Sc. 54 INT - SHADOWKEEPER'S CAVERN - POOL SURFACE - DAY
Breaking the surface of the pool, Brigid and the sleeping Hamish are met by a booming LAUGHTER echoing through the cavern, convulsing the water.
The water level sinks as a great geyser rises from it and the Shadowkeeper shows her watery, hag face again.
SHADOWKEEPER: Did you really think, after all that, that I would make it so EASY for you?
Brigid and Hamish are rocked as a massive watery hand forms under them and lifts them from the water.
SHADOWKEEPER: It's too, too sad! Carrying that stupid little twig with its two, two berries - ALL this way.
A second hand forms and Brigid's eyes grow wide as a sleeping Lachlan is lifted from the water.
BRIGID: Lachie!
SHADOWKEEPER: All you had to do was ask for a third: Pretty please, Mr. Blackbird - may I have another?
Brigid's little face collapses and the tears well again and fall down her cheeks.
SHADOWKEEPER: So, Champion. Who are you going to choose? I don't think you care about Hamish enough to repay your debt in tears for him and I'd probably just have to come and take Lachie again.
Brigid glances from Lachlan to Hamish then back at the Shadowkeeper's mocking visage.
SHADOWKEEPER: My advice is leave Lachie here - you'll repay your debt faster. And, after all, it's all his fault - he was the one who betrayed you.
BRIGID: This isn't his fault! They didn't mean for any of this to happen. They were just... being stupid. They don't deserve this.
She looks down at the pool filled with twinkling Shadows.
BRIGID: None of them deserved this!
Brigid wipes viciously at her shining, tear-stained cheeks.
SHADOWKEEPER: Choose!
Brigid sniffs, distracted by something on her palms. Shadow tears are smeared over the glistening wounds on her hands and Brigid stares as the wounds heal. Hope flashes over her face.
BRIGID: No.
SHADOWKEEPER: What?!
BRIGID: I'm not choosing anyone.
The Shadowkeeper lifts Brigid closer to her immense, watery face.
SHADOWKEEPER: The greatest of warriors and wisest of magicians have faced me. I know a Champion when I see one and you are nothing but a crying child. A stubborn one, even a brave one but you are no Champion. CHOOSE!!
She wipes her cheek again and passes her wet hand surreptitiously over her forearm.
BRIGID: I am a Champion.
Brigid tries not to smile as the wounds heal. She rubs her other arm and risks a glance up toward the hole in the cavern roof, muttering to herself.
BRIGID: I am.
SHADOWKEEPER: Really? Let's see what Hamish thinks, shall we? WAKE!
Brigid snaps back to attention.
BRIGID: What?! No!
Hamish opens his eyes, blinking them slowly, then slamming them open.
SHADOWKEEPER (low, slow, with relish): It's... not... a dream.
HAMISH: Where am I? What's going on?
BRIGID: I - it's okay! I'll explain, just... stay calm!
His eyes fall on Lachlan.
HAMISH: Lachlan? What-?
BRIGID: It's okay - it's... it is just a dream. You've been drinking again.
SHADOWKEEPER: A lie? I wasn't expecting that. I'm impressed.
HAMISH (to the Shadowkeeper): Who...what are you? What's happened to me?
SHADOWKEEPER: I am the Shadowkeeper, Hamish, and I have taken your soul. Brigid, here, has come to save you and your cousin. What do you think about that?
HAMISH: I think I'll do my own saving in my own dream, thanks very much.
SHADOWKEEPER: I'm sure you would - strapping lad that you are - but it's not a dream and she's your only hope. Or rather, eating one of those white berries she's holding is your only hope. Unfortunately, she doesn't have enough for three.
Hamish turns to her, wide-eyed.
BRIGID: I didn't know she'd taken both of you!
SHADOWKEEPER: So, which one of you should she save?
Hamish eyes the berries in Brigid's hand.
HAMISH: Sod that!
Hamish lunges for the berries. They struggle.
BRIGID: Hamish! No!
SHADOWKEEPER: Oh, this is too delicious!
HAMISH: You're not leaving me here!
BRIGID: Did I say I was going to leave you here!? I'm not like you -I wouldn't do that!
Surprised, Hamish stops fighting her. Released from the struggle, Brigid stumbles and the berries fly from her hand.
The Shadowkeeper grins widely then opens her horrible mouth and a ululation echoes around the cavern.
SHADOWKEEPER: Corr! Corr! Corr!
A crane streaks in through the opening in the ceiling.
With barely a second thought, Brigid leaps off the giant, watery hand. Hamish rushes to look over the edge of the watery plinth.
