Chapter 10
As they approached the door, Raven smiled to herself, as she thought back, to when Starfire was comforting her, and she realized that the Tamaranean had addressed her by her name, without the word friend before it, a mode of address usually reserved for Robin.
She glanced over at where Robin was walking with Mathias, and wondered if he noticed the difference, or realized that it meant that Starfire not only considered Robin as her friend, but as an equal, an extraordinary thing coming from someone from a warrior culture. She did see, however, that Robin had noticed that Starfire was staying near him, as they walked.
"I want to thank you, for getting Mathias free from the crystal." Anella said, breaking off her train of thought.
"You're welcome." Raven replied, glancing over at the older woman, then averting her eyes, "I'm sorry you had to witness my appalling loss of control, I was trained for better." she added.
Anella was silent for a few steps, and Raven could feel the gentle brush of her empathic powers, on the surface of her mind. "Do not concern yourself with that, Daughter of Arella," Anella said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder, "the monks, and your mother, would be very proud of who you are, and what you have become." she added, then smiled warmly at her, as Raven gave her, what she was certain, was a rare, grateful smile.
The group stopped on the threshold of the doors, all, but Robin, stunned at their size. Standing almost twenty feet tall, and made of, what looked like granite, bound with iron, they wondered at how they could be moved.
"Mathias, and I, have come up with a plan." Robin announced after a moment, "Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and myself, will distract Memnoch while he, Raven, and Anella, work on casting a spell, that should entrap him, in an alternate dimension, where he'll be powerless."
While Memnoch is powerful, as you saw by his spectral form, he's no larger than a normal human." Mathias picked up. "From what Robin told me, fighting him will be like the practice sessions you've done, where Raven takes the part of the adversary."
Robin looked over at the rest of his team, and saw that they knew how hard this was going to be. One of the results, of Robin's being forced to be Slade's apprentice, was for the Titan's to start practicing, as if one of them had turned, and was attacking them. He also knew, that they were remembering, how Raven was the hardest of them to defeat, and it took all of them, working in concert, to take her down.
"Alright then, let's get moving." Robin said, as he pushed on the door. Despite it's size, the door swung open. "It's different," he said softly, "last time I was here it was a steep slope, down to a river of lava."
The others looked around, the ground sloped, gently down and a path could be seen leading down between holes of varying sizes.
"Cataflame illuminare!" Mathias chanted, and a large, white ball formed, about ten feet in front of him, lighting up the area. "I do not wish to trust the torches, set up on this path, by Memnoch." he told Robin. He and Robin took the lead, next was Starfire, then Cyborg, Anella, and finally Raven. Beast Boy had morphed into a rabbit, and would run ahead a short distance, then come back.
Little did they know, that they were being watched. As they passed the first group of holes in the ground, a black stalk, slowly rose up, from one of them. When it was about two feet high, the skin at the tip, split open, revealing an eye, that slowly turned, until it caught sight of the group. After a moment of watching them, it slowly sank out of sight.
"Robin." Raven called a few minutes later, stopping the group. "There is something else here." she announced, her eyes now closed, as she concentrated on her empathic powers. "It's very faint though." she added after a moment.
"You sure it's not a rat or something like that?" Cyborg asked.
"That's just it." raven answered, still probing the area, "It's stronger, but not as. . . . specific as a rat." she was silent for a moment, "Mathias, Anella, Starfire, and Robin, I need you to calm your minds, almost to the point of going into a trance." she said, "I'm getting to many of your thoughts."
"What about BB and I?" Cyborg asked, "I know, neither of us have been trained to meditate, but I could power down for a couple of minutes."
"And I could morph into a fly, or something small." Beast Boy put in.
"That's a good idea, Beast Boy, " Raven agreed, "but Cyborg, if you shut down, the rest of us would be sitting ducks, open for attack. We need you to stand guard."
The cavern fell silent, for a few moments, as the two arch mages, Robin, and Starfire, sat on some convenient rocks, and went into a light trance. Ignoring the highly intelligent fly, on Cyborg's shoulder, and blocking out the big Titan's thoughts, Raven focused, completely, on her empathic sweep of the area.
"Well that was a waste of time." Raven fumed in frustration, then called the others, bringing them out of their trances.
"Not entirely." Mathias said, as he stood up, "You're right, it's life force is strong, but it lacks. . . direction, or intelligence."
