THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERDBook II - MYTH MADE FLESH

Chapter 6"One For The Team"

Part One by Zach Glass, Shannon Harris,and Christian T. Kelley-Madera

Part Two by Zach Glass, Shannon Harrisand Christian T. Kelley-Madera

Part Three by Shannon Harrisand Christian T. Kelley-Madera

Part Four by Christian T. Kelley-Madera

Created and Executive-Producedby

Zach Glass &Christian T. Kelley-Madera

Copyright © 2019

6/17/2019Edits from RehearsalPRODUCTION WHITE for Recording 6/23BLUE Revisions from 6/23 RecordingPINK Revisions in Post

iordic.princes@gmail.comonceandfuturenerd.com

PART FOUR:

EXT. RACETRACK - DAYA27 A27

A large and excited crowd chatters loudly.

NARRATORNow, I know it does not necessarily come easy to yourkind to hold several locations in mind at once, giventhe corporeal limitations of your perception. Butyou're going to need to, for the duration of the affairto follow. 

The morning sun was still low in the sky, and the grassstill thick with dew, on the cliffs overlooking OldArmstrung Bay. But already the crowd trickling up fromthe city was abuzz with excitement.

Near the start - and end - of the race course stood astructure - a cascading slope of wooden benches,ingeniously designed to be put up and taken down asquickly as possible, due to the illicit nature of thisevent. The location and height of these seats made themhands-down the best available, which is why they wereat this moment filled with various vagrants andvagabonds, being paid to hold seats for the wealthiestspectators. When their patrons arrive, theseenterprising individuals will of course leave thebenches to stand huddled with the other unwashed massesstraining for a decent look at the race. 

We hear "Main Title Theme from Black HarrySaves Thanksgiving," only this time it's mixedwell and played as score.

Amidst this mileu were two very meek and nervous-looking country preachers, flanked conspicuously oneither side by two of the best-armed, best-trainedElvish Knights you would ever set eyes on. A few rowsbehind and above them, keeping keen watch on thispeculiar foursome, was - simply put - the highestranking military officer in all of the so-calledcivilized realms.

63.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERS - SIMULTANEOUSB28 B28

The same crowd as before is above us and to theright, but heavily muted through thick wood. Weprobably ear some footfalls above us,resonating through the wood.

To our left are several conversations that moreaurally present but hushed and furtive.

NARRATORNot far beneath their feet, in the shadows of theraised seats, worked the artisans of those trades whichrequire additional discretion - even at an illicithorse race. Here a boy of seventeen years approached,carrying some satchels with a grace and care that wasentirely unlike his usual boisterous presence.

EXT. RACETRACK - PAVILION - SIMULTAENOUSC29 C29

We cut under a tent - same ambience as the mainracetrack scene but filtered ever so slightly.

NARRATORSome thirty yards from the the foot of the raisedseats - that is, just the race track's width away - wasa covered pavilion, in which the racers are permitted *to swap their mount and tack once during the race'seleven laps.

To the side of us, a horse snorts.

NARRATORHere was one woman of sixteen years, and another womana few years her elder. Both wore hoods pulled low overtheir eyes, but the younger was considerably morefidgety than the elder.

(They both speak barely above a whisper.)

REGANStop it.

JENI'm not doing anything.

REGANThis is your job, remember? You do it every day.

JENI'm not allowed to be nervous at work?

64.

REGANNot when Ry'y lo-Th'yyt's looking for us you're not.

EXT. RACETRACK - WINNER'S CIRCLE - SIMULTANEOUSD30 D30

We hear the main racetrack scene again, but nowtheir are a few gulls to our far, far right.

NARRATORFarther away from the raised seats and towards thecliff's edge, there was a raised platform, which held alarge and sturdy chest of oak and iron. It wassurrounded by no fewer than a dozen heavily armed andgruff-looking men in tattered goldenrod cloaks. Theyalso had their hoods pulled low.

Not terribly far from them was a woman of not quitethirty years, to whom the seated preachers bore astriking resemblance. She was pacing between thevarious vendors and merchants nearby, and unlike thegirl in the pavilion or the brigands on the platform,she made no effort to hide her face. Or hernervousness.

EXT. CLIFFSIDE - SIMULTANEOUSE31 E31

NARRATORFrom the platform with the chest, it was less than fiveyards to the sheer hundred-yard drop that ended on a *rocky beach.

We feel like we've fallen off the cliff - notquite in free-fall but not gently either.Fairly quickly, the sounds of the racetrackbecome more distant, and gulls and lappingwaves become more present.

