himself?

Panic gripped him as he sat forward. "Aladdin?" he called. Nothing. "Aladdin!" His voice shook.

Why the hell does he care? He was probably dreaming of Aladdin wandering off and dying horribly.

A skittering of rock on rock alerted him.

I’m no geologist, but I’m pretty damn sure rocks don’t skitter.

He looked around and found Aladdin sliding down the side of the wadi. Mozenrath covered his panic with anger. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I need to get you out of here somehow. I was trying to find a way to bring my horse in." He approached Mozenrath and stood over him. "There's no way. We have to go to it. Do you think you can walk?"

Mozenrath glared up at Aladdin and pushed himself forward. He fell back with a gasp. Aladdin instinctively extended his hand to help. Mozenrath reached out just as instinctively with his skeletal hand. Aladdin withdrew his hand before he could close his fingers over it. Mozenrath curled his lip at Aladdin, but withdrew his right hand and extended his left. Aladdin took his arm and slung it around his shoulders. The sorcerer grunted with pain as Aladdin helped him up, but he didn't say anything. By the time they had made it around the boulder blocking the entrance to the wadi and to Aladdin's horse, though, he was sweating and gasping with pain.

As opposed to before where he was just gasping

Aladdin leaned him against the horse a moment and panted. The sorcerer was slim, but more solid than he looked. A thought occurred to him.

"Mozenrath, can't you use your magic to get on the horse or heal your wounds?" He narrowed his eyes at Mozenrath. "Or even out of here altogether?"

How to heal yourself out of someplace?

"Give me back my gauntlet and I'll see what I can do," he gasped. He leaned his forehead against the saddle and panted.

Mmm, horse

Aladdin shook his head. "Sorry, can't do that."

"Then, no, I can't." His voice was muffled against the saddle cloth.

Dude, you need to get out more.

Aladdin shrugged and gave Mozenrath a leg up into the saddle.

Yeah, and in the process he was miraculously not kicked in the face ‘by accident’? I doubt it.

The sorcerer slumped forward and threatened to fall off, but Aladdin managed to get him upright again. Xerxes, who had been following along settled himself around his master shoulders protectively.

Eels around the shoulders isn’t exactly ‘protective’

Mozenrath reached up and stroked the eel almost tenderly as Aladdin led the horse back out of the wadi.

Up and around the low walls, Aladdin headed off in the direction of the well. Mozenrath squinted into the distance and smiled a secret, devilish smile.

He squinted with a smile… are the parts of his face interchangeable?