they would have nothing to do with Anayi because someone let it slip that she was a half-breed Demon.  The Dura were afraid of Camara and Koran Tal, and not just because they were so tallthere was just something about the Amazons that intimidated the Dura.
	Fireflash spent the rest of the day with Tarrin, extricating himself from the sometimes smothering attention that Zyri gave him, for she was the one he was with if he was not with Tarrin.  What surprised Tarrin more was that Forge and Ember also spent the rest of the day with him, lounging at the foot of the chair he occupied.  Tarrin and Forge had always had a rather affable relationship, and Ember also seemed to have an honest affection for himand Fireflashs relationship with the Hellhounds was never in doubt.  To the Hellhounds, Fireflash was like a member of the pack. He and Dolanna finalized their plans when he contacted the Goddess, and she informed him that the Elder Gods were more than willing to supply their aid.  Though they had exiled him to Pyrosia and they were afraid of him, not even they could deny that stopping the Demon Lord from destroying Pyrosia was what had to be done.  As gods, it was their duty to oppose the Demons, and denying them the opportunity to conquer another material plane was imperative.  Ayise herself had replied when Tarrin contacted Niami the second time and told him that the combined might of all ten Elder Gods would be there to shield Tarrin and Dolanna from the wrath of the Demon Lord as they ensnared him in their trap.
	After they had that pledge, they pored over maps and decided where and how to approach, where the icon of the One might be, and the best way to go about getting at him with a minimal of an exposure of risk to themselves.  But they stopped soon after that, for Mist returned with the children, and Kimmie came to visit, and then Var and Denai came to his room to visit, and then the three of them left together to explore the Dwarven city.  Before they had a chance to begin again, Haley and Miranda came in to see him, accompanied by Binter and Sisska who had to walk hunched over and dropped to one knee any time they stopped.  The mink Wikuni spent a few minutes complaining about how unfriendly the Dura were, then started giving him the same report she gave to Kang, reporting everything she and Haley had observed about the Dura, from their behavior to their military fortifications.
	They did a really good job with this place, Haley said.  One of Braggs generals, Murgak, he showed me around.  They really laid this place out with defense in mind.  The entire city is one big fortification designed to defend the Royal Ward, where we are.
	Miranda nodded.  When theres an attack, they bring everyone into this ward and then seal off the rest of the city, just in case their army gets overrun and enemies breach the outer gates.  Their design isnt to protect Dain Darax, but to protect the citizenry.  All the Dura are evacutated to this ward, and the rest of the city becomes a huge obstacle between the invaders and the people.  Most of the buildings in this Ward arent mansions, theyre really shelters, she said in surprise.  Very few people actually live in this Ward, mostly just the Dain and the command staff and most of the clan leaders.  The clans pull their people into this ward and put them in all these buildings, and that makes them virtually untouchable.
	Citizen really just means women and children, Haley said.  And not all the women either.  Its kinda hard to tell them from the men because of those beards, he said with a shudder, but they have a sizable number of women in their army.  Id say about eighty percent of the Duras population can be put on the field in case of any major action.  In a way, I can understand the Dains seeming arrogance about his chances here.  If it was anything but a Demon army, Id say that their Iron Mountain is all but impregnable.
	Aye, Binter agreed.  The Dura have done an outstanding job in the design of their mountain city.  The Sashka would be hard pressed to conquer this place.
	Now that was a complement, if Binter was admitting that the Vendari wouldnt be able to easily take the Iron Mountain in battle.
	Its easy to understand why the Dura have been a pain in the Ones backside all these years, Miranda chuckled.  Theyre so heavily entrenched here that the One would have to sacrifice virtually his entire army to dig them out.  I found out that the Dura have more farmland deeper in the mountain range, which is all but unreachable by men on foot, which they reach through very small tunnels that can be collapsed in case someone tries to use them to invade the city, so their food and their water sources are completely secure.  They cant be starved out, they cant be defeated in battle, and they cant be tricked with diplomacy, because the One would never resort to espionage.  I think only the Elara are more secure than the Dura, and only just because they live on the moon.
	No, the Elara have a gateway that opens to their moon, so theyre not as secure as the Dura, Tarrin mused.  Theres no way into this city unless you can literally walk through rock.
	How does it look for the Dura concerning the advancing army? Dolanna asked.
