Moon Witch, Spider King

Sogolon awakens and is interrogated by members of the Dolingan court: a “white scientist” and a “Nnimnim woman”—an ancient order of shamans and healers. They tell her that, in passing through the portal, she passed through all possible worlds, “even the one where the wronged dead stay” (470). All those men Sogolon killed, whom the gods are not ready to receive, wander in that world and perceive her presence when she passes through. Further, walking through a door will eventually shake these wandering spirits loose, and they will pursue her.

The Nnimnim woman instructs Sogolon in the use of “nsibidi,” ancient symbols with the power to imprison spirits. For a month, she practices tracing the nsibidi. One day, she decides to leave the room and see Dolingo. From the tower of the “white science” hall, she sees the grandeur and vast scale of the kingdom—trees reaching up to the clouds with entire cities built into them; “sky caravans” (huge trams connected by ropes from one tree to the next); distant waterfalls and great aqueducts. She boards a caravan to Mungunga, the center of the kingdom, from which she sees open markets, grand halls, and busy pedestrian traffic.