Episode 13: The Cost of Recovery
ext. forest clearing night
A clearing in the forest where the grass has been trampled smooth and trees have failed the grow. Moonlight streams into the space uninhibited and a small babbling brook cuts the clearing in two. The moonlight catches the glint of pieces of gold coins scattered on the bed of the stream. A set of hooves enters the brook giving way to the black sheen of the horse belong to the Knight of Pentacles. The dread Knight sits upon his mount with a grim look set on his face. He holds his right hand out, still glowing with the red aura of Arcana energy. He turns the palm over so it faces the ground, and 3 scorched coins fall from the open palm into the stream below, a sizzle of steam accompanying each.
Lowering his still glowing right hand, his left hand produces yet another coin purse. The purse combusts, catching fire so quickly that it seemingly disintegrates. The coins within are red hot, glowing as though fresh from a forge. The Knight pays no mind to this temperature.
On the other side of the brook, the battered Knight of Wands is on his knees. His knotty pike is broken in two, his face is bloodied, his armor is scorched, his steed nowhere in sight.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
The Wands always were the weakest house. Willing to blindly sacrifice. We will find your steed, and the Alice, with little trouble. Today, your life is a wasted cost.
The Knight of Wands, chest heaving for air, tosses the broken pike aside. His eyes, fixed on the bag of coins, dart to the outlying edge of the clearing.
KNIGHT OF WANDS
(looking skyward)
SISTER.
From the darkness beyond the clearing, a raised bow with readied arrow begins to enter the light. The Knight of Wands, catching this, immediately fixes his gaze back to the bag of coins.
KNIGHT OF WANDS
SISTER. TEND TO YOUR DUTY, LONG LIVE THE HOUSE OF WANDS!
The Knight of Wands raises a fist in the air, green air arcana aura swarms around the fist , creating an enlarged, elemental fist of air. He arcs the fist in a frenzied arc at the Knight of Pentacles, but the fist immediately shatters against the black armor of the Coin Knight, who remains unflustered.
The Knight of Pentacles raises his handful of glowing coins and tosses them in the air overhead. The coins reach upward, then simply stop, suspending themselves in air. A brief moment of calm. The Knight' of Wand’s eyes cast upward, the readied bow from the clearing drawn, shaking with apprehension and tension, the Knight of Pentacles jaw set firm, gaze unwavering, seemingly uncaring of the coins overhead- and then, pillars of light from the heavens. Beams of light that pierce each of the cast coins, expanding until each beam has merged to create an enormous, single pillar of fire.
The Knight of Pentacles suddenly raises his arms in a jerking motion, throws back his head and whispers-
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
Kolono Fajro Dio
The pillar bends and engulfs the defenseless Knight of Wands, obliterating him completely.
The bow at the clearing’s edge withdraws.
ext. forest clearing edge night
The dark interior of the forest. Just beyond, the previous scene- the forest clearing- the impossible light having dimmed, smoke obscures the area.
A lowering bow, an arrow returned to the quiver. The Page of Wands, mouth quivering with emotion, takes a short gasp of air. She watches the smoke, her eyes searching for her scorched brother- only to find the dark outline of a mounted knight making its way through the clearing smoke. The Page of Wands takes a step back, then another, then turns, running, her gaze still fixed backward in fleeting hope for the survival of her brother, the Knight of Wands one last time before she fixes her gaze forward, her feet confidently pressing her ahead into the darkness of the forest.
ext. forest clearing night
In the clearing, the smoldering remains of armor and charred flesh amidst blackened ground. In the swirling, clearing smoke, the still-mounted Knight of Pentacles trots to the remains of the newly deceased Knight of Wands. He tsks at the mess of body and metal. His eye catches a disturbance in the clearing edge- the shaking of branches and rustling of underbrush. He tsks once more.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
(to himself)
Not even worth the cost of recovery.
As the smoke dissipates, the dread knight is joined by the Knight of Swords, on foot, her sword sheathed. Beads of sweat collected on her brow, she takes the wearied caretaker unenthused with the antics of her charges. She sees the body of the Knight of Wands sighs.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
Good grief. Killing a knight won’t go over well. Don’t you think you went a bit too far?
The Knight of Pentacles tsks once more, his gaze still on the interior of the forest, before breaking it to meet the critical visage of his counterpart.
THE KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
The House of Wands and the Pale Horse have turned against The Sun. Our employer will pay well for this information. We will use this boon to offset your failure of the Fool escaping.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(arching an eyebrow)
My failure? By my count, we each let two escape our grasp. This failure is shared.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
I killed one knight. The Page is no consequence. I left no one to escape.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
The Fool escaped on the knight’s loose horse.
The Knight of Pentacles tsks once more. He is not pleased with this calculus.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
(not looking at the Knight of Swords)
How fares your husband?
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
Still a fool. But still alive.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
There is no guarantee that such a liability will be spared. I won’t be charged for his cost in this mission.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
Then it is a good thing he is my burden to bare, and not yours, Knight of Coins.
The Knight of Pentacles again tsks at this.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
I will never understand the lack of resolve from you minor houses.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
Is your house not also minor?
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
(icily)
Do not cast my lot alongside yours. I am destined for greater things. We of the Coins understand what has held back the minor houses from Major Arcana-hood all this time. We will be the first to overcome it.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(knowingly)
I hope you do. For the time being, we are knights, not bounty hunters. This wnaton killing feels…beneath us.
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
I am nothing more than what my employer, the SUN, requires of me. Nothing more.
KNIGHT OF SWORDS
(wonderingly, as she examines the corpse)
Has knighthood truly fallen so far?
KNIGHT OF PENTALCES
Is the knowledge of good and evil truly a fall? No. We have become practical. Honest. I suggest you optimize your way of thinking so that we are in agreement before we next meet with the Sun.
The Knight of Pentacles turns his horse and begins to exit the clearing. The Knight of Swords watches after him for a moment, before returning her graze to the smoldering remains of the Knight of Wands, the scorched emblem of his house just barely legible upon his melted armor.
