This is a rough outline of the final battle sequence. I have already written some of the Peck and Emyr sequences – we’ve read those before – they will be added later and probably tweaked. A couple of scenes in this sequence have been fleshed out a little but I just wanted to get this sequence out on paper in some sort of order!
I hope this all makes sense.
Anyway, please bring any and all questions to the meeting – I really want to be able to lock this sequence down! So, anything on motivations, location, continuity or whatever else troubles you (about the writing!) will be greatly appreciated!
Note: Emyr and Peck have left the Circle.
The Herald and Jynn stand firm in the centre of the Circle, facing S’Uba. Toward the outer edge of the space, but not quite at the perimeter The Brother and The Sister anxiously circle the trio facing off in the centre of the room. Tension fills the air.
S’Uba knows that Emyr has gone to face Gloam. She laughs at the ridiculous idea that a mere human could face and defeat a being such as Gloam. This angers The Herald. Jynn is growing more and more concerned by The Herald’s barely controlled rage. The Herald appears to be rising to S’Uba’s bait. Jynn advises caution. The Herald is dismissive. This makes S’Uba happy. The Herald squares his shoulders and tells Jynn to back off.
The Brother and The Sister share a look – they too are worried about The Herald’s tone and approach to this tricky situation.
S’Uba is very confident. “You are standing in The Circle. My circle. The Coruscation commands here. Therefore, I command here, not you Herald, nor you Mistress Jynn. Not even the might Brother and Sister. Just me.”
- INSERT EMYR/GLOAM’S STORY PART ONE
- INSERT PECK/THE MANY’S STORY PART ONE
S’Uba gloats. She tells the remaining family members that she has always known of The Herald’s plan. S’Uba has assumed that The Herald has concocted the plan. To her this is merely the inevitable outcome of the game she has been playing. Everything that The Herald and the others have done has been blinding obvious to her. Their plan is foolish, doomed to fail. (S’Uba’s arrogance is really building here.) Emyr is a poor choice of champion. He is no match for Gloam. The Herald has doomed Anwen’s only son to a certain death – how does that make The Herald feel? It’s a shame that Emyr was the only choice they had for champion! Except that – by some way I have yet to work out fully – S’Uba has been herding them all towards Emyr as the only choice The Herald would be able to make. S’Uba has been using the Hunt to weed out any potential champions leaving them with the weakest of the bunch.
The Sister asks what happened to all those souls?
S’Uba replies – don’t worry they are not far away… or something equally sinister…
Jynn accuses S’Uba of treachery. Jynn demands to know where the beings caught in the hunt have been sent – are they with Gloam or not! S’Uba scoffs, how could something so small know anything of significance? She then admits that her plan, since the Emissary died (did S’Uba have the Emissary killed…?) has been to push Gloam over the edge and get him to destroy the Harmonic Universe (HU.) S’Uba feels that that Hu has run its course – what was it meant for anyway? Why haven’t the Mother’s appeared? (I think I wrote bits of this already so I can fold that into here…)
Jynn hovers in S’Uba’s face – vivid description needed here – and reminds S’Uba that she was the first of the five families. She is the eldest and the wisest and has a scared duty given to her by The Mothers. How can she abandon that?
S’Uba screams because The Mother’s abandoned us! They are a distant memory now, a phantom thought. Were they even real to begin with. Were they just a convenient story, a means to give the families purpose and to keep them trapped in this place. More about the Mother’s abandoning them – S’Uba is very bitter.
Jynn wavers, sympathy for S’Uba? We could have helped you if you had asked.
S’Uba scoffs, duty and sacrifice be damned – everything comes to an end.
The Herald steps in, eyes blazing, weapon drawn (flaming sword or is that too on the nose?) Then I shall remind you of your office and your duty.
- INSERT PECK/THE MANY’S STORY PART TWO
S’Uba summons her army and separates the protagonists: Jynn is flung away from the centre of the Circle. She will need to get back to the stone at the centre so she will need to fight her way back. Brother and The Sister are driven to the perimeter of the Circle Chamber – by a phalanx (is that the right word?) of archers? I think the archers have some kind of magical/musical snares designed to trap a dragon (this needs a lot of thinking about!) The Herald is surrounded by S’Uba’s honour guard, highly skilled swordsmen easily a match for a lone Herald.
Each division of the army is designed to stop/subdue/kill(?) the other families. Is there a division for The Many too?
- INSERT EMYR/GLOAM’S STORY PART TWO
Jynn flitted from column to column dodging blades and axes and arrows and she darted around the Circle. She moved to a column closer to The Sister and shouted, “I need to get to the bloody stone!” Chippings and fine stone dust rained down on her as three arrows lodged themselves in the column just above her head. Jynn swung round to the other side of the column, “If I can’t sing to the stone then I no good here!”
The Sister nodded and smiled. Jynn was unsure whether the smile was for her or just a simple expression of the fun The Sister was having. As she wove through the outer columns of the Circle the mighty dragon grabbed two of S’Uba’s warriors and flicked a another with her glassy tail, dashing all three of them to floor. Jynn watched as the beings shattered on impact, particles glimmering in the light to be carried away to who knew where. So much for the all-powerful S’Uba, Jynn thought. She offered the lost warriors a silent prayer, hoping to guide them to a better destination than S’Uba had given them. Jynn looked around her and saw an empty column. She closed her eyes and flitted.
The Herald and S’Uba Guard are fighting – hand to hand? Weapons? [S’UBA’s POV?]
Jynn reaches the centre of the Circle.
Steel clashed against dragon scale with percussive resonance. S’Uba’s warriors were well trained, agile and strong. The Sister climbed. Keeping her soft belly close to the stone column she clawed her way upwards. Arrows rained down relentless only to bounce off her glistening scales.