"More like simple instinct, that's why you thought of it as being vague, or non-specific." Anella added.
"Everyone keep alert." Robin said, and they continued on their way. Starfire took to the air, so she could watch everyone at once. Thinking she saw something behind Raven, she quickly touched down, to investigate.
"What is it?" Raven asked, as she came up behind her.
"I. . . am not. . . certain." Star replied hesitantly, as she looked back over at where she thought she had seen something. Seeing nothing, she shook her head, and flew up to a position just above Cyborg.
"Yo girl, what's up?" Cyborg called.
"Umm I am, friend Cyborg." Star replied with a perfectly straight face, as she was not making a pun or joke, but Cyborg chuckled anyway. "Excuse me, but what did I say that was amusing?"
"Never mind Star." Cyborg said, as he chuckled. "It'd take to long to explain."
Not wanting to continue the line of conversation, Star looked around from her vantage point, about ten feet off the ground. Suddenly she saw a black form rise up from one of the holes, between two stalagmites, near the path. It stopped growing when it reached about six feet in height, and she thought it was swaying, and going to fall backwards, away from the path, and she gasped when she realized she was wrong, when she saw it start to reverse it's direction.
"Anella! Look out!" she shouted, then quickly flew at the green cloaked woman, taking her down with a flying tackle, shoving her out of the way of the lashing form. Star was happy, with how she had slowed her speed down before she struck Anella, but gasped when she felt something strike her right shoulder, and she slammed into the wall, that formed one side of the path.
"Get off of me you stupid troq! Anella shouted, shoving the half conscious Titan off her upper body, where she landed, after rebounding from the wall.
"Nobody calls me that!" Star shouted.
"Nobody calls her that!" Raven shouted at the same time.
The only thing that kept Anella from getting hit in the jaw, by a star bolt charged right hook, was the fact that Raven already had her power ready, at Star's warning shout, and she didn't have to recover, from being stunned, from hitting the wall.
"I don't care who, or what you are!" Raven shouted, her eyes dangerously red, "But NOBODY calls Starfire that in my presence!"
"I warned you about calling her that!" Robin shouted as he ran up.
Through the black haze of Raven's power, Anella saw that the four other Titans were glaring angrily at her, and Cyborg even had his sonic cannon primed, and ready to fire at her. "How can you defend her?" she demanded, "She's only a simple. . . ." she began.
"ANELLA, THAT IS ENOUGH!" Mathias's voice bellowed, over riding whatever it was his wife was going to say. "Have you heard NOTHING, of what Robin, and I, have told you about her?"
"Robin." Starfire's voice said softly, from behind him, and Robin heard the pain in her voice.
He turned to face her, and saw that she held her left hand to her shoulder, and she was swaying on her feet. "Star, move your hand." he told her gently, then quickly moved over to her, when she removed her hand from her shoulder, and he saw the blood there. He also noticed that her right arm seemed to hang limply, swinging loosely, as she swayed.
"It burns Robin, like nothing I've felt before." Star said, her voice very soft, but to Robin, the pain in her voice, shouted at him. Suddenly, Starfire gasped, as a wave of pain wracked her body, and she stumbled forward, into Robin's arms, her left hand going to his right shoulder, for support..
"Easy Star, you're going to be alright." Robin soothed, as he knelt, with Star, as her legs gave out. "Mathias, get over here, Starfire's hurt!" he shouted.
"Azar's mercy!" Mathias gasped, when he saw the gash, that started at the front of her upper right arm, and followed the line of her neck piece, to her back. "She did that when she hit the wall?" he asked.
Robin looked over his shoulder, and quickly thought what Star's trajectory would have been. "No, she would have hit the wall with her left side, if not head on.
"Something, from one of the holes, hit me, as I pushed Anella out of the way. . . unnggghh" Star said painfully, and trailed off, as another wave of pain hit her.
Knowing the symptoms of poisoning, Robin quickly took something from his utility belt, popped a cover off it, revealing a small needle. Twisting the needle into place, he stuck it, as gently as he could, into Star's upper arm, and pushed the plunger. "It's a wide spectrum antidote." he explained to Mathias, who was looking at him curiously, "It was developed by an old friend of mine." he added, and Mathias nodded.