NARRATORAbout three quarters of the way up the cliffside were aslender, golden-haired Elf, and a broad, grey-hairedman. There was a rope tied between them as theyclimbed, and another rope ran down from each of themfastened to something on the beach.

Something metal is hammered into rock.

NARRATORThe broad man hammered a metal spike with a hook at oneend into the rock, and then tugged on it to make sureit was secure. Having done so, he nodded to hiscomrade.

65.

INT. STABLES - SIMULTANEOUSF32 F32

We're in a small, musty space. Horses are allaround us - snorting, pacing around theirstalls, grazing on hay.

NARRATORI would of course be remiss not to call your attentionto the stables, where riders and their retainers saw totheir mounts before the race. Each species fed off theenergy of the other, until both were nearly besidethemselves with nerves. Poor sweet horses - frequentlyclever enough to read the emotions of their masters,but rarely clever enough to simply kick things untilthey are the masters.

But I digress. Anyway, it is in this state ofheightened nerves and excitement that one of the riderswas approached by a dark-haired woman in peasant'sclothes, with a hand on her hip and a glint in her eye.

JOCKEYHelp you, miss?

GWENextremely flirty( )

Aye. Believe you can.

EXT. RED REAVER - SIMULTANEOUS33 33

We're near to - but not inside - a large creakyship.

NARRATORAnd finally of course, there was the ocean vesselanchored somewhere nearby. Its sails were veryintentionally concealed at present but I can tell youthat they were blood-red. And on this ship a boy of *sixteen years cradled an infant with eyes so light a *shade of brown that some might call them orange. Butthere's not much for me to tell you about this place.At least, not right now.

66.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERS - CONTINUOUSB34 B34

All the conversations we overhear in thissection should be panned.

SEX WORKER 1 *shouts to a passerby *( )

Hey stud. Why don't you come over here and tell me how *you like it. *

SEX WORKER 2 *Say again dear? *beat, then...tries to play it cool *( )

Oh. Ah, right, sure, sure. That's...extra though. *

NARRATORUnder the seats, it grew crowded. Far too crowded, infact, for the boy with the satchels to do what he *needed. He looked around, wracking his mind for asolution.

EXT. BEHIND STABLES - CONTINUOUSF35 F35

Some footsteps sneak towards us.

JOCKEYimpatient( )

So is this happening or what?

GWENHold your horses--Heh. Get it? Just need a quickfreshen-up.

JOCKEYI ain't got much time. The race is about to start.

GWENJust one question. Which perfume d'you like better?Rosewater...or ether?

JOCKEYEther? I never--

He's muffled mid sentence and very quicklytrails off.

NARRATORAs Gwen held a dampened rag over the short man's mouth,he rapidly crumpled into a useless heap. And shequickly set to disrobing and then binding him.

67.

We hear some clothing move around.

EXT. RACETRACK - CONTINUOUSA36 A36

MAJOR ZYKA'ADDo you see your daughter? Point her out to us.

NARRATORIn the seats beside the race track, the two preachersremained stolidly silent, their gazes fixed straightahead.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADExcuse me.beat( )

Your better is speaking to you.

MILDREDOw! Don't you pinch me!

We hear a loud and furious slap!

MAJOR ZYKA'ADfuming( )

Mem-rhypaas!

BENcautioning( )

Milly!

MILDREDShe pinched me!

RY'YMajor! Mind your temper. I see her. Twenty yards southof the winner's circle. See?

MAJOR ZYKA'ADHas she signaled to us?

RY'YNot yet.

NARRATORMajor Zyka'ad unsheathed a diminutive and discreetdagger and held it close to the Reverend Mildred'sside.

A very small knife is unsheathed.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADLest you forget yourself again.

68.

NARRATORMildred squeezed Ben's hand as his jaw clenched inrage.

RY'YPatience, Major.

NARRATORYet even as Ry'y spoke thus, she was fidgeting withseveral of the myriad weapons on her belt.

EXT. CLIFFSIDE - CONTINUOUSE37 E37

NARRATORBut the first serious mishap of the day happened alongthe cliffside.

Brennen and Yllowyyn are climbing thiswhole time, so they strain accordingly.

YLLOWYYNDo you think we're high enough?

BRENNENTen more yards should do it.

A beat as Brennen hoists himself up oncemore.

BRENNENGood thing, too. We're nearly out of--Yah!

Some rock breaks loose and cascades down thecliff.

We hear rope zip through a loop for a splitsecond and then catch and pull.

YLLOWYYNAch!

Yllowyyn's shoes scuff on rock.

YLLOWYYNAre you all right?

Brennen is a little more distant than hewas before.

69.