HAMISH: Bridge!
Below him, Brigid stretches out her arms. Eagle feathers sprout and her feet become talons but the wounds on her body, legs and face have not healed and they remain her own. Brigid turns herself in the air and dives after the berries.
HAMISH: Holy -
He gapes at the sight, then GASPS at the soup of souls below.
HAMISH: Wh- who are they?
SHADOWKEEPER: Others who have not escaped me.
Brigid fixes her eyes on the falling berries and tries to fly down faster.
A RUSH of wings and wind fills Brigid's ears as the crane approaches, levels and then passes her. Brigid takes her lead from the crane, closing her wings to speed her descent.
Brigid gains on the crane and the berries, turns her body and stretches out her legs and spreads her talons.
A talon closes over the falling sprig just before it hits the water.
The crane turns in the air and his wings CRACK against the water as he carries his prize into the air.
Brigid's talons close on empty water and she slaps the pool with her wings in frustration as she ascends close on the heels of the crane.
Brigid has a perfect view as the bird's talon tightens and a claw pierces one of the berries.
BRIGID: No! Don't crush them!
SHADOWKEEPER: WHAT?!
The crane bends its long neck round, under itself to look at the berries in its talon.
The Shadowkeeper's geyser face drops to their level and matches their ascent as it peers at the crane's feet.
SHADOWKEEPER: What have you done?!
The crane's eyes widen in fear as radiant juice bulges onto a claw.
The droplet falls...
SHADOWKEEPER: NOO!!
The Shadowkeeper's watery visage contorts and begins to lose form, water splashing down into the pool below.
The crane dives after the droplet. Brigid grabs at the crane with her talons, as it passes, pulling herself on to its back. She lets her eagle wings go and wraps her human arms around the bird's body.
HAMISH: Bridge!
The geyser-hands holding Lachlan and Hamish are losing form. Water is returning to the pool in great crashing falls, Lachlan and Hamish falling with it.
BRIGID: Just fall - you'll be fine!
HAMISH: What!
BRIGID: You can't drown - trust me!
As the last of the Shadowkeeper's geyser-form crashes into the pool, the two boys tumbling with it, a thick, sparkling fog is forming on the boiling surface of the pool.
The radiant droplet approaches the pool's surface.
The fog shudders and heaves itself from the water with a great sucking noise, a hole forming under the falling berry so that it may drop into the water, without touching the fog.
The crane levels with the droplet and swings its head under it, catching the juice in it feathers. Brigid swings aside to avoid the juice and her face lights in revelation, she hisses to herself
BRIGID: You're protecting her from the juice. She's a Shadow...
The bird pulls up at incredible speed and streaks into the air again. Above them, the shimmering fog fills the cavern roof, ten times the volume she has appeared before. Her hag face peers down anxiously.
BRIGID: You're a Shadow, too!
Brigid swings herself to the side of the bird's body and snatches the berries from the talons curled under it. The crane snaps its attention back to Brigid and, catching her off-balance, shrugs her from its back but Brigid clings to the crane's leg.
Below them, Hamish gathers his wits and swims to Lachlan.
Brigid sets her eyes on the Shadowkeeper and grasps the sprig of berries carefully in her right hand.
The Shadowkeeper sees her intention.
SHADOWKEEPER: No! Get her away! Get her away!
The Shadowkeeper gathers itself up, edging around the cavern roof, away from her.
Brigid lifts a talon-foot and carefully grasps the berry sprig with it. Brigid closes her eyes and lets go of the crane's leg. As she drops, her wings sprout easily and she flies straight for the Shadowkeeper's amorphous, luminescent Shadow-body.
SHADOWKEEPER: Corr! Corr! Corr!
Hamish watches from his position at the side of the pool with one arm around a Hazel branch, the other arm around the still sleeping Lachlan.
Cranes pour through the hole in the roof.
HAMISH: Bridge! Look out!
Brigid turns in time to dodge the cranes coming after her.
Bobbing and weaving just outside the cranes slapping wings, Brigid follows the hag's face as the fog rolls around the cavern roof. Brigid turns her body and extends her talon toward the screaming visage.
SHADOWKEEPER: Corr! Corr! Co-
She shoves her talon into the gaping mouth and drops the berries.
SHADOWKEEPER: AAAAARRRRGH!
The Shadowkeeper's face contorts.
The cranes hover to watch.
The Shadowkeeper's body flashes.
The Shadowkeeper is gone.
The cranes circle her again. Brigid hovers, waiting for them to make their move. The lead crane watches her for several moments, assessing her then leads the cranes single-file through the hole in the cavern roof.
