Thank you, Raven! :wsmile Alas, this reconstituted thread won't garner all the kudos the old one received... it'd be abusive to expect folks to expend that sort of effort a second time (and these Low Roads chapters have been blessed with kind commentary that tends to be very thorough). I'm enormously happy that you haven't let it pass entirely unanswered, though!
Most glad the action scenes managed to please! Much of the preceding story has built to this point, and the let-down would be mighty if the excitement level lagged! I'm also most grateful that the tickling quotient seemed adequate and well integrated. The Low Roads series is conspicuously light on fetish content (of the 55 pages that compose this chapter, only about 5 are devoted to tickling). I don't think it's possible to tell a compelling story if the fetish element is the sole or overriding element, and prefer to use it as accent... something to distinguish the story's tone from similar epic adventure. That said, tickling is certain of vital interest to me (I'd hardly be a forum member otherwise!) and I do deeply appreciate it when the giggly play makes an impact! What it lacks in frequency, I do try to make up for in intensity (much to the distress of the story's characters!)
Yes, indeed... Sephie's bull-headedness has picked a most inopportune time to have reasserted itself! Well, the lady's filled with pride... not unearned, certainly, but she shouldn't delude herself into believing that she's better off without alliances. Black as things appear now, the seeds of trust have been sewn... whether she's able to nurture them soon enough will provide some of the suspense in upcoming chapters. Aid will be offered from unexpected sources... some of them very close to home! 😉
Chapter 18 should be ready relatively soon... before the end of June certainly. Thanks so much for your enthusiastic support! All this effort wouldn't mean a thing without it!