BRENNENbreathing hard( )

Aye. I'm all right. Damned bastard popped right off.Hold still while I head back up.

We hear him climb under narration.

NARRATORWhat had just happened was a very common type of mishapin tandem climbing. One climber relied on a handholdthat proved faulty, and fell. But, tethered as he wasto his partner with a rudimentary pulley between them,he merely fell a few yards and yanked his partnerupwards, rather than meeting a very messy death.Indeed, this is routine and expected - precisely whatthis type of climbing is prepared to handle.

Less expected, however, was the jagged rock betweenYllowyyn and the pulley, on which the rope had caught.And worse, Brennen and Yllowyyn did not see it, even astheir rope began to fray.

We hear a rope straining.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERSB38 B38

All around is a swirling cacophony of lewd *propositions - whispered, but like...not THAT *whispered. *

BILLYnot subtle( )

All right, here we go. World's oldest profession.Beautiful day for it.beat( )

Not a cop. Am for sure definitely not a cop. If I was acop I'd have to tell you.

NARRATOREveryone around the boy turned and stared.

All the conversations stop. *

NARRATORThey considered him carefully...

A moment passes.

NARRATOR...And then departed to ply their trade elsewhere.

BILLY BREATHES A SIGH OF RELIEF.

70.

NARRATORVery, VERY, carefully, the boy set his satchels down *and opened them. *

INT. STABLESF39 F39

Two footsteps on hay rapidly come to a stop.

NARRATORThose in the stable turned to see the rider who hadjust entered. This rider was dressed just like the onewho recently left the stable, but was of a wider anddecidedly more womanly stature. Her entire face but forthe eyes was concealed beneath a cloth mask - a commonenough precaution against the dust of a horse race. Butthe riders stared at her regardless, and she froze intheir collective gaze.

ARLENEmuffled through cloth, and VERY nervous( )

Good morning. Oh, yes, sorry.

Some cloth shifts.

ARLENEno longer muffled but still very nervous( )

...Last...minute...substitution?

A long and quiet moment - not unlike thatbetween Billy and the sex workers -passes.

NARRATORAnd then the other riders - as if remembering it wasnone of their business anyway - shrugged and returnedto their tasks.

EXT. RACETRACKA40 A40

MAJOR ZYKA'ADShe's still not hailed us.

RY'YI know.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADIs it possible she means to mislead us?

RY'YOf course it is. If she's not hailed us before theriders are called, we shall remind her of the stakes.

71.

NARRATORA very worried look passed between Mildred and Ben.

EXT. CLIFFSIDEE41 E41

A rope continues to creak and strain. Below usare slow and deliberate climbing sounds.

BRENNENIn some ways, it's easier the second time. One is moretired, but one knows the route.

YLLOWYYNYou'd better hurry. They'll be calling the riders soon.

NARRATORDespite the difference in whether and how they chose toacknowledge it out loud, both climbers were keenly *aware of what was at stake. If they were to fail attheir assigned task, several of their comrades -including their leader - would surely die.

BRENNENA few easy ones here...

Climbing sounds speed up for a short while...

NARRATORAnd in the Elf's restlessness while he waited for hispartner to climb back to his level, his eyes began towander. They found an Elven frigate patrolling thebay - don't worry, the Red Reaver was well-concealed ina hidden cove. But as Yllowyyn's keen eyes focused onthe warship - so much like the toys he played with anddreamt about as a child...

This hangs for just a moment.

As it does, the climbing sounds come to a stop.

BRENNENOne more big jump.beat, then, to get his attention...( )

Yllowyyn!

YLLOWYYNremembers himself( )

Yes? I'm ready!

BRENNENAll right.

72.

The rope creaks again...

BRENNENHere we--

--The rope SNAPS!

NARRATORThe rope between them snapped! It was only thanks totruly super-human reflexes and grace that Yllowyyn wasable to leap down to a rock below and grab the now *tattered rope before it fell.

YLLOWYYNwind knocked out( )

Oof! I've got you, Sir Brennen.

BRENNENreining in panic( )

I've no holds within reach.

NARRATORHe tried for one anyway...

BRENNEN STRAINS.

BRENNENGah!

NARRATOR...And almost lost his very tenuous hold on the rope.

Some more rocks careen down below us.

BRENNENstill reining in panic but not as well now( )

You'll need to pull me up a wee bit.

YLLOWYYNJust hold on!

YLLOWYYN SUCKS IN A BIG BREATH.

We drop into a very introspective sound-spacefor Yllowyyn. Ambience quiets and muffles andscore becomes distorted.