	The armys big, Miranda replied.  Very big.  Anayi and Ariana got together with Kang earlier and they guessed out how big it is, and its not good.  They estimate that maybe around a hundred thousand men are within four days of the Iron Mountain, and however many Demons are included with them.  Kang figures theyll attack in five days.  Braggs intent is to revert to his typical strategy, which is to march out and destroy them in a pass through the foothills south of the farms.  Theres a place between two sharp hills that Bragg calls the Meat Grinder, its the only real option for an army on the march, given that the Dura control the hills.  He intends to set up there and turn them away.
	I remember seeing that pass when we flew in, Tarrin mused.  Braggs right, its a good place to set up.
	If we intend to have Phandebrass cast his spell in seven days, then well be seeing a battle before we go, Haley reasoned.  Kang has already pledged the assistance of our people, and Bragg basicly browbeat the Dain into accepting.  So well be marching out with them.
	I would have had our people go no matter what this Dain said, Binter said.  It is a good chance to feel out the capabilities of our foe.  A wise commander knows his opponents forces as well as he knows his own.
	Bragg has plans for our Pegasi, Miranda said with a cheeky grin.  He wants to put the Wizards and Elementalists on Pegasi and harass the enemy from the air during the battle.
	That would work so long as the Demons dont have any vrock, Tarrin grunted.  But they probably will, and a mounted spellcaster is no match for a vrock in the air.  I think what Bragg doesnt realize is that the enemy can hold back almost all its Demons until just before the battle, then have them simply Teleport in.  He should expect a larger force than whats coming, and quite a few of them to be very, very powerful.  First thing they should do is start having the spellcasters imbue every weapon they can get their hands on with a magic aura.  That would be all it takes to make them capable of harming Demons.  Add the weapons they can get to those of us from Sennadar, who are carrying weapons that can hurt Demons, and put them all in a reserve force that gets held back specifically to counter any Demons.  The spellcasters themselves should also be held back and reserved just for fighting Demons.
	Kang already made those suggestions, Haley informed him.  His Empress happens to be a Demon, so he knows how to combat them.  Bragg resisted the idea at first, but once Kang explained what he was going to be up against, he gave over on the idea.
	Tsukattas going to command that reserve, Miranda told them.  The way theyre going to set up is that Bragg handles the normal forces of the One, and Tsukatta and Kang will deal with the Demons and any spellcasters that the enemy might have on their side.
	Bragg also has some plans for you, Tarrin.  He heard about how we arrived, Miranda winked.  He thinks youd be quite an impressive surprise to drop on the Ones army at the right time.
	Thats fine, he said.  As a dragon, Im sure I could do some damage to the Ones forces.  With sheer weight if anything else, he chuckled.
	Expect him to come around soon and ask, she warned.  Kang told him that nobody commands you to do anything, and that if he wanted you to participate in the battle, hed better come ask you.  Nicely.
	Id have to go blue for that, he mused to himself.  Demons are immune to fire, but theyre not immune to lightning.  A blue dragon would be a much more effective weapon than a gold against Demons.
	Sapphire would be overjoyed, Haley smiled.
	She probably thinks its sacrelige that I use the form of a gold, he chuckled in agreement.  Ill have to tell her its just because I have two breath weapons when I use a gold.  If blues had more than one, Id probably use a blue.
	Ill let Bragg know that youd be inclined to the idea, all he has to do is ask, Miranda noted aloud.  Well, thats about all I have to say.  Haley?
	Nope, he answered.  That covers about everything.
	Good.  Thanks for the information.  Now you can go, he said lightly, yet in a manner that made it clear they were dismissed.  You too, Dolanna.
	She nodded and got up.  Should I intercept Mist?
	He shook his head.  You couldnt do that anyway.  She wont disturb me, so its not an issue.  And the children know better than to bother me when Im busy.  Ill be fine.  He reached down and picked up the Gnomlin Traveling Spellbook, then opened it to the page where he had stopped.  Ill see you at dinner.
	Well be dining in the main hall with Darax and his clan leaders, Miranda giggled.  Thisll be interesting, thats for sure.  Sure you dont want me to stay, Tarrin?  I can help with whatever that is.
	No.  Bye, Miranda.
	Aww, come on, I know
	Miranda.  Out, he commanded, pointing at the door.  Binter.
	Binter nodded, and grabbed Miranda by the tip of her bushy tail, then got up and started towards the door as he waddled hunched over in that direction.  Ow! Miranda squeaked when Binter pulled all the slack out of her tail, and she literally started being dragged backwards towards the door by her tail.  Binter!  That hurts!
	Disobedience is often painful, he said sagely as he squeezed through the door, pulling the mink along behind him.

