Episode 12: An Interlude of Wands
ext. Forest Path night
We return to the forest path. Alice and the Pale Horse are trapped, their feet encased in the hardened mud of the path. The Knight and Page of Swords have their handles folded in a sign of reverence to the Knight of Pentacles, who is at the focal point of this moment. In his outstretched hand he holds the coin purse, now empty. Before him, coins float, slowly turning in the air as a sigil of copper arcana aura leaps from coin to coin, burned into air, the opening of a powerful arcana spell.
The sigil solidifies, forming its final character- fire emits from the center of the character and leaps toward Alice and the Pale Horse.
An arrow SHOOMS in front of Alice and the Pale Horse, striking the arcing flame before it can hit the pair, throwing its course off so that it misses striking the pair squarely, instead impacting off the sculpted bone cheek of the Pale Horse, the fiery bolt ricocheting off the sheer bone and into the forest behind them creating a burst of fire that illuminates the scene in a glow of orange. Alice breathes a sigh of relief, only to turn to find the Pale Horse crumpling forward, unconscious, like a batter freshly beaned by a pitcher.
From the scorched forest emerges a young woman in brown leggings and yellow tunic. She holds a wooden, knotty bow with sprouted leaves. A quill of arrows is fixed to her back and several map cases dangle from her belt. She is the PAGE OF WANDS. She fires another arrow toward the dread knight, which the Knight of Pentacles knocks out of the air with another flare of leaping fire.
Suddenly, a sound of hooves, pounding up the trail. A beautiful, mocha-colored horse appears, first at a distance then rapidly approaching, kicking up dirty and clay around it in its rapid advance. Upon it, a knight in light red armor carrying a pike of knotty wood with sprouted leaves, similar to that of the page's bow. This is the KNIGHT OF WANDS. The horse gallops up the path, intercepting the battle scene with a last leap that places the Knight of Wands between the Knights of Pentacles and Swords and the Alice, the impact of new steed’s landing shaking the earth, leaving cracks and fissures in its wake.
The fissures reach Alice and the Pale Horse, the cracks leaving the earth at their feet loosened. Alice pulls one leg out and then the next. She next struggles to pull her limp companion out of his entrapments to no avail.
The Page of Wands fires another arrow which goes over the shoulder of the Pentacle Knight. The dread knight casts aside his spell, the coins falling soundlessly from the air into the dust. With a sharp whistle he calls his horse, which stamps obediently to its master. In a fluid motion the Knight of Pentacles swings himself upon it, a flawless mount.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
(to the Knight of Swords)
The House of Wands interferes once more. I will handle the knight. Take the Fool and return to the Sun. I will not pay the cost for failure.
Raising his arm into the air he signals a turnabout and his equine servant turns accordingly. Together they retreat from the scene entirely, leaving the pair of Swords, the servants of Wands, and Alice and the Pale Horse behind. The Knight of Wands turns about for a moment, his horse trotting uncertainly on the path. Through his visor he eyes the Alice- then a quick shared look to the Page of Wands- she shakes her head, but he shrugs as though to say “what can I do?”. With this, the Knight of Pentacles takes off down the path, blowing by the servants of the Swords unopposed in his pursuit of the Knight of Pentacles.
The Knight of Swords watches the pikeman fleeting down the path, the weight of the Page of Swords still on her shoulder. Then a quick push and the Page of Swords is cast upon the ground, a flaming arrow passing through the space he once occupied before the Knight’s clairvoyance saved him once more.
The Knight of Swords turns to face the Page of Wands. She unsheathes her sword of fire, swinging it to knock away another incoming arrow loosed by the Page. One arrow, two, three, the Knight easily parries the thin shafts. Frustrated by the flurry, the Knight of Swords grits her teeth, grips the hilt of her blade with both hands and turns it. The blade’s flame immediately intensifies, and a shield of heat forms around her. The Page fruitlessly continues to fire arrows at her target, but the bolts fail to even reach within feet of the Knight.
Alice, meanwhile, makes headway in freeing the Pale Horse. First one of his armored boots is free, then the next. Grunting, she heaves the strange man-creature on her back, armor and all. Her grunt turns to a grinding, shrill groan as she exerts herself.