NARRATORAnd as Yllowyyn took a steadying breath to summon hisstrength, his eyes flicked once more to the Elvenwarship. As you're already quite aware, if he was tofail at his assigned task, several of his comrades -including their leader - would surely die. I'm sure *

(MORE)

73.

you've had thoughts before, which you wished wouldNARRATOR (cont'd)

leave you be but simply refused to? *

RY'Y *Flashback *( )

It's not too late, Yllowyyn! It's never too late to *return to your true home! *

*

NARRATOR *I should note, in passing, that the distance to this *frigate was just about swimmable for a healthy youngElf.

We sit on this beat.

Waiting.

And waiting.

YLLOWYYN GROANS AND GRUNTS AND STRAINS AND THEN...

YLLOWYYNHyah!

Score and ambience slam back in.

BRENNENI've got it!

YLLOWYYNGood! Just one more!

BRENNEN HEAVES ONE LAST TIME AND THEN LAUGHS WITH RELIEF.

YLLOWYYNHold still I'll tie you back on.

We hear rope fastening.

NARRATORAs the Elf re-tethered himself to his climbing partner,that partner gave him a warm and hearty clap on theback.

Brennen practically pounds on Yllowyyn's back.

BRENNENWell done, Yllowyyn. Well done. I thought I'd seen mylast sunrise for sure.

YLLOWYYNLet's try not to repeat that, shall we?

74.

BRENNENCome, let's finish what we started.

YLLOWYYNThere's less rope now, so we'll need to stay closertog--

74A.

--In the distance, over by the racetrack, wehear a HUNTING HORN.

BRENNENCome on.

NARRATORAnd thus did they return to their assigned task with arenewed sense of urgency.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERSB42 B42

We hear the same horn from our new sonicvantage point.

NARRATORUnder the bleachers, Billy removed several cloth sacksfrom his satchels. They were sticky with some kind of *grease. He scanned the wooden beams that held up theseats, and then headed straight for one of thethickest. He affixed one sack to its center.

INT. STABLESF43 F43

The same horn again.

CRIERRiders to your gates! All riders to your gates!

About a dozen horses begin trotting away fromus.

GWENBe safe, love.

ARLENEAnd you, my treasure. I'll see you on the ship.

GWENYou'd damn well better.

They kiss very quickly.

75.

One last horse trots away.

EXT. RACETRACKA44 A44

One last time we hear the horn. We maybe evencatch a faint echo of the Crier on the wind.

RY'Yout of patience( )

That's it. Stand them up.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADShe's hailing us, Th'ayyd.

RY'YHm. Indeed she is.

NARRATORRy'y lo-Th'yyt returned a distant wave across thetrack.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADWhat's she doing?

RY'YShielding her eyes it seems. Perhaps she can't seethem. Hmm.

A moment while Ry'y considers. ("Is this atrick?")

RY'Yreluctantly( )

So be it. Stand them up.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADYou heard her. On your feet.beat( )

Stand I said.

We hear some intentionally slow shufflingaround.

RY'YShe's waved again. She sees.

INT. RACETRACK - PAVILIONC45 C45

REGANYou got 'em?

76.

JENYeah I saw. You good?

REGANGot 'em.

JENGod, Nia looks just like her Mom. Dad's eyes though.

REGANI count six Elves besides Ry'y. Two with Nia's parentsand four nearby.

JENYeah, same.

Beat.

REGANa reminder( )

Nice weather we're having today, ain't it? Unseasonablyclear.

JENRight.

Jen's magic pad fades in...

EXT. CLIFFSIDEE46 E46

On the cliffside, we hear hammering.

NARRATORAnd as a gentle fog began crawling in from the sea, up *the cliffside, Yllowyyn was fastening a rather largesupport pole into the rock.

BRENNENYou'll have to climb over towards me so I can reach. Wecan't get far apart enough on this rope.

YLLOWYYNBlast it all.

Hammering quickens for a moment, and thenstops.

YLLOWYYN PULLS HARD ON SOMETHING.

YLLOWYYNThis one's secure. I'm heading your way.

77.

BRENNENLook. The fog.

YLLOWYYNJen. We haven't much time.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERSB47 B47

NARRATORUnder the seats, Billy had already attached each ofeight cloth sacks to the eight largest beams. Next he *removed a glass bottle from a satchel. Eight lengths of *cord ran from this bottle to as many sacks. He placedthe bottle on the ground, with his foot nearby. Andwaited.

EXT. RACETRACK - STARTING GATEF48 F48

We're on the back of a trotting horse,surrounded by a dozen other trotting horses.

As we pass some threshold, the large buzzingcrowd erupts into a roar.

