Difference between revisions of "This/Survivors song/Part 5"

A fragment of the Garden of Remembering
(Created page with "{{Survivors song nav |intro |previous=This/Survivors song/Part 4 |next=This/Survivors song/Part 6 }} == Part 5: Extend tertiary function == ''You want the answer? You want t...")
 
(+)
Line 17: Line 17:
# ''Placeholder languages may be chosen/generated by automated processes.
# ''Placeholder languages may be chosen/generated by automated processes.
# ''To say '{{idioma|kauhistuksen kanahäkki|translate|chicken coop of terror}}' may apply.
# ''To say '{{idioma|kauhistuksen kanahäkki|translate|chicken coop of terror}}' may apply.
# ''Or not.


=== Surface ===
=== Surface ===
Line 26: Line 27:
The sea is calmish, with just enough waving to break up the brilliance of the sky. It's a huge sky, awash with swirls of colour and light, thousands and thousands and thousands of stars painting the canvas above with more light than dark, and beneath it the water gleams, a broken landscape of dark shadows and half stars and silver edges.
The sea is calmish, with just enough waving to break up the brilliance of the sky. It's a huge sky, awash with swirls of colour and light, thousands and thousands and thousands of stars painting the canvas above with more light than dark, and beneath it the water gleams, a broken landscape of dark shadows and half stars and silver edges.


The bubble erupts from the surface suddenly, popping out of the water and exploding on immersion into the atmosphere. The four kids fall out into the water.
The bubble erupts from the surface suddenly, popping out of the small waves and exploding on immersion into the atmosphere. The four kids, and two gogs, somehow still with them, fall out into the water.


Kit collapses and nearly sinks before Jora grabs him and holds him up.
Kit collapses and nearly sinks before Jora grabs him and holds him up.
Line 58: Line 59:
KIT
KIT
Ducks.
Ducks.
Nolan produces a duck. It flaps away awkwardly. One of the gogs gives chase, swimming after it.


ERRY
ERRY
Line 78: Line 81:


The water before them begins to draw together, whitening, solidifying into a mostly flat block of ice rising almost a foot out of the water, big enough to fit the lot of them. A slight wall lines the edges.
The water before them begins to draw together, whitening, solidifying into a mostly flat block of ice rising almost a foot out of the water, big enough to fit the lot of them. A slight wall lines the edges.
The gogs climb on, one of them now dragging a be-webbed duck.


Nolan hoists Erry onto it and climbs in after.
Nolan hoists Erry onto it and climbs in after.
Line 111: Line 116:


ERRY
ERRY
We'll run out of food first. Even if we eat you.
We'll run out of food first. Even if we eat you. And your duck.


JORA
JORA
Line 117: Line 122:


A large fish, several feet long, flies out of the water and bounces onto the raft with a wet plop, winding up half on top of Kit. It has several large tooth holes in it, trickling blood.
A large fish, several feet long, flies out of the water and bounces onto the raft with a wet plop, winding up half on top of Kit. It has several large tooth holes in it, trickling blood.
The gogs skitter away.


Kit doesn't stir.
Kit doesn't stir.
Line 134: Line 141:
</screenplay>
</screenplay>


=== Librarian and Library ===
=== Failure case ===


<screenplay>
<screenplay>
Line 142: Line 149:
Coraline awakens in the tall dry grass, tied to a tree much as before, but now also gagged, her mouth covered, a cloth shoved in such that she cannot close it or move her tongue at all. She gags on the gag, trying to vomit, but it doesn't work. Instead she chokes, the vomit going up her nose, painfully, drowningly. She struggles futilely.
Coraline awakens in the tall dry grass, tied to a tree much as before, but now also gagged, her mouth covered, a cloth shoved in such that she cannot close it or move her tongue at all. She gags on the gag, trying to vomit, but it doesn't work. Instead she chokes, the vomit going up her nose, painfully, drowningly. She struggles futilely.


Vardaman casts a quick spell over Coraline. Her staff is slung over Vardaman's shoulder. Her bag is in his belt.
Agata and Argument of Hags are around.


Agata and Argument of Hags are around.
Vardaman hurries over and casts a quick spell over Coraline. Her staff is slung across his back. Her bag is on his belt.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
Line 155: Line 162:


CORALINE
CORALINE
What?!
(coughing)
What?


Vardaman stuffs the cloth back into Coraline's mouth, replacing the gag.
Vardaman stuffs the cloth back into Coraline's mouth, replacing the gag.
Line 194: Line 202:
''I have to kill him, don't I? There's no other way out of this...
''I have to kill him, don't I? There's no other way out of this...


He pulls the gag down off Coraline's mouth again, and she spits out the cloth in.
Vardaman pulls the gag down off Coraline's mouth again, and she spits out the cloth in.


CORALINE
CORALINE
{{idioma|Haista vittu.|translate|fuck you}}
{{idioma|Haista vittu.|translate|Fuck you.}}


AGATA
AGATA
Line 207: Line 215:


CORALINE
CORALINE
{{idioma|Nyt sä vittu kuolet!|translate|now you're fucking gonna die}} I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you. Fuck you. Fuck Kyrule. I'll take you behind the sauna!
{{idioma|Nej!|translate|No!}} {{idioma|Nyt sä vittu kuolet!|translate|Now you're fucking gonna die!}} I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you. Fuck you. Fuck Kyrule.
{{incantation|I'll take you all behind the sauna!}}
 
Vardaman claps a hand over Coraline's mouth, but then nothing happens anyway.


Darkness swirls at the edge of Coraline's vision. Voices whisper, though they are not of the Death of Souls. They seem older, deadlier.
Darkness swirls at the edge of Coraline's vision. Voices whisper, though they are not of the Death of Souls. They seem older, deadlier.
Line 214: Line 225:


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
(lowering his hand)
I don't seem to be dead.
I don't seem to be dead.


Line 220: Line 232:


CORALINE
CORALINE
(angrily pulling against the ropes)
(pulling against the ropes)
I'm not ironic! Touch me again and I'll kill you!
I'm not ironic! Touch me again and I'll kill you!


Line 265: Line 277:
HNNGNNN!
HNNGNNN!


Vardaman regards Coraline blankly for a moment.
Vardaman regards Coraline flatly for a moment.


Coraline sinks back down into the grass.
Coraline sinks back down into the grass.
VARDAMAN
I'll let you contemplate this.
Vardaman flicks a large golden coin onto Coraline's lap. On its face is the mask and skull of Kyrule.


AGATA
AGATA
Line 287: Line 294:
''I know. It sucks. Deal with it.
''I know. It sucks. Deal with it.


Coraline whimpers unhappily, vaguely staring at the coin. The details on the mask stand out impossibly shiny.
Coraline whimpers unhappily.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Line 302: Line 309:
''Thank you for sticking around...
''Thank you for sticking around...


Agata purrs.
Agata plonks down next to Coraline and purrs.


AGATA
AGATA
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''You may be miserable, but you're fun. Telling a Deathdealer fuck him and his god? That you're going to kill him? Stupid, but very fun, especially the things his face does. And I'm rather enjoying this whole side plot with Kyrule's Voice. Getting to watch that... well, you, of all people, as one of his Keepers is bound to get interesting.
''You may be miserable, but you're fun. Telling a Deathdealer fuck him and his god? That you're going to kill him? Stupid, but very fun, especially the things his face does. And I'm rather enjoying this whole side plot with Kyrule's Voice. Getting to watch that... well, you, of all people, as one of his Keepers is bound to get interesting.
''What's with the coin?


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''Dunno.
''That assumes I don't die first.


AGATA
AGATA
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''Because I think that one's yours.
''So don't.


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''{{idioma|Voi paska.}} Did I not put that away?
''{{idioma|Voi paska!}} That's what I'm doing wrong. I'm dying!


AGATA
AGATA
Line 327: Line 333:
Coraline chokes on a mangled sob-laugh.
Coraline chokes on a mangled sob-laugh.


Vardaman frowns, watching.


Coraline knocks the coin into the grass with her knee.


Vardaman sits down by the horses, watching Coraline, or as he knows her, Amadi. Maybe. He is beginning to doubt much of her story, and yet there are also things he cannot quite shake.


Vardaman opens his fist on his lap, revealing a large golden coin. On its face is the mask and skull of Kyrule.


Later, when Vardaman hoists Coraline back up, he pockets the coin, and doesn't untie her from the tree. Instead, he pulls the gag back out and holds a bottle of vodka near Coraline's mouth, staying close.
He opens his other, and in it is another matching coin. This one has on it a figure of scales. He turns it over, revealing the mask and skull.
 
He gives Coraline an appraising look, but she's simply hanging limply, staring at the grass. Agata is curled up by her leg, doing apparently nothing either.
 
VARDAMAN
(quietly)
Keepers, what am I doing? Who are you?
 
Agata raises her head slightly and stares at him, and then slowly closes her eyes and opens them again.
 
 
 
Later, when Vardaman hoists Coraline back up, he doesn't untie her from the tree. Instead, he pulls the gag back out and holds a bottle of vodka near Coraline's mouth, still holding her arms up over her head.


Coraline tries to move her head to the bottle, but Vardaman pulls it back.
Coraline tries to move her head to the bottle, but Vardaman pulls it back.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
You're speaking to your cat. Even now. I don't know how, with your magic bound, but you are.
You're no Deathdealer.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Well who else am I going to talk to, Kyrule?
Oh, now you're Captain Obvious too? Am I just stuck on a whole planet of Captain Obviouses?!


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
Perhaps you should.
Are you... Ordian?


He puts the bottle to Coraline's mouth, and she warily takes a drink.
CORALINE
No.


Vardaman takes back the bottle, gives her some food and water in much the same fashion, and replaces her gag. Only afterwards does he untie the ropes from the tree.
VARDAMAN
You're lying.


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
What's your point?
''My magic is bound?


AGATA
VARDAMAN
(mind voice)
Speak to me. Your life need not be so miserable before the end.
''Suppression spell. Ignore it. Doesn't seem to affect you anyway.
Do you think I ''want'' to do this to you? If I knew what your capabilities were, if I could trust you in any way...


When they return to the horses, the one Coraline had stolen before nickers softly, turning toward Coraline. Coraline pulls a bit toward it as well, but Vardaman directs her instead to a different one, lifts her into the saddle, amd mounts quickly behind her.
CORALINE
Even if I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me, and I can't... I can't do that.


Vardaman holds her tightly as they head out once more.
VARDAMAN
What is the truth?


For a time, Coraline simply waits, looking out over the brown landscape and barren trees, just focusing on breathing. Then she closes her eyes, and looks properly out at the world without them.
Coraline meets his gaze, but doesn't answer.


Everything is dark, thin. The landscape shows itself as edges, smears, ghosts of trees and rocks. The sky is a void, hungering, lingering. Behind it all, stars poke through, ancient and terrible, singing. Sand trickles, hinting, whispering. Points of light distort the edges, trailing their essence behind them. A bird in the sky becomes a simple smear. Larger animals, huddled down, give off distorted glows. Sprites glimmer with tenuous light.
VARDAMAN
I know you have means to communicate with your cat, even with your magic bound. I know you have wizard training, though you are a witch. I know you serve Kyrule.
You're clearly no stranger to suffering. You've had martial training. You're well-spoken across several languages, so you're no commoner. And yet you also know your way around animals, and wilderness, well enough even to throw me off, through non-magical means.


Her own self is a darkness to rival the sky. Vardaman is a brightness to rival the sun. The horses and cats are far more normal, simply shapes of horses and cats, glowing beneath her and behind.
CORALINE
So?


Coraline reaches into Vardaman's brightness, feeling it all around her, almost a part of her. His arms are the conduit, his chest the core. She can feel his life, his strangeness, his simple fragility, and takes it all into her mind. For a moment she simply holds it there, and then she flips it, twisting it in on itself, turning it out.
VARDAMAN
 
And you keep secrets. You play a better game than most agents.
Except nothing happens. The brightness remains. Vardaman... remains.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Nnngh?
Take this one to the grave.


Desperately Coraline opens her eyes, the brightness of the world flooding back as light, a thin layer over the darkness behind the world, even as she finds the horse underneath her instead with her mind, finding its essense, its life, and turns that out.
VARDAMAN
There is nothing for you in death!


The horse crumples beneath them, falling over, dead, its life suddenly just gone. Vardaman pulls Coraline off as it falls, losing hold of her momentarily as he rolls away, and quickly gets up. Coraline yells in surprise, but gets up quickly and starts running in a random direction.
CORALINE
 
It's still ''my'' death. Doesn't that count for anything?
Vardaman runs after her and tackles her to the ground, hauling her back up a moment later. He draws his sword, turning, pulling Coraline back even further as he looks around for the source.
 
The other two horses shy away from the dead one, straining back. One of them stomps a bit.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
(casting overhead with his sword)
Normally it would.
{{incantation|See call come!}}


Agata peers at them curiously from the packhorse.
He puts the bottle to Coraline's mouth, and she warily takes a drink.


Coraline tries again, twisting at Vardaman's life, trying to put it out as she had with the horse, and the Carriers before. But nothing happens. Nothing continues to happen.
Vardaman takes back the bottle, gives her some food and water in much the same fashion, and replaces her gag. Only afterwards does he untie the ropes from the tree.


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''I can't... it doesn't work on him.
''I've played too many cards already. If this doesn't work...
''Also, my magic is bound?


AGATA
AGATA
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''Worked on the horse.
''Suppression spell. Ignore it. Doesn't seem to affect you anyway. This will work, don't worry.


Vardaman looks around briefly, then spins Coraline around by the shoulder. He grabs her by the arm, putting his sword to her throat.
When they return to the horses, the one Coraline had stolen before nickers softly, turning toward Coraline. Coraline pulls a bit toward it as well, but Vardaman directs her instead to a different one, lifts her up, and mounts quickly behind her.


VARDAMAN
Vardaman holds her tightly as they head out once more.
You. What did you do? How did you do that?
 
For a few minutes, Coraline simply waits, looking out over the brown landscape and barren trees, trying to compose herself, focusing on breathing. Then she closes her eyes, and looks out at the world without them.


CORALINE
Everything is dark, thin. The landscape shows itself as edges, smears, ghosts of trees and rocks. The sky is a void, hungering, lingering. Behind it all, stars poke through, ancient and terrible, singing. Sand trickles, hinting, whispering. Points of light distort the edges, trailing their essence behind them. A bird in the sky becomes a strange smear. Larger animals, huddled down, give off distorted glows. Sprites glimmer with tenuous light.
(trying to put on an appropriately blank look)
Nnn? Hnnnugh?


Vardaman frowns at her.
Her own self is a darkness to rival the sky, a shape she can't make out. Vardaman is a brightness to rival the sun. The horses and cats are far more normal, simply shapes of horses and cats, glowing beneath her and behind.


VARDAMAN
Coraline reaches into Vardaman's brightness, feeling it all around her, almost a part of her. His arms are the conduit, his chest the core. She can feel his life, his strangeness, his simple fragility, and takes it all into her mind. For a moment she simply holds it there. Somewhere, she thinks, ''I'm sorry.''
How?


Coraline desperately shakes her head, leaning away from the sword.
Vardaman moves behind her, almost as if he heard.


AGATA
And then Coraline flips it, twisting it in on itself, turning it out.
The way you've got her bound up? How could she have?


VARDAMAN
Except nothing happens. The brightness remains. Vardaman... remains.
And what about you, cat? What ''is'' your part in all this?


CORALINE
CORALINE
Hnnnugh hnngnnn nnn!
Nnngh?


Vardaman pulls out her gag.
Desperately Coraline opens her eyes, the brightness of the world flooding back as light, a thin layer over the darkness behind the world, even as she finds the horse underneath her instead with her mind, finding its essence, its life, and turns that out instead.


CORALINE
The horse crumples beneath them, falling over, dead, its life suddenly just gone. Vardaman pulls Coraline off as it falls, losing hold of her momentarily as he rolls away, and quickly gets up. Coraline yells in surprise, but gets up quickly and starts running in a random direction.
Leave her out of this! She doesn't even care; she's just here because it amuses her.


VARDAMAN
Vardaman runs after her and tackles her to the ground, hauling her back up a moment later. He draws his sword, turning, pulling Coraline back even further as he looks around for the source.
She helped you.


CORALINE
The other two horses shy away from the dead one, straining back. One of them stomps a bit.
Of course she helped me! If I'm dead, I can't amuse her. She's a fucking cat!


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
And you expect me to believe you didn't do this?
(casting overhead with his sword)
{{incantation|See call come!}}


CORALINE
Agata peers at them curiously from the packhorse.
Do what?!


Coraline looks toward the horse with her best impression of bewilderment. It's pretty good.
Coraline tries again, twisting at Vardaman's life, trying to put it out as she had with the horse, and the Carriers before. But nothing happens. Nothing continues to happen.
 
AGATA
(hopping onto the dead horse)
Mmm, dead horse beast. So useful.
 
Vardaman lowers his sword uncertainly.
 
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Try giving him an aneurysm or something.
 
Coraline gives Agata a confused look, but tries to do various blood-related things regardless as Vardaman deals with the horses, still holding her in an arm.


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''I can't. I can't target anything specific without being able to use my hands. I might be able to thrombus his arms or something, but what good would that do?
''I can't... it doesn't work on him.


AGATA
AGATA
(mind voice)
(mind voice)
''I find it hilarious that you know this stuff.
''Worked on the horse.


CORALINE
Vardaman looks around briefly, then spins Coraline around by the shoulder. He grabs her by the arm, putting his sword to her throat.
(mind voice)
''I really don't.


AGATA
VARDAMAN
(mind voice)
You. What did you do? How did you do that?
''Knife?


CORALINE
CORALINE
(mind voice)
(trying to put on an appropriately blank look)
''With what? I've no hands, and I'm no foot magician.
Nnn? Hnnnugh?


AGATA
Vardaman frowns at her.
(mind voice)
''You may have a problem.


