In the immortal words of Dr. Raymond Collins....  "Holy Guacamole!"

  Thank you so very much for the kind words, bdk! I am working on other stories, but I am also putting most of my effort into getting published in one way or another. I have completed a short story based on the fateful council meeting where Chris reveals himself to the Empire, referred to at the end of Part 2. Actually, the short story is more like an abridged summary, since the whole thing is quite a bit longer than what the short story offers. That being said, I'll post it here once I get word back on its publishing status in a few weeks.

  I also agree with you that part 3 doesn't seem to fit in with parts 1 and 2 very well. That's the main reason I removed it; there's only parts 1 and 2 in that particular manuscript now. Part 3 will now be part 1 in a sequel. Part 2 of the sequel will focus on Chris dealing with the repercussions of Gwen's trauma, dealing with Raaym, and also revealing quite a bit more on Crayne's organization. I just might go so far as reveal a few scary secrets about Crayne himself, as well as a few more on Julie.

  I might also reveal what happened to Rachel Blackwood, mentioned at the end of what used to be part 3, but her adventure is a novel in itself that culminates in exposing the Lords of Orwin, and also introduces a possible identity to the alleged 'White Wolf' that Shaman was on a quest to find in part 2 (very small reference to it).
 
  Hope I haven't given everything away...

  In any case, I sincerely thank you for your input. I did notice that there were several recent additions to the stories section, yours being one, and I intend to catch up on them. I've just had some setbacks on my available time, so I need to ration it out now. 

  Thanks again, bdk, and I hope to hear from you soon!