<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp9ef04c5fyahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:arial;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div> The guests continued to arrive. With the timeframe constraints of the curse they all came within two days. Soon the Keep was alive with a scores of people from different lands. All excited and delighted to visit the famous Metamor Keep. A half dozen travelling merchants arrived. They were not among the invited guests but were unwilling to miss a chance to earn money. One set up and was soon selling brightly colored clothes. Each a riot of colors made from plants that only grew in distant lands. A second was selling food cooking in the spicy style of the distant south. His wife was selling wines mixed with herbs and spices to make really exotic drinks. Caroline sipped one and hired them both! ***************** Brian didn’t need a place to stay, instead he bought it with him! In an open field his people erected a large tent made of canvas decorated in a riot of colored patterns. It was a hundred feet wide and half that deep. Misha stepped thru the entrance and found himself standing in a marble line hall that stretched a hundred feet to either side. The walls soared upward at least two hundred feet. Far higher than the tent that supposedly enclosed them. “Impressive,” Caroline said as she looked around. “Must have taken a lot of magic to craft. How did he do it?” Misha shrugged. “All he told me was he borrowed it from a friend.” “A friend?” Caroline asked, surprised and a bit nervous. “What type of friend owns this?” Misha shrugged. “I’m not sure I want to know!” “Does your brother ever do anything modestly?” “This IS his idea of being modest,” Misha said and laughed. A tall older man came up to the them. He was dressed in robes made of the finest silk dyed a brilliant green with silver trim. He bowed. “Welcome Lord Misha and Lady Caroline. Brian is waiting for you. Come this way please.” ************ The man took them thru a doorway and into a small room filled with various pieced of fine furniture. It was mostly chairs carved from a dark wood. Misha recognized a waiting room. A place you put visitors who you really didn’t want to see. To his relief they were simply escorted through without stopping. The next room was a lot larger. The carpets on the floor matched the tapestries that made up the walls. In the center of the room was a large chair made of wood. It was highly decorated with inlays of gold and silver. Brian was seated in the chair. He jumped up and ran forward. “Misha! Caroline!” ************** It was early afternoon when the carriage bearing Amelia and Fred Montague arrived at Metamor. They circled the large fortress several times trying to figure out where to land. A large eagle flew up to them. “May I help you?” The bird asked. “We’re here for Misha’s wedding,” Fred explained. The bird pointed downward with a taloned claw. “The outer courtyard by the Winter Assault memorial.” ************** The plaza was busy with people who moved out of the way as they landed. The tall memorial towered down over everything. They both looked at the monument for a moment. “It has the names of everyone killed,” she said. “Impressive,” he commented. “I don’t see any marks from carving or chiseling.” “So many names,” she said softly. “So many family and friends gone.” He hugged her tightly. He wanted to says something but didn’t know what to say. In the end the hug was enough. “Welcome to Metamor Keep!” A voice said warmly. They turned and found a woman standing there. She seemed to be an even mix of human and leopard. They were both surprised. They had heard about the curse but this was the first time they had actually seen one of the cursed. She was wearing a long dress covered with flowers in a riot of colors. “We’re here for our cousin Misha’s wedding,” Amelia said. “We are Mr. & Mrs. Montague.” The feline woman smiled, revealing a set of long sharp teeth. “It’s good to meet you. My name is Cassandra. I hope your trip here wasn’t too difficult.” Fred smiled nervously. “No real problems.” Amelia scowled at her husband. “Not too many.” </div> </div></div></body></html>