Chapter 14

	The dinner that Darax held for the visitors was not fun for anyone.
	The reasons werent very complicated, after all.  Tarrin had not endeared himself to the nobles among the Dura, nor did he exactly make Darax want to strike up a friendship with him.  He had been cold, deriding, and not a little disrespectful to Darax, and that was the kind of thing that the Dura nobles werent going to forgive very quickly, or very easily.  From the instant that Tarrin arrived in the hall, all conversation ceased among the Dura, and every eye glared at the winged Were-cat throughout almost the entirety of the meal.
	It only got worse when all of their coldness and accusatory stares seemed to have absolutely no effect on Tarrin whatsoever.  He chatted conversationally with his mate and Kimmie and the others, even told them about the clan crests of the Dura and their roots in Duthak custom.  Every crest had a yellow triangle in the center in honor of Clangeddin, the god of the Dwarves, one way the Duthak honored their god in simple yet elegant ways.  They had kept their pious nature, but that piety was now focused on Dumathoin, their new god.  Tarrins nonchalance and complete disregard for the hostility of the Dura only seemed to whip them up into a fever pitch before the main course was served, but they were literally trapped in the room with him.  No Dwarf would leave the hall until Darax was finished eating; this was an ancient Duthak custom that seemed to continue to hold true.  And since Darax was busy ignoring Tarrin by talking with Lorak, Bragg, Tsukatta, and Kang at his table at the head of the hall, the rest of the nobles were stuck waiting for Darax to finish his meal so they could leave.
	It all came to a head just about the time dessert was served, meaning large tankards of Dwarven ale. One young Dwarf with a braided red beard stomped over, looked Tarrin in the eye, and boldly told the Were-cat exactly what he thought of him.  His eternal mistake was doing that in front of Mist, whose intolerance for disrespect to her mate was reaching legendary proportions.  The young Dwarf managed to stagger away, leaving a trail of blood that poured from his face, from where Mist had grabbed hold of his braided beard and literally ripped it off his face.  Mist had lunged onto the table to rip off the Dwarfs beard, and Tarrin grabbed her by the tail to prevent her from trying to chase the Dwarf down and finishing him off.  She made as if to throw the beard at the Dwarfs back, but then snorted and placed the beard deliberately on the table as she crawled down, putting it out in plain sight as a gruesome warning to anyone else who would dare speak so to her mate.
	Mists action caused a sudden firestorm of shouting and overturned benches as the Dwarves in the hall jumped up and prepared to do battle with Mist over her attack on the youth, at least until Tarrin intervened.  The Dwarves knew something bad was about to happen when incadescent white light suddenly flooded through those wings on the Were-cats back, casting his face into shadow that made him look positively ominous.  With a single wave of a glowing paw, he caused every single loose object before him, food, plates, tankards, benches, tables, Dwarves, even the rushes on the floor, to hurtle backwards against the wall Tarrin faced, and there it all stayed as if some gigantic hand was pressing them into the wall.  Dwarves struggled and writhed, tried to push pieces of furniture off their faces, but the force holding it there was as inexorable as it was careful not to do any lasting harm.
	Was that entirely necessary, dear one? Dolanna questioned sternly.
	Actually, yes, it was, Tarrin answered, looking at the Dwarves pinned against the wall.  Better teach them this lesson now, before Mist kills one of them.
	What are ye doing? Darax screamed from his chair.  Release them at once!
	I just saved their lives, Darax, Tarrin said evenly.  Im tolerant of disrespect shown to me, but my mate is not.  If they move like theyre going to fight like that again, shell probably kill all of them.
	Damn right I will, Mist said with a threatening hiss at them, her ears laying back.
	I doubt that serously, Darax snapped.  Now release them!
	Your Majesty, youre about to make a very big mistake, Kang said with quiet urgency.  Youre getting really close to accusing Tarrin of lying, and that is something you do not want to do.  If he says it, he means it.  And he probably did just save their lives, he added.  Getting them away from Mist was only smart.
	You show too much respect for these creatures, Kang, the Dain said stiffly.  No single creature is a match for the nobles of the Dura.
	Do you want to put money on that wager, my Dain? Kang said with a sly smile.  Ill put every copper bit in my purse on Mist right here and now.
	Mist?  Allow them to face Kimmie, Kang-san, Tsukatta offered.  She is the least volatile of the Were-cats.  She would not kill one of them out of pique.
