41 - Jafar
J afar didn’t think it would be smart to divulge this to Iago, but he had fully intended to test the rubies’ efficacy on the parrot before Rohan had come strutting in. And they were perfect. His brother fought for barely a moment before he relinquished control. Jafar refused to look at him, instead lifting up his staff and admiring his handiwork once again. The serpent gleamed in the dim light, fanged mouth bared for a strike, red eyes brilliant. It was beautiful, worth all the tinkering he’d done in the laboratory since they’d arrived in Maghriz.
The rubies had never been treated so well.
Jafar strode for the archway leading back to the House of Wisdom, his robes rippling with the shadows. “Now come, let us see how our new toy works.”
And the palace banquet hall was the best place to play. The Sultana had made sure of it, albeit unknowingly, by changing out the guards and the staff.
“N-no,” Rohan protested. He sounded sluggish, as if he was fighting to articulate his words while half-asleep. “I’m—not—coming.”
“Jafar?” Iago warned. “I don’t think it’s working.”
Commit to it, Jafar told himself. Alchemy relied on the one who cast it. But it was hard seeing his brother struggle and knowing he was the cause of it. His brother, whom Jafar had protected since he could walk, whom Jafar would do anything for because Rohan had been the only one to ever love him back. To look out for him. To visit him in the unlit broom closet.
Rohan had also betrayed him. Jafar swiped the angry blur from his eyes.
He had swayed Baba’s hand with the scholarship.
He had taken credit for the papermaking secret, after the prisoner took a piece of Jafar’s humanity.
He had stolen Jafar’s crown, and thus, his princess. Yara, Yara, Yara.
Jafar faced his brother and rapped his staff on the floor. Rohan fell to his knees.
“That’s better,” Jafar whispered. “I’m doing this for us, brother. The Sultana must answer for her crimes.”
Rohan said nothing, just stared blankly. Jafar wasn’t certain he liked that.
“You did it, boss!” Iago exclaimed. “Excellent work.”
But he had Iago, and the sight of Rohan on the floor because Jafar had commanded it truly was excellent. This was the prince of Maghriz, the greatest kingdom in the desert.
Under Jafar’s control.
“We did,” Jafar said. He had never felt more free. “And this is only the beginning.”