The Second Circlet: The Old Places - 15. Segment 15: The Totem Of Sun Catcher

It was not to a forest that they were led and this rather stunned Joraan.

He was skeptical about their going into the Southwest of the United States as a place to find power. He thoroughly expected them to find something in the great forests of the north. Perhaps in the environs of Canada or the Pacific Northwest. Somewhere that the last vestiges of Avalon still existed.

But, Myra had appeared to them, that ancient Faeish sprite, and she had told of a power that exists only in the deserts of the Southwest of the U.S. She confirmed that the area was ancient beyond reckoning and that there lived a power there known nowhere else on Earth.

It was guarded by certain members of the Diné people also known as the Navajo. It was called a ‘Totem of Power’ and that it once belonged to an ancient shaman known as Sun Catcher. According to Myra, it possessed a force that could bring forth an army of what the Diné called ‘yee naaldlooshii’ or Skinwalkers - beings capable of changing their form at will and possessing of the supernatural strength they were heir to by the heat and the hardness of their native land.

Joraan, despite his bias towards forested places, could feel the immense power of the desolate land that surrounded their ‘RV’ as Kenshin called it. Though devoid of anything he could consider ‘life’ as he knew it, Joraan veritably vibrated with the intense sacred power of where he was. It actually swelled him with magic! He never thought that anywhere but Ireland could empower him so, but this land…though exotic in its flavour, had a strength of magic in it he’d never known before! It was an ancient power! Perhaps ancient when Ireland was still young!

He felt it especially now at sunset when the sun cast its light upon the many buttes and mesas of the land surrounding him turning them to resonant rainbows of colour. Above them, the stars began to come forth in the settling darkness in a way Joraan had never seen in all of his millennia upon the Earth.

Though Sean was not thrilled by the heat of the Southwestern Desert of the United States, he could not deny the certain desolate beauty of the place. Everything was so very vast! You could look on for hundreds of leagues and see the mountains in the distance! Sean figured that the distance from their camper to those mountains might actually be the breadth of his entire homeland. But, just like Joraan, it was at night that Sean was most captivated by what he could see! Because, looking up through that crystal clear desert sky unmasked by city lights, Sean could see all eternity stretching out into the infinite heavens. Stars and constellations he had never seen before shown like diamonds upon the blackest of velvet.

Of the coterie, only Nommo was not impressed. Rather, he felt at home. At last he was in a place where space was plentiful and in the dome of the whole sky the star-shine lit up the night like it did back home in Africa. It was a great relief to be out of the crushing worlds of great cities like the suffocating Los Angeles through which they had entered America.

Dutifully, using the RV’s navigation display, Moira plotted their journey. They were headed for Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation. It is there that they hoped to get some guidance and background about the mysterious Sun Catcher, the shaman noted in Myra’s startling vision she sent to everyone back in Japan. Certainly, without Myra’s help, Moira would have had no idea about the enigmatic shaman nor his importance to their mission. She was not well versed in Navajo or, rather, Diné archeology. From all she could gather, much of their history had been lost during their long suffering at the hands of Europeans and later White Americans who tried to squelch their history, customs, traditions, and even language. It was hoped that there might be some trace of Sun Catcher left that wasn’t lost to time.

All she could do was hope that perhaps they could get some lead into this mysterious land and find help in discovering what it was that the shaman of the Navajo could offer in their coming battle with the Fae.

~

Yanaha smiled as she saw the rather large group of tourists enter the museum. True, they had a lot of people come in, more than she thought there’d be when the museum opened. But still…it was usually onesies and twosies of vaguely curious white people looking to learn a bit about Diné history and their ways.

This looked like a touring party and such a strange assortment of people! There was a very white woman with blazing red hair with a hunk of a man (also quite white with bright blue eyes) standing with her. There was an old black man that didn’t look African American in any way…but actually ‘African’ looking! There was also a pale looking girl of unassuming features, but with the most beautiful jewel Yanaha had ever seen around the girl’s neck. Four ‘kids’ were with them: a swarthy boy of teenaged years, a beautiful older teen with black curly hair who looked like a Greek statue come to life, and two weird short little guys in hoodies who’s features she couldn’t make out. Rounding out this strange ensemble were two Asian looking guys who couldn’t be more different: a bald man in traditional Chinese dress, and a sexy looking man with sharp eyes and a suit. Rounding out the group was a ‘Guru’ type from India. He was most recognisable to Yanaha as she’d had many Indian ‘Spiritual Advisors’ that had come to the museum over the years. They always asked the most interesting if difficult questions about the Diné beliefs. Usually, Yanaha would have to refer them to Gaagii for more in-depth stuff. Yanaha knew a lot about her people’s beliefs and traditions, but Gaagii knew far more being a true shaman.

In any case, never had Yanaha seen such a group enter the museum before! Naturally, she had to come around the cashier’s desk to greet them.

“Hey! Good afternoon! I’m Yanaha! How can I help you guys?” Yanaha asked pleasantly.

The red haired woman stepped forward almost immediately and took control of the conversation. Yanaha was a bit surprised by this. Maybe she was the tour guide or something?

“Thank you for the welcome. This is our first time among the Diné and we were wondering if we could ask some questions. My name is Moira, by the way.” The sorrel haired woman said in an obvious Irish brogue. Yanaha took immediate note of her using the term ‘Diné’ to describe the Navajo nation. This was an educated woman and worthy of a bit of deference.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place for questions! That’s what we’re all about! Whatever questions you have, I’m sure I can be of some help. If not, Gaagii might be of assistance.” Yanaha assured.