CORALINE
VARDAMAN
(mind voice)
How?
''Just one?


Coraline desperately shakes her head, leaning away from the sword.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - noonish
AGATA
The way you've got her bound up? How could she have?


Vardaman continues on, hauling Coraline along bound and gagged, leaving the dead horse behind. They go slower now, resting the horses longer. They stop by a small stand of tall trees, Vardaman tying Coraline to another tree, Coraline almost hanging from her arms held above her head as she tries to sit.
VARDAMAN
And what about you, cat? What ''is'' your part in all this?


Vardaman squats next to her and pulls the gag out again. Coraline very calmly vomits a bit in response.
CORALINE
Hnnnugh hnngnnn nnn!


CORALINE
Vardaman shoves Coraline aside and grabs Agata, holding his sword to the cat instead.
(quietly)
Ense Vardaman.


Vardaman startles and stares at her.
VARDAMAN
Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end you, cat.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Let me go.
NNRRNGH!
 
Coraline charges Vardaman, headbutting him. She bounces off harmlessly, falling in a heap off to the side.


VARDAMAN
AGATA
What did you say?
Because my life sustains hers. Take mine away, and she will become that much weaker, that much closer to the turning.
You want her alive? Then you need me alive too.


CORALINE
Vardaman frowns, but lets Agata go. Instead he grabs Coraline again, gripping her in one arm, and then holds out his other hand, palm up.
Ense Vardaman, as I give your name as proof, in the name of the Eternal I command you to let me go.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
You're a Voice? What the fuck?!
{{incantation|Come.}}


CORALINE
A black soulstone appears in his hand.
I wasn't supposed to tell you. I wasn't supposed to reveal myself. But nothing else worked. You wouldn't even die. I couldn't even do that...


Vardaman stares at her in considerable confusion.
To Coraline, there is something wrong about it, more so than with any of the others, and she tries to shy away from it, but Vardaman's grip doesn't let her.


CORALINE
He places the soulstone to her chest.
(pleadingly)
Let me go.


VARDAMAN
Coraline screams, a muffled wail of all consonants. Something inside her breaks. The voices rise to a scream in her head. The starsong hurtles into her mind. The blackness is everywhere, everything too bright to see.
No.


CORALINE
Coraline struggled violently, kicking, twisting, trying to get away, needing to, more than anything.
What?! But... you... you're...


VARDAMAN
Vardaman hastily draws the soulstone back away from her.
As a Voice, I disagree. The choice remains my own.


Coraline stares at him for a bit.
Coraline stop struggling, but remains very tense, hyperventilating, staring at the soulstone in horror.


CORALINE
AGATA
But... why?
(mind voice)
''Names? Names!


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
I can't trust you. No matter who you are, you are too important to let go.
What the fuck?
{{incantation|Walk.}}


Coraline stares at Vardaman desperately.
The soulstone vanishes. Coraline immediately relaxes, collapsing in his arm.


VARDAMAN
Vardaman lowers her to the ground, pulling down her gag.
I cannot.


CORALINE
CORALINE
At least untie me? Let me come on my own? Let me breathe?
(mumbling)
They need to stop their experiments.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
Would you?
What experiments?


CORALINE
CORALINE
(she takes a deep breath)
(mumbling)
If you are determined that I must, then yes. I'll go with you.
The Eternal was right. They need to...
 
Vardaman gives her a long look.


VARDAMAN
VARDAMAN
I wish I could believe you.
The Eternal?


CORALINE
Coraline passes out.
Whaa...?!


Vardaman stuffs the cloth back in her mouth, replacing the gag.
Vardaman glances at Agata.


CORALINE
AGATA
Nnn gnnnngh!
Don't do that again.


Vardaman turns away wearily, heading back toward the horses.
VARDAMAN
Who experimented on her?


Coraline starts sobbing hopelessly, choking on the gag, vomiting a bit more, and then choking on that too when it goes up her nose.
AGATA
No one.


AGATA
VARDAMAN
(mind voice)
She just said...
''Have you considered jumping off a cliff?


Coraline stares at Agata, trying to breathe and get all the vomit back out of her nose.
Agata sticks a leg up and starts licking her butt.


AGATA
VARDAMAN
(mind voice)
I'm talking to a fucking cat.
''Because you should totally jump off a cliff.


CORALINE
(mind voice)
''I... just... are you... what?


VOICE OF KYRULE
EXT. Soravian wilderness - noonish
(mind voice)
''Listen to your cat. Options remain.


Vardaman continues on, hauling Coraline along bound and gagged, leaving the dead horse behind. He goes slower now, resting the remaining horses longer, and stops by a small stand of tall trees, tying Coraline to another tree, Coraline almost hanging from her arms held above her head as she drifts in and out of consciousness.


INT. Grey Lobby
Vardaman squats next to her and pulls the gag out again. She doesn't respond, so he follows up by slapping her a bit in the face.


Coraline and Agata appear in the Lobby very suddenly. A small group of Keepers are arguing nearby.
Coraline very calmly vomits a bit in response.


Coraline stares at them hopelessly.
CORALINE
(quietly)
Ense Vardaman.


The Voice of Kyrule strolls over.
Vardaman startles and stares at her.
 
VOICE OF KYRULE
Keeper.


CORALINE
CORALINE
(loudly)
Let me go.
Jumping off a cliff?


The Keepers turn, surprised.
VARDAMAN
What?


VOICE OF KYURLE
CORALINE
It is an option.
Ense Vardaman, as I give your name as proof, in the name of the Eternal I command you to let me go.


AGATA
VARDAMAN
For the record, I was joking.
You're a Voice.
 
Agata jumps up onto Coraline's head, climbing on her arm and shoulders, and then jumps across to the Voice's head, causing Coraline to have to take a step back to maintain her balance.
 
AGATA
But maybe he's onto something.
(she crouches, peering down at the Voice's face)
Hmm?


CORALINE
CORALINE
(tiredly)
I wasn't supposed to tell you. I wasn't supposed to reveal myself. But nothing else worked. You wouldn't even die. I couldn't even do that...
Well, at least as long as we're all on the same page, here...


VOICE OF KYRULE
Vardaman stares at her in considerable confusion.
Your situation is unfortunate, but you must understand what happened is not something we can help. You were warned.
 
The Voice reaches up and pushes Agata's head out of his face with the side of a finger.
 
AGATA
Meow.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Yeah, sure.
Let me go.


Coraline sits down heavily and flops back onto the floor.
VARDAMAN
No.


CORALINE
CORALINE
See, this is the point where I would totally just fuck everything and kill myself with a shovel. If I could. Which I can't. Yeeeeah.
What?! But... you... you're...


The Voice stands over her and peers down as much as he can without dislodging the cat on his head.
VARDAMAN
As a Voice, I disagree. The choice remains my own.


A couple of the Keepers come over as well.
Coraline stares at him for a bit.


WOMAN IN BROWN
CORALINE
(kneeling by Coraline's side)
But... why?
Whatever you're going through, the Eternal is with you. It can't possibly be so bad...


CORALINE
VARDAMAN
Oh, you have no idea. I'm eight different colours of 'fucked' right now. I didn't even know 'fucked' came in eight colours. Thought it was only three.
I can't trust you. No matter who you are, you are too important to let go.


VOICE OF KYRULE
Coraline stares at Vardaman desperately.
There are nine. You're not quite there yet.


Coraline stares at the Voice blankly.
VARDAMAN
I cannot.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Did you... just make a joke?
At least untie me? Let me come on my own? Let me breathe?


The Voice lifts Agata off his head, and leans down and hauls Coraline up by an arm.
VARDAMAN
Would you?


The woman in brown jumps back.
CORALINE
(she takes a deep breath)
If you are determined that I must, then yes. I'll go with you.


Agata settles on Coraline's shoulders instead.
Vardaman gives her a long look.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VARDAMAN
Come. There is something you should see.
I wish I could believe you.


The Voice gestures over the other Keepers, and draws Coraline into another space entirely.
CORALINE
Whaa...?!


Vardaman stuffs the cloth back in her mouth, replacing the gag.


INT. Library of Souls
CORALINE
Nnn gnnnngh!


It's a large space, a grand space. The prevailing colour is white, with smooth white stone architecture and soft white light permeating everything, glowing out of the walls, drifting down from the high, vaulted ceiling. Vast shelves fill the floor, rising up in a grand maze that fades into the white, filled with books of every style, every colour, every language. They are grouped similarly, and they are all glowing, each a little different from the next.
Vardaman turns away wearily, heading back toward the horses.


The Voice and Coraline appear in a wide corridor between the shelves, with a line of elegant white tables set out down its length. The space is eerily quiet, and yet full of whispers, and the faintest sounds of writing.
Coraline starts sobbing hopelessly, choking on the gag, vomiting a bit more, and then choking on that too when it goes up her nose.


Agata half climbs over Coraline's head and peers off at a random shelf.
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Have you considered jumping off a cliff?


A winged cat peers down from the top of the shelf, and then retreats back from the edge.
Coraline stares at Agata, trying to breathe and get all the vomit back out of her nose.


VOICE OF KYRULE
AGATA
This is the Library of Souls, the greatest power and the greatest treasure guarded by the Eternal. For every soul that is and ever was, there is a book, complete to the instant, either the now, or of its death.
(mind voice)
''Because you should totally jump off a cliff.


CORALINE
CORALINE
And what is in these books?
(mind voice)
''I... just... are you... what?


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
Their stories. Their secrets. Everything they are, everything they've done, every thought they hide from the world. It is all here.
(mind voice)
''Listen to your cat. Options remain.
 


CORALINE
INT. Grey Lobby
For everyone.
 
Coraline and Agata appear in the Lobby very suddenly, Coraline for some reason holding Agata like a sack of flour. A small group of Keepers are arguing nearby. The boy in green is a bit off to the side, glaring at them disappointedly, though he brightens up at seeing Coraline appear.
 
The Voice of Kyrule strolls over.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
Yes.
Keeper.


CORALINE
CORALINE
In all the worlds? Are you in here? Am I?
(incredulously)
Is... Kyrule?
Jumping off a cliff?


VOICE OF KYRULE
The other Keepers turn, surprised.
Yes.


Something niggles in the back of Coraline's mind. The sand drifting in the black behind the worlds...
The boy in green breaks into a grin.
 
AGATA
For the record, I was joking.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Why are you showing me this?
Arrrrgh.


VOICE OF KYRULE
Coraline sits down heavily and flops back onto the floor.
You are the Librarian. The Apostate Keeper, locked in an impossible predicament. You need to win this fight, and so it is time that we trusted you in full.


CORALINE
CORALINE
What fight?
See, this is the point where I would totally just fuck everything and kill myself with a shovel. If I could. Which I can't. Yeeeeah.
 
The other Keepers come over, concerned.


VOICE OF KYRULE
WOMAN IN BROWN
With Ense Vardaman. With your predicament. With the Death of Souls. All of these, it is up to you, your task, your challenge.
(touching Coraline's arm)
Whatever you're going through, the Eternal is with you. It can't possibly be so bad...


CORALINE
CORALINE
Right. So with Ense... with Vardaman, just so we're entirely clear here, what happened was... I tried to tell him what to do as a Voice. He decided not to. As a Voice.
Oh, you have no idea. I'm eight different colours of 'fucked' right now. I didn't even know 'fucked' came in eight colours. Thought it was only three.
Stalemate?


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
Not exactly.
There are nine. You're not quite there yet.
 
Coraline stares up at the Voice blankly.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Well we've basically got Voice on Voice where one has the other trussed up like a piece of livestock, so who exactly wins, here?
Did you... just make a joke?
 
BOY IN GREEN
See, if you really do want to jump off a cliff, I think it's doable. We just need... hmm. I'ma have to go give it a look.
 
The boy disappears.
 
The Voice leans down and hauls Coraline up by an arm, and the Lobby shifts around them, fading, darkening, into a room almost, but not entirely, exactly identical. The architecture is a little different. The furniture is against the walls. The light is dimmer. Dull windows look out over a grey city.
 
They're alone, now. The other Keepers are just gone.
 
Coraline gives the Voice a confused look. Agata jumps up onto her head.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
That is up to you.
This has gone far enough. You need to win this fight.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Oh?
This fight?


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
The Voices speak for the Eternal. In light of a disagreement, arbitration is determined by who wins in practice. Should you escape, it becomes our will that you go free. Should you fail...
With Ense Vardaman. With your predicament. With the Death of Souls. All of these, it is up to you, your task, your challenge.
 
CORALINE
Right. So with Ense... with Vardaman, just so we're entirely clear here, what happened was... I tried to tell him what to do as a Voice. He decided not to. As a Voice.
Stalemate?
 
VOICE OF KYRULE
Not exactly.
 
CORALINE
Well we've basically got Voice on Voice where one has the other trussed up like a piece of livestock, so who exactly wins, here?
 
VOICE OF KYRULE
That is up to you.
 
CORALINE
Oh?
 
VOICE OF KYRULE
The Voices speak for the Eternal. In light of a disagreement, arbitration is determined by rank, and failing that, who is correct in practice. Should you escape, it becomes our will that you go free. Should you fail...


CORALINE
CORALINE
Line 749: Line 775:
A god, admitting an error? Whatever next? Dogs meowing? Cats? Barking?
A god, admitting an error? Whatever next? Dogs meowing? Cats? Barking?


Coraline gives Agata a surprised look.
VOICE OF KYRULE
This error must be amended.


AGATA
AGATA
Woof?
Woof?
VOICE OF KYRULE
This error must be amended.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Can't Kyrule just make some miracle? Send someone to go say 'Yo this matter is settled sod off'?
What... can't Kyrule just make some miracle? Send someone to go say 'Oi this matter is settled sod off'?


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
Line 773: Line 797:


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
(gesturing to the stacks)
Will you continue? See this out to the end?
This is for you. The Eternal has here all the knowledge of all the universe. Use it, and find a way to save yourself.


AGATA
CORALINE
Do you give all your apostates the keys to everything, or just the really crazy ones?
Sure, why not?


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
There have been three, now. Bertram, Shalias, and Coraline.
How far are you willing to go?
Whatever you choose do with it, it will not be like the others. That is certain.


AGATA
CORALINE
And you're suggesting we use all of this to find a way to make jumping off a cliff actually work?
How far do I need to? I tried your way. I tried mine! Nothing's worked. Nothing.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
For instance.
How certain are you of your will?
 
CORALINE
I don't... what?


AGATA
VOICE OF KYRULE
(purring)
What are you willing to risk?
You, my boy, are my kind of crazy.


CORALINE
CORALINE
All this because... I got stuck in a Voice-off? So I can jump off a cliff?
Everything.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
You have the means to find your own path. Use it.
And should you fail, who will mourn your passing?
 
The Voice turns as if to leave.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Wait. You said Kyrule has one too? A book?
Uh...
Can I read it?


The Voice regards her for a long moment. Around them is only silence, and the sound of sand.
There's an awkward silence, and then Coraline uncertainly raises a hand and points toward the cat on her head, looking a bit skeptical.


Finally he nods, once.
Agata purrs loudly.


VOICE OF KYRULE
VOICE OF KYRULE
That is your right.
Do you regret the choices that brought you here? Will you regret one more?
Follow me.


The Voice leads Coraline into the stacks, into the maze, past shelves upon shelves. The pages whisper of civilisations come and gone, of entire worlds wiped out. There is a sense, as they pass, of the Library shifting itself to their destination, taking them ever deeper. Shelves rumble around them.
CORALINE
You already know I have nothing to lose.


The shelf they find themselves facing is, as with all of them, full of books. The names of gods, and of other things, adorn their spines.
VOICE OF KYRULE
Then we shall see who you are, Coraline Henderson.


The Voice stands by, watching.


Coraline goes over and trails a finger over some of the spines, and then selects a simple grey volume with a smooth cover, marked only by a figure of a mask. She pulls it out carefully. The front has a name: ''Aekrin Dri''. She glances back toward the Voice, but he doesn't say anything.
EXT. Soravian wilderness - early afternoon


Coraline opens the book, flipping through the first few pages, and begins to Read.
Coraline awakens suddenly, just in time to catch her bindings digging in particularly painfully as Vardaman hoists her up against the tree.


Vaguely, in the world of the living, Coraline feels the shifts from horse to horse, and the cold as night falls, and Vardaman ties her to another tree and feeds her food and vodka, slowly, so, so slowly. She doesn't respond when he slaps her face. It doesn't matter. It's a world away, slowed in the background, unimportant. She remains in the Library, Reading on, even as the Voice continues to stand by behind her, observing, even as tendrils of black lick around the edges of her sight, gleaming, even as the sand roars into the forefront.
CORALINE
Nrrggaaagh!


Her nose, at least, is mostly clear again. Her head, not so much.


EXT. Soravian wilderness; somewhere - night
VARDAMAN
I'm sorry. I am not trying to hurt you.


Agata, too, is paying little attention, balled up in a giant fluffwad on one of the horses. Vardaman nudges at her, and the cat bites his fingers warningly.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Ow. Also what the crap?


Vardaman frowns.
Vardaman ungags Coraline, gives her some vodka and water, and then regags her, patting her down. He is quite thorough, feeling her exactingly, but Coraline just ignores it as always.


AGATA
AGATA
Don't do that.
(mind voice)
''I'll admit that was somewhat odd.


VARDAMAN
CORALINE
What?
(mind voice)
''I've read Kyrule's secret book back to front, cat, and tried to make sense of even some of it, and frankly that exchange made even the least sensical bits of that book seem bloody purposeful. Possibly because they tended to have context. Or notes complaining about the lack of context.


AGATA
AGATA
Wake a sleeping cat. It's rude.
(mind voice)
''Well, at least you're not feeling quite so hopeless anymore.


VARDAMAN
CORALINE
You've been sleeping all day. Amadi too.
(mind voice)
''How can I possibly feel hopeless when I'm this bloody confused?!


AGATA
AGATA
And we're going to keep right at it, if you please.
(mind voice)
Why are you complaining? You want to move her, this is her not trying to kill you while you do it.
''Heh. It did remind you of one thing, though...


