Chapter strolls beneath shimmering summer sun, spinning a parasol and eyeing up an ice-cream, corona'd in the scent of hot asphalt and baked brick.
https://hungryshedgerow.net/maidens-of-the-fall-pariah-3-6/
Password is: residuum
An epub version of the chapter is also attached!
And with this, dear readers, arc 3 is complete; the extended opening of Maidens of the Fall is done! The first 'book', or perhaps 'episode', or 'season'? I'm not even sure how to frame it, but there it is, the end of the beginning. Octavia's story (and the story of this dream-haunted England and all the magical girls within) is now truly underway. Like a runaway train.
For those interested in behind-the-scenes details, this chapter took me by surprise. It turned into the most mechanically challenging chapter I've ever written, of anything. I say 'mechanically' because the challenge wasn't the characters or the plot, it was the sheer complexity of the thing on a structural level. This chapter went through four start-to-finish edits, which I don't think I've ever had to do before. In retrospect, it kinda makes sense; this is the finale, the climax, the conclusion of the beginning, of course it was going to be a big deal! It's also just regular big, among the longest chapters I've written.
Next chapter, we're onto arc 4 at last! Into the juicy middle meat of the story. Octavia's got a lot of pieces to pick up. And I hope you're all enjoying Maidens as much as I am! This is turning into a hell of a ride, and I couldn't be more delighted by it. Thank you all for all your support; onward we go!