“Do you know of an historical figure named in the English ‘Sun Catcher’?” Moira asked which caused Yanaha’s jaw to drop! The story of the Sun Catcher was a deeply guarded story told only by elders! How in the One World did this Irish woman hear of him…or her. Yanaha was never clear who Sun Catcher actually was. She only ever knew about the legend! The legend that this shaman could control yee naaldlooshii…Skinwalkers!

After a moment’s silence, Yanaha went for her immediate response when she felt clearly out of her depth. She deferred the question to Gaagii or ‘Raven’ as he is known in the White Man’s tongue.

“Wow! That’s a tough one. Do you mind if I pass this question along to my partner. Dr. Raven is an expert on, um, lore that is not so well known. I’ll admit! I’m a bit shocked that you know anything about the Sun Catcher! He’s…not someone we talk about to outsiders all that much. Too many weirdos out there with bad ideas about how to use him in some kind of Cultural Appropriation idea. You can understand our…caution.” Yanaha said as a bit of a warning. Raven would not speak to these people if he thought they were just interested in capitalising on another old fable of the Navajo. Lots of crackpots had come over the line in past years looking for Skinwalker Ranch and trying to get in touch with Sun Catcher somehow. The fact that Sun Catcher would have been dead these past one-hundred years seems as nothing to these wackos!

“We quite understand, Ms. Yanaha. But, I assure you, we have no intention of writing an exploitative book or article on Sun Catcher. Let us just say…our need is dire! We need to understand this secret! We need to uncover what Sun Catcher knew and if it could help us…in our research.” Moira tried to make her point as diplomatically as she could. She certainly did not want to further besmirch the legends and traditions of this noble people, but she was looking for something real! A power that could help them defend the Americas from the impending Faeish assault!

Yanaha was a bit taken aback by this Moira’s saying that her need for Sun Catcher’s information as ‘dire’. What could possibly be so dire about learning of a sacred tradition of the Navajo? This was obviously a job for Gaagii.

~

“Ah, more interest in Sun Catcher. That ‘World To World’ paranormal radio show really gets you guys comin’ out of the woodwork. That’s for sure!” Gaagii or Raven as he preferred to be called by Moira’s contingent, said with good-natured derision.

“‘World To World’?” Moira asked in complete confusion. She had no idea what Raven was talking about.

“Ah, that may be why you guys are rather unusual to me. Generally, folks that come lookin’ for Sun Catcher heard of him through that show or some show like ‘History’s Mysteries’ and want to find all about Skinwalkers.” Raven said…not really clearing himself up on the whole ‘what the heck is World To World’ or for that matter, ‘History’s Mysteries’.

“Beggin’ your pardon, Doctor, but we actually do want to learn all we can about Sun Catcher and these, so called, Skinwalkers. Our research wants to acquire this knowledge for rather important reasons.” Moira was trying not to be too cagey, but she didn’t want to let on the real reason for their need. That might alienate Raven completely!

“Yeah! Yanaha mentioned something about ‘dire’ need. That’s interesting. Diné and our culture haven’t really been in ‘dire’ need since World War II. Our beloved Code Talkers, ya know.” Raven’s weathered features creased pleasantly with a smirk as he tucked his long grey hair behind one ear.

Nommo saw there would be no hiding their true needs from this very perceptive man. Raven’s bright brown eyes seemed to glitter with knowing. Nommo recognised that look rather readily. He’d seen it in the mirror a number of times.

“A war is coming, Doctor Raven. One from beyond.” Nommo just put it out there and both Sean and Moira were shocked! Nommo almost never talks and when he does it is usually in riddles. This directness on his part was quite disarming!

Raven looked at Nommo for a moment, not incredulously, just thoughtfully.

“You know of the Coming?” Raven asked mysteriously.

“Yes, Doctor Raven. We know…” and with that, Nommo conjured the Mask Of The Toloy.

Raven squinted at the mask, sat back, and rubbed at his chin thoughtfully.

“You look like you already have one totem. That’s an African totem of great power. I can feel it’s Spirit.” Raven said knowingly.

“How…do you know about ‘The Coming’ as you put it?” Moira asked needing clarification since there was much being ‘discussed’ between these two shaman, Nommo and Raven, that was not in words.

“Oh. That’s easy. Diné prophecy! We have known for generations about the Others. We thought of them as totem spirits in the times before the white men came. They used to guide us in things. Things like when to plant the corn and when not to. They were our friends. Then they weren’t anymore. They went away! Shortly after, white men came and our world…disappeared.” Raven said with a touch of melancholy.

“We know that the Others want back in, but that they come not to help, but to destroy! Some of the Wise Ones thought this might, actually, be a good thing. A way of driving the white man from Diné and Hopi lands, but others understood that if the Others return, it would be a judgement on all mankind…not just white people.” Raven answered in a customary calm.

“It is true. They come not just for white men. It was a hope for my tribe as well that, perhaps, the ‘Others’ might be a leveller of scores…but…we all know better now.” Nommo remarked, penetratingly.

“…what do you know?” Raven asked, leaning forward actually seeming interested in their conversation finally.

Moira held her tongue. She felt that Nommo had the lead here. Raven and Nommo obviously shared some kind of bond and she didn’t feel the need to get in the way of it.

