Zoom for best view please. Part II "Ehhh, not ta see you, Morgan mac Connor...if tis what yer thinkin'." Kyli's attitude toward Morgan took everyone back - everyone but Lali and Gwidion. "I come ta put in wi' this war. The Northern Banshee have twelve hundred warriors - well-skilled archers an' swordsmen, mostly. We've ten battle-mages. Ma sister an' Gwidion contacted me a few days back an' asked if we'd throw in with 'em but I di' not expect the fianna ta be joinin'." She cast Gwidion a withering look, knowing he knew full well Morgan and the fianna would be joining, but hadn't bothered to tell her. "Now, Kyli...let's all try ta get along 'ere. We got work ta do," Gwidion scolded. Lali obviously agreed with him from her expression and waging finger. "Keep the personal stuff ta yersel', lass. A’right?" Moira rolled her eyes as in disgust as Gwidion turned to Ursala. "What about the UnDead? What 'ave ya got fer us, dear Lady?" "I'll let Beren fill ya in. He's the one minds all thet sorta thing fer me." Beren rose and went to stand beside Morgan before the hearth. "The UnDead - an' this may disturb a few o' ya - are some five thousand strong. Three thousand are warriors. We've seven an' twenty battle-mages. Our biggest strengths are...unless Mog equips 'is army wi' silver swords an' arrows…we're unstoppable; we've speed, stealth an' various other um...vampire tricks if ya will at our disposal. I’ve taught our captains a few tricks as well. We've fifteen Shadow Walkers, includin' maself an' two an' thirty scouts. Our biggest weakness is most of us can't fight in the daylight. Howe'er, it seems from all accounts thet Mog's army usually strikes in the night. We propose ta take them on mostly...cos frankly - an' Gwidion an' Moira will vouch fer this - the fey, nor men are well equipped ta deal wi' these things. An' they are 'things', trust me. They ain't anywhere near like us nor human, once Mog's through indoctrinatin' 'em." "I seriously doubt Mog would bother equippin' his army wi' silver weapons - t'would be very expensive. I also don't expect e's got an inklin' thet you an' Ursala would side wi' us," Gwidion responded. “Just because e’s such an arrogant twit.” "As I reckon then, we've got about six thousand plus warriors, maybe seventy battle-mages, two an’ thirty scouts, an' warriors ta cover all terrains an' circumstances." Morgan nodded, smiling. "That's good! Thank ya Beren, ma brother...Queen Ursala. Yer involvement in this is invaluable an' bulks our numbers up considerably. Five thousand, eh? Thet is sort o' scary," he grinned. "My vampires are all in control o' their natures. If they aren't, they are disposed of," Ursala spoke up in defense of her clan. "May seem a bit heartless an' cruel, but we don't turn 'em out wi' the rogues. Thet'd be dangerous to us all. My concern fer my people is you all tellin' the difference between them an' the rogues. I'd prefer not ta have our allies attackin' us. Any ideas how thet might be resolved?" "Uniforms?" Kyli offered. Beren snorted. "The rogues'd just take 'em off any possible dead, an' put 'em on, pretendin’ ta be UnDead. I don’t think thet’s gonna happen but, ya have ta be prepared fer any eventuality. Nothin' wearable would serve." "Hmmmm, I'll have ta think on thet one," Gwidion said. "If ya got any ideas Alduin, father - or anyone else, let me know. Anyone else hungry? I’m starvin’! Honey-pumpkin mead, eh?" ***** What transpires the next day is 'secret'. I wouldn't want to give away all my surprises now, would I? I will let you in on what's up with Kyli and Morgan though.

A Delightful Image,

Great image and wonderful part two of the narrative

Yes, that bit between Kyli and Morgan did surprise me and I thought you might reveal it here. I wait in anticipation. A great enumeration and a problem that must be resolved for Ursala's clan. Great costumes for all.

I'm really liking the images with the texts. It's a chance to get to know each of the characters faces and reinforce it. Can't wait to see what's next.

LOL! The body language and expressions are priceless. Your writing, as always, is spell-binding. Please do tell what's up with Kyli and Morgan. A bit of a "personal history", perhaps? Can't wait for the next installment!

Spectacular narrative my dear friend, and the image fits perfectly, very rich scene and a marvelous composition, loved it a lot!

Fantastic work =)!!! Thank you for using Astrid =)

Thanks for the clues, Rayvn! And for that lovely picture. Nice interaction between those characters!:) Cheers O.

Awesome scene.

magnificent, such a wonderful atmosphere in the image, you can feel the tension and atmosphere