Chapter 8: In the Longhouse
The smell of pine needles and smoke filled Ravens nose. A loud snap startled her and her vision returned. She was inside some type of building. Her eyes were cast skyward. She could see several stars through a hole in the roof. Embers and smoke were floating upwards towards the opening.
Slowly feeling came back to her body. She could feel warmness on her palms. She lowered her head and came face to face with an Indian shaman. The left side of his face was painted blood red the other jet black. His pupils were dark, accentuated by the whites of his eyes. The sides of his head were shaved and his black hair was pulled up in a ball. His paint ended at the bottom of his neck. A leather pouch hung around his neck and dangled loosely on his bare chest. He sat cross-legged in deerskin trousers. His bare feet were tucked neatly under his knees. Thin tendrils of smoke rose from a clay bowl that lay on the bare earth between them.
Raven quickly lowered her hands and stood up. She noticed that she now wore a long deerskin dress. Underneath her feet lay a soft matt. She held her arms up and frowned as she inspected her new cloths.
"Ok, this is weird even for me. Where are we?"
The shaman returned a puzzled look, then turned towards the floor near the fire and began looking for something. His hands closed around a small object on the floor. He slowly rose and extended his right hand. In his palm Raven noticed a small stone.
"Right, thanks," Raven took the stone and began her spell. "Percepio." The stone began to glow under Raven's enchantment. She handed the shaman the glowing stone. He tentatively took it and held it up to his eyes for a closer inspection. The shaman's eyes turned to Raven who nodded slightly. She saw a faint look of mistrust in his eyes. He placed the stone in his mouth and began to work it around looking for a comfortable spot.
The shaman's first words came out garbled. Raven's heart sank. The Indian turned his gaze downward as he cleared his throat.
"Forgive me," he said softly. After taking a deep breath he looked up and continued. "I am Sullen Eagle, spirit master to the turtle clan of the Lenape. Welcome to the longhouse of my people." He paused again and looked downward. "I am sorry I have no gifts to offer you."
Raven hesitated unsure how to reply. "My name is Raven." She could think of nothing else and an awkward silence followed.
After a few moments Sullen Eagle continued. "Raven?" Raven nodded acknowledging her name. "You are the spirit master and leader of the group I saw in the outer world?" Sullen Eagle's face froze in confusion. He had expected her to explain her position following her name and was himself unsure how to continue. He knew she had been a prominent person in the group. Both of the women appeared to possess special powers but Raven seemed well versed in the powers of the spirits. A female spirit master was almost unheard of in his world. Men often held the prominent positions of chief and spirit master but it was the women through back channels that usually held sway over the tribe. It appeared to Sullen Eagle that Raven and the other woman had bypassed this arrangement.
Raven was not sure how to answer Sullen Eagle's question. They seemed worlds apart and separated by untold centuries. "Um, my powers are a bit different than yours. The people you saw with me are my friends. We call ourselves the Teen Titans. We're kind of the self appointed guardians of the city."
Sullen Eagle nodded slightly acknowledging her reply even though he could not fully understand what she was saying. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by the situation and unsure how to proceed. He slowly lowered himself back to his mat, folded his feet under his knees, turned his head and looked blankly into the fire.
After a moment Raven lowered herself onto the mat and rested her hands on her knees. Sullen Eagle turned his head back to her; his dark eyes glimmered softly in the firelight. "I have been alone here for so long in silence." This he said vacantly as if she was not there. He paused then seemed to return back from his thoughts. He smiled at Raven. "It is nice to have someone to talk to again."
A light fluttering of wings came from the darkness as a bird perched on Sullen Eagles left shoulder. Sullen Eagle turned his head towards the bird in acknowledgement. "No, I did not forget my spirit companion who has accompanied me on my journey."
Raven gauzed curiously at the small pigeon-like bird that sat on Sullen Eagle's shoulder. It was a bit difficult to make out its coloring in the faint firelight.
"Spirit companion?" Raven asked curiously.
"Yes," Sullen Eagle continued. "All of my people have spirit companions. They connect us to the Great Spirit and the spirit world. I summoned my spirit companion when I became spirit master. You do not have one?"