</screenplay>
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Well, sure, there's the nonsense hopefuls apparently go through to become Deathdealers, but that's some actual trials. Tests. Things. And names.
''They, like, fight things. Or stuff.


=== Real world ===
AGATA
Oy Deathdealer. When you lot go through your trials, what's that like?
 
VARDAMAN
What?


<screenplay>
AGATA
We were wondering. My human thinks it's all about fighting stuff. I think it's more about... questions. Out with it, will you?
 
Vardaman stops mid-pat, turns to stare at Agata, sitting serenely on the ground behind him.


EXT. Lauhen sea - day
Coraline just stands there, unable to really do much else. One of Vardaman's hands is on her arms, holding them up. His other is on her boob. She gives it an annoyed look.


The days pass slowly. The raft floats vaguely, bobbing and turning occasionally, often simply sitting on the surface of the ocean. It's stable. It works. It is an absolute dead end.
VARDAMAN
What questions, exactly, do you think they are?


The sky above them is utterly, utterly empty, and very blue.
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Names? Throw me something here.


The sea below is dark and blue.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Will. Questioning. Regrets. Not sure about the other. Where the hells are you going with this?


KIT
AGATA
So I can't help noticing... we seem to be lost at sea?
Your will.


NOLAN
Vardaman frowns.
No.


KIT
AGATA
No?
What you will question. What you will give up.


NOLAN
VARDAMAN
No.
No.


ERRY
AGATA
No.
Whether you regret the choices that brought you here. Whether you might regret one more.


KIT
There's a long, awful silence.
Oh.
Well, we seem to be lost at sea.


Nobody responds.
VARDAMAN
How can you possibly know that?
Who are you?


JORA
AGATA
We need shelter and water. Bearings would be good if we had anywhere to go, but we don't even know where we are. The fish appears to be edible raw, but it already went bad and we had to throw it back into the water, so we're back down to what we brought with us for food.
I'm a cat. Duh.


KIT
CORALINE
Right.
(mind voice)
What fish?
''Have I ever mentioned how much I adore you?
''Also I don't think I've ever felt more like a stage prop in my life. Including that time I literally was a stage prop in comp school.


JORA
AGATA
The squid gave us a present. Apparently as thanks.
I note that you still haven't answered my question.


KIT
Vardaman ignores her and goes back to checking Coraline, checking both boobs, feeling around the edges of her bra, and then pausing at her cleavage. He nudges at it more, and then stops at the fragment, holding it through her coat and shirt.
Squid. That... was a squid.
(he peers around)
And we really have no idea where shore is?


NOLAN
CORALIN
No.
(mind voice)
''Voi vittu.


ERRY
VARDAMAN
So whose fault is all this?
What's this?


Kit and Jora glance toward Nolan.
Coraline just gives him an annoyed look.


Nolan looks at Jora.
Vardaman reaches up under Coraline's shirt and fetches the fragment.


JORA
Coraline makes an indignant noise.
It doesn't matter. We're here, and we need to handle it.


ERRY
As soon as Vardaman takes the fragment away, the voices clatter out of the cracks in reality around Coraline, jarring, bright, strange, pushing down on her like a horrible weight. A whole lot of other strangeness fades away almost as immediately.
It's awfully warm.


KIT
Coraline tenses up awkwardly, blinking in confusion, trying not to... anything. She doesn't even know herself.
Oh, and I suppose you expect me to fix it. Fix everything!
(he waves his hand above them)
{{incantation|yat yoliaig gugum!|old|rain ocean cold!}}


A cloud forms over them, blocking out the sunlight, and promptly starts raining on them. The ambient temperature drops significantly.
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Names?


Erry flops back happily, smiling contentedly, even as she's pelted with raindrops.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''I'm fine, probably. It was just surprising, and annoying. And I guess it was helping even more than I realised. {{idioma|Perkele.}}


Nolan blinks blankly as his hair plasters to his head.
Vardaman gives the shard a worried look, clearly recognising it, and turns back to Coraline with some concern before pulling the gag out and pushing Coraline's arms back up against the tree above her head.


JORA
AGATA
Oh, wow.
(mind voice)
''Probably?


KIT
CORALINE
Oh. Actually that does help a lot. Okay.
(mind voice)
Stars, I'm hungry.
''Well, aside from this very awkward position he's now holding me in? I don't know.


Nolan hands Kit a soggy ration block.
VARDAMAN
(holding up the fragment in his other hand)
How did you get this?


Kit stares at it blankly for a moment.
CORALINE
(rather loudly)
I am the Baron of Fartswetly, bearer of the legendary blade of Con Cebolla, worn at the battle of the Great Fortress of Bleugh! All things come to me!


KIT
VARDAMAN
Yeah, okay.
I had this in my things. How did you get it?


Kit takes the block and starts gnawing on it.
CORALINE
The Baron of Fartswetly has many means. Means and ways. Ways and means.


JORA
VARDAMAN
We probably need to start with shelter. Some sort of covering or awning. A tensile structure?
Why this? Why is it important?


KIT
CORALINE
(dubiously)
Your friends in the woods wondered that too. They tested it against the Death of Souls, and it exploded. The Eternal felt that dearly, you know. So many souls snuffed out. So many of the faithful denied their endings.
'Tensile structure'?


ERRY
VARDAMAN
We've been Nolaned. Save us.
What?


KIT
CORALINE
I... what. Okay. How?
The shard should be with me. That is why you had it, Ense Vardaman. Just in case.


ERRY
VARDAMAN
''Save us.''
In case of what?


Kit turns to Jora.
CORALINE
In case it could help, of course. Now give the Baron of Fartswetly her due.


JORA
Coraline beckons with her head.
Can you make a thin, coarse fabric out of the same material as the raft?


ERRY
AGATA
And barrels.
(mind voice)
''Why are you antagonising him?


NOLAN
CORALINE
Weapons.
(mind voice)
''Why not? How much worse could this possibly get?


KIT
Vardaman sighs and regags Coraline, stuffing the cloth back in her mouth and pocketing the fragment. Coraline bites at his fingers around it, but he ignores this and pulls up and tightens the outer gag holding it in.
Sure, I'll just make all the things!


AGATA
(mind voice)
''He may yet kill you. For real.


EXT. Lauhen sea - day
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Okay, yes. That would be... bad.


It's later. The raft now has an assortment of all the things on it. Poles are grown up out of the corners, arching up into a pointed roof, covered in an awning which hangs down like curtains and blocks out the sun, though it's pulled open on two sides so they can still see out over the water. Barrel-like tubs of fresh water are shoved into a corner. Some weapons and various tools are piled up on the floor. A wad of fabric attempts is piled up next to them.
</screenplay>


Erry is half-hanging off the side of the raft, trailing a hand in the water. Shoved into the far corner in the shade, Kit is very irritably making arrows, handing each one off to Nolan, who nods and then adds them to a pile. Jora has a glass of water, calmly sipping it.
=== Building ===


All the things are the same strange sparkling matte white as the raft itself.
<screenplay>


Erry falls out of the raft.
EXT. Lauhen sea - day


ERRY
The days pass slowly. The raft floats vaguely, bobbing and turning occasionally, often simply sitting on the surface of the ocean. It's stable. It works. It is an absolute dead end.
Agh!


There's a bit of a splash.
The sky above them is utterly, utterly empty, and very blue.


Nobody really responds right away.
The sea below is dark and blue.


Kit finishes an arrow and stabs it at Nolan. Nolan evades the stab and takes it and puts it with the others.
Kit wakes up the first day and proceeds to just sit there, staring out into the blue. The others barely react.


There's some more splashing off the side of the raft.
KIT
So I can't help noticing... we seem to be lost at sea?


ERRY
NOLAN
Guys, guys? I can't get up.
No.


Jora puts down her glass and hauls Erry back onto the raft.
KIT
No?


KIT
NOLAN
So this is fun, and all.
No.


Erry clomps over to the fabric attempts and plonks down on them, making a makeshift nest for herself.
ERRY
No.


KIT
KIT
Also we seem to be lost at sea.
Oh.
Well, maybe we aren't lost at sea, then.


Nobody responds.


EXT. Lauhen sea - dusk
JORA
We need shelter and water. Bearings would be good if we had anywhere to go, but we don't know where we are. The fish appears to be edible raw, but then it started going bad and the gogs ate the rest, so now we're back down to what we brought with us for food.


Night falls. The kids stare at it blankly. Jora ties up the side curtains as the sunset glints off the waves, and glows off clouds near the horizon. Stars poke out through the sky like weevils.
KIT
Right.
What fish?


Erry totally accidentally smacks Nolan in the head with a fishing pole.
JORA
The squid gave us a present. Apparently as thanks.


KIT
Squid. That... was a squid.
(he peers around)
And we really have no idea where shore is?


EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
NOLAN
No.


It's a bright and sunny morning, with useless clouds littering the sky, and horrible amounts of beating sun glaring down, bouncing off the waves, and generally just lingering in the air.
ERRY
So whose fault is all this?


A small pile of fish is on the floor of the raft. A much larger pile of weapons is next to it.
Kit and Jora glance toward Nolan.


Nolan has a hatchet tied to the side of his head.
Nolan looks at Jora.


Erry is holding a fishing pole, but not using it.
JORA
 
It doesn't matter. We're here, and we need to handle it.
Kit is poking a fish repeatedly with a makeshift wand.
 
Jora is lying in the sun, her eyes covered with a cloth, ignoring all of this.


ERRY
ERRY
It's so sunny. Why is it so sunny?
It's awfully warm.


NOLAN
KIT
It's summer.
Oh, and I suppose you expect me to fix it. Fix everything!
(he waves his hand above them)
{{incantation|yat yoliaig gugum!|old|rain ocean cold!}}


ERRY
A cloud forms over them, blocking out the sunlight, and promptly starts raining on them. The ambient temperature drops significantly.
It's not summer.


KIT
Erry flops back happily, smiling contentedly, even as she's pelted with raindrops.
We're lost at sea.


Nolan blinks blankly as his hair plasters to his head.


EXT. Lauhen sea - afternoon
JORA
 
Oh, wow.
It's bright and sunny. The sky is a grand blue expanse, with even grander, towering cloud masses completely failing to do anything to the sun.


KIT
KIT
Look. Clouds.
Oh. Actually that does help a lot. Okay.
Stars, I'm hungry.


JORA
Nolan hands Kit a soggy ration block.
It is summer. The days are longer than the nights. That only happens in summer.


Erry smacks Kit with a fish.
Kit stares at it blankly for a moment.


KIT
KIT
Agh!
Yeah, okay.


Nolan hands Kit a fish, and Kit smacks Erry right back.
Kit takes the block and starts gnawing on it.


Jora backs away, and then tries to grab Kit.
JORA
We probably need to start with shelter. Some sort of covering or awning. A tensile structure?
 
KIT
(dubiously)
'Tensile structure'?
 
ERRY
We've been Nolaned. Save us.


Erry smacks Kit even harder, and winds up hitting Jora as well in the process.
KIT
I... what. Okay. How?


Nolan throws a fish at Erry.
ERRY
''Save us.''


Kit smacks Jora with a fish.
Kit turns to Jora.


JORA
JORA
Guys, stop! Stop!
Can you make a thin, coarse fabric out of the same material as the raft?


Nolan hands Jora a fish.
ERRY
And barrels.


Jora looks at it, confused, and gets hit by another fish, and then slaps right back with her own fish.
NOLAN
Weapons.


This goes on for a bit. Sometimes one of them drops their fish, and Nolan passes each of them new fish to replace them.
KIT
Sure, I'll just make all the things!




EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
EXT. Lauhen sea - day
 
It's later. The raft now has an assortment of all the things on it. Poles are grown up out of the corners, arching up into a pointed roof, covered in an awning which hangs down like curtains and blocks out the sun, though it's pulled open on two sides so they can still see out over the water. Barrel-like tubs of desalinated water are shoved into a corner. Some weapons and various tools are piled up on the floor. A wad of fabric attempts is piled up next to them.
 
Erry is half-hanging off the side of the raft, trailing a hand in the water. Shoved into the far corner in the shade, Kit is very irritably making arrows, handing each one off to Nolan, who nods and then adds them to a pile. Jora has a glass of water, calmly sipping it.


It's another day. It's exactly the same as the previous. The kids are sprawled about, doing nothing.
All the things are the same strange sparkling matte white as the raft itself.


The pile of weapons is even larger now.
Erry falls out of the raft.


ERRY
ERRY
It was summer. It's not gonna be summer again.
Agh!


NOLAN
There's a bit of a splash.
Different summer. We're on the other side now.


No significance of this occurs to anybody. Nobody responds at all, for a bit.
Nobody really responds right away.


KIT
Kit finishes an arrow and stabs it at Nolan. Nolan evades the stab and takes it and puts it with the others.
And we're lost at sea.


There's some more splashing off the side of the raft.


EXT. Luahen sea - night
ERRY
Guys, guys? I can't get up.


It's night. The kids are mostly asleep. The huge pile of weapons is glinting dully. Nolan is sitting on the edge of the raft, peering out beyond the curtains, saying nothing, watching.
Jora puts down her glass and hauls Erry back onto the raft.


Jora nudges Kit and Erry awake.
KIT
So this is fun, and all.


JORA
Erry clomps over to the fabric attempts and plonks down on them, making a makeshift nest for herself.
You'll want to see this.
 
The vast expanse of stars is muted, only the brightest standing out, the constellations clear. The horizon, though, is awash with colour, glowing in all directions.
 
Then they stand, and see the sea. The surface is a brilliant canvas, full of swirling colour, greens and blues and purples, swirling into luminous depths. It shimmers and glitters as though spirits were dancing beneath the surface, and yet the surface itself is utterly still, like glass. Mermaids drift up and kiss the surface, before darting back down. The night is silent.


KIT
KIT
Woah.
Also we seem to be lost at sea.


ERRY.
What is it? Are those...


Jora shakes her head.
EXT. Lauhen sea - dusk


Kit trips over the weapon pile, and gets up quickly, peering over the side of the raft.
Night falls. The kids stare at it blankly. Jora ties up the side curtains as the sunset glints off the waves, and glows off clouds near the horizon. Stars poke out through the sky like weevils.


KIT
Erry totally accidentally smacks Nolan in the head with a fishing pole.
Something under the water, whatever it is.


NOLAN
</screenplay>
Boom.


Nolan topples into the water with a small splash.
=== External threats ===


Nobody really responds to this at first, until a few seconds go by and nothing else happens.
<screenplay>


Jora and Kit peer into the water where Nolan fell, but all they see are iridescent swirls of glow in the depths.
INT. Grey Lobby


KIT
Coraline and the boy in green meet up again, perching on the backs of sofas. The boy has a spellbook. Somehow, Coraline also has a version of hers, the introductory trainer Kit had lent her months back, though this one is much bigger.
Either he comes back or he doesn't.


BOY IN GREEN
Okay, so what we want to do is jump off a cliff.


CORALINE
That's the... short of it.


About an hour later, the lights are still dancing, the sea still still.
BOY IN GREEN
What's the long of it?


Nolan reaches out of the water and climbs back into the raft very suddenly.
Coraline takes a deep breath, mostly just to stall. They don't seem to really need to breathe at all, here.


KIT
CORALINE
Find anything?
I'm bound and gagged. I do not have access to any tools, cannot secret any knives or anything to try to free myself. My bindings are secure, and checked regularly. I am watched at all hours.
What I need to do is free myself, incapacitate a Deathdealer, and then jump off a cliff.


NOLAN
The boy in green stops and stares at her.
There are no sheep here.


BOY IN GREEN
Did you say 'Deathdealer'?


INT. Library of Souls
CORALINE
Yeeeeah. I cannot command him to let me go because he is also a Keeper and... disagreed. I could potentially kill him using conventional means, but my usual magic for that sort of thing appears to have no effect on him.


Coraline turns a page, Reading. The Voice is standing by, behind her. There is little to pay heed to around her.
BOY IN GREEN
Why, though? Why would a Deathdealer...


She looks up momentarily.
CORALINE
Let's just say we had a... difference of opinions as to which course of action is ultimately the more dangerous. He's very convinced he's right, and I'm reasonably sure he really isn't. And I can't exactly tell him the answer is necromancy.
 
BOY IN GREEN
Is it?


CORALINE
CORALINE
How sure are we these are entirely... accurate?
Gods, I hope not. But I sure as hell won't be able to find out if he actually achieves his mission and tells the world what I am.


VOICE OF KYRULE
BOY IN GREEN
Absolutely.
(leaning back, tapping his foor)
Well, that makes it more interesting. Deathdealers are immune to certain kinds of magic, right? Death magic, mind-affecting stuff, most curses, a lot of alchemy straight up. Sleep effects don't really work either.


CORALINE
CORALINE
Oh. Oh dear.
What about dropping a log on his head?


BOY IN GREEN
That would do it. Might see that coming.
You probably want some sort of paralysis for this. How fast can you cast?


EXT. Luahen sea - afternoon
CORALINE
I'll be honest. I'm really new to this. You've taught me most of the actual spells I know.


It's a day. It's very blue. There are no clouds.
BOY IN GREEN
Your bindings?


Jora is meditating, or attempting too.
CORALINE
I was able to cut them off with flame before, but that took a bit, too. Also hurt like hell.


Erry is juggling fish. Sometimes fish slap into people and things around her.
BOY IN GREEN
Hmm. If you free yourself first, you'll be able to cast normally to incapacitate him. But if you incapacitate him first, you'll be more likely to succeed at actually freeing yourself.


Nolan is soliciting yet even ''more'' weapons from Kit.
CORALINE
What if I just do something iffy first to stun him, and then follow up with something better once I have my hands/voice back?


Some of the weapons in the now very large pile are no longer white - a few are glassy clear. One sword is black and shiny.
BOY IN GREEN
Could work. Let's see...


