The Kraken's Lament (audio story)

The Kraken's Lament was the fifty-third Bernice Summerfield audio story released by Big Finish Productions. It was the first story of the Epoch season.

Publisher's summary
"Gather round, wretched peoples of Atlantis, for Acanthus the Talesmith has a story to tell! A story of adventure, of courage, of a Winged Goddess searching for truth and sanctuary in a friendless city...

On the streets of this fair city, the Goddess searches for a path to the child of two worlds, but finds instead only questions and danger. Be astonished as she defies the rage of the dreaded Kraken! Wonder as she sups with the tragic Queen in her carved stone palace, high above the city! Marvel at her bravery as she gazes deep into the Further Beyond!

Come one, come all and listen! Listen to Acanthus the Talesmith and let him amaze you with his story... the story of Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Kraken's Lament!"

Plot
In the city of Atlantis, Benny seeks out Acanthus the Talesmith to become his assistant, although she cannot remember who sent her and has little memory since leaving the spaceport. Her duties include transcribing Acanthus's stories, washing his clothes and purchasing food. After several weeks, Acanthus takes Benny to the market where he tells a story about the King and how he built the Palace of Stone for the Queen before, wanting to impress her further, sailing away through the Pillars of Hercules and never returning.

The bells toll and the people flee in terror as the Kraken rises from the sea for the first time in several months, destroying several ships. Benny pulls a girl to safety and goes to find her mother whilst the Kraken climbs the Bronze Mountain to reach the Palace, but the Palace Guard fight it and it returns to the sea. Later, she briefly meets Jack; he too was on the flight to Zordin and knew her name before speaking with her, although she cannot remember this interaction. He sails away, hoping that they will see each other again and saying that he is sure that she will figure out what is going on.

Wanting answers and believing that she might find them at the Palace, Benny goes to meet the Queen and is, to her surprise, joined by Acanthus. He gives her a bit of parchment to keep safe and finds her a pegasus which she uses to fly up the Bronze Mountain. Initially mistaken by the Queen for the winged messenger of Poseidon, Benny tells the Queen to have her guards stand down and to allow the Kraken to advance to the Palace, which the Queen eventually decides to do. The Queen is forced to face the fact that the Kraken is her husband and that she will never be able to love him; she has her guards attack him and he destroys the Palace, falling with the Queen into the sea.

Benny flies to safety on the pegasus and heads back to Acanthus's house, but she finds only an empty plot of land and learns that nobody has ever heard of him. She remembers the parchment that he gave her and reads it; it says "the sky's no limit", a line from a jingle that Pallis once heard from a historian, although she cannot recall its meaning.

Cast

 * Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
 * Acanthus - John Montgomery
 * The Queen - Tracy Brabin
 * Jack - David Ames
 * Guard Captain - Scott Handcock
 * Shopper - Mark Wright

Worldbuilding

 * Jack comes from the Bull Nebula, which is some distance from Earth.
 * The spaceport disappeared as Benny reached Atlantis.
 * Acanthus has a dream about Athena.
 * Benny mentions the real Atlantis.
 * The Pillars of Hercules are two rocks at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar.
 * A kraken is generally depicted as a gargantuan squid.
 * The Queen says that the King had the "quick wit" of Chiron.

Continuity

 * Benny remembers Pallis and Gormune. (AUDIO: Year Zero)
 * Benny remembers travelling to Zordin (AUDIO: Dead Man's Switch) and that archaeology is a crime. (AUDIO: Year Zero)
 * Benny mentions being separated from Peter. (AUDIO: Escaping the Future)
 * Acanthus writes "the sky's no limit", which is a line from an advert jingle that Pallis told Benny about. (AUDIO: Year Zero)