A week in the White City, but I’m no closer to rescuing Nicolette. Thankfully, Wolfgang and his men were able to secure some extra firepower for me before I enter the vampire’s blood den. But if I can get more… maybe Webster’s head can be skewered on a pike sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, Ms. Button has brought me my target’s suitcase. It’s filled with some rather… peculiar items, and many volumes of literature. Some more entertaining than others. Most with a hint of romance, and all featuring their fair share of action and adventure.

I’ve thumbed through them for clues, and must say Ryan’s spectacular tale of time traveling to the Middle Ages kept me entertained. Brown’s grotesque horror was almost as thrilling as slaying real monsters, and a much safer thrill.

Sheng is foreign born, but his artwork delights, a dark fantasy filled with maidens and magic I would have killed for as a boy. Finally a heart-pounding romance featuring gangs and werewolves. This one was more to Nicolette’s taste, I reckon, but gave me insight into her desires.

The final item in the suitcase was the most baffling of them all. A metallic feather 🪶 bookmark left at the scene of the crime. A distraction or a clue? I would think it belonged to Nicolette, but Button doesn’t recognize it. Her whole disappearance is a mystery yet to be unraveled. For now, I’ll keep the bookmark and all her possessions handy, and have a werewolf track her scent.

(Backers OR followers who answer all the polls correctly between now and the end of the campaign will enter a raffle to win a metallic feather bookmark created by my collab-partner! Are you Team Carnie or Automaton? The winning team at the end of the campaign will also get a secret special perk!)