The Knight of Swords stops, the heat of her sword wall pressing against Alice’s face, devouring beads of sweat which turn to steam in the face of the Knight’s pointed blade. At the sight of Alice struggling under the weight of the Pale Horse, the Knight of Swords can only give a bemused grin.
ALICE
What’s so funny? I used to be very, very athletic, you know.
Alice wheezes a bit.
ALICE
But I’m not gonna lie…I could really go for a smoke right now.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
All this trouble for a girl who can’t even support the weight of her friend.
ALICE
At least I’m trying. At least I don’t just toss my friends off when they’re an inconvenience.
Alice’s eyes crawl over to the inert form of the Page of Swords, still in the dust of the path behind the Knight. The Knight’s gaze doesn’t leave Alice, but remains, unblinking.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
If you cannot support yourself on the field of battle, then you are a liability.
ALICE
You don’t care about him at all?
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
I only care about waking up tomorrow. And I’ll cut down anything or anyone in my path if it improves my chances, Fool.
Another volley of arrows fling uselessly at the Knight of Swords, reaching to a point directly in front of her sword before simply disintegrating. The Knight of Swords grunts, annoyed at this distraction.
PAGE OF WANDS
IT IS TIME TO LEAVE, ALICE THE FOOL.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(retorting)
She isn’t going ANYWHERE you bothersome twig-
The Knight of Swords extends her sword toward the Page. It turns blood red and crackles. The Knight’s own eyes go red for a brief instance.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(a whisper)
Fobru.
A rip of sound like a sheet tearing, and a red, angry bolt transmits from the sword toward the Page of Wands. An explosion of wood, vegetation and molten sparks. It is unclear if the target was caught, but the scorched earth leaves little doubt of the Knight’s power.
However, the Knight of Swords seems…wearier for this use of power. Worn, if only a bit. The edge she previously harnessed gives way to a smooth, buckled weariness. When she returns her unblinking eyes to the Alice, these features are betrayed before she can reharden her knightly visage. Alice can’t help but cock her head at this suddenly tired Knight of Swords.
ALICE
(thoughtful)
For what it's worth, I don't think you're a bad person, lady knight. I can tell these things.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(weariness)
Don’t pretend to know me, child. You only have to come back with me alive. No one said you had to come back well.
ALICE
(suddenly smiling)
Sorry, but I won't be coming back at all.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(reorienting her blazing sword toward Alice)
Unlike my husband, the Page, I will not underestimate you, Fool.
The Knight of Swords suddenly relaxes her sword stance and with a flick of her wrist, extinguishes her sword, sheathing her blade in a smooth motion at her side. Then, she raises her fists.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
You can't extinguish fists.
ALICE
(casually)
I had no interest in your sword.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(confused)
What-
ALICE
(to the Pale Horse)
Please forgive this.
Alice reaches for her throat, as she does so, the muscles around her trachea tighten, tiny blue veins beginning to glow as their protrusion presents them. Just as in the Moon’s meadow before, there is the gagging, Alice’s blurry eyes shifting to black as they roll backwards. The Knight of Swords steps back, uncertainly, at this wretched display. Alice’s head cocks back at an impossible 90 degree angle, her jaw unhinging. The Pale Horse, still supported by Alice’s small frame, begins to smolder, soft traces of smoke lifting from his armor and skin- and then, with a sight of breath, he turns completely to a smoke which drains directly into the horrifically wide mouth of the Alice, who engulfs him like so many glorious menthol cigarettes before. In this strange, weird ritual, Alice absorbs the Pale Horse within her- and she is now unburdened by the strange half-man, half-skeletal specter.
The Knight of Swords lowers her fists at the astonishing display, instead opting to back up even further.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(to herself)
Absorbing a Major Arcana. So this is the Fool's power-
Again the sound of hooves, this time from the opposite direction- from further down the path behind the Knight of Swords, where the Knights of Wands and Pentacles had previously retreated to.
The Knight of Swords turns, sees a trampling brown horse, the Knight of Wands’ steed, but no rider, coming upon her. She rolls out of the way and the unheeding horse thunders by. As the sweaty, glistening horse makes a pass by Alice, the Fool grabs the bridle of the horse, making an ugly, unseemly scramble onto the beast's back. The horse beats on down the path, Alice flattened against its back.