"Ashanti. . .. Kinora. . . Anel," Mathias chanted softly, and four objects slid out of the gash, and floated above her shoulder. Each was about half an inch long, and Robin thought they looked like thorns, from a rose stem, except these were black, not green. Not touching them with his hands, Mathias levitated them to a flat rock, on the ground next to Starfire's knees. He looked over at Robin, and knew that his next question was going to ask a lot of the young man before him. "I need both Raven, and . . . Anella, if we're going to save her." he said softly.
Robin looked over his shoulder, and glared at the woman, still held, by Raven's power, to the wall. A tightening of Star's hand on his shoulder, and a small whimper of pain from her, made the decision for him. "Raven, let her go." he said, "and both of you get over here, Star's been. . . stung by something, and Mathias says he needs both your help." When Raven, and Anella, walked into Robin's line of sight, he could see that Raven was still quite angry, and Anella was looking almost anywhere, but at either him, or Starfire.
"Look at this Anella." Mathias said, and Robin almost blinked, at the venomous way he said his wife's name, "This was meant for you, but she took it in your place. Someone, you deem as being, worthless, a nothing." he added, then took a steadying breath. "Raven you will go first. She knows, and, more importantly, trusts you, and, most likely won't reject your help, then Anella will join in, after you've prepared her, then I will join in, and we will bring her back together."
"I. . . " Anella started to speak, but stopped when she saw her husband's glare.
"You had better choose your words wisely Anella Alzor, or what I will do to you, will make what Raven wants to do to you pale in comparison." he hissed. "You are an Arch Mage of Azar woman, behave as such, you have a duty to aid those in need."
Anella looked at the ground for a moment, then at the gash on Starfire's shoulder which was turning bright red along it's sides. She levitated one of the object from the ground and looked at it intently. "Mortis indicto." she said softly, as if she already knew what the result of the spell would be, and she closed her eyes, as the stinger dissolved in a black wisp of smoke. "Yes my husband." she said softly.
"Robin." Star said softly, "There is one thing I want before. . . " she trailed off, her hand moving from Robin's shoulder, to brush her thumb against the edge of his mask. "Please." Robin took his left hand, and slowly removed his mask, letting Star see his eyes, for the first time, in the real world, "They are most handsome, it is a pity you have to hide them." she said, then bowed her head. Overwhelmed, by a wash of emotion, Robin also bowed his head, and ended up touching Star's forehead with his own, and a few moments later, he was shocked to hear her sigh, almost contentedly.
"Come on Robin, we've got to get working on her." Raven prodded, Robin nodded, and placed his belt pack on the ground, then took off his cape, and folded it up, using both to make a pillow for Star's head. He stood up, giving Anella a hard glare, his left hand came up, his index finger pointing, as though he was going to lecture her, and opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it, then tried again, and, again, changed his mind, giving her a dismissive gesture, he stomped off.
Raven sat on the ground by Starfire's head, and took a short moment to compose her thoughts. She had to be calm, and centered, if she was going to be of any help to Star. "Azarath. . . Metrion. . . . Zynthos." she chanted, then lay her hand on the gash on Star's shoulder. 'Sweet Azar!' she thought, when her empathic, and healing, power contacted the taint of the poison flowing through Star's body. Steeling herself for worse to come, she deepened her reach into Starfire's mind, and body.
'Raven, what are you doing?' Star's mental voice asked, as if from far away, 'Leave me, this is better than the pain.'
'No chance of that, my friend.' Raven sent back. 'You've got to many friends, who love you, and want you to live.'
'Robin.' came Star's answer to that line, and Raven could feel the hold on living, that Star's mind needed, strengthen.
After a few moments in darkness, Raven found herself in what she believed to be Starfire's mindscape, and seeing as it was Star's personal equivalent of her own Nevermore, she wasn't surprised to find herself standing next to someone who looked exactly like the Tamaranean, except she was wearing yellow, which told Raven that it was the avatar that represented her intelligence.
"She should be here in a moment." intelligence said, as Raven looked around. She found herself standing in the middle of a small glen, with a small bench a few feet away, and that flowers of all types and descriptions were blooming in profusion, either in carefully tended beds, or suspended from trellises. The sky was clear, and the sun shining. It was. . . Nice, and suited Starfire quite nicely. As if sensing Raven's apprehension as to why Starfire herself hadn't yet appeared, intelligence spoke again. "She's having some trouble focusing, because of the pain." she said, then hugged her shoulders, as if warding off a chill. "X'Hal she hasn't hurt like this since she was infested by those Slade nanoprobes."
