And then a dark form came hurtling through the air, landing on the assassin and knocking him sideways. At first, Jafar thought it must be Cari, coming to his rescue yet again—but then he realized the form was much too small to be her. As the assassin struggled on the ground with his attacker, the flickering flames finally lit their bodies at the proper angle, and Jafar could see that it was the monkey who had saved him—the same monkey he’d seen twice already watching him from the rooftops.
The monkey was tearing at the assassin with the fury of a demon, scratching at his eyes with its sharp little claws, tearing at his throat with its long, sharp teeth. The contest was totally uneven, and within seconds it was over. The assassin lay dead on the ground and the monkey bounded up. Without so