As she climbed The Brother flew in circles, close to the ground, weaving wildly between columns, always keeping his scaly back to the enemy. He twisted and turned, flicking his tail to attack a group of archers, holding out a clawed fist to smash a column and send the debris crashing down onto anyone trying to stop his sister. He smiled as another soldier crumpled and fell to dust.
The Brother looked up, his beautiful sister, scales flashing green and silver in the rippling light, arrow after arrow ricocheting off her strong back. He could see a handful had found their mark, he didn’t worry, battle scars would make for an excellent song later. Still, she climbed. He grabbed a particularly large warrior and bellowed. The Sister paused he climb and looked down at him. They both smiled.
The Brother flashed his teeth and let go of the warrior, snashing him into a distant column. Then he flew faster and faster around the chamber. Faster than the winds on Voltis. Faster than Haftar in the old songs. Faster than any dragon had gone before, at least that would be the song he would sing! The Brother grinned. He became a cyclone, a turbulence that drove even the surest arrows off course. Archers and warriors clung to each other and what columns where left so they would be snatched up in the hurricane that surrounded them.
At the heart of the storm S’Uba’s Guard fought The Herald. The Herald succeeds in pushing S’Uba’s Guard back away from the centre of the stone. Mistress Jynn was flitting from place to place getting closer to the central stone. A few warriors had broken off to pursue her. The Brother roared and this time The Sister joined him in the glorious battle cry. He watched as she pushed herself off and away from the masonry. Archers tried to follow her progress, sighting her with their bows but The Brother’s storm was too powerful. Their arrows fell short of the mark.
- INSERT PECK/THE MANY’S STORY PART THREE
The Sister pushed away from the column, twisted her body, closed her eyes and fell. Curving and arcing herself as she plummeted to the spot where Mistress Jynn waited. The Sister opened her eyes, flexed her talons and held out her hands in readiness The silver talons flashed in the light before they pierced the stone floor forming a cage around Jynn. To add further protection The Sister placed her head over her hands and curled her tail round and about her. I dare any warrior to try and break me, she thought.
“Mistress Jynn, sing to the stone, if you please.”
“You understand what could happen?”
“I am here Mistress Jynn. Nowhere else.”
“Does he know?” Jynn gestured to the streak of colour and noise that was her brother.
“He knows what he needs to, stop tarrying,” The Sister growled and nodded to where a group of S’Uba’s warriors were cautiously advancing on their position.
Jynn closed her eyes and let her fingertips find the polished surface. There were five materials in the circle. Jynn had never sung to so many elements in one song. She took a deep breath and for a moment it felt as if Peck were standing at her side, teacher and pupil, pupil and teacher. All else fell away till there was just Jynn and the stone. Her fingers ran little arcs across the cool surfaces, senses moving deeper, finding their way through layer after layer until she found the disparate songs. They were buried deep. Hiding. Jynn sensed that the music had feared that it had been forgotten.
What has she done to you? Jynn felt the fury fill her chest. She reminded herself that her anger on its own would be no use here.
Jynn reached deeper into the five stones. She greeted them all and invited them to join with her song.
We cannot, said one.
We are too old, said another. No-one cares for us anymore!
You are ancient and wise and you seem to have forgotten you place! You have been here since the first notes were brought together, Jynn could here distant noises, the clang of steel against dragon scale. Screams and basso roars. You have been the foundation of The Circle, connected to the spheres, the planets, to all of the Harmonic Universe. You have been here all this time!
The stones recoiled.
Please! You know what has been happening here.
We have heard many things, said the youngest stone
Then you know what S’Uba has done?
Not entirely, the oldest stones sounded mournful, like it was revisiting an old pain. But we have suspicions. What do you know?
I have a sharing song, may I, Jynn opened her music and poured all she knew into the stone.
Silence. Jynn had never known an element to fall silent after a sharing song.
This is true, asked the youngest stone. Your song is true?
Yes, I am afraid it is.
But what can we do? sang the eldest stone.
Your songs are deep and bold and beautiful, Jynn breathed out. But we need to fight.
- INSERT EMYR/GLOAM’S STORY PART THREE
The Brother continues to be whirlwind – he loses himself in the pleasure of the chaos.
The Herald is fighting the Guards and has by this point defeated all but two of them.
S’Uba shouts at the warriors to stop Jynn.
The Sister fends off warriors as they try to get to Jynn.
Jynn is singing with the stones. When their combined song is ready, she is able to trap S’Uba’s army in much the same way that Peck did in the arcades in Cardiff. The Herald is able to float above the stone – is not captured. But so does S’Uba.
S’Uba and The Herald fight.
Jynn’s grip on the Army weakens. The Sister pours her song into the stones to bolster Jynn’s power.
S’Uba is about to defeat The Herald-
Peck returns with The Many.
The Many disarm S’Uba and save The Herald.
With S’Uba disarmed Jynn is able to let the songs of the stone go. The Army is vanquished.
The Sister dies – her song is now a part of The Circle and will live on beyond her physical form.
S’Uba gloats – it doesn’t matter because Gloam will still destroy the universe.
Gloam appears. No Emyr…
Gloam says that he is no longer fooled by S’Uba. He sees beyond her lies. S’Uba laughs – Anwen’s little brat is still lost! As S’Uba speaks Peck looks closely – Peck suspects that this is another echo of S’Uba’s real form. As Gloam is about to speak S’Uba/Echo vanishes.
The Many ask for forgiveness. Suggest that they will be able to return the souls who made up the Army to the rightful positions in the universe. The families are left with a question – how does the Circle work now? Who should lead? What will the four families do with the Harmonic Universe?
Coda – Tea and Biscuits Two, where The Herald visits an old friend…
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