"I've never been into pets." She replied. Raven held up her right hand and the pigeon instinctively flew over and perched on it. The light was better and she gazed at the bird closely soaking up its details. The bird's chest was a deep orange color; brighter near its head then fading to white nears its legs. Its head, wings and tail feathers were slate blue and its eyes were crimson. It was unlike any bird she had ever seen and it exuded a jittery power and fury as it perched contentedly on her finger.
"Amimi, please greet our guest properly," Sullen Eagle gently scolded. Amimi's head cocked to one side making brief contact with Sullen Eagle. The bird's focus returned to Raven. Amimi lowered his head and splayed out its wings in a formal bow, stood up then flew back to Sullen Eagle's shoulder.
Raven briefly focused on the bird then turned back to Sullen Eagle. "You made me open the door at the university," she inquired firmly. Sullen Eagle thought back to his first encounter with her. He lowered his head and Raven caught a small sense of remorse. "Yes," he replied as he lowered his head. "It was a simple trick. I meant you no disrespect." He had used his powers in violation of someone's free will. This was a grievous action but he had felt at that time it was his only option.
Raven was puzzled over his response. "How did you do it," she inquired.
Sullen Eagle looked up and smiled. He was relieved she was not angry. "It's simple. You just project yourself into the other person's mind and plant a simple command. Any command will do but you can not command the person to harm himself. May I show you?" Raven nodded eager to discover this new spell.
Sullen Eagle's face became serious as his eyes met hers. Raven could feel a faint light form in her mind. A sneeze suddenly overwhelmed her. Sullen Eagle smiled wryly.
"Go ahead, you try." Raven chose her plant then focused on Sullen Eagle's mind. A loud belch erupted from him sending Amimi fluttering off his shoulder momentarily. A brief look of surprise on Sullen Eagle's face was followed by a look of pride that she had mastered this spell so quickly. Sullen Eagle then burst into relieved laughter and Raven soon joined him. He felt relief as they're halting introduction was beginning to turn into a more casual conversation.
Raven decided to move on to the business at hand. "Sullen Eagle, why have you come to us?" Sullen Eagle paused as he tried to get a read on his guest. How much should he share with her, how much did she already know and what were her intentions. He decided that she knew enough.
Sullen Eagle reached to his left and picked up a small pinch of material and dropped it in the bowl that lay between them. Fresh smoke wafted into the air as a pungent odor penetrated Raven's nose. The Indian then picked up a stick and drew a large circle on the floor between them encompassing the bowl. In this circle an image began to form in the smoke and Sullen Eagle began to talk.
"It was during the Starving Time. The rains had failed; the rivers ran dry and the earth cracked with dust. Many of my people had died from want of food. I was sent by the elders to consult the spirits on Tinicum, the island that is now your home in the outer world. Amimi and I made our way to the island in our canoe after sunset. As I neared the island I saw a light on the water." In the circle Raven saw a long ago image of the island where their Tower would one day reside. The light was coming from a large European galleon that was slowly working its way past the island. Sullen Eagle continued. "I stared at the light and was overtaken by a vision of my people's lands." The image in the circle quickly changed to current view of the Tower and the city. "I do not know how long I watched this vision but a fierce storm descended on me." In the circle the image of the Tower and the city melted away and in its place a fierce storm came into view. Sullen Eagle sat in his dugout canoe desperately grasping the sides as waves crashed across his small boat. "I tried to make my way to Tinicum but my boat sank and I crossed into the spirit word."
The image in the circle faded and Raven looked up into Sullen Eagle's piercing eyes. "I'm sorry," Raven replied.
A long silence followed as Sullen Eagle tuned his gaze to the small bowl that sat between them. "I have been waiting here since my passage."
"Waiting?" Raven asked cautiously.
"Yes. I am the keeper of my people's relic. I can not pass into the spirit world until I have retrieved it." His eyes focused intensely on Raven's. She felt Sullen Eagle's maddening need for the relic's return. He continued, "You know what I seek, return it to me."
Sullen eagle added more material to the bowl and a fresh wave of smoke quickly rose and engulfed the pair. Her eyes stung from the smoke and her lungs began to spasm. A sharp coughing fit followed. When Raven regained her breath she was back on the shore by the tower. Her friends stood in a small group anxious for her to speak.
Raven looked back to Sullen Eagle. She spit her stone into her hand not wanting him to hear her words. "Let's go inside. We need to talk."