	Aye, Kang nodded.  Well, what say you, my Dain?  Do you think your nobles are up to facing just one of the Were-cats?  They get a chance to beat up a Were-cat in retaliation for Mist ripping that beard off, and you get a chance to show the Were-cats what the Dura are made of.  Everyone gets the fight they want, but nobody gets killed, and itll be sporting.  What do you say?
	What is Kang doing? Dolanna demanded in a harsh whisper, speaking in Sharadi to Tarrin.
	Proving a point, he answered, then he looked to Kimmie.  Well, dear, you think youre up to a little exercise?
	Im wearing a dress, Tarrin! she complained plaintively.  You know I hate fighting in a dress!
	Wont Kimmie get hurt? Zyri asked in concern.
	Kimmie chuckled, ruffling Zyris hair.  They cant hurt me, munchkin, she winked.  Im more worried about one of them ripping my dress.
	Kangs cleverly offered challenge managed to do two things.  First, it deflected what could have been a very ugly confrontation between Darax and Tarrin, and secondly it appealed to a Dwarfs sense of competition.  Dwarves strove to be the best, even if they didnt flaunt that superioritybut there was a fair bit of competing among them.  They raced each other to see who could be the richest, who could make the best crafted items, who could be the best at what they were doing.  Those who won were good sports about it, those who lost werent overtly jealous, even if they were covetous.
	A single Were-cat against all me nobles?  Thats hardly fair.
	If you think so, then accept the challenge, Kang told him. And my wager.
	Its yer money to lose.
	Then take the bet, Kang pressed.
	What say ye, nobles? Darax called to the men and women pinned to the wall.  Think ye can take a single southlander?
	There was a loud concerted cry of consent, as one of them yelled out as long as there aint no cheatin magic!  It sounded to Tarrin like the nobles had some pride to regain.
	Does Miss Kimmie agree to be the opposition? Darax called.  Fully understandin that ye cant hold us responsible for any injuries ye might take during the fight?
	Me against every dwarf in this room? Kimmie said with a completely insincere look of trepidation.  Well, its the honor of the Were-cats at stake, so Id have to accept the challenge, your Majesty.
	You are such a liar, Miranda said in a gleeful whisper to her, which made Kimmie wink slyly.
	Well be making it fair, Darax said smugly.  No weapons, no magic.  Yell fight til Kimmie yields or shes knocked senseless.  Er, and the same applies to me nobles, he added.
	Tarrin and Haley looked at each other, then burst out laughing, which caused Darax to glare at them.
	Whats so funny? Zyri asked.
	The rules the Dain set will make it impossible for his nobles to win, Dolanna answered the girl.
	Shouldnt we say something? she asked.
	No.  The Dain has made the rules.  Now he must learn from his mistake, Binter said sagely.
	I am not ruining my dress, Kimmie said sternly.
	Then take it off, fool girl, Mist told her.
	Good idea, Kimmie said with sudden enthusiasm.
	The Dwarves started laughing and throwing out rather unflattering comments when Kimmie stood up and boldly removed her dress as Tarrin released his magical hold on the Dura, who came stomping up towards the nude Were-cat with wicked enthusiasm in their eyes.  Kimmie was not like any other Were-cat female, her body all feminine curves, no discernable muscular definition, and the she-softness of a humanbut that was a deceptive trap that had cost more than one person his life.  Kimmie looked all delicate and weak, but she was every bit as strong as any female Were-cat her size.  The Dwarves stopped a few spans from her, then they started laughing and debating among themselves who would get the honor of going out there and basicly punching her in the stomach and making her beg like a little girl.  They were lured into a feeling of overwhelming superiority because there were fifty of them and one Kimmie, and Kimmie looked like a weakling.
	They were about to be thoroughly disabused of that notion.
	They finally sent out a single male Dwarf, a rather burly tall one that came up to Kimmies slender belly who was wearing an ale-stained chain hauburk with bits of potato wedged in the chain links from where Tarrin had slammed all the food into the them.  Give up now, lass, I dont wanna hurt ye, he said, cracking his knuckles threateningly as the Dura started to cheer him and jeer Kimmie.
	Kimmie gave him a disingenuous smile, stepped up, and let him have it.
	The cheering became gasps when the Dwarf literally sailed over the heads of his companions.  Kimmie had struck like a viper, lunging out and grabbing the Dwarf by his chain jack, then rearing back and throwing him like a large rubber ball.  He hurtled through the air and crashed into the wall behind them, then dropped to the floor and lay in a twitching heap.
	Here now, we agreed no magic! one young bearded female Dwarf screamed in protest, putting her hands on her hips.