NARRATORAs Arlene saw and heard the size of the crowdsurrounding the racetrack, her eyes widened. Though herface was already covered, she fidgeted with her mask,trying to pull it even higher.

EXT. RACETRACKA49 A49

The Elves now have to shout over the roaringcrowd.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADShe's still not moving. What is she waiting for?

RY'YKeep your eyes open, Major. I mistrust this.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADShould I send one of the sergeants over?

RY'YYes.

NARRATORMajor Zyka'ad caught the eye of one of her cohort andmotioned him towards the Winner's Circle.

78.

EXT. RACETRACK - WINNER'S CIRCLED50 D50

NARRATORAnd over by the Winner's Circle, Nia noticed the Elfwalking towards her with purpose. She looked towardsthe gruff men near the chest. She tried to take deepbreaths, which nevertheless caught in her quivering jawand came out shallow and strained.

EXT. CLIFFSIDE *E51 E51

We hear rushed hammering.

YLLOWYYNHow many nails is that?

BRENNENThree more to go.

And then in the distance, a horn blows again.

BRENNENGaladon help us.

The speed of the hammering intensifies.

EXT. RACETRACK - STARTING GATE52 52

We almost feel the breath of snorting horses inour ears.

CRIERRiders to your marks!

The horn blows again.

CRIERRiders get ready!

79.

The horn blows louder and in a different tone.

Almost a split second even before the horn, thehorses explode into mad gallops!

The crowd erupts into its loudest cheers yet.

EXT. RACETRACK - UNDER BLEACHERSB53 B53

NARRATORAt the sound of the third horn, Billy brought his heeldown hard on the bottle.

Glass shatters.

NARRATORHe watched intently as a puddle leaked onto the ground.

Nothing for a moment.

NARRATORAnd then the puddle began to smoke. And finally, to hisobvious relief, the ends of all the cords ignited.

We hear eight fuses light in quick successionand being crawling away from us.

NARRATORAs soon as they did, he took off at a sprint.

Billy runs away.

EXT. RACETRACK - WINNER'S CIRCLED54 D54

NARRATORAnd as Billy ran, Nia set off walking towards the chestand its stewards.

Footsteps. A rush of blood in our ears.

NARRATORHer heart was beating just as fast or faster than thesprinting young man's.

The footsteps come to a halt.

Horses gallop past us.

NARRATORJust as the horses blew by the Winner's Circle, a veryfrightened Nia got close enough to the chest to attract

(MORE)

80.

the attention of one of the gangsters guarding it. ANARRATOR (cont'd)

particularly short one, as it happened.

GANGSTERnot very helpful( )

Help you?

A switchblade springs open.

NIAtries to hold it together( )

Galadon's mercy be upon you.

NARRATORAnd as tears moistened her eyes, she quickly leaned into kiss this short brigand on the cheek.

GANGSTERHey, who the fuck are you, la--

--Crossbow bolts fly in from multipledirections at once and just shish-kebab thisdude.

NIA LETS OUT AN ANGUISHED CRY.

Some of the crowd notices and begins to screamas well.

NARRATORAs the fallen knave's shocked comrades looked aroundfor the assailants, one of them squared on Nia and drewhis sword.

A sword is unsheathed, and immediately anothercrossbow is fired.

NARRATORBut this one was immediately shot by the Sergeant thatMajor Zyka'ad had sent over. Now seeing at least one oftheir foes, the band of rogues turned to the ElfKnight, some with bows.

A hail of crossbow bolts flies in and strikesfleshy targets all around us.

NARRATORBut Ry'y's many retainers made short work of these.

81.

The crowd is panicking now.

NARRATOROf course, once the bolts were set in flight - whichthe Elves could have always chosen not to do - it wasinevitable that they would strike some bystanders inthe crowd.

NIA IS SCREAMING OUT A PRETTY CONSTANT STREAM OF IMPOTENTPROTESTATIONS.

NARRATORIt is in this tumult, that the Elf nearest the Winner'sCircle finally got a look at the brigand doomed by akiss.

ELF SERGEANTshouting( )

It's not her! It's a trick!

EXT. RACETRACK55 55

RY'YMajor! Kill them!

All SFX and ambience ramp down to SLOW MOTION.

NARRATORNow several things happened all at once here.

Hoofbeats thunder.

NARRATOROne: The horses rounded the last turn into thecompletion of their first lap.

Two blades are unsheathed.

NARRATORTwo: The Elves nearest the two preachers drew andraised blades over them.

A repeating crossbow cocks and readies.

NARRATORThree: The Elf nearest Nia squared on her and raisedhis crossbow.

82.

An arrow buries in flesh, followed closely by athrowing axe.

