Charlie chuckled. “I do, and I can say that without lying. Even with the changes you’ve made to the story.”
Viv nodded, looking pleased. “Thank you. It’s been tricky. The stories you tell on film are structurally different from the ones you tell on paper. As big of a fan as I am, if I recreated the books scene by scene, the pacing would be totally off, especially for a mainstream audience. We would’ve been canceled after the first season, and we were still afraid that would happen.”
“But it’s been a runaway hit,” Charlie said.
“It has, and that’s I think that’s part of the problem,” Viv continued. “To keep that mainstream audience so that we can keep the show going, I have to make some major changes for season two. Combining characters, changing timelines, and...” She hesitated, glancing at Rowan who nodded. “Killing off Caidan Bramble in the avalanche at the end of season two.”
Charlie blinked. “Killing off… You mean for good?”
“Yes,” Viv said, her voice growing more passionate. “Killing off Caidan raises the stakes and shines a brighter light on some of the other characters who then step up to take his place. With the changes I’ve made to the plot, the series arc works better ifCaidan’s death is permanent. It’s a creative decision as well as a financial one. Like I said, film is different from books. We have budget constraints, pacing issues, narrative compression.”
Charlie was shocked.
Caidan Bramble was Sir Aldric’s squire and one of the most beloved characters in all ofBattleLore. At the end of book two, Lord Darkfell created a magical avalanche that buried the small band of heroes. Caiden was lost and presumed dead, but he came back midway through book three—one of the most emotional moments in the entire series.
The actor playing him, Duke Holloway, was as good a choice for Caidan as Rowan was for Aldric. He’d always played loveable, easygoing, salt-of-the-earth guys, which was Caidan Bramble in nutshell.
“I’d heard speculation on different fan sites that Caidan was going to be killed off,” Charlie said. “I guess it’s not just speculation anymore.”
“It’s not. The script was leaked.”
“So, I take it you’re getting threats over it,” Charlie said.
Viv nodded. “Boy, am I. First it was just angry comments on social media—no big surprise. Then emails to the studio. Again, not surprised.” She rolled her eyes.
Viv may not have been taking it seriously, but Charlie noted how Rowan watched her with worry in his eyes.
“You feel differently?” she asked him.
“I do. It’s more than just online trolls and hate mail. There’s a group calling themselves The Caidansworn,” he said, a grim look in his eyes, as if he were actually Sir Aldric describing the Legions of Darkfell. “They’ve shown up at the studio twice now. Chanting. Holding signs. One said, ‘Lady Darkfell the Betrayer must be destroyed.’”
Her stomach tightened. “When did things begin to escalate?”
Viv looked at Maddie. “How long has it been?”
“It started three weeks ago,” Maddie said, scrolling through her tablet. “I have the exact dates and incidences here in a spreadsheet.” She looked up at Charlie. “Someone doxed Viv and that’s when the hate mail started showing up at her home.” Her eyes darkened, the chipper assistant attitude gone. “Then the package.”
“Tell us about the package,” Kyle said. Charlie and Kyle exchanged looks. The package had triggered Viv’s call to Watchdog in Los Angeles and they’d been briefed on its contents, but Kyle wanted to gauge Viv and Rowan’s response to it.
Now Viv looked serious. “Inside was a partially-burned copy of the script for season two, episode twelve, the finale. The word ‘heretic’ was written on it.”
“In what we were relieved to discover was red paint and not blood,” Rowan added.
“The studio insisted on security,” Viv said. “Me, I’m more pissed over the fact that the script leaked.”
“Sounds like an inside job. Any suspects?”
Again, Viv rolled her eyes. “If only. A month ago, my computer was hacked and then bricked as the kids say.” She winked at Maddie, who grinned and hunched her shoulders. “Maddie did her best to try and un-brick it, but it wouldn’t even turn back on.”
“I’m not really that great at computers,” Maddie said.
“She’s lying.” Viv chuckled. “But even your team at Watchdog couldn’t fix it. Anyway, whoever did it must have grabbed the script and leaked it because the threats started a week later. They waited another week before sending their little gift.”
“That’s when we…I mean Viv, called Watchdog,” Rowan added.
“Bette Collins told me they were the best in the industry.” Viv grinned. “Though she might be a little biased since her son works there.”
Charlie had met Bette briefly when she first started at Watchdog. The Multi-Oscar-winning actress had thrown one of her famous Bashes when Charlie was orienting at the home office in Los Angeles and she’d been invited. The guest list was a who’s who of Hollywood. And Bette turned out to be absolutely gracious and kind—in sharp contrast to the psychopathic character she played that made her career.