Unfortunately, Sean didn’t have this sensibility! “We bloody well know ‘cause we’ve fought these creatures a number of times now. They want us DEAD! Nothing less! We nearly lost one of us the last time we encountered one of these ‘Fae’! They’re terrible!” Sean blurted.

But, Moira was not displeased with the effect of Sean’s diatribe. Raven’s eyes seemed to widen at Sean’s interjection seeming to sense Sean’s sincerity.

“You have actually experienced the Others, then…?” Raven stared back in wonder.

“Yes.” Nommo said simply and definitively.

“Spirits of our Ancestors protect us!” Raven said, sitting back into his chair.

“Now, we hope, you understand our ‘direness’, Doctor Raven.” Moira said, hoping to drive the point home.

Absentmindedly, Raven waved off his appellation, “Raven…no need for Doctor. Show me more!”

~

Out in the desert, under the stars, lit only by their campfire, Raven sat dumbfounded. He had seen many unexplainable things in his life and had a healthy respect for the supernatural, but he’d never seen anything like what he’d just seen.

First…the two young teens…who were not teens!

They…were definitely some form of the Others!

When they pulled back the hoods from their hoodies and showed off their pointed ears and huge glimmering eyes that seemed to peer right through him, Raven knew that this band of foreigners were definitely unique to say the least!

Then, one by one, each member of the group showed Raven their enchanted objects! Just like Nommo had done with his many faced African mask, each member of the party conjured, seemingly out of thin air, artefacts of power such that Raven had never seen!

In the isolation of the desert, Raven was exposed to magicks from around and beyond this world! He felt humbled before such might and felt privileged, somehow, that these unique travellers would so readily reveal themselves to him!

Raven also felt inadequate. Why would these amazing people come to him? Indeed, though he was quite knowledgeable about Diné culture, beliefs, and mythology…he was only a shaman because his grandfather taught him a few secret things. Mostly prayers and about the Visionquest. Whatever ‘magic’ Raven knew was mostly about natural medicines found in the native plants surrounding them in the desert.

Certainly, somewhere in their community, there must live an old wiseman like his grandfather had been. Someone more qualified to talk to people who had seen and done so much that is, pretty much, beyond mortal understanding!

But…then…perhaps there wasn’t anymore. The sad truth of the Navajo Nation is that many of the Old Ways are not being passed down. The younger ones are giving into a general feeling of despair and don’t, necessarily, want to know what seems so meaningless to them now. The white man’s drugs and popular culture call out to them so loudly. It is no wonder the cultural centre seems so empty these days.

But, Raven thought, he did seem to have something these remarkable people wanted…knowledge of Sun Catcher, the greatest shaman The One People have ever known. The one who tamed and cleansed the spirits of the Skinwalkers.

The fact that these foreign travellers knew of Sun Catcher at all Raven thought was remarkable! His is not a name well known outside the circles of Diné Wise Ones and there are precious few of those left anymore, if any besides himself.

So, Raven had to ask, “How did you all come by the name ‘Sun Catcher’ and his legend?”

The one called Moira, a beautiful woman of bright red hair and the fairest skin Raven had ever seen, looked toward her large strapping friend. He looked back and shrugged at her seeming to say that it was up to her if she wanted to answer the question or not.

“There is a friend we have. I suppose, in your understanding, she’d be considered one of the very Others we are meant to fight. But, she was not contaminated by the evil of the rest of her people. She is the last of her kind on this earth and ancient beyond anything we can possibly imagine.” Moira explained thoughtfully.

Raven listened intently as Moira continued, “She’s been guiding us and it was she that directed us here to find out about an artefact of your people once used by Sun Catcher. That’s all she could tell us and that’s why we’ve come to you.”

“How can you trust this being if she’s part of the very beings you are supposed to be fighting?” Raven asked perceptively.

“She has yet to lead us wrong and I cannot be sensin’ the evil of Morgana in Myra. Also, she has a hope that if we defeat and destroy Morgana then her people could be free of her tyranny and become pure and good again. Our purposes are bein’ aligned, as it were. I have vouched for her and the others here trust my judgement.” One of the Other’s chimed in. His half-timbered voice sounded so strange to Raven. It was a voice that was clearly not human. It also spoke with authority. An authority the others did, indeed, seem to respect.

“Who is this ‘Morgana’? I guess she’s some sort of leader to these evil Other Spirits?” Raven asked of the strange being.

“Morgana is the Queen of the Fae. Fae is the name they use for themselves. In ancient times, when mankind was still very young, she became corrupted by something. She took evil council from somewhere and took it upon herself and convinced her people to help ‘save’ the world by destroying mankind and any other race that might get in her way of doing that. My race, the Sídhe, were nearly exterminated by Morgana in the defence of humanity. In fact, as far as we know, M’yn and I are all that are left of our race.” The Other who wasn’t ‘M’yn’ continued to explain.

Raven looked to both of these ‘Sídhe’, his bright brown eyes seeming to peer right through them somehow. Peering back, Joraan’s telepathy served him up to a point in discerning Raven’s questions and pondering. Strangely, Raven was not nearly as shocked as Joraan might have thought he should be at the knowledge that inhuman intelligences lived on the Earth with humans. That was a surprise to Joraan! Raven seemed to take the existence of the Sídhe and the Fae as a matter of course. Clearly, this nearly inscrutable man was possessed of some knowledge of things beyond the veil of general human perception. But, Joraan did not push to glean this knowledge from Raven’s thoughts and push he would have had to because something in Raven was managing to give resistance to Joraan’s powers.