Jora grabs a dropped fish out of the air and smacks Erry with it, hard, knocking the girl over.
The boy flips through a few pages of spells.


Erry stares at her in surprise.
BOY IN GREEN
A freeze spell might work. But it looks like the spells that would help get a lot more complicated rather quickly... fear, maybe? No, Deathdealers wouldn't be susceptible to that...
Paralysis is a higher level spell. Entangle? Hold? No, he could probably cast his way through those...
Think he'd untie you if he thought you were dead?


Kit stops making pointless daggers.
CORALINE
Actually...
(she shakes her head)
I don't know. He might just leave me tied up and lug me with as a corpse.


Nolan frowns.
BOY IN GREEN
Hmm...


JORA
He flips through a few pages of spells, reading through some, skipping over others entirely.
Enough! Enough of all this. Surely we must have something, be able to do something. Nolan, do you have any idea where we are? Can you not use the stars to determine our location?


NOLAN
Coraline goes through her book as well, looking for anything remotely promising. Instead she winds up reading about a spell for conjuring up a fancy hut in a bubble.
Yes. I have.


JORA
BOY IN GREEN
Well?
You might be able to distract him with a conjuration. Or if you could vanish yourself...


NOLAN
CORALINE
I do not know what is at any location near to us.
He has an annoying tendency to tie me to trees, so I'd also need a way to teleport for that to work.
And when I'm not tied to a tree, he makes a point to always have a good grip on me.


JORA
BOY IN GREEN
Kit, do you...
(a bit impressed)
Gotta love our Deathdealers.


Kit watches her expectantly.
CORALINE
Yeah. Great when they're on your side. Otherwise...


JORA
Coraline sighs exasperatedly.
Feck. What about... what do we even have with us? What have we brought?


KIT
CORALINE
What?
He's also annoyingly good at resisting/blocking random spells, so there's that, too.


JORA
BOY IN GREEN
Turn out your pockets. Let's take an inventory.
Empower your spells, then. A longer incantation makes them more stable, so people use more related words, and you can add addwords like '{{incantation|full}}' and '{{incantation|all}}' and '{{incantation|always}}' to buff them too.


Jora shoves aside the giant weapon pile, pushing it against a wall and curtain. Some swords slide out into the ocean. She upends her bag and pulls some stuff out of her own pockets, which turns out to be mostly lint, along with a few keys and a small knife.
CORALINE
All of the above?


Jora indicates the much smaller pile of only partly weapons and eyes the others expectantly.
BOY IN GREEN
Potentially, but how good is your power source?


Kit and Erry come over toward the pile.
CORALINE
Er...


Nolan drops a large stuffed bear onto the pile. It's almost as large as he is.
BOY IN GREEN
Are you channelling?


KIT
CORALINE
(stopping)
I... don't think so.
Whaaat.


Erry hugs her own, much smaller, mostly hairless moose.
BOY IN GREEN
Right, of course! Witches tend to be their own power, with their familiars adding to it. So short of killing yourself, you could probably push this pretty far.
You could also see if you can channel from Kyrule. His priests do that.


Nolan pulls a full-sized shovel out of his pocket, and then dropped a magic bag on top of the bear, causing part of its head to disappear, the bag collapsing flatly across it as though containing nothing.
CORALINE
How?


KIT
BOY IN GREEN
Oh.
That... I don't know. Whatever. Try it!


Erry picks up the bag, sticks her head inside, and then starts pulling things out, adding them to the pile.
CORALINE
Er... {{incantation|Full green light all always}}?


Kit tosses in some things from his own pockets.
She holds out her hand and a brilliant green light appears in it, spreading vaguely out, filling the Lobby with colour. It wants to spread, become many lights, so she lets it, and a sea of green lights rise slowly from the floor and hover at random heights below the ceiling.


Nolan very slowly adds a sheep rib, a pair of mismatched socks, and a small knife to the pile.
BOY IN GREEN
Coooool. And a still-spell!


JORA
CORALINE
Good. Anything else?
Yeah, I seem to be getting the hang of that, at least. How do you silent spell?
 
BOY IN GREEN
I don't know! We'll figure it out. Spells first.
So what, paralyse Deathdealer, free yourself...


Erry tosses a dirty lump into the pile.
CORALINE
Drop tree on him, rob him, run away.


They wind up with a heap of mostly lint, partly junk, a whole lot of random toys and tools and bits of broken things, a surprisingly good spade, not nearly enough alchemical ingredients, an ineffective amount of currency, some random bits of food, enough martial weapons to wage a small war, and a giant wad of yarn.
BOY IN GREEN
How are you going to free yourself?


KIT
CORALINE
Well.
Bah, right. Are there by any chance any spells for untying and unwrapping really complicated things?


ERRY
BOY IN GREEN
So this is who we are, distilled down to simple items.
Well... hmm.
A conjured minion might be able to do it. Or you might be able to telekinesis it, or do the flame thing again but ward yourself first? Except wards apply to things you're wearing, too.
There's always release spells, but those are a bit more powerful than we need, exactly.


KIT
CORALINE
What?
How so?


JORA
BOY IN GREEN
It's a start. It's potential.
Well, see, they kind of release ''everything''. Restraints, sure. Imprisonment. Spell effects. Curses, even. Your old catch all can't catch me! Thing.
Which is why there's also entire schools of counters for them - you get ropes made specifically to not be affected, so then you get release spells built around working against anti-release stuff...


Jora pushes Nolan at the pile.
CORALINE
Er. Do you think my Deathdealer is using anti-release stuff?


Nolan digs through it a bit and then holds up the flaky brown lump that had been the contents of Erry's pockets.
BOY IN GREEN
Was he actually expecting to have to restrain someone with it?


KIT
CORALINE
Do I even wanna know?
No idea.


ERRY
They read and talk and practice. Slowly, a plausible plan begins to emerge.
Do you ever?


JORA
What is it? Dirt?


Nolan sits down and bashes the lump against the floor of the raft, breaking it up into smaller clods of dirt. Embedded within it are some twigs, a key, two spoons, a few clips, a knuckle die, and several peach stones. Their total volume more than doubles that of the original lump.
EXT. Soravian wilderness - evening


KIT
Coraline returns to herself as Vardaman is tying her to another tree. He says nothing as he moves to tend to the horses, and as she sinks to the ground, she doesn't really acknowledge him either.
How in the world...


NOLAN
AGATA
(holding up one of the stones)
(mind voice)
Boom.
''Promising.


JORA
CORALINE
Can you grow that?
(mind voice)
''Agata? Where are you?


Kit takes the stone from Nolan and looks it over.
AGATA
(mind voice)
''He doesn't seem to like me much, so I made myself scarce. Broke into the bag where he shoved the other cats. There used to be a vampire in here. And a sizeable liquor cabinet.


KIT
CORALINE
There's only one way to find out.
(mind voice)
'' 'Used to be'?


AGATA
(mind voice)
''Let's just say Argument of Hags seems to really like chewing on the living dead. Now it's more like part of a vampire. An ex-vampire.


EXT. Lauhen sea - evening
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''What, it didn't fight back?


The raft is rather a mess. The awning is gone, the poles broken. The freshwater barrels are smashed. The iceforged weapon pile is scattered everywhere, mostly in the ocean, random weapons and pieces of weapons floating sadly away. Peach leaves and twigs are everywhere. Jora is bleeding from an arm.
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Naw, it's bound up something awful. It's just sort of gibbering a bit. While a cat chews on it. That was a sight to see.


The four kids watch forlornly as the very large peach tree floats away, half-dead already, half-sunk in the waves.
Agata passes Coraline some memories, including a few particularly choice scenes of gruesome chewing.


KIT
Coraline recoils a bit in horror. Vardaman pauses, watching her, but then resumes his stuff when she doesn't do anything further.
That didn't work.


NOLAN
CORALINE
Can you make it work?
(mind voice)
''Dammit, cat, I did not need that!


KIT
AGATA
Can you keep it from falling out?
(mind voice)
''Didn't you, though?


NOLAN
CORALINE
Can you balance it?
(mind voice)
''No.


KIT
AGATA
Maybe. But can I keep it from getting poisoned by all the salt? And from eating itself? And make it grow, but then stop growing? And make peaches? It would be a lot more useful if it made peaches.
(mind voice)
''Well, one thing you will need is time. Those are some ambitious spells.


NOLAN
CORALINE
Can you?
(mind voice)
''Crap.


Kit shrugs.


Nolan hands him another peach stone.
EXt. Soravian wilderness - night


Kit holds it up in one hand, and starts shaping the spell with his other.
Evening gives way to night. Vardaman gives Coraline some vodka and food, and bundles her up for the night, before sitting by the horses. As always, he watches her carefully. He does not sleep himself.


KIT
Coraline ignores him, focusing instead on her breathing. She maintains regular breaths, in and out, in and out, not letting her itching throat try to cough, not gagging on the gag, not struggling against her painful bindings.
{{incantation|uu dalamo ido!|old|plant swell go}}


The stone begins to sprout, the first leaves and blunt roots growing out.
Idly, she listens to the voices, clamouring in the back of her mind, whispering, chattering, screaming. There's no pattern to it, just a steady stream, some louder, some softer, some stranger than others. None particularly stand out. None seem to repeat. But she listens regardless, focusing at random, like trying to catch a single blade of grass as it passes by while flying through a field...


KIT
VOICE 498862723
{{incantation|yäig yakit ineigobio.|old|water ground dream}}
...Helena sa...


The roots branch into imaginary soil, reaching down, even as the seedling forms true leaves and begins to bud.
VOICE 175746728
Mother...


Kit takes it over to one of the corners of the raft.
VOICE 996514
It's so cold.


KIT
VOICE 666002
{{incantation|iuol ke yäig.|old|salt sugar water}}
...okay to be afraid. It's okay to be afraid. It's okay...


Kit holds the sapling over the side of the raft, shoving the reaching roots into the water. Some of them cling to and grow along the sides of the raft, but the rest go down, hungrily feeding off the seawater and its illusions. The trunk thickens, branching, putting out leaves and dropping others.
They're all snippets. They all sound... there is something about them that she cannot place. Something off, changing them.


KIT
They all sound familiar, like she's heard them all before.
{{incantation|udun mur ugarak uaimo!|old|roots tree fruit big!}} Guide the roots! We need it to stay up this time!


It's chaos. Kit holds his hands on the trunk while the others scramble around, guiding the roots around the sides of the rafts, and Kit meanwhile guides the rest down, holding the trunk straight, holding the entire shape of the tree in his mind. The tree is huge now, the trunk a foot in diametre, and the shape is only a little bigger, the idea simply more balanced... roots below, tree above...
Another voice intrudes, almost as if right in front of her, but not. But this one still has the same quality as the others, distant, off, not quite real.


Wood creaks around them.
VOICE 132434088
Hello? Please, can you hear me? Can you see me? Please, anyone, why can't anyone...


KIT
And then it's gone.
{{incantation|mamanäïm tasigum...|old|crooked straight}}


ERRY
</screenplay>
Agh!


The tree's growth slows. Roots snake around the raft, seeking, sticking, growing out hairs. Erry yanks her arm out of between one and the wall and it draws blood.
=== Building trees ===


A peach falls on Kit's head, and then a snaking root trips him, knocking him back.
<screenplay>


The tree stills, rustling overhead. The growth stops.
EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
 
It's a bright and sunny morning, with useless clouds littering the sky, and horrible amounts of beating sun glaring down, bouncing off the waves, and generally just lingering in the air.
 
A small pile of fish is on the floor of the raft. A much larger pile of weapons is next to it. The gogs are hanging from the awning.


Petals drift down. Felled leaves are all over, covering the raft, rotting away already underfood. Above, the vibrant green leaves on the tree rustle in the wind, covering the raft and a good area of water around, blotting out the still glowing sky.
Nolan has a hatchet tied to the side of his head.


Erry and Jora get up uncertainly.
Erry is holding a fishing pole, but not using it.


Kit stares up at it blankly.
Kit is poking a fish repeatedly with a makeshift wand.


Peaches fall vaguely around them, some splatting on the raft, others splashing into the sea.
Jora is lying in the sun, her eyes covered with a cloth, ignoring all of this.


Nolan catches one and bites into it.
ERRY
It's so sunny. Why is it so sunny?


NOLAN
NOLAN
Yes.
It's summer.
 
ERRY
It's not summer.


KIT
KIT
Yes?
We're lost at sea.


NOLAN
This one seems to have worked.


Kit hastily rolls aside as another peach splats where his head was.
EXT. Lauhen sea - afternoon


Peaches continue to splat down around them.
It's bright and sunny. The sky is a grand blue expanse, with even grander, towering cloud masses completely failing to do anything to the sun. The weapon pile has overflowed over the side of the raft.


KIT
KIT
(not getting up)
Look. Clouds.
So I think...


JORA
JORA
(cutting him off)
It is summer. The days are longer than the nights. That only happens in summer.
If you mention one more time how we're lost at sea, you will regret it.


KIT
Erry smacks Kit with a fish.
Oh, no, no, that's pretty firmly established at this point.
I was just going to say, maybe this is an improvement. Over before.
 
ERRY
(through a peach)
Hmm?


KIT
KIT
Being lost at sea.
Agh!


Kit falls asleep, not even closing his eyes.
Nolan hands Kit a fish, and Kit smacks Erry right back.


A peach hits him in the side of the head.
Jora backs away, and then tries to grab Kit.


This does not wake him at all.
Erry smacks Kit even harder, and winds up hitting Jora as well in the process.


Nolan throws a fish at Erry.


INT. Library of Souls
Kit smacks Jora with a fish.


Coraline closes the book carefully, peering off into space, thinking.
JORA
Guys, stop. Stop!


Kyrule appears behind her as a cloaked man, next to the Voice. They are almost like mirrors of each other, but not.
Nolan hands Jora a fish.


KYRULE
Jora looks at it, confused, and gets hit by another fish, and then slaps right back with her own fish.
Did you find what you were looking for?


CORALINE
This goes on for a bit. Sometimes one of them drops their fish, and Nolan passes each of them new fish to replace them.
(smiling slighty)
I think so.
(she turns to regard Kyrule, cocking her head)
Tell me. If I were to give you everything, what would you do with it? If you had all the worlds to do with what you pleased, no other gods or obstacles in your way, what would you do?


KYRULE
Guard them.


CORALINE
EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
And would you take on this burden willingly, knowing that it could well destroy you, and subsume everything you have and are?


KYRULE
It's another day. It's exactly the same as the previous. The kids are sprawled about, doing nothing.
What exactly are you offering?


CORALINE
The pile of weapons is somewhat flatter now.
I'm not offering anything. I'm asking you to give up everything.


KYRULE
ERRY
You know I already have.
It was summer. It's not gonna be summer again.


Coraline sighs.
NOLAN
Different summer. We're on the other side now.


CORALINE
No significance of this occurs to anybody. Nobody responds at all, for a bit.
I need you to say it.


KYRULE
KIT
I'll humour you. I would take it on willingly.
And we're lost at sea.


CORALINE
(closing her eyes)
Thank you.
(she takes a deep breath, holding out her hand)
How does this work? {{idioma|Identify Nelanor of Kenning Vos. Insert random string here to verify that identity by... agh damn.|full}} I did that wrong. Or... whatever.


Somewhere, not here, Coraline feels the sand trickling between her fingers.
EXT. Luahen sea - night


CORALINE
It's night. The kids are mostly asleep. The huge pile of weapons is glinting dully. Nolan is sitting on the edge of the raft, peering out beyond the curtains, saying nothing, watching.
{{idioma|As these worlds are unnamed, I so name them: here reigns King of the Sandcastle, Kyrule of... Arling Tor. Assessed and verified, with promises made|full}}, because I'm totally qualified to say that. {{idioma|Before the architects, a King and a Realm are so named; any who wish to dispute the naming may follow the proper procedures, etc yadda|full}} yadda stuff.
(she opens her eyes)
And that's it. We're live.


VOICE OF KYRULE
Jora nudges Kit and Erry awake.
What did you do?


CORALINE
JORA
I'm... not sure. I think I've... put us on the map. The universes are part of a wider network, and you are now known and trusted within that network. You may find you have tools with which to protect this universe... and that there are many things that are not entirely what they seem.
You'll want to see this.
Don't ask me how it works, though. I don't know. I don't even know why I have access, or how...
Sometimes names come up and I see... things. When you brought me to this Library, I just knew I had to find out if you were who I thought you were. Maybe you could protect these worlds. Maybe we could use...
(she takes a deep breath)
I didn't expect... her...


KYRULE
The vast expanse of stars is muted, only the brightest standing out, the constellations clear. The horizon, though, is awash with colour, glowing in all directions.
Eapherod.


CORALINE
Then they stand, and see the sea. The surface is a brilliant canvas, full of swirling colour, greens and blues and purples, swirling into luminous depths. It shimmers and glitters as though spirits were dancing beneath the surface, and yet the surface itself is utterly still, like glass. Mermaids drift up and kiss the surface, before darting back down. The night is silent.
We call her the Dark Sister. She's... your Eapherod. It worked. It fucking worked! And you... oh gods. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.


Coraline sits down heavily, holding the book to her chest, taking deep breaths.
KIT
Woah.


KYRULE
ERRY.
You knew her.
What is it? Are those...


CORALINE
Jora shakes her head.
It doesn't matter now. I've got more immediate problems.
(she looks to the Voice)
I need to jump off a cliff, apparently. Because you can't just call your... guy off.


KYRULE
Kit trips over the weapon pile, gets up quickly, and kicks a few of them overboard, peering over the side of the raft.
I can take his life, if you wish.


CORALINE
KIT
Agh, no. I'd rather jump off a cliff.
Something under the water, whatever it is.


VOICE OF KYRULE
NOLAN
Your opportunity will come soon. In three days, it is very likely that Ense Vardaman will make camp at Taris Pass, overlooking the Yakima river valley. There is a sizeable cliff there.
Boom.