NARRATORBut four: This Elf's life was ended as Brennen andYllowyyn emerged from the cliffside and fog and enteredthe fray. Then five: a half dozen hidden Elves took aimat the two new combatants, and should have had them dead-to-rights, if not for Six. And this is the critical one.

A brief tense pause...

Eight explosions ring out, shattering wood tosplinters.

SFX and ambience slams back to real time, aspeople and horses scream.

NARRATORThe cloth sacks left by Billy expelled air and heat sorapidly that they ripped the beams under the seats to *shreds.

Wood creaks and groans very badly.

NARRATORThe raised seats could no longer hold the weight oftheir occupants. Within seconds, they gave wayentirely.

The seats collapse!

NARRATORMeanwhile, the sound of this rapid demolition caughtthe attention of the Elves near the Winner's Circle...

A bow is shot twice and an axe is thrown.

NARRATOR...Giving Brennen and Yllowyyn the chance to kill threeof their opponents and then dive to cover behind thesturdy prize chest.

After the chaos of the wreck settles, there isa long moment of bruised and confused peoplecoughing and moaning.

NARRATORAnd back over by the seats - just as Major Zyka'ad andher peer were returning to their senses - from out ofthe the fog and smoke, came flying a human-shaped blur,nimble as it was furious.

83.

A knife plunges into a neck, and an arterysprays onto the dusty ground.

REGANan exertive grunt more than uttered words( )

Mother FUCKER.

MILDRED SCREAMS.

As she screams, the crowd around us begins toreact. A bunch of bruised and banged up peoplebegin shuffling and shambling away.

MAJOR ZYKA'ADShe's he--

--MAJOR ZYKA'AD IS CHOKED.

There's a moment of scuffling as shesputters and struggles. Then...

Three quick stabs.

REGANwhispered through gritted teeth( )

Shut the fuck up.

MILDREDcrying( )

Ben, Ben, Ben, I can't seeyou!

BENMilly? Milly!

MILDREDAre you all right? Where are you?

NARRATORAn Elf lined up a shot at Regan, but Regan was readyfor it.

A crossbow shoots, and a bolt hits a body.Someone groans and falls.

NARRATORAnd then Regan stalked off hastily, on the hunt.

Someone scooches up next to us.

JENHey.

MILDREDAh!

BENWho's there?

84.

JENkind but firm( )

We're with Nia, we're here to help. But you gotta stayquiet and listen to us, okay?

MILDRED STARTS TO CATCH HER BREATH...

Several yards away, we hear Regan stab anotherElf to death.

MILDRED HEARS TOO AND HER BREATH QUICKENS FOR A BEAT,BEFORE SHE CALMS HERSELF DOWN AGAIN.

...And then a crossbow fires off to the sideand a bolt WHIPS past our head.

MILDRED MUFFLES HER OWN EXCLAMATION OF DISMAY.

Jen blasts some lightning in the direction thebolt came from. We hear someone over therefall.

BENGaladon above, who are you?

A horse gallops up to us, winnies and bucks,but eventually comes to a stop.

JENThat's your ride. Let's get you going.

REGANBehind!

Regan shoots her crossbow and we hear it hitanother Elf.

REGANGot 'em.To Mildred and Ben( )

C'mon, gotta go, gotta go.

JENArlene, you ready?

ARLENEYes. But get them up quickly, the horse is nervous evennow.

JENI'm gonna give you a boost but you gotta swing theother leg over real quick, okay?

85.

A crossbow bolt zips right past us.

JENShit!

The horse whinnies and bucks.

REGANto herself( )

That'll be Ry'y lo-Th'yyt.out loud( )

Move, move, move!

Another bolt buzzes us.

BENIt won't hold still!

Regan returns fire with her crossbow.

REGANIt can tell you're scared, you gotta calm down.

MILDREDnot trying to calm down( )

Oh well why didn't you say so?

Regan shoots again, just before another boltwhizzes by us. But this one sticks in flesh offto our right.

A horse cries out in pain and alarm.

REGANGods dammit.

Regan shoots again.

ARLENEWas that your other horse?

REGANWe'll find another and catch up, you gotta go.

ARLENEBut wh--

JEN--Go!

86.

There's a tiny taser zap. Arlene's horse blowsaway at a gallop.

Another bolt flies past us in the horse'sdirection, but we continue hearing the horserun away uninterrupted.

One more bolt nearly wings us.

REGANBehind the horse!

As Jen and Regan run, Regan shoots once more.

The reach other other horse, who is panting andsnorting and in obvious pain.

REGANShit, right in the leg. Sorry, bud. Wrong place wrongtime.