“You all tell a great story! It’s one worthy of some of our Diné stories that have been passed to us from our ancestors.” Raven said as he produced a pipe and prepared it for smoking.

“Much to begging for your pardon, friend. What we are telling you is a solemn truth. One that has led us to many experiences outside the realm of common human consciousness, limited as it is.” Arinjay spoke up, which was a surprise to everyone since the revered guru rarely spoke either.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Raven said: “I’ve no doubt about the truth that you speak. You’ve shown me mystical things that are real and no longer legends to me. You have introduced me to beings and concepts that have been far beyond the understanding of most men. Stories thought only to be legends are often based in many truths. All Diné stories speak to truth even when they are using symbols as opposed to facts. The fact that some of those symbols indeed are proven to be physical facts themselves later is what keeps the old stories alive in our hearts. I only hope that any story I can tell you about Sun Catcher will have symbols that will point to what you are looking for.”

“It is no coincidence that we were lead to you, Honoured Raven. We were led here to find you. You are the one that is the key to what we seek here. Buddha’s Wheel has turned and so now our destinies have been aligned. Please, tell us the story of Sun Catcher. Let us understand this story of Diné truth.” Long Fen addressed Raven with a bow.

Raven nodded his head and consented to tell the legend.

~

As dusk settled and and the desert painted itself with a rainbow of colours, their campfire glowed and its light shown off of the expectant faces of everyone gathered around.

“In olden times, some say before the One People found this land, it was said that spirits of nature roamed here. They especially seemed to frequent the Sacred Spaces of Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii - The Monument Valley as it is known in the White Man’s tongue. When the One People stumbled upon this Sacred Space they disturbed the spirits and they became angry with the People. In punishment the spirits took away some of the young men from the tribes that came into Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii. They possessed these young men and gave them their powers over nature. It was said that over one-hundred young men in all were taken in that time and the elders of the tribes were afraid that with so many of their youth taken the future of the One People would be in great peril.

“Actually, the punishment was more severe even than that because the spirits drove the young men to use their powers against their own people, their own families even, and to kill many of them! They came as great animals. Sometimes cougars, sometimes desert wolves, sometimes herds of buffalo - all as if the young men could change their skin to become something else! More insidious still, these walkers in different skins would often take the form of loved ones thought dead. They would lead astray grief stricken family members and then either kill them or make them into Skinwalkers themselves.” Raven said, sending an unexpected shiver through the coterie of heroes.

“The ranks of the Skinwalkers grew as the White Men continued their centuries long incursion into Sacred Lands. One of the main reasons that the Navajo Nation survives as it does is due to the fear that the Skinwalkers inflicted upon the Federal Troops designated to keep ‘order’ among our people!” Raven said with unexpected passion.

“How the Skinwalkers changed to such a positive view of their own people had much to do with Sun Catcher!.” Raven said.

“The Great Shaman, originally from the Oglala People of the North, gained audience with the boys made Skinwalkers.” Raven continued.

“Sun Catcher reasoned with them and brought about their change from all out revenge on all mankind to revenge upon the invaders that had caused so much death and destruction among the One People and their allies beyond the valleys of the Diné!” Raven continued.

“Since Sun Catcher, the Southwestern Deserts of what is now the Navajo Nation have long been guarded by Skinwalkers. They are the reason for our size and strength as one of the most influential of all Native American reservations in the United States. Even the Federal Government stands aloof from what lives out here in our deserts. They know we know of these beings and they figure we have some kind of influence over them.” Raven continued.

“Little do the Feds know, we Diné have little influence over the Skinwalkers. They do as they will, but their defining will is that of Sun Catcher’s. Find his mandate and his ‘Totem’ will be yours over his Skinwalkers.” Raven concluded.

~

Totem.

It was far too ambiguous a term for Sean to understand! Everything they’d gotten so far had been a pretty straight forward object that was part of legends. A sword, A discus, a glaive, an amulet…all have been things that can be held and accounted for!

But a totem? What the hell was that to anyone? According to the Raven character it was more of an ‘idea’ than an object.

How the hell were they going to find an object that was merely an ‘idea’?

Sean looked out into the dusty heat of yet another desert place so alien to his homeland. He’d become uncomfortably comfortable with such uncomfortable places…and plans…or lack thereof. But, this one seemed so amorphous! ‘Find his mandate and his Totem will be yours’. That’s what Raven had said. Fortunately, they’d managed to get the old coot to come with them. Maybe, he might be able to explain what they were looking for out there. Well, explain better than he’d already done. This was Sean’s hope in any case.

Still, as he approached the majesty of Monument Valley, Sean could not deny that there was certainly some kind of magic invested into this place. Of all the places in the world he had yet seen, Monument Valley certainly fit best with the word ‘awesome’ than anywhere else he’d been. Even the great manmade monuments of Egypt could hardly compare to the vast buttes and mesas that were stretching out before Sean against a cobalt sky of matchless blue! They really did seem to be carved by God Himself and, perhaps, in a way, they were!

Joraan and M’yn sat next to him, no longer bothering with the hot hoodies they had been forced to wear although the heat didn’t seem to bother them at all. For the first time since back before Joraan’s father Ser had appeared to them in the fire, Joraan seemed relaxed and almost content. M’yn was still his usual taciturn self, but even he seemed vaguely interested in where they were going and what he was seeing.

