<HTML>    "Dragons?" said one of the knights of Liena, speaking for the first time. There was surprise in his voice and on his face. Surprise and a tinge of fear. "How many dragons does the Keep have?"    "At least three," Rickkter answered. "And one who's a dragon part time."    "Part time?" the knight asked, confused.    "That's Cerulean," Caroline explained. "He was born a dragon but the curse effected him in a strange way. During the day he's a dragon. At night he changes at random."    "Strange magic," someone muttered.    "The strange is normal at Metamor."    "Metamor IS strange."    "What forces can Metamor muster?" Ellingwood asked.    "Four hundred, twelve knights, squires, sergeants and men at arms all mounted," Thomas answered. "Plus sixteen hundred infantry including some two hundred archers, the rest sword, spear and pike armed. Plus another two hundred or so scouts."    "Also three dragons and forty five other flyers including eagles, hawks and a griffon," Thalberg added.    "I have at my command eight hundred, fifty seven knights and men at arms and two thousand, four hundred, fifteen foot soldiers," Lord Bidwell explained. "We also bring with us twelve knights of the feather and claw."    Misha was impressed. It was rare indeed for those gryphon riding knights to stray this far north.    "Scouts will be the most important part," George announced. "They'll be a lot of loose bands of Lutins drifting about. Not really loyal to Nasoj but looking for any opportunity for plunder."    "Brigands," Bidwell muttered. "They follow any army like scavenging jackals."    George gave a small growl and Bidwell looked at him with unabashed embarrassment. "My apologies Sir," he said to the black backed jackal morph.    "The army will be dived into three parts," Thomas said calmly. "Moving half a days march ahead of the main body will be an advanced force of one hundred. Their job will be break up any roadblocks or ambushes set to catch the main body. Surrounding the both the main force and the advanced force will be a screen of scouts."    "We should have a force of knights and infantry," Bidwell said, "separate from the main body. So that if the scouts find a band of brigands they can move against it without having to wait for orders. With bandits you have to move fast before they run away."    George nodded in agreement. "You have to hit them hard and fast. We'll need an experienced and skillful man leading the advanced group. Someone who knows bandit fighting and won't go blindly charging into the first trap the Lutins set."    "I know someone," Ellingwood commented, ignoring the implied insult. Many knight's limited knowledge of tactics could be summed up in one phrase - There's the enemy. CHARGE! Most didn't live long enough to understand the depth of their stupidity. "A courageous fighter but one who knows the wisdom of caution. Sir Edmund Delacot has survived many an attempted ambush by brigands."    "We can have the Long scouts nominally attached to Sir Delacot. They'll be moving ahead on their own removing any trouble before it can occur," Thomas said interrupting the two.   "I'll give him some of my regular scouts to help," the jackal said. "They are going to need the extra sword arms."    Thomas nodded. "Good idea. Misha how many Longs can you deploy?"    All eyes turned to fox who was still standing by the windows staring out to the town below.    "I want to take War Wolf and her three sisters with us," Misha announced suddenly as if he had not heard the stallions question.    "You want to take what?" Thalberg asked, surprised.    "War Wolf," the fox answered.    "No," Thomas replied. "I will not see that used."    "Who is War Wolf?" Ellingwood asked.    "What is War Wolf?" Bidwell asked.    "If we wish to destroy Nasoj's hold on the north we need its potent magic to break down the walls of his strongholds," the fox said.    "NO!" Both Raven and Thomas said in unison.    "We won't use it," Misha said. "The Baron has been building fortifications and there are at least two large castles he can fall back on. If he gets in those he can hold us off easily for months. That will give Nasoj plenty of time to send reinforcements. But with the threat of War Wolf he HAS to come out and fight an open battle."    "That thing is an abomination," Thalberg said. "It should have been destroyed long ago."    "It CAN'T be destroyed," the fox countered. "That's why we need it. Even if Calephas does decide to hold up in a castle The Wolf will easily destroy it. One way or another, it will help defeat the Baron."    "WHAT IS WAR WOLF?" Ellingwood screamed.    "Evil," Raven intoned solemnly.    "Evil is in the application, not the device," Rickkter countered. "The Baron must realize that his army stands no chance in open battle. His best chance is to tie us down to a siege. But with War Wolf a castle will become a death trap. He has no choice but to fight an open battle."    "Cities have been destroyed by it," Raven countered.    "That's just my point," Misha retorted as he walked back to the table. "Just the rumor we have War Wolf will empty most castles. If we wish to really destroy Nasoj we need its power."    "There are many ways to take a castle. You took Stepping Rock without it," Thomas commented.    "That was when I had fourteen Longs," the vulpine replied. "After this disaster we simply don't have the strength anymore. We need The Wolf. I know how the Baron thinks. He won't fight an open battle if he can avoid it. We have to draw the bastard out into the open to kill him."    "It will provide the extra edge we need. And this time they will be expecting such an assault. Baron Calephas is many things but not a fool. He will be prepared for another such attack," Rickkter commented.    Misha tapped a spot on the map about two days ride north of the Keep. "That is Ithicaelle Naghim - Wraiths stronghold. It was from here that the army that invaded the keep came from."    George nodded in agreement. "It's been a major base of power for Nasoj for over a decade. From there he dominates most of the southern Giantdowns."    "If we destroy it all the southern tribes will surely rebel and his hold over the region will be broken permanently," Misha added. "Until now it's been too strong for us to attack. With this army we can lay siege to it and with War Wolf we can knock down it's walls and take it."    "That artifact is an evil that needs to destroyed," Raven said calmly. "Nothing but pain and destruction follow it."    "War Wolf has the power we need," the fox said coldly. "Without it a lot more Keepers will die."    Thomas closed his eyes and was quiet for a long time. When he opened his eyes again he seemed to stare past the vulpine and out the window. "I will need to think longer on using that item," he intoned in a deep tone.    "When do we leave?" George asked. "There is the Curse."    "The day after tomorrow," Jessica answered, speaking for the first time. "Moving at a good pace should put the army north of Giants Dike and out of the range of the curse before it can effect anyone."    Thomas looked at Lord Bidwell who nodded in reply. "Good," the stallion said. "Then the advanced force will leave before dawn with the army itself following at noon."    Misha nodded. "And then we can get down to the business of killing." *************    Walking back to their rooms, Drake walked ahead of the group suddenly, then stopped and turned, "Sensei, we want to go on this mission."    Rois stopped, staring at Drake, then scowled, "No.  You three aren't ready for this kind of mission yet."    "Sensei," piped up Colin, "excuse me, but I disagree.  Didn't we prove ourselves during the fighting here in the Keep?"    "That was fighting indoors," countered Rois, "with the variable geometry of the Keep on your side."    It was Aisha's turn to speak now, "But sensei, they'll need all the help they can get.  And our magic could be very useful in this battle." "Aisha does have a point there," Rakurai interjected, privately to Rois' mind without speaking. "Their magic is quite powerful, it may even be a deciding factor in this battle, but only if you let them go."    "Rakurai, they're only children!  You're saying I should send children into battle?" the centauress thought back. While Rois was having her own inner dialogue with the other mind that shares her body, the triplets stood there, looking expectantly at Rois for her reply.    "They may be children, but to not use such power as they have in this battle would be foolhardy," retorted the mental voice of the unicorn.    "Sensei," said Drake, "we won't take no for an answer."    Rois smirked, "Fine, I'll ask Misha about it, but if he says no, I will hear no more about it, understand?"  The three nodded in agreement.  "Get off back to your rooms then, and I'll go ask Mr. Brightleaf." *************    The private chambers of Duke Thomas were quiet, neat and orderly. Lord Philip Bidwell found that reassuring in light of the destruction he had seen elsewhere. At least this one little piece of the Keep had escaped destruction.    "It's very good to have you here Philip," Thomas said as he took a seat in a large, plush chair. "We couldn't have survived without your help."    "I'm delighted to have helped defeat Nasoj again," the Lord replied taking a seat opposite the equine.    Thomas fell silent as the steward came into the room bearing trays of wine and food. Philip took a cup of wine and some of the cheese from the silent steward. The Duke took large cup but didn't drink. Instead he just stared at the back of the retreating steward. He continued to look at the closed door the boy had gone through until Bidwell spoke.    "How are you feeling Tom?" the man asked, concerned.    The stallion sighed loudly. "They were identical brothers and BOTH had been working here for months before we realized there were two of them. Now one of them is dead."    "Do you know how many were killed?" Philip asked in a soft tone.    "We are still counting but I believe around one in fifteen."    "Good Lord, that could be mean over a thousand dead."    Thomas nodded grimly in agreement.    "We will get revenge for their deaths."    "No," The Duke countered. "Revenge is hollow. I won't see one more of my people killed for something as worthless as revenge."    "The otter and the fox don't seem to think so," Philip countered. "She wants to kill every lutin in the world and Misha would help her every step of the way."    "Caroline has a very good reason for her hatred," the horse morph said. "She was captured several months ago by Lutins loyal to Nasoj." His voice faltered. "The physical wounds healed quickly enough but wounds of the heart heal slower. Misha had only just agreed to let her go back on patrol when Nasoj attacked."    Bidwell shook his head. "The evil of Nasoj never fails to surprise me." ************ </HTML>