CORALINE
Nolan topples into the water with a small splash.
So I just need to get away, get my stuff, jump off, and fly away.
I don't suppose you have any recommendations as to...
(she looks around uncertainly)
People I could use?


KYRULE
Nobody really responds to this at first, until a few seconds go by and nothing else happens.
Silaerynn dru'Raema.


The Voice leans over to help Coraline up, taking the book out of her arms, and replacing it on the shelf.
Jora and Kit peer into the water where Nolan fell, but all they see are iridescent swirls of glow in the depths.


Kyrule disappears in a drifting flash.
KIT
Either he comes back or he doesn't.


CORALINE
Silaerynn dru'Raema. Three days.
(to the Voice)
I can come back here, right?


VOICE OF KYRULE
Always.


Coraline nods and steps out of the Library, returning to what may or may not be the real world.
About an hour later, the lights are still dancing, the sea still still.


Nolan reaches out of the water and climbs back into the raft very suddenly.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - afternoon
KIT
Find anything?


Vardaman and Coraline are now well into the mountains, rising along a rocky trail bounded on all sides by moss and lichens and trees. They're riding, Vardaman holding Coraline in front of him as usual. She's still bound, still gagged, and now far more sore than previously, the pain stabbing all through her arms, back, and legs.
NOLAN
There are no sheep here.


Coraline startles a bit as she awakens, losing the rhythm of her breathing, before she manages to moderate it again, and hastily heals herself as best she can.


The voices get louder all around her, both the strange whispers of the black, and the voices of the Death of Souls as well. Gleaming tendrils of black cover the edges of her vision.
EXT. Luahen sea - afternoon


VARDAMAN
It's a day. It's very blue. There are no clouds.
You're awake.


Coraline doesn't respond.
Jora is meditating, or attempting too.


VARDAMAN
Erry is juggling fish. Sometimes fish slap into people and things around her.
Where did you go?


Coraline stares off into the trees. In their shadows, forest sprites wobble their heads at them, rattling.
Nolan is soliciting yet even ''more'' weapons from Kit. Kit has started just chucking all of them at Nolan's head.


CORALINE
Some of the weapons in the now very large pile are no longer white - a few are glassy clear. One sword is black and shiny.
(mind voice)
''So nothing's changed.


AGATA
Jora grabs a dropped fish out of the air and smacks Erry with it, hard, knocking the girl over.
(mind voice)
''Nope.


CORALINE
Erry stares at her in surprise.
(mind voice)
''And he's as paranoid as ever.


AGATA
Kit stops making pointless daggers.
(mind voice)
''Probably more so.


CORALINE
Nolan frowns.
(mind voice)
''Right. This is such a mess.
''Where are you, anyway?


AGATA
JORA
(mind voice)
Enough! Enough of all this. Surely we must have something, be able to do something. Nolan, do you have any idea where we are? Can you not use the stars to determine our location?
''Vardaman shoved us all in one of his bags. Fortunately liveable. Had a vampire in it. And a sizeable liquor cabinet.


CORALINE
NOLAN
(mind voice)
Yes. I have.
'' 'Had'?
 
JORA
Well?


AGATA
NOLAN
(mind voice)
I do not know what is at any location near to us.
''Let's just say Argument of Hags seems to really like chewing on the living dead.


CORALINE
JORA
(mind voice)
Kit, do you...
''What, it didn't fight back?


AGATA
Kit watches her expectantly.
(mind voice)
''Naw, it was bound up something awful. So it just sort of gibbered a bit. While a cat chewed on it. That was a sight to see.


Agata passes Coraline some of the memories of the event, including a few particularly choice scenes of gruesome chewing.
JORA
Feck. What about... what do we even have with us? What have we brought?


Coraline starts to recoil a bit, but Vardaman tightens his hold.
KIT
What?


CORALINE
JORA
(mind voice)
Turn out your pockets.
''Dammit, cat, I did not need that!


AGATA
Jora shoves aside the giant weapon pile, pushing it against a wall and curtain and knocking a good half of it overboard.. Some of the newer swords sink. She upends her bag and pulls some stuff out of her own pockets, which turns out to be mostly lint, along with a few keys and a small knife.
(mind voice)
''Didn't you, though?


CORALINE
Jora indicates the much smaller pile of only partly weapons and eyes the others expectantly.
(mind voice)
''No.


Kit and Erry come over toward the pile.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - evening
Nolan drops a large stuffed bear onto the pile. It's almost as large as he is.


Coraline is still there when Vardaman stops, lifting her off the horse as he dismounts himself. She doesn't resist as he hauls her over to a tree and ties up her arms.
KIT
(stopping)
Whaaat.


He pauses momentarily after, looking at her.
Erry hugs her own, much smaller, mostly hairless moose. They are mostly the same animal.


Coraline eyes him right back, breathing carefully.
Nolan pulls a full-sized shovel out of his pocket, and then dropped a magic bag on top of the bear, causing part of its head to disappear, the bag collapsing flatly across it as though containing nothing.


VARDAMAN
KIT
(casting deftly)
Oh.
{{incantation|Bury thunder.}}


Vardaman pulls the gag down, and then pulls out the cloth as well. It's a bit covered in phlegm.
A gog crawls out of the bag.


Coraline watches him curiously.
Erry picks up the bag, sticks her head inside, and then starts pulling things out, adding them to the pile. Several more gogs also tumble out.


VARDAMAN
Kit tosses in some things from his own pockets.
Speak.


CORALINE
Nolan very slowly adds a sheep rib, a pair of mismatched socks, and a small knife to the pile.
You wanted to know where I went.


VARDAMAN
JORA
Yes.
Good. Anything else?


CORALINE
Erry tosses a dirty lump into the pile.
This is the world I made, a garden of remembering. {{idioma|Emily is good at remembering.}}


Vardaman frowns.
They wind up with a heap of mostly lint, partly junk, a whole lot of random toys and tools and bits of broken things, a surprisingly good spade, not nearly enough alchemical ingredients, an ineffective amount of currency, some random bits of food and way too many ration blocks, enough martial weapons to wage a small war, and a giant wad of yarn. And 13 gogs.


CORALINE
One of the gogs holds up a sign. It says, 'hello'.
What?


Vardaman replaces the gag and goes to tend to the horses.
KIT
Hi. Why do we have gogs, again?


Coraline watches tiredly, feeling the pain grow yet again in her arms and shoulders.
ERRY
So this is who we are, distilled down to simple items.


A bit later, Vardaman comes back and ungags Coraline again, giving her some vodka. He moves to replace the gag, but then pauses when Coraline starts singing a song to the general effect of 'I'm fucking pissed off'.
KIT
What?


CORALINE
JORA
(singing)
It's a start. It's potential.
''{{idioma|Mua vituttaa niin ankarasti,|translate|Let it be when the boy is pissed}}
''{{idioma|Vituttaa aamusta iltaan,|translate|Let it be from dusk until dawn}}
''{{idioma|Vituttaa on kaikki turhaa,|translate|Being pissed off needs to be embraced wholly}}
''{{idioma|Vittu kun vituttaa!|translate|when you're pissed off}}


VARDAMAN
Jora pushes Nolan at the pile.
I suppose there's some point you're trying to make, here?


CORALINE
Nolan digs through it a bit and then holds up the flaky brown lump that had been the contents of Erry's pockets.
Well, it'd be better if I were hanging up-side down, but I am tied to a tree, so it fits.
(she resumes singing)
''{{idioma|Tunge positiivinen ajattelu hanuriisi,|translate|Cram positive thinking up your ass}}
''{{idioma|Kierrän kriisiryhmänne kaukaa,|translate|I avoid your crisis support group from afar,}}
''{{idioma|Älä tyrkytä minulle terapiaa,|translate|Don't push therapy on me,}}
''{{idioma|Kaada lisää paskaa mun niskaan!|translate|Pour more shit down my neck!}}
''{{idioma|Mua vituttaa niin ankarasti,|translate|I'm so terribly pissed off,}}
''{{idioma|Vituttaa...|translate|Pissed off...}}


Vardaman covers Coraline's mouth with his hand, preventing her from continuing.
KIT
Do I even wanna know?


VARDAMAN
ERRY
Enough.
Do you ever?


Vardaman retracts his hand, and Coraline doesn't continue.
JORA
What is it? Dirt?


CORALINE
Nolan sits down and bashes the lump against the floor of the raft, breaking it up into smaller clods of dirt. Embedded within it are some twigs, a key, two spoons, a few clips, a knuckle die, and several peach stones. Their total volume more than doubles that of the original lump.
I don't know what you expect. You're defying the will of the Eternal. Nothing you do, or I say, will change that.


VARDAMAN
KIT
You know only the Voices call him that.
How in the world...


CORALINE
NOLAN
And he doesn't even like it. He knows it's not true. Nothing is eternal. Everything with a beginning has an end. And everything has a beginning.
(holding up one of the stones)
Maybe we like irony. Maybe a little defiance defines us, just like you. You won't succeed.
Boom.


VARDAMAN
JORA
No?
Can you grow that?


CORALINE
Kit takes the stone from Nolan and looks it over.
Either I will get away from you, or I will die trying. This is a promise.


VARDAMAN
KIT
And how do you intend to do that?
There's only one way to find out.


CORALINE
There are a lot of ways to die.


EXT. Lauhen sea - evening


INT. Grey Lobby
The raft is rather a mess. The awning is gone, the poles broken. The freshwater barrels are smashed. The iceforged weapon pile is scattered everywhere, mostly in the ocean, random weapons and pieces of weapons floating sadly away. Peach leaves and twigs are everywhere. Jora is bleeding from an arm.


Coraline enters lightly, peering about. The boy in green waves from a sofa.
The four kids watch forlornly as the very large peach tree floats away, half-dead already, half-sunk in the waves.


Coraline gives him a small wave in return, smiling slightly, and sidesteps into the Library.
KIT
That didn't work.


NOLAN
Can you make it work?


INT. Library of Souls
KIT
Can you keep it from falling out?


The Library is the same as ever, glowing white, full of the faintest whisperings and scribblings.
NOLAN
Can you balance it?


Coraline finds herself in the corridor of tables, between labyrinths of shelves fading off in either direction. It shouldn't just be a corridor. There is something missing.
KIT
Maybe. But can I keep it from getting poisoned by all the salt? And from eating itself? And make it grow, but then stop growing? And make peaches? It would be a lot more useful if it made peaches.


Coraline glances down the line of tables uncertainly. They are exactly as they were. The wide corridor between the shelves is just as it was, the tables lined up as expected.
NOLAN
Can you?


There is nothing amiss.
Kit shrugs.


Nothing has changed.
Nolan hands him another peach stone.


She turns and heads off into the stacks, making her way carefully through the maze. She knows exactly where she's going. The Library knows exactly where she's going.
Kit holds it up in one hand, and starts shaping the spell with his other.


Coraline slides the book out carefully. This one is a dull dark red, almost the colour of blood, streaked with strange patterns. Bright letters etch out the name: ''Silaerynn dru'Raema''.
KIT
{{incantation|uu dalamo ido!|old|plant swell go}}


Coraline flips through the pages quickly, looking for magic, but picking up snippets of the life regardless. A childhood dreaming, running away. Meetings in the woods. Grasshoppers. A first few inklings of magic - a transfiguration over dinner. An exploded flowerpot. Leaves, floating, dancing overhead, responding to the faintest flicks of his fingers. The wonder and fascination of it all, quickly soured by the realisation of what it means.
The stone begins to sprout, the first leaves and blunt roots growing out.


Hiding in the caves, his friends huddled around.
KIT
{{incantation|yäig yakit ineigobio.|old|water ground dream}}


Running.
The roots branch into imaginary soil, reaching down, even as the seedling forms true leaves and begins to bud.


Coraline flips ahead a bit. Stability. A big city, a mentor who asks nothing in return. She's a witch. She calls herself Mother Annabelle. She shows him things - how to cast, and how to hide. Simple spells, useful spells. How to heal a scrape. How to cook a meal. How to clean a room. How to hide. How to shift attention, and see without seeing. He gobbles it up, and helps around the house. He ventures out into the city, buying food, guarding himself.
Kit takes it over to one of the corners of the raft.


He grows up a bit. He grows older. He makes friends.
KIT
{{incantation|iuol ke yäig.|old|salt sugar water}}


Amidst it all, a shadow looms. A hanging dread. Something he's fled, and that hangs over him even still.
Kit holds the sapling over the side of the raft, shoving the reaching roots into the water. Some of them cling to and grow along the sides of the raft, but the rest go down, hungrily feeding off the seawater and its illusions. The trunk thickens, branching, putting out leaves and dropping others.


The other casters know nothing of it. They're free, and they advertise their skills.
KIT
{{incantation|udun mur ugarak uaimo!|old|roots tree fruit big!}} Guide the roots! We need it to stay up this time!


Agata hangs floppily off Coraline's head, snoring.
It's chaos. Kit holds his hands on the trunk while the others scramble around, guiding the roots around the sides of the rafts, and Kit meanwhile guides the rest down, holding the trunk straight, holding the entire shape of the tree in his mind. The tree is huge now, the trunk a foot in diameter, and the shape is only a little bigger, the idea simply more balanced... roots below, tree above...


CORALINE
Wood creaks around them.
What am I even looking for?


Agata lets out a particularly broken snore, tries to turn over a bit, curling her head around, and slides off Coraline's head, only then waking up very suddenly and clawing down Coraline's face trying to regain her footing.
KIT
{{incantation|mamanäïm tasigum...|old|crooked straight}}


Agata flops onto the floor, looking around in surprise.
ERRY
Agh!


CORALINE
The tree's growth slows. Roots snake around the raft, seeking, sticking, growing out hairs. Erry yanks her arm out of between one and the wall and it draws blood.
(wiping at the claw marks on her face with her hand)
Well, you're really a cat, cat.


AGATA
A peach falls on Kit's head, and then a snaking root trips him, knocking him back.
What? Buh? No.


Coraline's hand comes away with streaks of ash on, and she eyes it confusedly.
The tree stills, rustling overhead. The growth stops.


CORALINE
Petals drift down. Felled leaves are all over, covering the raft, rotting away already underfoot. Above, the vibrant green leaves on the tree rustle in the wind, covering the raft and a good area of water around, blotting out the still glowing sky.
I'm bleeding...?


AGATA
Erry and Jora get up uncertainly.
(sitting up)
You're bleeding ash. Or you were. It looks like it's already healed.
How's the book?


CORALINE
Kit stares up at it blankly.
Interesting. Not really sure what I'm looking for. If I weren't on a bit of a deadline, it'd probably be a pretty fascinating read.


AGATA
Peaches fall vaguely around them, some splatting on the raft, others splashing into the sea.
Deadline. As in you'll be dead.


CORALINE
Nolan catches one and bites into it.
Yes, that's real helpful. Thank you.


AGATA
NOLAN
Well don't let me get in your way.
Yes.


Coraline gives Agata an annoyed look, and then goes back to the book.
KIT
Yes?


NOLAN
This one seems to have worked.


EXT. Lauhen sea - day
Kit hastily rolls aside as another peach splats where his head was.


The raft is oddly stable, but rocking uneasily over the waves, the peach tree acting as a very crude sail. It's growing strong, firmly affixed to the corner, roots growing around the sides of the raft and cutting into the water like a large weight to keep it all level. The awning has been roughly replaced overhead, providing a sagging roof full of peaches.
Peaches continue to splat down around them.


Nolan has a bunch of broken water barrels shoved up against some of the roots, full of suspicious peach concoctions. Jora is fishing.
KIT
(not getting up)
So I think...


Kit wakes up briefly, grabs a peach off his sister, starts gnawing on it, and then falls asleep again in the middle of eating it.
JORA
(cutting him off)
If you mention one more time how we're lost at sea, you will regret it.


Erry smacks him.
KIT
 
Oh, no, no, that's pretty firmly established at this point.
Kit doesn't respond.
I was just going to say, maybe this is an improvement. Over before.
 
ERRY
Why does he keep doing this?
 
JORA
What?
 
ERRY
Doing things, and then falling asleep.
 
JORA
Your brother is a powerful wizard, but he has limits.
 
ERRY
Seems like he always hits his limits when we need water.
 
Nolan passes Erry a mug of something clear and water-like.
 
Erry sniffs it and immediately recoils.
 
ERRY
That's not water!
 
Nolan takes back the mug and passes Erry a different one.
 
Erry sniffs this one suspiciously, and then eyes it in surprise before drinking gratefully.
 
 
INT. Grey Lobby
 
The boy in green has gone. A strange cat, silvery white and blue, is perched on a chair.
 
Coraline glances about in disappointment.
 
The white-blue cat ignores her.
 
Agata hops onto another chair and starts ignoring the white-blue cat right back.
 
Coraline ignores them both, and tries some magic, shaping with her hands and mind, forming words for little things.
 
Agata licks herself.
 
The white-blue cat hops down and disappears after a bit.
 
Coraline stops, staring off at some of the grey decor.
 
CORALINE
Just getting away won't do it. I need my stuff. I need to loot his pockets.
 
AGATA
You need to knock him out somehow. Drop a tree on his head.
 
CORALINE
That might make it a bit more difficult to get at his pockets, though, if there's a tree in the way.
You said you're in with his liquor stash? Think we might have a go poisoning something?
 
AGATA
Can't. He's not drinking any, just giving it to you. I think he takes this a bit seriously.
 
CORALINE
My... knack magic did nothing, but some of the spells did seem to have a slight effect.
 
AGATA
Better spells?
 
CORALINE
Dru'Raema might have a few for disabling folks. Maybe even just a sleep spell that actually works.
 
AGATA
Roughly speaking, the more words you add, the stronger the spell. But if you actually got some of the shape down too, that possibly might help.
 
CORALINE
You mean instead of just yelling random crap in a panic?
Except I can't speak. Or shape. That's sort of a problem.
 
AGATA
Sure you can. We're speaking now. You learned to shape magelights without using your hands.
 