A knife opens a neck as the horse collapses tothe ground.

REGANwhispers( )

Stay down.

Another bolt smacks into the horse right behindus.

Regan shoots back, and then begins the reloadcycle.

Both continue to talk quietly butexcitedly.

REGANShe's gotta reload. When she does, I'm gonna bait herinto shooting. You watch where the bolt comes from andyou let loose in that direction, got it?

JENYeah.

REGANGive her everything you've got.

We hear a gathering of Jen's magic pad.

NARRATORAs Jen concentrated deeply, she stole a peek over theback of the unfortunate horse. Or at least she tried to.

87.

She's grabbed and pulled.

REGANGiddown, stupid.

JENI can't see anything.

REGANNeither can she, which explains us still breathing. Butthat won't last long. You just get ready to blast, thenwe run for another horse.

JENWait, aren't there people over there?

REGANShe doesn't care, and right now neither can you. Thisis her or us, anyone else is just luck. And luck ain'tanybody's fault. Right? ...Right?

JENunsure( )

Right.

NARRATORAnd though Regan was not attuned to these things, I cantell you about the little bit of stored potential thatJen let dissipate into the ground at that moment.

REGANOkay, ready?

NARRATORRegan unclasped her hood, and draped it over one of herblades. She lifted it up over the horse.

This time we hear the crossbow fire. The boltflies in and strikes metal, knocking Regan'ssword away to clatter across the ground.

REGANNow!

A blast of electricity crackles towards Ry'y.We hear a body crash to the ground and roll,maybe ten yards away.

There's a moment of quiet. Jen and Reganare both kinda stunned. Then...

REGANMove.

88.

NARRATORJen took off running. And after a moment of uncertaintyand almost consternation, Regan did the same.

They both take off at a sprint.

EXT. RACETRACK - WINNER'S CIRCLE56 56

In the distance a horse gallops but it isnearing us VERY rapidly.

BRENNENHyah!

Brennen throws an axe. It finds its mark.

BRENNENI think that's the last of them.

YLLOWYYNHelp me with the ropes.

NARRATORTheir foes dispatched, Brennen and Yllowyyn fastenedseveral ropes to the now unguarded chest.

We hear some ropes being tied.

YLLOWYYNHere they come.

The horse is really close now.

NARRATORYllowyyn stood at the ready, with a hook in his hand.

The horse blows by us.

NARRATORAnd as Arlene's mount blazed past, it was again thanksto his reflexes that Yllowyyn managed to hook a ropeonto the harness that Arlene had affixed to it.

As the horse recedes, we hear the chest beginto drag along the ground.

NARRATORAnd thus the horse towed the chest behind it as itraced towards the cliff's edge.

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We're dead on top of the hoofbeats now.

NARRATORNow this next part is a great credit to Arlene as arider. Though Jen's fog undeniably helped, it is stillnot many equestrians who could intentionally drivetheir mount straight off a cliff.

ARLENEHyah!

We hear some gravel thrown as hooves leave theground...

EXT. CLIFFSIDE57 57

For a moment, we hear nothing but some windrushing by us, as we're in free-fall. Andthen...

NARRATORAnd after a heart-stopping split-second of beingairborne...

...A half-ton of muscle falls into a taut ropenet.

NARRATOR...the beast and its passengers fell into a very sturdyfishing net.

The horse screams in terror.

MILDRED, BEN, AND ARLENE ALL SCREAM ALONG WITH IT IF WE'REBEING HONEST.

But on either side of us, two pulleys wheelgently.

NARRATORAnd as the net descended, so did it pull up on tworopes, strung over a wheel on each of the poles Brennenand Yllowyyn had affixed to the rock face. And so dideach rope pull up on a very heavy bundle of sandbagsdown on the beach. So heavy in fact, that after a briefmoment of terrible speed, the net's descent to thebeach slowed to be quite pleasant and peaceful.

THE PEOPLE STOP SCREAMING.

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The horse is still losing its shit though.

NARRATORThe horse was, naturally, still kicking like mad -might've helped you if you'd done that sooner, friend -but with its legs dangling through the bottom of thenet, it could do no harm with all its might.

EXT. WINNER'S CIRCLE58 58

We cut back up to the top of the cliff.

NIArecovering from her earlier screams and sobs( )

Is everyone all right?

MILDREDshouting up from below( )

Nia? Is that you love?

BENshouting up from below( )

Oh, thank Galadon!

YLLOWYYNIs anyone hurt?

ARLENEshouting up from below( )

I don't think so.

YLLOWYYNNia, you have to jump. The net will soon be too faraway.