Raven shuddered as she remembered the time that Slade had infested all of the Titan's but Robin with nanoprobes that could kill them with the push of a button. Slade used that threat to force Robin to become his apprentice.
"Raven." Starfire called softly as she appeared a few feet away. "this," she began, waving her arm to encompass the glen, "is my version of Nevermore, yes?"
Raven staggered back a step, glad to feel the edge of the bench against her knees, as she sank onto the seat. "You know about that?" she gasped.
"Why yes." Starfire said, uncertainly, "How else could I control my emotions, when we had switched bodies?"
Raven thought that one over for a few moments, as other avatars started coming into view, either from behind hedges, or out from the small forest that bordered the glen. "You know why we're here, right?" she asked.
"Yes." Starfire replied, "To help me keep focused on staying alive, and to also prepare me for when other help arrives."
"So let's concentrate on keeping your emotions calm." Raven said, as she took her normal position for meditation, and watched as both Starfire's did the same. Once they were in position, they started chanting Raven's mantra.
Back in the cavern, Robin had finished pacing, and approached Anella, to ask her some questions. "Why would you have a problem helping Starfire?" he asked, his tone barely civil, "You didn't seem to have any problem with it before."
Anella eyed him coolly. "That was because it was a matter of honor." she replied, "She saved my life, by getting me out of that cave, so I returned the favor, and if it wasn't for my duty as an Arch Mage, I wouldn't help now."
Robin's eyes narrowed, as he thought back to the only other person he had seen to treat Starfire with such contempt and loathing. "Just like Val Yor." he muttered under his breath.
"What about my cousin?" Anella asked, evidently hearing what Robin had said. "I wasn't aware that you know him."
It took a moment, for Robin to get past the shock, of learning that the woman before him was related to Val Yor, but he came to the conclusion that it explained much. "We met." Robin said coldly, "Some Locrix had followed him to earth, and we teamed up with him, to destroy their central power core on Sentient."
Anella's face openly showed her surprise, and shock, at this revelation. "She's. . ."
"Yes, she's the one that reached through the energy field, pulled Val Yor back through it, and got him back to safety." Robin said, his pride in Starfire's actions coloring his tone. "But then maybe that doesn't matter to you."
"I have tried to warn you of what your closed mind might cause, Anella." Mathias said, standing beside Robin, "I only wish the lesson had been easier on the ones not involved." he added, looking over at Raven and Starfire.
"Robin, know it may be to late, but I offer you, and Starfire, my deepest apologies." Anella said, as she followed Mathias's gaze. "I only wish my cousin had changed enough, to tell me the name, of the one who had caused him to rethink his prejudicial ways," she went on, "but then the lesson I just learned, wouldn't have been so sharply driven home."
"For my part, I'll take you apology under consideration." Robin said stiffly, after a moment's thought. "and on the provision that Star will be able to hear it from you, herself."
"Fair enough." the brunette agreed, then knelt beside Raven, and placed her hand on hers. "Dovana. . . . Quidado. . . Lumos. . ." she chanted, and let her eyes closed as she went into a trance, entering the link. "Hello Starfire." she said, when she appeared in the glen with Raven, and Starfire.
"Hello." Starfire replied, and Raven noted two things. One was that Starfire didn't use her usual "Greetings.", and the second was the decidedly cool tone in Star's voice. "Raven has told me why you're here, and why I should allow it." Star added.
"Starfire." Raven admonished softly. She agreed with her friends anger toward Anella, but knew it would be counter productive to express it right the moment.
"Yes Raven, I know," Star relented, "I shall try to keep the lid on my anger."
"Haven't you ever wondered how they'll manifest themselves." Anella asked, "I, for one, think this should be interesting to see her reaction." she added, nodding toward Starfire.
"Seeing as they're are a few of them here, now, I'd say she had little, to no, reaction to them." Raven said, indicating the four other, different colored garbed Starfire's in the glen, not liking how Anella was making this seem like some kind of laboratory experiment.
"Is this not glorious!" a pink garbed Starfire gushed, as she trotted over and gave Star a hug.
