Chapter 2: Voodoo Ritual

Raven's eyes flickered open as she woke, her body stretched across a cold stone floor, she lifted herself up, feeling her stiff body fighting against her movement, and rubbed her eyes tiredly before looking around. Her T-Com had been dismantled; several pieces lay strewn across the floor beside a melting candle, lying around her legs was a thin, coarse blanket. Looking about, she saw that she was in some form of cavern, stalactites dripped with moisture as stalagmites sat in clusters about the cavern floor.

"You're awake then…" Raven turned sharply to see where the voice came from, crouched near her was another figure. A black, high-collared long coat fell from his shoulders and around his thin frame before rolling across the floor, his pale, young face was hidden under long, black hair, he could've been no more than sixteen. He was flexing what seemed to be a clawed arm yet as Raven looked closer, she saw that he wore a pair of leather gauntlets, long claws came from the fingers and a long blade occupied the cuff of each one, both tapering over his shoulders.

He turned to her and Raven gasped as she stared into his eyes, they were an amber colour that illuminated his young, yet tired face, the taut irises held sharp pupils that bore into her very soul, a pair of cold flames burning through the darkness. He lifted his hand to the flickering light, something shone against the dull iron, and the figure answered her question before she voiced it, "blood, you have a good friend Raven".

Raven froze as she stared, wide-eyed at the blood, she had seen Starfire blast the door open, and it must've been her blood, "w-why do you-"

"Have you here?" Interjected the figure, "you'll find out soon…as will I. As for your next question, name's Shade"

Shade held out his clean hand to her yet she kept her hands back, thought it wasn't because of the cruel talon-like gauntlets he wore, Raven stood herself up, still ignoring her physical complaints as she kept her composure, "Okay…Shade, where are we?"

"Nightmare calls this place the Subverse, sounds like a sci-fi b-movie. You'll find out who Nightmare is by the way" Shade stood as he turned to face the wall, looking as if he was gazing through a window or at a painting. He was massive, his frame tall, thin and very lanky, his clothes were worn and ragged, giving her the impression of a scarecrow. But those eyes kept appearing in her mind, those eyes that read her soul and captured her emotions.

Raven and Shade's silent thoughts were interrupted by the tapping of small shoes against stone, she turned to see a young girl of about nine running through the cavern, she went straight past Raven, ignoring her as she came up to Shade, "cousin Shade, I made that doll you wanted." The girl lifted a doll to the candlelight; it was a patched doll that was obviously hand-made. Though the thing that shocked Raven was the small blue cloak that was worn over black fabric, a little belt of buttons lined its waist, and the small clump of violet hair that fell from its head, "see, it looks just like her!"

"That's great Voodoo!" Shade replied happily, though one look into his eyes told her that he wasn't happy, in fact, he seemed hurt and enraged by the doll before him. Voodoo though, was beaming happily from under curled midnight-blue hair, her short, tattered dress and torn socks made her very closely resemble the doll she held in her hand. As Raven turned to see Voodoo's face fully, she was shocked yet again by her eyes, these eyes were pitch black, though the shine in them told her they were still there and that she wasn't blind.

"Cousin Shade?" Came Voodoo's worried reply out of the silence, bringing Raven back to the harsh reality, Shade seemed to break from a similar trance as he looked down at her with those unusual eyes, smiling before ruffling her hair delicately with his claws.

He stood and tightened the gauntlets before twisting Voodoo around, "we'd better not keep him waiting, let's go…that means you Raven," he turned to her and jabbed his thumb, indicating for her to move.

"…And if I refuse?" Raven replied, if this kidnapper expected her to co-operate, he'd have to think again, and nobody ordered her around.

"Voodoo," Shade called, the girl turned with a sudden look of shock on her face, whatever Shade wanted, she didn't like, a silence held the Raven's breath as she watched, "…do it!"

The girl fumbled around one arm of her dress, producing a needle in her shaking fingers, as she held it, the needle glowed with a mysterious energy, and her shaking hand held the doll up before she plunged the needle into its hand. Instantly, Raven buckled over in pain, a light shone in a ring on her hand as she clutched it, feeling raw anger flow through her as she staggered to her feet, her eye twitching. Blood dripped from the doll's hand, the girl's black eyes were tearful and she ran through the cavern with the doll, away from Shade and Raven.

"Let's go," came Shade's hollow voice through the darkness, he gripped Raven's arm and tugged her up, dragging her through the shadows of the cavern.