CORALINE
Actually, that... might have been what dru'Raema was doing, too. Okay, so 'sleep' with extra words slapped on, and a shape. How hard could that be?
 
The boy in green appears, spots Coraline, and marches over as if on cue.
 
BOY IN GREEN
Where'd you go?
 
CORALINE
Had to check on something. If I were to say {{incantation|Sleep}}, what shapes would go with that? Trying to knock someone out.
 
The boy immediately brightens up.
 
BOY IN GREEN
Oh, new spells! I can look this up, I think. I'll be right back!
 
The boy pops out.
 
AGATA
You seem to accumulate unexpected allies.
 
CORALINE
Says an unexpected ally.
 
AGATA
Duh.
 
 
EXT. Soravian wilderness - morning
 
Coraline returns to herself as Vardaman gets up and hauls her back to her feet. He gives her the usual pat-down, but then focuses on her boobs, feeling around the edges of her bra. He stops at the fragment, holding it through her coat and shirt.
 
VARDAMAN
What's this?
 
Coraline makes an irritated noise through the gag.
 
Vardaman reaches up under Coraline's shirt and fetches the fragment.
 
Coraline makes an indignant noise.
 
As soon as Vardaman takes the fragment away, the voices clatter out of the cracks in reality around Coraline, jarring, bright, strange, pushing down on her like a horrible weight. A whole lot of other strangeness fades away almost as immediately.
 
Coraline tenses up awkwardly, blinking in confusion, trying not to... anything. She doesn't even know herself.
 
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Names? What was that?
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Agh he found the shard!
 
Vardaman gives the shard a worried look, clearly recognising it, and turns back to Coraline with some concern before pulling the gag out and pushing Coraline's arms back up against the tree above her head.
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''I'm fine, probably. It was just surprising, and annoying. And I guess it was helping even more than I realised. {{idioma|Perkele.}}
 
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Probably?
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Well, aside from this very awkward position he's now holding me in? I don't know.
 
VARDAMAN
(holding up the fragment in his other hand)
How did you get this?
 
CORALINE
(rather loudly)
I am the Baron of Fartswetly, bearer of the legendary blade of Con Cebolla, won at the battle of the Great Fortress of Bleugh! All things come to me!
 
VARDAMAN
I had this in my things. How did you get it?
 
CORALINE
The Baron of Fartswetly has many means. Means and ways. Ways and means.
 
VARDAMAN
Why this? Why is it important?
 
CORALINE
Your friends in the woods wondered that too. They tested it against the Death of Souls, and it exploded. Kyrule felt that dearly, you know. So many souls snuffed out. So many of the faithful denied their endings.
 
VARDAMAN
What?
 
CORALINE
The shard should be with me. That is why you had it, Deathdealer. Just in case.
 
VARDAMAN
In case of what?
 
CORALINE
In case it could help, of course. Now give the Baron of Fartswetly her due.
 
Coraline beckons with her head.
 
AGATA
(mind voice)
''Why are you antagonising him?
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Why not? How much worse could this possibly get?
 
Vardaman sighs and regags Coraline, pocketing the fragment and stuffing the cloth back in her mouth. Coraline bites at his fingers around it, but he ignores this and pulls up and tightens the outer gag holding it in.
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''The spells don't exactly require his cooperation, so once I get the casting sorted out, we're basically solid.
 
AGATA
(mind voice)
''He may yet kill you. For real.
 
CORALINE
(mind voice)
''Hmph.
 
</screenplay>
 
=== Changes ===
 
<screenplay>
 
EXT. Lauhen sea - evening
 
It's a brilliant sunset, painting swirls of clouds with strange colour. Glints of other promise glow from the waters.
 
The kids are all doing stuff. Sort of.
 
ERRY
So that stuff. That magic stuff. This stuff.
 
Erry bonks on the raft for emphasis.
 
KIT
Huh?
 
ERRY
You could make anything. Everything. Trees. A castle. An entire floating island. We could have sheep.
 
Nolan narrows his eyes at her.
 
KIT
Uh...
 
ERRY
Why are we sitting on a raft? Why are our chairs the sides, and broken things? Why don't we have thrones and sofas?
 
KIT
Oh will you lay off about sofas already?!
 
ERRY
Just because you unreasonably hate everything and sofas does not mean I'm right!
 
KIT
You're not right, you're stupid.


ERRY
ERRY
You're stupid! You're stupid and you're boring and you hate sofas!
(through a peach)
Hmm?


KIT
KIT
I am not! You're just stuck on that one thing.
Being lost at sea.
 
ERRY
I'm stuck? Me? Who's the one sitting on a pile of roots?!
 
KIT
What?! You're sitting on a barrel!
 
JORA
What... are you even arguing about?
 
ERRY
Agh!
 
Erry flops back onto her back.
 
KIT
How long have we even been out here?
 
JORA
About a week.
 
KIT
Really? That's it?
 
JORA
It was longer underground. I don't know how long.


Kit falls asleep, not even closing his eyes.


A peach hits him in the side of the head.


This does not wake him at all.


</screenplay>
</screenplay>

Revision as of 04:22, 7 November 2016

≪ Previous
Next ≫
Lace mask.svg
Survivor's Song: Part 5
(heaps: heap • heap2 • heap3)
Part 0 • Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • ...

Part 5: Extend tertiary function

You want the answer? You want the end? There is no answer; there is no end. There is only now. In every instance, now, now, now, ever-changing now. Nothing else matters. There is nothing else.

Enjoy your purgatory of the now.

Notes:

  1. Let us pretend the whispering is only the desert wind.
  2. Same flavour, different giraffe.
  3. Placeholder languages may be chosen/generated by automated processes.
  4. To say 'kauhistuksen kanahäkki' may apply.
  5. Or not.

Surface

EXT. Lauhen sea - night
The sea is calmish, with just enough waving to break up the brilliance of the sky. It's a huge sky, awash with swirls of colour and light, thousands and thousands and thousands of stars painting the canvas above with more light than dark, and beneath it the water gleams, a broken landscape of dark shadows and half stars and silver edges.
The bubble erupts from the surface suddenly, popping out of the small waves and exploding on immersion into the atmosphere. The four kids, and two gogs, somehow still with them, fall out into the water.
Kit collapses and nearly sinks before Jora grabs him and holds him up.
Nolan treads water, peering vaguely off into the distance.
NOLAN
The stars are wrong.
Erry flops onto her back, floating, staring up at the sky.
ERRY
It's bigger than I remembered.
NOLAN
Thirteen days. Three hours.
We don't have an inflatable boat. There's no shore here.
Kit groans a bit, not opening his eyes.
JORA
Kit, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you do anything?
KIT
Nnnrrrgggh.
I can't summon one. I suck at summoning. Even little things. Like I tried summoning a spoon once? Wound up with a broken nail.
JORA
It doesn't have to be good. Or a summon. What else floats?
KIT
Ducks.
Nolan produces a duck. It flaps away awkwardly. One of the gogs gives chase, swimming after it.
ERRY
Wood.
NOLAN
Ice.
Kit opens his eyes.
KIT
That... could work. Porous elves' ice, ratio of volume to surface area something lots of water...
Kit just hangs in Jora's arms for a bit. Then he raises a hand and shapes out some spell motions very lethargically.
KIT
yaga dalamo yäig gugum
He ties it all together with a flick and sags into Jora.
The water before them begins to draw together, whitening, solidifying into a mostly flat block of ice rising almost a foot out of the water, big enough to fit the lot of them. A slight wall lines the edges.
The gogs climb on, one of them now dragging a be-webbed duck.
Nolan hoists Erry onto it and climbs in after.
JORA
Nice.
KIT
Nuhh-huh.
Jora tries to life Kit onto the ice raft, and Nolan pulls him up the rest of the way. Kit doesn't move, just collapses onto the ice, asleep.
Nolan pulls Jora up as well.
They all just lie there for a bit.
ERRY
It's not cold.
NOLAN
State shift via magical energy realignments. Rotations are held according to different frequencies than the natural state. Particularly stable frequencies retain a similar half-life to non-magically-occurring unstable materials.
ERRY
I see.
NOLAN
You do?
ERRY
It'll break down. So do other things. Eventually.
Nolan nods slowly.
ERRY
We'll run out of food first. Even if we eat you. And your duck.
JORA
We're not eating Nolan.
A large fish, several feet long, flies out of the water and bounces onto the raft with a wet plop, winding up half on top of Kit. It has several large tooth holes in it, trickling blood.
The gogs skitter away.
Kit doesn't stir.
ERRY
We could eat that.
The fish flops weakly and then just lies there.
Kit continues to not react in any fashion whatsoever.
A tentacle reaches out of the water and gives them a little wave before disappearing back under the other waves.
NOLAN
Our giant cephalopod companion gives us thanks.

Failure case

EXT. Soravian wilderness - morning
Coraline awakens in the tall dry grass, tied to a tree much as before, but now also gagged, her mouth covered, a cloth shoved in such that she cannot close it or move her tongue at all. She gags on the gag, trying to vomit, but it doesn't work. Instead she chokes, the vomit going up her nose, painfully, drowningly. She struggles futilely.
Agata and Argument of Hags are around.
Vardaman hurries over and casts a quick spell over Coraline. Her staff is slung across his back. Her bag is on his belt.
VARDAMAN
bury thunder always.
Vardaman pulls out the gag and cloth and Coraline pukes on her lap, instead, straining against the burning in her nose.
VARDAMAN
You'll need to control your breathing, or you will die.
CORALINE
(coughing)
What?
Vardaman stuffs the cloth back into Coraline's mouth, replacing the gag.
Coraline nearly chokes again.
AGATA
(mind voice)
I won't even be Captain Obvious today.
VARDAMAN
That was clever, your zombie. If you'd killed it, that might have worked.
And your magic. If you could have done that all along, why didn't you?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
He just... he doesn't seriously expect me to be able to answer that...?
AGATA
(mind voice)
No. But he wants to see if you'll find a way. You've surprised him, multiple times over.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
What? I'm not that stupid...
Why? Why all of this? This is crazy.
Coraline chokes and struggles a bit, trying to cough, pulling on the ropes.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Breathe. Just breathe.
Coraline does, focusing.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I have to kill him, don't I? There's no other way out of this...
Vardaman pulls the gag down off Coraline's mouth again, and she spits out the cloth in.
CORALINE
Haista vittu.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Even if there is, it's not worth the bother.
VARDAMAN
That's all? You're not going to try anything?
CORALINE
Nej! Nyt sä vittu kuolet! I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you. Fuck you. Fuck Kyrule.
I'll take you all behind the sauna!
Vardaman claps a hand over Coraline's mouth, but then nothing happens anyway.
Darkness swirls at the edge of Coraline's vision. Voices whisper, though they are not of the Death of Souls. They seem older, deadlier.
Coraline angrily pushes it away.
VARDAMAN
(lowering his hand)
I don't seem to be dead.
AGATA
You're being ironic, Names.
CORALINE
(pulling against the ropes)
I'm not ironic! Touch me again and I'll kill you!
AGATA
Heh.
VARDAMAN
Why the cats?
Coraline glares at him.
VARDAMAN
Why not use your magic before? Why cover yourself in so many lies, even now?
Who are you?
CORALINE
Your mother.
VARDAMAN
Well, shit. I'm fucked.
Whispers protrude. Nelanor. Nelanor...
CORALINE
(mind voice)
He didn't find the fragment.
AGATA
(mind voice)
You got lucky. He's probably not terribly familiar with the concept of a padded bra. Or not a good one.
He still hasn't gotten into your bag, though he's obviously wizened up that there's something there.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I'm seeing things.
Vardaman picks up the cloth and stuffs it back in Coraline's mouth. She tries to bite him, but also reaches out with her healing senses, finding him there in front of her, his life, strong, vibrant.
He pulls the outer gag back up over her mouth, tightening it, and steps away.
Coraline rises up after him a bit, straining her arms, snapping the ropes taut.
CORALINE
HNNGNNN!
Vardaman regards Coraline flatly for a moment.
Coraline sinks back down into the grass.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Like something moving behind the fabric of the universe. I'm seeing it too. Interesting.
Also you maybe shouldn't have told him your intentions. Or be so obvious. Sure, you're angry, but how is this helping, exactly?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Aaaaaagh.
AGATA
(mind voice)
I know. It sucks. Deal with it.
Coraline whimpers unhappily.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I was so close. I was free... for a little bit. And now it's just this all over again, but worse.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Yes.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Thank you.
Thank you for sticking around...
Agata plonks down next to Coraline and purrs.
AGATA
(mind voice)
You may be miserable, but you're fun. Telling a Deathdealer fuck him and his god? That you're going to kill him? Stupid, but very fun, especially the things his face does. And I'm rather enjoying this whole side plot with Kyrule's Voice. Getting to watch that... well, you, of all people, as one of his Keepers is bound to get interesting.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
That assumes I don't die first.
AGATA
(mind voice)
So don't.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Voi paska! That's what I'm doing wrong. I'm dying!
AGATA
(mind voice)
Mmm, butter shit. I bet all the dogs go for that one.
Coraline chokes on a mangled sob-laugh.



Vardaman sits down by the horses, watching Coraline, or as he knows her, Amadi. Maybe. He is beginning to doubt much of her story, and yet there are also things he cannot quite shake.
Vardaman opens his fist on his lap, revealing a large golden coin. On its face is the mask and skull of Kyrule.
He opens his other, and in it is another matching coin. This one has on it a figure of scales. He turns it over, revealing the mask and skull.
He gives Coraline an appraising look, but she's simply hanging limply, staring at the grass. Agata is curled up by her leg, doing apparently nothing either.
VARDAMAN
(quietly)
Keepers, what am I doing? Who are you?
Agata raises her head slightly and stares at him, and then slowly closes her eyes and opens them again.



