Lapis Lazuli's Genie Secrets in a Bottle

Chapter 6: Stay on Your Toes

The swirling sand finally stopped and Lapis opened her eyes to see a desert city that looked like something out of an Arabian Nights book. The sky was a mix of purple, orange, and pink with two suns.

"Welcome to Zanaraha, the realm of genies." Spinel presented to the girl and her brother.

"Wow, this place is awesome." Steven commented.

"Now, we need to go find Pearl, Garnet, and Bismuth." Amethyst declared.

"Who are they?" asked Lapis.

"A few friends of ours." Peridot explained. "But first things first, we need to look a little less conspicuous."

The three genies concentrated and in three clouds of pink, purple, and green smoke; their outfits changed.

Now Peridot was wearing a dark green top with tulle sleeves, a sparkling green sash, olive green shorts, gold cuffs and bracelets, and lime colored curled-toe slippers.

Amethyst wore a violet top with an indigo belt, a lilac skirt, blue-violet shoes, and a gold hair clip.

As for Spinel, she wore a white top with pink sleeves, dark pink baggy shorts, a pink heart-shaped gem pendant, and dusty pink slippers.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Lapis asked with stars in her eyes.

"We'll show you." Spinel told her. "Consider it your first genie lesson. Now, concentrate all your magic on making yourself look like a genie on the outside and that's how everyone will see you."

"Okay." the hybrid nodded as she closed her eyes and focused all her power.

A cloud of blue smoke coiled around her body like a snake. When it disappeared, she was no longer wearing her blue sundress and gold sandals. Now, Lapis was wearing a midnight blue strapless wrap with little jewels hanging from it, light indigo harem pants, a periwinkle sash, gold cuffs on her forearms and gold bangles on her wrists, and a gold chain tiara with a blue gemstone. She also had no footwear to be spoken of.

The young genie opened her eyes and was dazzled by her new look.

"Wow, I did great." she said, feeling proud.

"That's an awesome look for you, Lapis." Steven complimented. "I wish I had a genie disguise too."

With a snap of Spinel's fingers, a cloud of pink smoke circled around the human boy; giving him some genie garb of his own. He wore a dark pink vest, a red sash, dark blue harem pants, golden yellow slippers, and a red fez with a gold tassel that crowned his head.

"Thank you." Steven said to the pink genie.

"Alright, we'd better get moving before night falls." Amethyst suggested.

"Lapis, Steven; stay close." Peridot alerted the two siblings.

"Why?" Lapis inquired.

"Zanaraha may be a beautiful place, but it does have it's dark clouds." Spinel explained. "It's full of unusual creatures that you're not prepared to  face. There's also a gang of criminal genies that run amok in these very streets. They've been able to get away with everything ever since White Diamond took over this land."

The group of five weaved their way through the streets and alleys, making sure to keep a low profile. They also tried to avoid contact with other genies so that they wouldn't be bombarded with endless questions.

Lapis was in awe by other-worldly place. She could see genies either walking through the streets or flying on magic carpets to get around. She also saw a couple of bazaars where genies were selling all kinds of wares and goods. But as much as the blue-haired girl wanted to explore this city, she reminded herself that this wasn't a vacation; it was a mission to rescue her parents.

"So what's the history between White Diamond and my mom anyway?" the genie hybrid asked out of the blue.

"Well from what Pearl told us, White Diamond wanted your mother to be his bride." Peridot explained. "But, she chose to marry his brother Yellow Diamond instead."

"And boy, was White jealous." Spinel added. "So jealous that he killed his brother by poisoning him. With Yellow out of the way, he thought that your mom would have no choice but to marry him."

"But, that didn't go the way he had hoped." Amethyst said solemnly. "Your mom was angered by the actions of her brother-in-law and refused to marry him. In a fit of rage, White decided that if he couldn't have her then no one could. He trapped your mom in a lamp and banished her from Zanaraha."

"The evil emperor ensured that she would never find love again, but that was when your father found her lamp." Peridot pointed out. "White had just recently learned of your existence after your encounter with those bullies. So, he went to the human world to kidnap your parents and now he's holding them prisoner in his palace."

Lapis felt angered by how much White made her mother suffer, but more so that the genie emperor would capture both her parents just because Blue chose to love a human over him.

"Can White Diamond be stopped?" the hybrid girl asked.

"We probably can't." Amethyst said. "But, maybe you could. White Diamond is not the rightful ruler of Zanaraha. If you could overthrow him, you would free the realm from his tyrannical rule."

"Are you crazy!?" Peridot nearly shouted. "Facing White Diamond? That's just asking for trouble. He's got dark magic and an equally powerful son who leads all of Zanaraha's thugs."

"Well, somebody has to put that no-good emperor in his place." Spinel stated. "She may be the key."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on." Lapis stopped her. "I just can't go marching up to face a villain I've never met. I mean the guy is practically my uncle."

"Exactly." the green genie agreed. "You're not ready to face someone as bad as White Diamond. You have no idea what he's capable of and you're virtually untrained. That's why we have to go to Bismuth, Garnet, and Pearl. They can teach you how to use your powers properly and control them."

"I hope these friends of yours will be good teachers." the genie hybrid said.

"Oh, they're great teachers." Spinel assured her. "They taught the three of us how to control our magic powers."

"Do you have any advice when it is time for me to confront White Diamond?" Lapis asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Just be careful." Amethyst advised. "His ability to mess with your head is just as dangerous as his dark magic. If he manages to get the upper hand on you, it's game over."

The young hybrid's fear of the evil emperor increased after hearing that. If White Diamond was as terrible as her friends claimed, Lapis worried that she could already be in danger. Her uncle might be sensing her walking through this city right now.