D.D. Ward is Writing

I was still weak. And I had no remaining cigarettes to dull the effects. My legs shook if I traveled above a walk. But I had to do this. I didn’t have anyone else to do it for me. I needed to get into the catacombs. I needed some physical evidence. I needed something I could use to prove my theory.  I would have preferred to try going down the Wyrdbrunnr again. The well had nearly claimed me many times though. And with nobody to back me up, using the old well again would be suicide. Which meant either the sea entrance or my father’s study. The sea entrance was as dangerous to me in this state as the Wyrdbrunnr. And so, I needed to get back into Castle Octavian. I wasn’t going to renounce Amy, not even now, so I needed another way.  I knew that Castle Octavian would be devoid of nobility. They would be at the wedding ceremony in the family’s church. So, I only had the house staff to manage.  I knocked on the door. Helen answered. “Lady Ren? What are you doing here? The Bar...

  House Octavian held an official engagement party at the castle. I was not welcome. But I read in the broadsheets that they also were holding a public procession. It would wind through the streets of Octavo. I presumed this was due to the marriage including foreign royalty.  And so, I watched the procession from the city walls. The procession was enormous. It was far too big for the mere daughter of a baron. But it was the perfect size for a crown prince. The people packed the streets. I could smell the body odor of the crowd from the city walls. The sound of boot heels echoed on cobblestones. The collective murmur of human speech rose from the street. It all merged into something like a storm at sea and a rockslide. The procession had fewer decorations than one might expect of a royal engagement. But of course, this wedding had been planned and executed in a rush.  My thoughts turned back to the old world, and to my dad. He’d wanted to control everyone in his life. And ...

  And so, I found myself on the streets of Myrddhin City. Kitten heels clicked on cobblestones. I had to show great care to avoid catching those heels between cobbles as I walked. The smell of horse manure mingled with the smell of stale urine and rotten vegetables. I stepped past a wooden cart laden with garbage. A cat raised its head from the garbage, a fish head in its mouth. The buildings around me were stone or brick. And a drunk chess board of reds and grays rose around me as I walked.  I had the clothing on my back. I had the jewelry I had been wearing. I had a silver and ivory cigarette case but no herbal cigarettes and no matches. I had an ivory and silver cigarette holder. I had my cane. I had my new silver clasp. And I had nothing else.  The jewelry was valuable. I could sell it. That would hold me for a while. But I still needed to figure out what to do now. I had never felt so lost. Amy had told me not to come back until I understood. Fiona had called off our...

I looked at Boulanger Bakery. The little storefront sat nestled in a larger brick building. Pine siding and plate glass windows snuggled against rust and umber brickwork. The Sign above the Window read: Boulanger: Baker and Corn Dealer. I could smell garlic and yeast and orange blossom.  I knocked on the door. I could see an older man and woman working through the window. They looked up. When they saw me, they turned and spoke to each other. The man shrugged and then the woman pointed at the door. The man nodded and walked over to the door, holding a large iron key. A moment later the door opened. The man looked me up and down, “Lady. Is it safe to assume that you are Lady Ren Octavian?” I nodded, “Amy told you what I look like?” “No,” he answered. “But how many other high-born women in expensive clothes are going to be calling on this humble bakery of ours?” “Good point,” I said. “I’m not sure that she’ll want to see you. But my wife thinks it’s a good idea. So go see what you can...