Later, when Vardaman hoists Coraline back up, he doesn't untie her from the tree. Instead, he pulls the gag back out and holds a bottle of vodka near Coraline's mouth, still holding her arms up over her head.
Coraline tries to move her head to the bottle, but Vardaman pulls it back.
VARDAMAN
You're no Deathdealer.
CORALINE
Oh, now you're Captain Obvious too? Am I just stuck on a whole planet of Captain Obviouses?!
VARDAMAN
Are you... Ordian?
CORALINE
No.
VARDAMAN
You're lying.
CORALINE
What's your point?
VARDAMAN
Speak to me. Your life need not be so miserable before the end.
Do you think I want to do this to you? If I knew what your capabilities were, if I could trust you in any way...
CORALINE
Even if I told you the truth you wouldn't believe me, and I can't... I can't do that.
VARDAMAN
What is the truth?
Coraline meets his gaze, but doesn't answer.
VARDAMAN
I know you have means to communicate with your cat, even with your magic bound. I know you have wizard training, though you are a witch. I know you serve Kyrule.
You're clearly no stranger to suffering. You've had martial training. You're well-spoken across several languages, so you're no commoner. And yet you also know your way around animals, and wilderness, well enough even to throw me off, through non-magical means.
CORALINE
So?
VARDAMAN
And you keep secrets. You play a better game than most agents.
CORALINE
Take this one to the grave.
VARDAMAN
There is nothing for you in death!
CORALINE
It's still my death. Doesn't that count for anything?
VARDAMAN
Normally it would.
He puts the bottle to Coraline's mouth, and she warily takes a drink.
Vardaman takes back the bottle, gives her some food and water in much the same fashion, and replaces her gag. Only afterwards does he untie the ropes from the tree.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I've played too many cards already. If this doesn't work...
Also, my magic is bound?
AGATA
(mind voice)
Suppression spell. Ignore it. Doesn't seem to affect you anyway. This will work, don't worry.
When they return to the horses, the one Coraline had stolen before nickers softly, turning toward Coraline. Coraline pulls a bit toward it as well, but Vardaman directs her instead to a different one, lifts her up, and mounts quickly behind her.
Vardaman holds her tightly as they head out once more.
For a few minutes, Coraline simply waits, looking out over the brown landscape and barren trees, trying to compose herself, focusing on breathing. Then she closes her eyes, and looks out at the world without them.
Everything is dark, thin. The landscape shows itself as edges, smears, ghosts of trees and rocks. The sky is a void, hungering, lingering. Behind it all, stars poke through, ancient and terrible, singing. Sand trickles, hinting, whispering. Points of light distort the edges, trailing their essence behind them. A bird in the sky becomes a strange smear. Larger animals, huddled down, give off distorted glows. Sprites glimmer with tenuous light.
Her own self is a darkness to rival the sky, a shape she can't make out. Vardaman is a brightness to rival the sun. The horses and cats are far more normal, simply shapes of horses and cats, glowing beneath her and behind.
Coraline reaches into Vardaman's brightness, feeling it all around her, almost a part of her. His arms are the conduit, his chest the core. She can feel his life, his strangeness, his simple fragility, and takes it all into her mind. For a moment she simply holds it there. Somewhere, she thinks, I'm sorry.
Vardaman moves behind her, almost as if he heard.
And then Coraline flips it, twisting it in on itself, turning it out.
Except nothing happens. The brightness remains. Vardaman... remains.
CORALINE
Nnngh?
Desperately Coraline opens her eyes, the brightness of the world flooding back as light, a thin layer over the darkness behind the world, even as she finds the horse underneath her instead with her mind, finding its essence, its life, and turns that out instead.
The horse crumples beneath them, falling over, dead, its life suddenly just gone. Vardaman pulls Coraline off as it falls, losing hold of her momentarily as he rolls away, and quickly gets up. Coraline yells in surprise, but gets up quickly and starts running in a random direction.
Vardaman runs after her and tackles her to the ground, hauling her back up a moment later. He draws his sword, turning, pulling Coraline back even further as he looks around for the source.
The other two horses shy away from the dead one, straining back. One of them stomps a bit.
VARDAMAN
(casting overhead with his sword)
See call come!
Agata peers at them curiously from the packhorse.
Coraline tries again, twisting at Vardaman's life, trying to put it out as she had with the horse, and the Carriers before. But nothing happens. Nothing continues to happen.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I can't... it doesn't work on him.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Worked on the horse.
Vardaman looks around briefly, then spins Coraline around by the shoulder. He grabs her by the arm, putting his sword to her throat.
VARDAMAN
You. What did you do? How did you do that?
CORALINE
(trying to put on an appropriately blank look)
Nnn? Hnnnugh?
Vardaman frowns at her.
VARDAMAN
How?
Coraline desperately shakes her head, leaning away from the sword.
AGATA
The way you've got her bound up? How could she have?
VARDAMAN
And what about you, cat? What is your part in all this?
CORALINE
Hnnnugh hnngnnn nnn!
Vardaman shoves Coraline aside and grabs Agata, holding his sword to the cat instead.
VARDAMAN
Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end you, cat.
CORALINE
NNRRNGH!
Coraline charges Vardaman, headbutting him. She bounces off harmlessly, falling in a heap off to the side.
AGATA
Because my life sustains hers. Take mine away, and she will become that much weaker, that much closer to the turning.
You want her alive? Then you need me alive too.
Vardaman frowns, but lets Agata go. Instead he grabs Coraline again, gripping her in one arm, and then holds out his other hand, palm up.
VARDAMAN
Come.
A black soulstone appears in his hand.
To Coraline, there is something wrong about it, more so than with any of the others, and she tries to shy away from it, but Vardaman's grip doesn't let her.
He places the soulstone to her chest.
Coraline screams, a muffled wail of all consonants. Something inside her breaks. The voices rise to a scream in her head. The starsong hurtles into her mind. The blackness is everywhere, everything too bright to see.
Coraline struggled violently, kicking, twisting, trying to get away, needing to, more than anything.
Vardaman hastily draws the soulstone back away from her.
Coraline stop struggling, but remains very tense, hyperventilating, staring at the soulstone in horror.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Names? Names!
VARDAMAN
What the fuck?
Walk.
The soulstone vanishes. Coraline immediately relaxes, collapsing in his arm.
Vardaman lowers her to the ground, pulling down her gag.
CORALINE
(mumbling)
They need to stop their experiments.
VARDAMAN
What experiments?
CORALINE
(mumbling)
The Eternal was right. They need to...
VARDAMAN
The Eternal?
Coraline passes out.
Vardaman glances at Agata.
AGATA
Don't do that again.
VARDAMAN
Who experimented on her?
AGATA
No one.
VARDAMAN
She just said...
Agata sticks a leg up and starts licking her butt.
VARDAMAN
I'm talking to a fucking cat.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - noonish
Vardaman continues on, hauling Coraline along bound and gagged, leaving the dead horse behind. He goes slower now, resting the remaining horses longer, and stops by a small stand of tall trees, tying Coraline to another tree, Coraline almost hanging from her arms held above her head as she drifts in and out of consciousness.
Vardaman squats next to her and pulls the gag out again. She doesn't respond, so he follows up by slapping her a bit in the face.
Coraline very calmly vomits a bit in response.
CORALINE
(quietly)
Ense Vardaman.
Vardaman startles and stares at her.
CORALINE
Let me go.
VARDAMAN
What?
CORALINE
Ense Vardaman, as I give your name as proof, in the name of the Eternal I command you to let me go.
VARDAMAN
You're a Voice.
CORALINE
I wasn't supposed to tell you. I wasn't supposed to reveal myself. But nothing else worked. You wouldn't even die. I couldn't even do that...
Vardaman stares at her in considerable confusion.
CORALINE
Let me go.
VARDAMAN
No.
CORALINE
What?! But... you... you're...
VARDAMAN
As a Voice, I disagree. The choice remains my own.
Coraline stares at him for a bit.
CORALINE
But... why?
VARDAMAN
I can't trust you. No matter who you are, you are too important to let go.
Coraline stares at Vardaman desperately.
VARDAMAN
I cannot.
CORALINE
At least untie me? Let me come on my own? Let me breathe?
VARDAMAN
Would you?
CORALINE
(she takes a deep breath)
If you are determined that I must, then yes. I'll go with you.
Vardaman gives her a long look.
VARDAMAN
I wish I could believe you.
CORALINE
Whaa...?!
Vardaman stuffs the cloth back in her mouth, replacing the gag.
CORALINE
Nnn gnnnngh!
Vardaman turns away wearily, heading back toward the horses.
Coraline starts sobbing hopelessly, choking on the gag, vomiting a bit more, and then choking on that too when it goes up her nose.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Have you considered jumping off a cliff?
Coraline stares at Agata, trying to breathe and get all the vomit back out of her nose.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Because you should totally jump off a cliff.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I... just... are you... what?
VOICE OF KYRULE
(mind voice)
Listen to your cat. Options remain.


INT. Grey Lobby
Coraline and Agata appear in the Lobby very suddenly, Coraline for some reason holding Agata like a sack of flour. A small group of Keepers are arguing nearby. The boy in green is a bit off to the side, glaring at them disappointedly, though he brightens up at seeing Coraline appear.
The Voice of Kyrule strolls over.
VOICE OF KYRULE
Keeper.
CORALINE
(incredulously)
Jumping off a cliff?
The other Keepers turn, surprised.
The boy in green breaks into a grin.
AGATA
For the record, I was joking.
CORALINE
Arrrrgh.
Coraline sits down heavily and flops back onto the floor.
CORALINE
See, this is the point where I would totally just fuck everything and kill myself with a shovel. If I could. Which I can't. Yeeeeah.
The other Keepers come over, concerned.
WOMAN IN BROWN
(touching Coraline's arm)
Whatever you're going through, the Eternal is with you. It can't possibly be so bad...
CORALINE
Oh, you have no idea. I'm eight different colours of 'fucked' right now. I didn't even know 'fucked' came in eight colours. Thought it was only three.
VOICE OF KYRULE
There are nine. You're not quite there yet.
Coraline stares up at the Voice blankly.
CORALINE
Did you... just make a joke?
BOY IN GREEN
See, if you really do want to jump off a cliff, I think it's doable. We just need... hmm. I'ma have to go give it a look.
The boy disappears.
The Voice leans down and hauls Coraline up by an arm, and the Lobby shifts around them, fading, darkening, into a room almost, but not entirely, exactly identical. The architecture is a little different. The furniture is against the walls. The light is dimmer. Dull windows look out over a grey city.
They're alone, now. The other Keepers are just gone.
Coraline gives the Voice a confused look. Agata jumps up onto her head.
VOICE OF KYRULE
This has gone far enough. You need to win this fight.
CORALINE
This fight?
VOICE OF KYRULE
With Ense Vardaman. With your predicament. With the Death of Souls. All of these, it is up to you, your task, your challenge.
CORALINE
Right. So with Ense... with Vardaman, just so we're entirely clear here, what happened was... I tried to tell him what to do as a Voice. He decided not to. As a Voice.
Stalemate?
VOICE OF KYRULE
Not exactly.
CORALINE
Well we've basically got Voice on Voice where one has the other trussed up like a piece of livestock, so who exactly wins, here?
VOICE OF KYRULE
That is up to you.
CORALINE
Oh?
VOICE OF KYRULE
The Voices speak for the Eternal. In light of a disagreement, arbitration is determined by rank, and failing that, who is correct in practice. Should you escape, it becomes our will that you go free. Should you fail...
CORALINE
I did! I already escaped, he just hunted me down again!
VOICE OF KYRULE
That was before you invoked your right as Voice.
CORALINE
What... so I could have done that in the first place, and it would have been good enough?!
Why in the hells did you tell me to not tell him then?
VOICE OF KYRULE
That decision may have been in error.
Coraline stares at him, and sputters a bit.
AGATA
A god, admitting an error? Whatever next? Dogs meowing? Cats? Barking?
VOICE OF KYRULE
This error must be amended.
AGATA
Woof?
CORALINE
What... can't Kyrule just make some miracle? Send someone to go say 'Oi this matter is settled sod off'?
VOICE OF KYRULE
That would be you. That is what the Keepers are.
CORALINE
(pumping her arms up like a cheer)
Whooo! I failed!
The Voice gives Coraline a flat look.
CORALINE
Sorry.
VOICE OF KYRULE
Will you continue? See this out to the end?
CORALINE
Sure, why not?
VOICE OF KYRULE
How far are you willing to go?
CORALINE
How far do I need to? I tried your way. I tried mine! Nothing's worked. Nothing.
VOICE OF KYRULE
How certain are you of your will?
CORALINE
I don't... what?
VOICE OF KYRULE
What are you willing to risk?
CORALINE
Everything.
VOICE OF KYRULE
And should you fail, who will mourn your passing?
CORALINE
Uh...
There's an awkward silence, and then Coraline uncertainly raises a hand and points toward the cat on her head, looking a bit skeptical.
Agata purrs loudly.
VOICE OF KYRULE
Do you regret the choices that brought you here? Will you regret one more?
CORALINE
You already know I have nothing to lose.
VOICE OF KYRULE
Then we shall see who you are, Coraline Henderson.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - early afternoon
Coraline awakens suddenly, just in time to catch her bindings digging in particularly painfully as Vardaman hoists her up against the tree.
CORALINE
Nrrggaaagh!
Her nose, at least, is mostly clear again. Her head, not so much.
VARDAMAN
I'm sorry. I am not trying to hurt you.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Ow. Also what the crap?
Vardaman ungags Coraline, gives her some vodka and water, and then regags her, patting her down. He is quite thorough, feeling her exactingly, but Coraline just ignores it as always.
AGATA
(mind voice)
I'll admit that was somewhat odd.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I've read Kyrule's secret book back to front, cat, and tried to make sense of even some of it, and frankly that exchange made even the least sensical bits of that book seem bloody purposeful. Possibly because they tended to have context. Or notes complaining about the lack of context.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Well, at least you're not feeling quite so hopeless anymore.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
How can I possibly feel hopeless when I'm this bloody confused?!
AGATA
(mind voice)
Heh. It did remind you of one thing, though...
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Well, sure, there's the nonsense hopefuls apparently go through to become Deathdealers, but that's some actual trials. Tests. Things. And names.
They, like, fight things. Or stuff.
AGATA
Oy Deathdealer. When you lot go through your trials, what's that like?
VARDAMAN
What?
AGATA
We were wondering. My human thinks it's all about fighting stuff. I think it's more about... questions. Out with it, will you?
Vardaman stops mid-pat, turns to stare at Agata, sitting serenely on the ground behind him.
Coraline just stands there, unable to really do much else. One of Vardaman's hands is on her arms, holding them up. His other is on her boob. She gives it an annoyed look.
VARDAMAN
What questions, exactly, do you think they are?
AGATA
(mind voice)
Names? Throw me something here.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Will. Questioning. Regrets. Not sure about the other. Where the hells are you going with this?
AGATA
Your will.
Vardaman frowns.
AGATA
What you will question. What you will give up.
VARDAMAN
No.
AGATA
Whether you regret the choices that brought you here. Whether you might regret one more.
There's a long, awful silence.
VARDAMAN
How can you possibly know that?
Who are you?
AGATA
I'm a cat. Duh.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Have I ever mentioned how much I adore you?
Also I don't think I've ever felt more like a stage prop in my life. Including that time I literally was a stage prop in comp school.
AGATA
I note that you still haven't answered my question.
Vardaman ignores her and goes back to checking Coraline, checking both boobs, feeling around the edges of her bra, and then pausing at her cleavage. He nudges at it more, and then stops at the fragment, holding it through her coat and shirt.
CORALIN
(mind voice)
Voi vittu.
VARDAMAN
What's this?
Coraline just gives him an annoyed look.
Vardaman reaches up under Coraline's shirt and fetches the fragment.
Coraline makes an indignant noise.
As soon as Vardaman takes the fragment away, the voices clatter out of the cracks in reality around Coraline, jarring, bright, strange, pushing down on her like a horrible weight. A whole lot of other strangeness fades away almost as immediately.
Coraline tenses up awkwardly, blinking in confusion, trying not to... anything. She doesn't even know herself.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Names?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
I'm fine, probably. It was just surprising, and annoying. And I guess it was helping even more than I realised. Perkele.
Vardaman gives the shard a worried look, clearly recognising it, and turns back to Coraline with some concern before pulling the gag out and pushing Coraline's arms back up against the tree above her head.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Probably?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Well, aside from this very awkward position he's now holding me in? I don't know.
VARDAMAN
(holding up the fragment in his other hand)
How did you get this?
CORALINE
(rather loudly)
I am the Baron of Fartswetly, bearer of the legendary blade of Con Cebolla, worn at the battle of the Great Fortress of Bleugh! All things come to me!
VARDAMAN
I had this in my things. How did you get it?
CORALINE
The Baron of Fartswetly has many means. Means and ways. Ways and means.
VARDAMAN
Why this? Why is it important?
CORALINE
Your friends in the woods wondered that too. They tested it against the Death of Souls, and it exploded. The Eternal felt that dearly, you know. So many souls snuffed out. So many of the faithful denied their endings.
VARDAMAN
What?
CORALINE
The shard should be with me. That is why you had it, Ense Vardaman. Just in case.
VARDAMAN
In case of what?
CORALINE
In case it could help, of course. Now give the Baron of Fartswetly her due.
Coraline beckons with her head.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Why are you antagonising him?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Why not? How much worse could this possibly get?
Vardaman sighs and regags Coraline, stuffing the cloth back in her mouth and pocketing the fragment. Coraline bites at his fingers around it, but he ignores this and pulls up and tightens the outer gag holding it in.
AGATA
(mind voice)
He may yet kill you. For real.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Okay, yes. That would be... bad.

Building

EXT. Lauhen sea - day
The days pass slowly. The raft floats vaguely, bobbing and turning occasionally, often simply sitting on the surface of the ocean. It's stable. It works. It is an absolute dead end.
The sky above them is utterly, utterly empty, and very blue.
The sea below is dark and blue.
Kit wakes up the first day and proceeds to just sit there, staring out into the blue. The others barely react.
KIT
So I can't help noticing... we seem to be lost at sea?
NOLAN
No.
KIT
No?
NOLAN
No.
ERRY
No.
KIT
Oh.
Well, maybe we aren't lost at sea, then.
Nobody responds.
JORA
We need shelter and water. Bearings would be good if we had anywhere to go, but we don't know where we are. The fish appears to be edible raw, but then it started going bad and the gogs ate the rest, so now we're back down to what we brought with us for food.
KIT
Right.
What fish?
JORA
The squid gave us a present. Apparently as thanks.
KIT
Squid. That... was a squid.
(he peers around)
And we really have no idea where shore is?
NOLAN
No.
ERRY
So whose fault is all this?
Kit and Jora glance toward Nolan.
Nolan looks at Jora.
JORA
It doesn't matter. We're here, and we need to handle it.
ERRY
It's awfully warm.
KIT
Oh, and I suppose you expect me to fix it. Fix everything!
(he waves his hand above them)
yat yoliaig gugum!
A cloud forms over them, blocking out the sunlight, and promptly starts raining on them. The ambient temperature drops significantly.
Erry flops back happily, smiling contentedly, even as she's pelted with raindrops.
Nolan blinks blankly as his hair plasters to his head.
JORA
Oh, wow.
KIT
Oh. Actually that does help a lot. Okay.
Stars, I'm hungry.
Nolan hands Kit a soggy ration block.
Kit stares at it blankly for a moment.
KIT
Yeah, okay.
Kit takes the block and starts gnawing on it.
JORA
We probably need to start with shelter. Some sort of covering or awning. A tensile structure?
KIT
(dubiously)
'Tensile structure'?
ERRY
We've been Nolaned. Save us.
KIT
I... what. Okay. How?
ERRY
Save us.
Kit turns to Jora.
JORA
Can you make a thin, coarse fabric out of the same material as the raft?
ERRY
And barrels.
NOLAN
Weapons.
KIT
Sure, I'll just make all the things!


EXT. Lauhen sea - day
It's later. The raft now has an assortment of all the things on it. Poles are grown up out of the corners, arching up into a pointed roof, covered in an awning which hangs down like curtains and blocks out the sun, though it's pulled open on two sides so they can still see out over the water. Barrel-like tubs of desalinated water are shoved into a corner. Some weapons and various tools are piled up on the floor. A wad of fabric attempts is piled up next to them.
Erry is half-hanging off the side of the raft, trailing a hand in the water. Shoved into the far corner in the shade, Kit is very irritably making arrows, handing each one off to Nolan, who nods and then adds them to a pile. Jora has a glass of water, calmly sipping it.
All the things are the same strange sparkling matte white as the raft itself.
Erry falls out of the raft.
ERRY
Agh!
There's a bit of a splash.
Nobody really responds right away.
Kit finishes an arrow and stabs it at Nolan. Nolan evades the stab and takes it and puts it with the others.
There's some more splashing off the side of the raft.
ERRY
Guys, guys? I can't get up.
Jora puts down her glass and hauls Erry back onto the raft.
KIT
So this is fun, and all.
Erry clomps over to the fabric attempts and plonks down on them, making a makeshift nest for herself.
KIT
Also we seem to be lost at sea.


EXT. Lauhen sea - dusk
Night falls. The kids stare at it blankly. Jora ties up the side curtains as the sunset glints off the waves, and glows off clouds near the horizon. Stars poke out through the sky like weevils.
Erry totally accidentally smacks Nolan in the head with a fishing pole.