“I wish you could feel it, Seaney-boy. This place radiates the Magic more strongly even than our home back in Ireland. It is rich here! I feel bathed in its energy and somehow this place, open and free, gives me hope!” Joraan almost sighed as he spoke.

“I’ll take your word for it, Pointy-Ears. I’ll admit it’s beautiful here, but I still can’t help feeling nervous and a bit lost by all of this. What is a totem? What is it that we’re looking for exactly and where, in this huge place, could we possibly find such a thing? I don’t know if this Raven knows enough to take us to this ‘Totem’. He seems nearly as lost as we do!” Sean groused.

“Not do worry, Seaney-Blunt-Ears. I have a feeling this time it’s more about the journey than it is about what might be waiting for us at its end.” Joraan said with his typically irritating wisdom.

“But, do we have time for this? They’re coming through! More and more each day! We need to be setting up some kind of defence!” Sean whispered harshly into Joraan’s receptive ear.

“Patience. The Veil has yet to be breached entirely. Certainly, a few of Morgana’s minions have managed to get through. Methenderix was the most potent, it is a agreed. But, we defeated her. This has got to set Morgana back a peg. We have time and an army of shape-changers as powerful as the Skinwalkers seem to be will be invaluable in battling Morgana’s hoard. Have faith, Sean. Whatever sacrifices we may need to make will be necessary ones, but I have no doubt with every power of the Earth aligned against Morgana, this time I know, she will fail!” Joraan said, boring his bright green eyes into Sean’s.

Seeing the intensity of Joraan’s stare brought Sean around again to that hope that the ancient Leprechaun could invoke. Doubts there may be, but they had come this far. They’d already achieved the impossible. Would that this time could be another impossibility made possible.

They’d achieve this ‘Totem’ and in the balance find an army necessary to fight what was coming.

~

Mughamir had no concept of Native American customs so the reason they had to be in a smoky old hut with a fire going until they all started to sweat made very little sense to him. He’d had to take off his top so that his skin could breathe! It was generally not customary for Egyptian boys to go around without any clothes on! It was considered immodest! Plus, the long shirt he usually wore could allow his body to breathe without showing it off! To say Mughamir felt self-conscious was an understatement!

He felt conspicuous not just because he was half naked, but because he seemed so puny next to Sean who was so broad and muscular! Even Hector was further along in his development than Mughamir. Hector’s stomach muscles showed and his shoulders already carried weight to them. Mughamir felt like such a little boy as compared to both men. Nommo, Arinjay, Long Fen, and Kenshin had excused themselves from the ceremony and the women were not allowed, much to Moira’s ire. At least he didn’t have to contend with the women being nude! That was SO improper that Mughamir could barely conscience the thought of having to sit with them like that in this ‘sweat lodge’!

The two Sídhe were also with them, but they kept their clothes on and, weirdly, they didn’t sweat a drop! They seemed to love the heat of the place.

Raven was unusually well developed for an older man. He showed very little signs of the withering older men have. He was still strong in body despite his age. His strange musical chanting as he stoked the fire was mesmerising, Mughamir thought. It reminded him greatly of the muezzins at home who would bring the faithful with their call to prayer.

“Part of the ritual requires you folks to eat peyote. Is that going to be a problem for you guys?” Raven stopped his strange chanting long enough to ask.

“I dunno. What is it?” Sean asked with suspicion.

“It is an ancient medicine used by the Diné for thousands of years. It’s got magical properties. Something the White Men call ‘hallucinogens’, but we in the People know to be a way to speak with the spirits beyond the veils of this world”. Raven explained.

“You want us to go on an LSD trip?” Sean balked.

“Nope. LSD has nothing to do with peyote. It’s a mess the White Men made to badly imitate the powers of peyote, but it is far too strong and has a tendency to bring madness. Rest assured, peyote is safe where LSD is not.” Raven answered clinically.

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, Sean. But, it is, kind of, necessary if you want to peel back the veil and see what lies beyond it.” Raven assured.

“Take it, Seaney. The Sídhe have been makin’ use of things like this probably even longer than Raven’s people. Sacred herbs were put here for a reason! Yee’ve gotta be able to open your mind and soul up to see what can’t be seen with bound eyes. Especially, human eyes that are weak and easily deceived.” Joraan explained.

“I couldn’tve put it better myself!” Raven said, smiling at the strange but beguiling Joraan.

“Alright, but if I find out I’ve been made ta get on all fours and bark like a dog, I’m holdin’ you accountable!” Sean blustered at Raven who merely chuckled at the idea.

“Doesn’t work that way, but, rest assured, if you start barking like a dog, the rest of us will be doing likewise if that’s the game the Ancestors want to play. We can’t say they don’t have a sense of humor about these things!” Raven said good-naturedly.

So, with that Raven continued his chanting and tossed some noisome sage into the fire which caused the whole sweat lodge to smell headily of the herb. To Mughamir it was not an unpleasant smell, but it was very strong and it made his head buzz a bit.

Raven then passed a handmade basket full of strange grey-green pieces. He handed it off to Sean first since he was immediately to Raven’s right.

“Take and eat two. We will then wait to see what the Ancestors bring us with information about the Totem and how to find it.” Raven instructed.