"Sweet Azar, what is that!" Anella gasped seeing another Starfire, in a slightly darker pink outfit, that was easily half again, as big as the one that was standing beside her.
"Umm, that would be her unbridled joy of flight, duh." Starfires intelligence replied, then walked over to Raven.
Raven's eyes opened wide, as a disturbing thought occurred to her. She turned to the yellow clothed Starfire, "If Starfire's happiness, and unbridled joy, are two separate entities, just how many of her emotions have two avatars?"
"Three," Intelligence replied, "Separate from her basic emotions are unbridled joy, boundless confidence, and. . . "
". . .Righteous fury." Raven finished. "Oh no." she muttered, knowing how much trouble she had with her own anger.
"What in the name of X'Hal is she doing here!" Starfire's voice came from behind Raven, and she turned to see a red dressed Starfire, being closely followed by a larger, darker red, dressed one.
"You really don't know much about Tamaraneans, do you." Raven said as she crossed over to Anella. "Like me they get their powers from their emotions, however they get them from expressing those emotions. They get their super strength, from boundless confidence, their flying ability, from their unbridled joy, and their star bolt power, from righteous fury." she concluded, motioning with her hand at the larger of the two red garbed Starfire's, that were still heading their way.
They watched as the real Starfire flew over so she was right in front of, and at eye level with, the larger avatar, "She is here, in order to save my life, after I was injured." she said.
"I know that much, intelligence told us all that much, but why is she here, not doing something about the poison? She asked, I should. . . " she added, raising one of her hands, primed with star bolt energy.
"You will do nothing without my direction!" Star said, her voice firm, and angry in it's own right. "She has her reasons for being here, I am sure."
"It's alright Starfire." Anella said, "I've had my healing powers since I was very young, and they're almost reflexive, and require very little of my concentration to use, so I can be here, as well as fighting the poison." she explained.
"I still do not trust her." Fury said, powering down the bolt.
"Yeah, well that's not your job." one of the other avatars said.
"Oh, that was most not helpful." a third put in, causing both happiness, and unbridled joy to burst into laughter. In moments, there was a rainbow colored group of Starfires, arguing with each other. Raven was about to get the real Starfire's attention, but decided that her advice could wait for a few moments.
"Excuse me please, all of you!" Star shouted, drawing silence from the group. "This divisiveness is not doing any good, or as my best friend would say, it's pointless. They are here, now, to keep me, you, focused on one thing, and that is to hang on to life, and keep us from rejecting their help, while they heal our body."
"She is not as stupid, as you believe." Anger told Anella. "She knows much more about what you, Raven, and Mathias, are, and will be doing." she added, then continued, giving the Arch Mage a piece of Star's mind.
Raven found herself almost chuckling at watching the discussion between Anella, and Star's anger. Suddenly she realized just what was so odd about it, of all the times she had seen Star, the only side of her anger that she ever saw was her fury in battle, except for one time, when one of Beast Boy's practical jokes went wrong, but now she was seeing Star just plain old, down to earth, angry.
". . . .and I still, can not believe, how someone, as intelligent as you are supposed to be, can be so unthinkingly cruel." Anger finished up her tirade, then stomped off.
Just then, dark clouds filled the sky, hiding the sun, and Starfire crumpled to her knees, her left hand clutching at her right shoulder. "RAVEN!" she cried, in an agonized voice. "I fear Anella's powers are not enough." she gasped out, when Raven, and Anella, reached her side.
"Then I'll just have to get more help, but you hang on." Anella said, then vanished. Back in the real world, Anella's eyes snapped open, and she turned her head to her husband. "Mathias, we need you, now." she said, crisply, and urgently, then closed her eyes again, and re-entered Starfire's mindscape, "Helps on the way Starfire." she said, when she reappeared beside Raven.
A moment later Mathias appeared, although he appeared to be slightly smaller than Raven remembered him.
"My healing powers aren't as well developed as Anella's so I have to concentrate on them more, so there's. . . less of me here." he said as he came over to the trio, "I see you've gotten her calmed down." he added, seeing all of Starfire's avatars sitting cross legged, eyes closed, and chanting softly.
"They work together far more easily than mine do." Raven said dryly, "Even with my life depending on it, I don't think I could get mine to co-operate, not to mention my anger."