External threats

INT. Grey Lobby
Coraline and the boy in green meet up again, perching on the backs of sofas. The boy has a spellbook. Somehow, Coraline also has a version of hers, the introductory trainer Kit had lent her months back, though this one is much bigger.
BOY IN GREEN
Okay, so what we want to do is jump off a cliff.
CORALINE
That's the... short of it.
BOY IN GREEN
What's the long of it?
Coraline takes a deep breath, mostly just to stall. They don't seem to really need to breathe at all, here.
CORALINE
I'm bound and gagged. I do not have access to any tools, cannot secret any knives or anything to try to free myself. My bindings are secure, and checked regularly. I am watched at all hours.
What I need to do is free myself, incapacitate a Deathdealer, and then jump off a cliff.
The boy in green stops and stares at her.
BOY IN GREEN
Did you say 'Deathdealer'?
CORALINE
Yeeeeah. I cannot command him to let me go because he is also a Keeper and... disagreed. I could potentially kill him using conventional means, but my usual magic for that sort of thing appears to have no effect on him.
BOY IN GREEN
Why, though? Why would a Deathdealer...
CORALINE
Let's just say we had a... difference of opinions as to which course of action is ultimately the more dangerous. He's very convinced he's right, and I'm reasonably sure he really isn't. And I can't exactly tell him the answer is necromancy.
BOY IN GREEN
Is it?
CORALINE
Gods, I hope not. But I sure as hell won't be able to find out if he actually achieves his mission and tells the world what I am.
BOY IN GREEN
(leaning back, tapping his foor)
Well, that makes it more interesting. Deathdealers are immune to certain kinds of magic, right? Death magic, mind-affecting stuff, most curses, a lot of alchemy straight up. Sleep effects don't really work either.
CORALINE
What about dropping a log on his head?
BOY IN GREEN
That would do it. Might see that coming.
You probably want some sort of paralysis for this. How fast can you cast?
CORALINE
I'll be honest. I'm really new to this. You've taught me most of the actual spells I know.
BOY IN GREEN
Your bindings?
CORALINE
I was able to cut them off with flame before, but that took a bit, too. Also hurt like hell.
BOY IN GREEN
Hmm. If you free yourself first, you'll be able to cast normally to incapacitate him. But if you incapacitate him first, you'll be more likely to succeed at actually freeing yourself.
CORALINE
What if I just do something iffy first to stun him, and then follow up with something better once I have my hands/voice back?
BOY IN GREEN
Could work. Let's see...
The boy flips through a few pages of spells.
BOY IN GREEN
A freeze spell might work. But it looks like the spells that would help get a lot more complicated rather quickly... fear, maybe? No, Deathdealers wouldn't be susceptible to that...
Paralysis is a higher level spell. Entangle? Hold? No, he could probably cast his way through those...
Think he'd untie you if he thought you were dead?
CORALINE
Actually...
(she shakes her head)
I don't know. He might just leave me tied up and lug me with as a corpse.
BOY IN GREEN
Hmm...
He flips through a few pages of spells, reading through some, skipping over others entirely.
Coraline goes through her book as well, looking for anything remotely promising. Instead she winds up reading about a spell for conjuring up a fancy hut in a bubble.
BOY IN GREEN
You might be able to distract him with a conjuration. Or if you could vanish yourself...
CORALINE
He has an annoying tendency to tie me to trees, so I'd also need a way to teleport for that to work.
And when I'm not tied to a tree, he makes a point to always have a good grip on me.
BOY IN GREEN
(a bit impressed)
Gotta love our Deathdealers.
CORALINE
Yeah. Great when they're on your side. Otherwise...
Coraline sighs exasperatedly.
CORALINE
He's also annoyingly good at resisting/blocking random spells, so there's that, too.
BOY IN GREEN
Empower your spells, then. A longer incantation makes them more stable, so people use more related words, and you can add addwords like 'full' and 'all' and 'always' to buff them too.
CORALINE
All of the above?
BOY IN GREEN
Potentially, but how good is your power source?
CORALINE
Er...
BOY IN GREEN
Are you channelling?
CORALINE
I... don't think so.
BOY IN GREEN
Right, of course! Witches tend to be their own power, with their familiars adding to it. So short of killing yourself, you could probably push this pretty far.
You could also see if you can channel from Kyrule. His priests do that.
CORALINE
How?
BOY IN GREEN
That... I don't know. Whatever. Try it!
CORALINE
Er... Full green light all always?
She holds out her hand and a brilliant green light appears in it, spreading vaguely out, filling the Lobby with colour. It wants to spread, become many lights, so she lets it, and a sea of green lights rise slowly from the floor and hover at random heights below the ceiling.
BOY IN GREEN
Coooool. And a still-spell!
CORALINE
Yeah, I seem to be getting the hang of that, at least. How do you silent spell?
BOY IN GREEN
I don't know! We'll figure it out. Spells first.
So what, paralyse Deathdealer, free yourself...
CORALINE
Drop tree on him, rob him, run away.
BOY IN GREEN
How are you going to free yourself?
CORALINE
Bah, right. Are there by any chance any spells for untying and unwrapping really complicated things?
BOY IN GREEN
Well... hmm.
A conjured minion might be able to do it. Or you might be able to telekinesis it, or do the flame thing again but ward yourself first? Except wards apply to things you're wearing, too.
There's always release spells, but those are a bit more powerful than we need, exactly.
CORALINE
How so?
BOY IN GREEN
Well, see, they kind of release everything. Restraints, sure. Imprisonment. Spell effects. Curses, even. Your old catch all can't catch me! Thing.
Which is why there's also entire schools of counters for them - you get ropes made specifically to not be affected, so then you get release spells built around working against anti-release stuff...
CORALINE
Er. Do you think my Deathdealer is using anti-release stuff?
BOY IN GREEN
Was he actually expecting to have to restrain someone with it?
CORALINE
No idea.
They read and talk and practice. Slowly, a plausible plan begins to emerge.


EXT. Soravian wilderness - evening
Coraline returns to herself as Vardaman is tying her to another tree. He says nothing as he moves to tend to the horses, and as she sinks to the ground, she doesn't really acknowledge him either.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Promising.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Agata? Where are you?
AGATA
(mind voice)
He doesn't seem to like me much, so I made myself scarce. Broke into the bag where he shoved the other cats. There used to be a vampire in here. And a sizeable liquor cabinet.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
'Used to be'?
AGATA
(mind voice)
Let's just say Argument of Hags seems to really like chewing on the living dead. Now it's more like part of a vampire. An ex-vampire.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
What, it didn't fight back?
AGATA
(mind voice)
Naw, it's bound up something awful. It's just sort of gibbering a bit. While a cat chews on it. That was a sight to see.
Agata passes Coraline some memories, including a few particularly choice scenes of gruesome chewing.
Coraline recoils a bit in horror. Vardaman pauses, watching her, but then resumes his stuff when she doesn't do anything further.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Dammit, cat, I did not need that!
AGATA
(mind voice)
Didn't you, though?
CORALINE
(mind voice)
No.
AGATA
(mind voice)
Well, one thing you will need is time. Those are some ambitious spells.
CORALINE
(mind voice)
Crap.


EXt. Soravian wilderness - night
Evening gives way to night. Vardaman gives Coraline some vodka and food, and bundles her up for the night, before sitting by the horses. As always, he watches her carefully. He does not sleep himself.
Coraline ignores him, focusing instead on her breathing. She maintains regular breaths, in and out, in and out, not letting her itching throat try to cough, not gagging on the gag, not struggling against her painful bindings.
Idly, she listens to the voices, clamouring in the back of her mind, whispering, chattering, screaming. There's no pattern to it, just a steady stream, some louder, some softer, some stranger than others. None particularly stand out. None seem to repeat. But she listens regardless, focusing at random, like trying to catch a single blade of grass as it passes by while flying through a field...
VOICE 498862723
...Helena sa...
VOICE 175746728
Mother...
VOICE 996514
It's so cold.
VOICE 666002
...okay to be afraid. It's okay to be afraid. It's okay...
They're all snippets. They all sound... there is something about them that she cannot place. Something off, changing them.
They all sound familiar, like she's heard them all before.
Another voice intrudes, almost as if right in front of her, but not. But this one still has the same quality as the others, distant, off, not quite real.
VOICE 132434088
Hello? Please, can you hear me? Can you see me? Please, anyone, why can't anyone...
And then it's gone.

Building trees

EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
It's a bright and sunny morning, with useless clouds littering the sky, and horrible amounts of beating sun glaring down, bouncing off the waves, and generally just lingering in the air.
A small pile of fish is on the floor of the raft. A much larger pile of weapons is next to it. The gogs are hanging from the awning.
Nolan has a hatchet tied to the side of his head.
Erry is holding a fishing pole, but not using it.
Kit is poking a fish repeatedly with a makeshift wand.
Jora is lying in the sun, her eyes covered with a cloth, ignoring all of this.
ERRY
It's so sunny. Why is it so sunny?
NOLAN
It's summer.
ERRY
It's not summer.
KIT
We're lost at sea.


EXT. Lauhen sea - afternoon
It's bright and sunny. The sky is a grand blue expanse, with even grander, towering cloud masses completely failing to do anything to the sun. The weapon pile has overflowed over the side of the raft.
KIT
Look. Clouds.
JORA
It is summer. The days are longer than the nights. That only happens in summer.
Erry smacks Kit with a fish.
KIT
Agh!
Nolan hands Kit a fish, and Kit smacks Erry right back.
Jora backs away, and then tries to grab Kit.
Erry smacks Kit even harder, and winds up hitting Jora as well in the process.
Nolan throws a fish at Erry.
Kit smacks Jora with a fish.
JORA
Guys, stop. Stop!
Nolan hands Jora a fish.
Jora looks at it, confused, and gets hit by another fish, and then slaps right back with her own fish.
This goes on for a bit. Sometimes one of them drops their fish, and Nolan passes each of them new fish to replace them.


EXT. Lauhen sea - morning
It's another day. It's exactly the same as the previous. The kids are sprawled about, doing nothing.
The pile of weapons is somewhat flatter now.
ERRY
It was summer. It's not gonna be summer again.
NOLAN
Different summer. We're on the other side now.
No significance of this occurs to anybody. Nobody responds at all, for a bit.
KIT
And we're lost at sea.


EXT. Luahen sea - night
It's night. The kids are mostly asleep. The huge pile of weapons is glinting dully. Nolan is sitting on the edge of the raft, peering out beyond the curtains, saying nothing, watching.
Jora nudges Kit and Erry awake.
JORA
You'll want to see this.
The vast expanse of stars is muted, only the brightest standing out, the constellations clear. The horizon, though, is awash with colour, glowing in all directions.
Then they stand, and see the sea. The surface is a brilliant canvas, full of swirling colour, greens and blues and purples, swirling into luminous depths. It shimmers and glitters as though spirits were dancing beneath the surface, and yet the surface itself is utterly still, like glass. Mermaids drift up and kiss the surface, before darting back down. The night is silent.
KIT
Woah.
ERRY.
What is it? Are those...
Jora shakes her head.
Kit trips over the weapon pile, gets up quickly, and kicks a few of them overboard, peering over the side of the raft.
KIT
Something under the water, whatever it is.
NOLAN
Boom.
Nolan topples into the water with a small splash.
Nobody really responds to this at first, until a few seconds go by and nothing else happens.
Jora and Kit peer into the water where Nolan fell, but all they see are iridescent swirls of glow in the depths.
KIT
Either he comes back or he doesn't.



About an hour later, the lights are still dancing, the sea still still.
Nolan reaches out of the water and climbs back into the raft very suddenly.
KIT
Find anything?
NOLAN
There are no sheep here.


EXT. Luahen sea - afternoon
It's a day. It's very blue. There are no clouds.
Jora is meditating, or attempting too.
Erry is juggling fish. Sometimes fish slap into people and things around her.
Nolan is soliciting yet even more weapons from Kit. Kit has started just chucking all of them at Nolan's head.
Some of the weapons in the now very large pile are no longer white - a few are glassy clear. One sword is black and shiny.
Jora grabs a dropped fish out of the air and smacks Erry with it, hard, knocking the girl over.
Erry stares at her in surprise.
Kit stops making pointless daggers.
Nolan frowns.
JORA
Enough! Enough of all this. Surely we must have something, be able to do something. Nolan, do you have any idea where we are? Can you not use the stars to determine our location?
NOLAN
Yes. I have.
JORA
Well?
NOLAN
I do not know what is at any location near to us.
JORA
Kit, do you...
Kit watches her expectantly.
JORA
Feck. What about... what do we even have with us? What have we brought?
KIT
What?
JORA
Turn out your pockets.
Jora shoves aside the giant weapon pile, pushing it against a wall and curtain and knocking a good half of it overboard.. Some of the newer swords sink. She upends her bag and pulls some stuff out of her own pockets, which turns out to be mostly lint, along with a few keys and a small knife.
Jora indicates the much smaller pile of only partly weapons and eyes the others expectantly.
Kit and Erry come over toward the pile.
Nolan drops a large stuffed bear onto the pile. It's almost as large as he is.
KIT
(stopping)
Whaaat.
Erry hugs her own, much smaller, mostly hairless moose. They are mostly the same animal.
Nolan pulls a full-sized shovel out of his pocket, and then dropped a magic bag on top of the bear, causing part of its head to disappear, the bag collapsing flatly across it as though containing nothing.
KIT
Oh.
A gog crawls out of the bag.
Erry picks up the bag, sticks her head inside, and then starts pulling things out, adding them to the pile. Several more gogs also tumble out.
Kit tosses in some things from his own pockets.
Nolan very slowly adds a sheep rib, a pair of mismatched socks, and a small knife to the pile.
JORA
Good. Anything else?
Erry tosses a dirty lump into the pile.
They wind up with a heap of mostly lint, partly junk, a whole lot of random toys and tools and bits of broken things, a surprisingly good spade, not nearly enough alchemical ingredients, an ineffective amount of currency, some random bits of food and way too many ration blocks, enough martial weapons to wage a small war, and a giant wad of yarn. And 13 gogs.
One of the gogs holds up a sign. It says, 'hello'.
KIT
Hi. Why do we have gogs, again?
ERRY
So this is who we are, distilled down to simple items.
KIT
What?
JORA
It's a start. It's potential.
Jora pushes Nolan at the pile.
Nolan digs through it a bit and then holds up the flaky brown lump that had been the contents of Erry's pockets.
KIT
Do I even wanna know?
ERRY
Do you ever?
JORA
What is it? Dirt?
Nolan sits down and bashes the lump against the floor of the raft, breaking it up into smaller clods of dirt. Embedded within it are some twigs, a key, two spoons, a few clips, a knuckle die, and several peach stones. Their total volume more than doubles that of the original lump.
KIT
How in the world...
NOLAN
(holding up one of the stones)
Boom.
JORA
Can you grow that?
Kit takes the stone from Nolan and looks it over.
KIT
There's only one way to find out.


EXT. Lauhen sea - evening
The raft is rather a mess. The awning is gone, the poles broken. The freshwater barrels are smashed. The iceforged weapon pile is scattered everywhere, mostly in the ocean, random weapons and pieces of weapons floating sadly away. Peach leaves and twigs are everywhere. Jora is bleeding from an arm.
The four kids watch forlornly as the very large peach tree floats away, half-dead already, half-sunk in the waves.
KIT
That didn't work.
NOLAN
Can you make it work?
KIT
Can you keep it from falling out?
NOLAN
Can you balance it?
KIT
Maybe. But can I keep it from getting poisoned by all the salt? And from eating itself? And make it grow, but then stop growing? And make peaches? It would be a lot more useful if it made peaches.
NOLAN
Can you?
Kit shrugs.
Nolan hands him another peach stone.
Kit holds it up in one hand, and starts shaping the spell with his other.
KIT
uu dalamo ido!
The stone begins to sprout, the first leaves and blunt roots growing out.
KIT
yäig yakit ineigobio.
The roots branch into imaginary soil, reaching down, even as the seedling forms true leaves and begins to bud.
Kit takes it over to one of the corners of the raft.
KIT
iuol ke yäig.
Kit holds the sapling over the side of the raft, shoving the reaching roots into the water. Some of them cling to and grow along the sides of the raft, but the rest go down, hungrily feeding off the seawater and its illusions. The trunk thickens, branching, putting out leaves and dropping others.
KIT
udun mur ugarak uaimo! Guide the roots! We need it to stay up this time!
It's chaos. Kit holds his hands on the trunk while the others scramble around, guiding the roots around the sides of the rafts, and Kit meanwhile guides the rest down, holding the trunk straight, holding the entire shape of the tree in his mind. The tree is huge now, the trunk a foot in diameter, and the shape is only a little bigger, the idea simply more balanced... roots below, tree above...
Wood creaks around them.
KIT
mamanäïm tasigum...
ERRY
Agh!
The tree's growth slows. Roots snake around the raft, seeking, sticking, growing out hairs. Erry yanks her arm out of between one and the wall and it draws blood.
A peach falls on Kit's head, and then a snaking root trips him, knocking him back.
The tree stills, rustling overhead. The growth stops.
Petals drift down. Felled leaves are all over, covering the raft, rotting away already underfoot. Above, the vibrant green leaves on the tree rustle in the wind, covering the raft and a good area of water around, blotting out the still glowing sky.
Erry and Jora get up uncertainly.
Kit stares up at it blankly.
Peaches fall vaguely around them, some splatting on the raft, others splashing into the sea.
Nolan catches one and bites into it.
NOLAN
Yes.
KIT
Yes?
NOLAN
This one seems to have worked.
Kit hastily rolls aside as another peach splats where his head was.
Peaches continue to splat down around them.
KIT
(not getting up)
So I think...
JORA
(cutting him off)
If you mention one more time how we're lost at sea, you will regret it.
KIT
Oh, no, no, that's pretty firmly established at this point.
I was just going to say, maybe this is an improvement. Over before.
ERRY
(through a peach)
Hmm?
KIT
Being lost at sea.
Kit falls asleep, not even closing his eyes.
A peach hits him in the side of the head.
This does not wake him at all.
≪ Previous
Next ≫
Lace mask.svg
Survivor's Song: Part 5
(heaps: heap • heap2 • heap3)
Part 0 • Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • ...
Retrieved from ‘https://wiki.zaori.org/w/index.php?title=This/Survivors_song/Part_5&oldid=3864’

I once had a similar conversation with a colleague on this, and she said it's because these parents put their relationships with their children first before anything else, so much so that they're not being good parents anymore. It made me sad the whole day because I can't retort to that, yet we know this does not do anybody good, and in the long run... situations like this happen.