Hesitantly, Sean put one of the pieces of peyote into his mouth and began to chew the tough and bitter tasting herb. Sean wanted to spit it out, but continued to chew it despite himself. He then, reluctantly took his second piece and did likewise. He then handed the peyote off to his right and into Joraan’s hands.

Joraan took and ate the magical herb readily as did M’yn, though with more reluctance. Then the rest of the assembled took and ate.

Mughamir had rarely tasted anything quite like the peyote, but taking Hector’s lead, he held the herb down. Hector obviously didn’t like the taste either, but he remained strong and swallowed it so Mughamir did the same! If Hector could do it, he could do it!

For a while, no one felt anything and Sean was sure that the herb was doing nothing for him except leaving a bad aftertaste in his mouth. Then . . .

“By Allah!” Mughamir exclaimed!

To Mughamir the world seemed to shimmer with sudden rainbows and patterns. Then the smoke from the fire! It seemed to twist into a shape! A shape like an old woman with glowing eyes!

“What is it, Mughamir?” Hector turned to regard his young friend with concern.

“It is a woman! A woman in the smoke! She is smiling at me!” Mughamir blurted!

Raven chanted something and then threw another helping of sage onto the fire. With that everyone’s attention suddenly snapped up at once as they all saw the apparition forming!

“Blessed we are today, my friends! Changing Woman has come to us!” Raven laughed a rather triumphant laugh and then said something in Navaho to which the woman in the smoke, this ‘Changing Woman’, responded. All could hear her voice inside of their heads!

“Blessings, Dear Raven. You have brought salvation to your People and to the other peoples! You have brought The Host to us! We have been waiting!” Changing Woman’s mental voice sounded resonantly in everyone’s mind.

Sean, despite everything he’d seen on this bizarre journey, still looked on dumbfounded at what he thought was an actual ghost in their midst! He’d been spoken to telepathically before thanks to Joraan, but there was a depth of power to this ghost woman’s voice that seemed to bring feelings of love and longing to his heart! A feeling like some long forgotten friend had come to visit him again.

“Blessed of all spirits of the People, what would you have us do? These foreign-born people have come telling of a great doom readying itself to befall all peoples! They look for the Totem of Sun Catcher! They seek to invoke the long dreaded Skinwalkers! What is it that I need to do?” Raven plaintively asked of Changing Woman.

“Go to Sun’s Eye. It is where your ancestor, Sun Catcher prayed. Set up a sacred fire. Call on him there and he will come. We have told him of your need. He will come.” Changing Woman answered.

She lingered looking lovingly at each of the assembled and then her smile faded into a sad aspect.

“One of you will betray the others. It is the Dark Woman’s will. Be careful.” Changing Woman warned enigmatically before evaporating.

That last statement sent a necessary chill through everyone in the sweat lodge. A betrayer? In their midst? But, who? Who could it be? So far, They’d all worked together very faithfully! Who would throw all that away, Mughamir wondered fitfully! There was only one person he was sure of who would never betray his friends and that was himself! He would remain faithful to the team to the bitter end. But, then who could it be that wouldn’t?

He looked to Hector and Hector looked back at him with the same worried expression.

M’yn sat silent, feeling the weight of Tyrex’s foul destiny suddenly upon him.

~

The drive to the Sun’s Eye arch was long, but beautiful. Monument Valley was a place unlike any in the whole world as far as Kenshin could fathom. Certainly, for all of her great beauty, Japan did not have any landscape even remotely resembling this one. Vast expanses of rugged desert crowned by buttes and mesas that resembled cities from a distance. They looked carved by some giant hand! Perhaps they had. Kenshin had now seen magic at work. Even his rationalism couldn’t contradict that reality. He held Japan’s own magic in reserve with the Honjō Masamune.

Now, they were seeking another kind of magic. Something Moira said was probably the most ancient of all the powers on the earth. This totem or whatever it was. A source of some strange mystical army called Skinwalkers, changeling creatures that could take on any form. In the not so distant past, Kenshin would have considered all this complete mumbo jumbo. There was no concrete evidence that such beings could be real. Kenshin liked evidence. It proved cases and proven cases solved mysteries. Kenshin did not like unsolved mysteries. They niggled at his brain! They ached for answers.

But, then, the Honjō Masamune had been legend without evidence and in all contradiction to Kenshin’s philosophy, he’d discovered that its unsolved mystery could produce a reality without much evidence to its existence. So, now a believer in the strange, Kenshin looked forward to seeing this totem and the way they’d manage to get it.

He’d begged out of the weird ‘sweat lodge’ ritual Raven suggested he take. Now, he wished he hadn’t let his old rationalist prejudices guide him. The others had come back changed, somehow. They had really experienced something in that lodge. Something not altogether pleasant from their stricken expressions. They wouldn’t talk to what was bothering them, only that they now had a lead on this Sun Catcher and his totem. Kenshin did not like half told truths. Those were secrets and secrets that caused troublesome expressions were rarely good things to hide, in his humble opinion. He’d have to glean what this secret was out of one of them. Perhaps the Egyptian boy. He had a mouth on him and he was something of a chatterbox. A perfect specimen for getting information, Kenshin thought using his detective’s interrogation instincts.

That said, if the wiser members of that select few were keeping silent on the matter then there must be a reason for it otherwise they probably wouldn’t be holding back information. No matter, Kenshin wanted in on the secret even if he had to be sworn to secrecy about it himself.