MILDREDshouting up from below( )

Who in Galadon's Name are these people?!

BRENNENWhere are the others?

ARLENEshouting up from below( )

Their poor horse was--

--SHE'S INTERRUPTED BY NIA SCREAMING AS SHE JUMPS OFF THECLIFF.

Beat.

91.

ARLENEshouting up from below( )

Their poor horse was shot. They had to look foranother.

BRENNENDammit.A moment of deliberation( )

So be it. Yllowyyn - You go down with them. Send the netback up, be sure to cut some of the bags like Jen saidso it'll still descend for us. Get the chest on the sledand push it out of sight. Then come back up if you can.

YLLOWYYNI will.

BRENNENquickly( )

And I never fully thanked you before.

YLLOWYYNjogging backwards( )

I expect repayment, so you'd better stay alive.

NARRATORAnd with that, the Elf took a perfect athlete's diveoff the cliff, and into the net.

The pulley descends for several beats and thenfinally stops. At the same time, we hear ahorse approaching.

NARRATORAnd it wasn't long after that Brennen heard the soundof another horse approaching. He readied his axe, butsoon recognized Regan and Jen.

The horse comes to a stop beside us.

JENDid the net work?

BRENNENPerfectly.

JEN GIVES A RELIEVED SIGH/GIGGLE.

We hear exactly one person dismount the horse.

REGANYllowyyn?

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BRENNENI sent him down with the others to help keep the chestout of sight. Thought you should know he saved my lifewhile we were climbing.

REGANGood. Good.

BRENNENThe net should be coming back up any minute.

Beat.

NARRATORAnd as Brennen, Regan, and Jen waited for theirconveyance to return, some of the fog around thecliff's edge began to disperse. And then the carnagethat surrounded the winner's circle became clear.

Bodies lay shot through, trampled, and bloodied allaround. None wore fine clothes. Many looked as raggedand threadbare as Regan was when you met her. And quitea few were younger even than Jen.

Jen closed her eyes and took steadying breaths. Brennenbowed his proud head in a silent prayer. But Regan...Regan stared at the faces of the dead, her eyes burningand her jaw twitching.

The pulley starts to wheel.

QUICK TRANSITION TO:

INT. RED REAVER - BELOW DECK - A LITTLE WHILE AGO59 59

We're below deck on the wooden pirate vessel wehinted at before. Above us, crew members aregoing about their work but that's pretty faintfrom where we are.

NARRATORNow, I regret to inform you that in this momenteverything went very badly astray. And I promise we *shall return to that bit of misfortune just as soon asthere is more to be said about it.

But first, I must return you to the boat anchored offthe bay. There, Nelson was looking after a child whenno one else could or would.

93.

The infant starts crying.

NELSONAw, come on. Don't tell me you need a change.

NELSON SNIFFS.

NELSONHoo. Lucky break. What do you need then? *

NARRATORSo when that child began crying, Nelson made a very simple *gesture of kindness - a playful, waggled finger in front of itsface, to distract from whatever was causing the disturbance.

NELSON *Uhh...heeeere, baby baby. *

The baby coos and giggles.

NARRATORAnd this babe-in-arms made a very simple gesture inreturn - one quite common for its ilk. He wrapped histiny hand around Nelson's finger.

The score here is mysterious, contemplative...

NARRATORAnd Nelson could not help but recall the last night's dream, *and of a similar gesture, by a very dissimilar creature.

...and then it's revelatory?

NARRATORHis brow furrowed, and a look of recollection crossedhis face.

Replay:

YOUNG GIRLwith some dreamy reverb( )

My enemy, Nelson, is nearer than you can possiblyimagine.

NARRATORBut this did not look like any enemy. The babe was, asyou know, sweet. And vulnerable above all else.

The baby coos again.

NARRATORNelson shook his head as though trying to jumble loosean errant thought. But soon his face was even more

(MORE)

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grave than it had been before. For some thoughts areNARRATOR (cont'd)

not so easily dislodged.

NELSONOookay. Sometimes a dream's just a dream, right?

NARRATORAnd then the babe began gesturing towards the smallescritoire in the corner of the cabin. Where Nelson hadstored the books from Armstrungard's library.

NELSONYou...wanna look at books?

Nelson walks over to the desk.

NARRATORNelson took out the books that he and his friends hadacquired.

NELSONThe one with the pictures maybe? That might be good foryou.

The baby cries.

NARRATORAnd then the infant began to reach for one book inparticular.

NELSONOn The Totemic Traditions of Primitive Iorden?

The baby coos and giggles with joy, as thescore reaches a climax.

NELSONUhhh dude, what are you?

END OF CHAPTER.

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