Mathias nodded his understanding, and joined the three women, sitting on the grass, meditating. After a while the skies cleared, and gentle breezes were again blowing in the glen.
"It appears you were successful." Starfire said, standing up, and stretching.
"You would know that better than we would.' Mathias said, as he looked around and watched Starfire's avatars likewise come out of meditation, "I think it's safe to say that I can leave you in the care of Raven and my wife." he added, then vanished as he left the link.
"Raven, may we have a word with you?" a brown garbed Starfire asked, "In private." Raven looked over at Anella and Starfire, and saw Star nod in her direction. She nodded to the brown and the lavender Starfires, and followed them over to the edge of the trees.
"That was for my benefit, I take it." Anella said, as she watched Raven walk away.
"No, not entirely." Starfire replied, "To be truthful, nothing that happens here would be for your benefit, and I do not think that surprises you." she added, her voice civil, but taut with anger, which Anella knew was justified. "We have much to discuss." she added,
"Yes, we do." Anella agreed, "May I be the first to speak? Some of what I have to say may make you change your mind about this talk." Starfire nodded, so she went on, "First thing, is that I am a distant cousin of Val Yor." she began, and saw the astonishment wash over Star's face, "I don't mean for that to excuse my behavior toward you, but it may explain some of it."
"Seeing as you may have been raised with that kind of prejudice, it would be reasonable to believe that you would share that trait." intelligence said, "But as an Arch Mage, I would have thought that your mind would be more open that it is."
"And why is that?" Anella asked, glad that Starfire, in any of her guises, was talking to her.
"To use an old earth quote, a closed mind believes that everything has been done, while an open mind believes everything is possible" Starfire replied. "As an Arch Mage, you had to learn spells that would work magic and do things that other people would think impossible."
Anella was stunned at Starfire's insight, but hid it as best she could, knowing her belief, that she was not capable of such reasoning, was due to her own lack of knowledge, of her, or Tamaraneans in general. "Starfire, when Robin told me about what you did, to save Val Yor, it made me realize just how much I've been denying myself, by not giving myself a chance to learn about other cultures, or know other people."
Star looked away for a moment, and Anella saw that she was looking to where Raven was talking to three of Starfire's avatars, and the younger woman's soft smile at the meeting. A smile that slowly disappeared as she turned to face her.
"Have you ever been called that by anyone?" she asked, "Been told that, you are worth nothing, not even worthy of breathing the same air as the person that has called you that?"
Anella looked at the ground, embarrassed at what she had done, not only to Starfire, but Azar knew how many others. "No." she replied, "I want to apologize, for the hurt I caused you, and to thank you for the sacrifice you made for me, despite my stupidity."
"As I told your cousin, the fact that I saved you, doesn't make me any better than any other Tamaranean." Star said, "It was something, that any warrior would have done, to protect someone in their company." she continued, "Also Val Yor was, indeed a warrior, powerful, and brave. I knew where I stood with him, at almost the moment I entered his ship." Star was silent for a moment, during which Anella grew more and more nervous. "I will have to think about your apology." she said, at last. "I am unsure what to call you now, as you are not, what I would call a friend, and to call you by, simply your name, would imply that I think of you as my equal." she explained, the tone of her voice making it clear that the thought of Anella, being her equal, was repugnant to her.
"Koriand'r, vidi'an duTamaran you have given me much to consider." Anella said, "If you wish, you may call me Padawan. It is the title given to adepts by the monks, during their training."
Starfire wasn't sure which surprised her more, the fact that Anella called her by her name and title, or that she did it in Tamaranean. "And doing so, would be no better than what you called me." Star said softly, then was silent as she paced a few steps, her chin cupped in her hand. "Robin has taught me many things since I came to earth, and one of them is, that everyone deserves a second chance." she said after a few moments, "I shall call you friend, although it will take time, until I consider you one again."
"Fair enough." Anella said, giving Starfire, a small smile, which broadened when she found it returned.
"Another thing I learned, is that the shaking of hands, is often used to seal agreements, and as greeting, when people first meet." Star said, "Anella, wife of Mathias, I am Starfire, of Tamaran." she finished, holding out her right hand.
"I am very pleased to meet you." Anella said, taking the hand and giving it a shake. "I hope that we can be friends."