In any case, they proceeded on foot using dusk and nighttime as the best ways to travel in the desert heat. Kenshin could not believe the darkness night in the desert could bring. Only starlight lit their way at all since it was a new moon and if it wasn’t for their torches, they would have been tripped up continuously and possibly accosted by a rattlesnake or two.

Usually, the park rangers would have forbade a night crossing toward one of the monuments due to the obvious danger of doing such a thing, but Raven seemed to know people and they respected his wishes and allowed the trek. The old shaman also seemed to know his way about the desert like it was his own living room. Kenshin admired that about the strange old man.

Finally, they came to rest at the shadowed foot of a formation. Barely being able to discern the darkness about him from the sky above, Kenshin could make out a strange rock formation that looked like a ring. Through it, the deep darkness of the rock they sat under was offset by the glimmering light of stars as big as lightbulbs. Kenshin had to remark at how bright the stars were out there! Never had he seen the night sky like he could see it out in the desert. He could actually make out the Milky Way, something Kenshin never thought he’d get to see with his naked eyes!

“This is where we must wait. We’re fortunate of the time of year, hot as it is. We’ll be able to see the sunlight through the Sun’s Eye come daylight. But, lets clear away some of this bush and mesquite so we don’t set the whole desert on fire. We can use the brush to start our sacred fire.” Raven directed.

With torches in hand the group set to work clearing their area of the brush. Kenshin was happy for the gloves they’d thought to provide. A lot of the brush was thorny making it a possibly painful process to cut away without the gloves. The saws and machetes Raven provided proved sharp enough to get through the tough chaparral and in a short time they had made a pile of the brush in the middle of their clearing.

Again, Raven’s influence with the park rangers must have been considerable. No one should be allowed to build a fire out in this wilderness! The consequences of a desert wildfire could be too horrible to imagine! But, there they were doing just that.

“Viviane? Could you put up that force field thing you do? We don’t want embers from our fire catching anything else on fire. Could you shape it so that it is open at the top, though. We need to let the smoke out too so we don’t suffocate.” Raven asked of the young English girl.

Viviane managed to do as Raven instructed though she’d never actually shaped Pridwen to have an actual hole in it. She was surprised that her mental picture in the shape of a tipi with a vent in the top actually manifested as Pridwen activated.

With a lighter and some dead grass, Raven set fire to the cut vegetation and soon a campfire burned in their midst. Pridwen managed to create a kind of ‘sweat lodge’ within its boundaries.

This time everyone participated in the ‘sweat lodge’ ceremony. Everyone gathered around the hot fire. Interestingly for Long Fen, the fire was quite welcome as the desert night was surprisingly chilly after the excruciatingly hot day. He wondered what he would experience with this ceremony. It was unique to him and from what Sean had explained, it was a truly transcendent experience with an actual spirit-goddess visiting them.

Arinjay remarked to Long Fen, “Certainly, this is a most unusual way of connecting with the Other Side. Our meditations could have served as well, I presume.”

“That side of the Universal Consciousness has many paths leading to it with each path leading to a different aspect. The Lands Beyond The Veil must be many and varied indeed! If this is the path Raven has been given to find the Totem of Sun Catcher then I suppose we all must travel it with him.” Long Fen replied.

“You speak with wisdom, Long Fen. This has been the way The People have contacted the Ancestors for generations beyond counting. Now we come to it. Everyone take the dose of peyote I’ll give you and allow your minds to be open. We need to call out to Sun Catcher and hope that his spirit is listening.” Raven instructed.

For this ceremony, Raven brought along a little drum. As the cohort all partook of the peyote, some with more reluctance than others, Raven began a gentle rhythm with the drum as he sang in Navaho a chant.

As the peyote took effect everyone began seeing things. Some strange, some slightly frightening, some beautiful. Each person reacted differently to what they were seeing, but maintained their courage and rode their individual visionquests out.

Then as Raven’s drumming and chant reached a seeming crescendo, everyone’s attention snapped over to the fire in unison. Raven’s chanting and drumming ceased and for a few moments all was quiet except for the crackling of the fire. The heat and the scent of burning sage filled Pridwen’s container. Then came the unnatural scent of wildflowers and a strange wind suddenly blew within their magical sweat lodge.

The wind brought the smoke together over the flame and made of it a small tornado of smoke and fire. From the midst of the fire everyone saw a figure seeming to walk from a great distance through the flames!

There came from the twisting flame an answering chant to what Raven had been singing before. It started at a distance but got louder as the figure in the flames came closer.

Before long an old weathered man with a slightly flattened face, high cheekbones, and hawklike nose came into view. From that face two eyes stared out at the assembled that seemed to sparkle in the flame. He wore a small head-dress made of a beaded band and a few feathers and he was clothed in buckskins. His buckskin vest was adorned with a beaded representation of the sun.

“Revered Ancestor! Many, many thanks that you have heard our call.” Raven spoke to the incredibly solid apparition. The apparition remained silent as it continued to survey the assembled.

Then, the spirit spoke in Navaho and Raven was allowed time to translate the spoken words for everyone to hear and understand:

“Behold! I have heard and I have come from my rest. I am Sun Catcher since the time of my Sun Dance. I know why you have summoned me and I agree, it is time again for the Protectors to walk the earth. Long have I watched over you, Gaagii. In these faithless times, you have proven a last beacon of wisdom and hope for your people. The Diné still have their ancestral memory thanks to you and for that reason We Of The Stars have decided that you shall represent the peoples of the One Land in this brave band of warriors from the other lands. The Evil One is sending into the One World his fiercest servant as an enemy to all! We of The Peoples Of The One Land must do our part to fight against this servant of evil. So, look you to the sand…,” and then Sun Catcher’s spirit pointed to a patch of sand just outside of the campfire.

