I've thought Rasa was tough since they met her, but she has a steel core of strength. It makes me wonder what she's been through in her short life to build those reserves.
I don't want the next one to be the end. I can't wait for A City Laid Asunder, but I dread it at the same time.
As far as the next project goes, I like the idea of free content and premium content both. Your writing is worth pay, and you always put such a small fee on it. Money is tight for me, but 2 bucks a month was something I could scrape up. You have enough readers here that will follow you to your next project that premium content shouldn't limit your ability to attract traffic. That said, I wonder how many readers are like my brother, who simply won't pay to read anything online. His loss, unquestionably. Yet, he was the one that told me about this place and got me hooked. He never would have read Adrian's story if it was all premium. Just my 2 cents.