Brigid SIGHS relief and circles down toward the hazel tree.
HAMISH: Where'd it go?
BRIGID: She was a Shadow, like us. I think I sent her back to her body.
HAMISH: You 'think'?
The entire mountain shakes violently.
HAMISH: What was that?
Bradan surfaces and calls up to them.
BRADAN: You've got to get out!
BRIGID: Why? What's happening?
BRADAN: You've returned her to her body! Get out before she fully wakes!
The cavern shakes again and rocks begin to tumble into the pool.
HAMISH: What? Who?
BRADAN: The Shadowkeeper! Go!
Again the mountain shakes.
HAMISH: That's her? How big is she?!
BRIGID: But, Lachie...
BRADAN: I'll hide him deep. Just go!
BRIGID: Thank you. We'll be back. Hamish, grab on to my waist.
Hamish leaps, throwing his arms around Brigid and she beats at the air with her wings, rising just as a rock smashes through his branch. Below them, Bradan grasps Lachlan's collar in his mouth and drags the Shadow-boy under the water to safety.
Brigid saws at the air, slowly ascending toward the hole in the roof, ducking debris as it tumbles from the walls. Sunlight pierces the cavern from above, blinding Brigid momentarily. She squints up to see a boulder plunging toward them.
Brigid dodges and the boulder plummets past them and both children GASP. The 'boulder' is no rock at all but the stone-armored head of a gigantic SERPENT.
The deafening RING of stone sliding on stone fills the cavern and horizontal cracks form in the side of the mountain, flooding the cavern with light. What appeared to be seams in the rock are sliding and writhing over each other. The mountain IS the coiled, writhing body of a Water Dragon.
HAMISH and BRIGID: She's a Water Dragon!?
The Dragon whips her head around and bares a mouthful of dagger-like icicle-teeth. Brigid struggles desperately to get away as the huge bullet head moves swiftly toward them.
BRADAN (O.S.): NO!
Bradan has surfaced and calls up at the furious, writhing dragon.
BRADAN: They have proven themselves worthy! You know they have!
The serpent's head whips round to the salmon, its eyes blazing with fury.
SHADOWKEEPER: Hush, fish or I shall feast on you, too! You witnessed their theft yourself!
Bradan gulps but presses on as Brigid uses the opportunity to make a break for the hole above.
BRADAN: And I have witnessed Brigid's journey and felt the tears of their mothers replenishing the pool. Their debt is re-paid and more. Let them be!
SHADOWKEEPER: Whether their debt is repaid is meaningless. It is my duty to protect this pool from any who would take the waters for themselves without appreciation!
Brigid and Hamish reach the hole but an immense flipper flaps open and slaps them against the Dragon's coiled body, holding them there.
BRADAN: And you? What have you given for the healing you have taken?
SHADOWKEEPER: I have taken nothing from the pool!
BRADAN: No? Your body was dying when your Shadow left it. Centuries have passed and yet you have returned to a living body.
Taken aback, the Shadowkeeper blinks then blusters.
SHADOWKEEPER: I... I have given the pool protection, guarded it with my body - that was my sacrifice!
Bradan's voice softens.
BRADAN: Protection was your intention, my friend, but look at what you have done. Look at the hundreds of Shadows you have kept from the Cycle of Being - a far greater crime than any of these poor souls committed.
Shadowkeeper's eyes blaze again and she lunges at the fish, which swims out of the way.
SHADOWKEEPER: I do not keep them from the cycle of being! The Lord of the Hunt has abandoned them! I have kept them safe, awaiting his call, for centuries but it does not come!
BRADAN: He cannot come. This island is beyond his forests now.
SHADOWKEEPER: All forests are his! This island is no different.
BRADAN: See for yourself.
Bradan sinks into the water and an image ripples to the surface: black and rotting trees cover the island. Tears glaze the dragons eyes but she shakes her head.
SHADOWKEEPER: Lies!
Bradan surfaces.
BRADAN: The pool shows only what is. You know that.
SHADOWKEEPER: Then why have you not shown me before?
BRADAN: I did not wish to torment you when there was nothing you could do.
The wyrm's face contorts then the dragon's head wings round and heads for the hole at the pinnacle of its coiled body. The flipper holding Brigid and Hamish opens and hurls them into the air. They flail for several moments until the Water Dragon catches first one then the other on the top of her head.
Hamish clutches at an antenna-like tuft, the only hand-hold on the smooth, stone-armored head. Brigid regains her human arms and hands to grab at Hamish's outstretched hand.
The Water Dragon lifts them through the cavern to the opening above.