A twist of flame appeared from the fire and elongated itself into a cord of flame. To everyone’s amazement, the flame began drawing a set of symbols into the sand. As this ‘pencil’ of fire did its work, Sun Catcher sang a very distinctive chant that Raven then began to mouth along with the apparition. Sun Catcher repeated the chant as the symbols drawn by the flame glowed hot in the sand. Raven gave voice to Sun Catcher’s chant and for two more short stanzas of the chant both the shaman and the spirit chanted the words as one.

The glowing symbols in the sand brightened as Raven chanted more loudly and Sun Catcher’s voice faded. Then with a suddenness that startled all but the mesmerised Raven, the fire went out and all the light that was left was the faint red glow of Pridwen’s shield and the powerful orange glow of Sun Catcher’s symbols still burning brightly in the sand.

In the darkness about them an eerie silence reigned. Not even a rustle of wind through the chaparral could be heard. The only sound that could be heard was Raven’s chanting now echoing against the sandstone promontories surrounding them.

But then, there was rustling in the dark! The rustle of a number of things gathering all around them! From out of the darkness reddish glowing eyes appeared and everyone saw that they were suddenly surrounded by a huge pack of desert wolves!

The wolves stood eerily silently watching the group. Then, Raven simply stopped chanting. The wolves made no movement toward them, though they wouldn’t have been able to get through Pridwen anyway, Sean hoped.

Then the wolves all sat or lay on the ground though never taking their burning eyes off of the cohort. They remained deathly silent.

“Let your shield down, Viviane, if you could. Our new allies have arrived.” Raven said gently.

Viviane was very reluctant to follow that instruction. She glanced over to Moira who nodded once consenting to Raven’s request. Moira was just as nervous as Viviane was about letting down their guard against so many dangerous wild animals, but she had to act on faith that this was all part of this ritual to achieve the Totem Of Sun Catcher. They have had to make many such leaps in faith gaining what they had gained already. This couldn’t be any different.

Viviane, with an icy feeling of fear running through her veins, let Pridwen go and the shield disappeared from around them. They were now all exposed to the danger that the wolves might present to them.

The wolves did not move and made no growling or other threat displays. For a time the humans and the wolves merely seemed to stare each other down. Then, with gentle movements the wolf closest to the glowing symbols in the sand stood and slowly trotted over to the effigy. Before everyone’s astonished eyes the wolf transformed himself into the muscular frame of a Indian Brave! With his naked foot he wiped away the burning symbols in the sand not seeming to burn himself in the least.

They sat in the dark while the Brave just stood their silently, his form a shadowy silhouette with the stars as his backdrop. He then turned to regard everyone with the same reddish eyes he had as a wolf! The effect sent Joraan’s hackles up a bit, but he tried to ignore his instincts. Somehow he knew they were in the presence of something very dangerous, but not necessarily to them.

The brave pointed at the fire and said in perfect english, “Restart the fire, Old Man.”

Raven complied and relit the kindling. The light of the fire illuminated their surroundings and with a gasp, Moira took in the sight of over a hundred braves sitting crosslegged all around them!

“We are Skinwalkers. You called us with Sun Catcher’s Totem. We answer the call to battle,” said the Lead Skinwalker standing in their midst.

The Skinwalkers then all stood and walked closer to the fire revealing just how young they all looked. Moira was astonished!

They now had their very own standing army!

~~~

The screams of her own people should have bothered Morgana as they echoed through the corridors of her crystal palace and that of the Fae city, but they did not.

They had been elected to enter the Configuration and endure the Crucible such that their powerful life-forces could energise the Configuration and open its doorways upon the Earth.

Morgana’s weavings had been completed. She had finally found the correct transdimensional formula to widen the Configuration and allow it to pass her armies into the Earth’s dimension. She had, in effect, parted the Veil the Power had erected between the Fae and their rightful home!

The Fae could now return to Earth and exact the cleansing Morgana had started eons ago!

Now, only this group of mortals stood in her way. The defences of Modern Man with their guns and their missiles would be entirely ineffective against the Fae and their magicks. Only this Moira along with the damnable Sídhe, Joraan, could challenge Morgana’s might. They would fall! Joraan would be destroyed along with his treacherous race, but it would have to be done by Tyrex. Morgana had to depend on her son, now. But he had become treacherous himself! Had Morgana made a terrible mistake by encasing Tyrex in the flesh of a Sídhe? Had her transformation of Tyrex been too complete?

No…Morgana didn’t make mistakes! She was all knowing and she knew, as soon as she placed her regal foot again upon the loam of the Earth that Tyrex would hear her call and fulfil his destiny! He would kill Joraan and the rest of these mortal defenders! He had chosen Carnwennan, the most stealthy of all the Weapons Of Power. With it he would work unseen. While the others fought off Morgana’s army, he would stab them all in the back and kill them all!

Despite his failures and his part in the loss of Methenderix, Morgana still had faith that her son would complete his mission. Morgana’s Will was supreme! Tyrex would do his part and then…

…then humanity would end and the Fae would, once again, rule the planet and begin its restoration.

Morgana would be victorious and let there be Death to all who should stand in her path!