	I didnt use magic, Kimmie said in a seductively wicked purr, spreading her feet and putting her paws out, a mimic of the slouched fighting stance that Tarrin himself used, then she gave the Dwarves a deliciously evil little smile.  Im not using anything that my parent didnt bless me with when I was turned.  My strength is natural.  Want to see it again?
	The Dwarves took a unified step back, then one screamed out get er!
	They rushed Kimmie all at once, correctly guessing that it was going to take numbers to defeat an opponent with her physical power.
	It was almost funny to watch. The shorter Dwarves found in the sleek Were-cat an opponent as fast as she was strong.  She evaded the rush simply by vaulting over them, and she was on them from behind not even a heartbeat after her feet touched the floor.  Dwarves started flying in every direction as she grabbed breastplates and chain mail shirts and simply tossed them this way and that, forcing whoever was in them to follow along with the armor.  They managed to regroup enough to try to swarm her under, but their fists and feet and weight were like annoying bees to the Were-cat.  They werent tall enough to hit her in the head, and her head was the only vulnerable part of her anatomy.  Dwarves went flying with every sweeping blow of her arms, but to their credit, they didnt give up.  Those that got tossed aside quickly got back on their feet and ran right back into the fray.  She danced and flitted and spun to keep them from swarming her, knocking Dwarves off their feet with pushes, light kicks, slaps of her tail, and the occasional hooking of armor and tossing aside like a sack of meal.  But the Dwarves were determined and they were working together, managing to get Kimmie surrounded to the point where she couldnt dodge them anymore.  She evaded this tactic simply by jumping away again, adjusting her feet to keep from landing on a Dwarf that was on the ground, trying to recover from where she had thrown him.  Sorry! she said quickly as she landed with a foot on either side of the younger Dwarf, then quickly flitted away before he had the presence of mind to try to grab her feet.  They worked again to surround her, even as she sent them flying or batted them to the ground, until it became clear to the Dwarves that she was playing  with them.  That made them outraged, and it also helped focus their determination.  One Dwarf managed to grab hold of Kimmies left foot after she knocked her to the ground with a foot to the rump, and that hold slowed her down just long enough for the Dwarves to converge on her.  They slammed into her from every direction, grabbing her and trying to pull her off her feet, even as they continued to punch and kick her.  She endured their pummeling with stoicism, even when one of them punched her in the groin deliberately, tensing up her muscles and letting them beat on the rock-hard shielding those muscles provided to the organs underneath, using her inhuman strength and claws dug into the floor to keep them from pulling her down.  Kimmie had Dwarves literally hanging off her arms after a few chaotic seconds as she went about the task of peeling them off of her, as they all continued to try to bring her down with sheer force of numbers.  Kimmie dealt with them like a mother cat enduring the play of her kittens, being gentle with them, but clearly manhandling themat least until one aggressive Dwarf went and decided to bite her tail.  Kimmie yowled in pain and her eyes suddenly went hot with indignation, and she whipped around on the offending Dwarf so quickly that the Dwarves hanging off of her were thrown off by the sudden violent movement.
	How dare you bite my tail! she shrieked in outrage.
	Ooo, mistake, Tarrin winced dryly.
	Big mistake, Mist agreed with a nod.
	Kimmies tail is sensitive? Haley asked with a broad grin.
	Very, Tarrin nodded.  Shes mad now.  Its over.
	Kimmies indignation was quickly demonstrated, because she stopped being gentle.  Instead of knocking them down or tossing them aside, Kimmie balled her fists and starting smashing them to the floor with stunning, crushing blows.  Feet that only knocked them down, maybe booted them a few spans, now struck with such force that the unfortunate Dwarf on the receiving end was catapulted into the air, the armor he or she was wearing the only thing preventing a mortal injury.  One unlucky fellow was grabbed by the ankle, and then Kimmie hefted that Dwarf up and used him like a living weapon, smashing him into his fellows like a club, then whipping him around in a circle and blasting him into anyone that was close enough to hit.  Tarrin had this vision of that ridiculous pair hed encountered while guarding the gateway back home, that Dwarf with the axeblade helmet, the one that thought he was a battle axe, and it made him laugh to see Kimmie using the Dwarf in her paws as a weapon against his companions.
	Fueled by righteous indignation, Kimmie systematically beat the entire Dwarven assemblage of nobles senseless.  In mere moments, the hall was filled with groaning Dwarves laying haphazardly on the bare floor, about ten Dwarves on their knees yielding in hysterical voices, and in the middle of the splayed forms of the unconscious was a naked tabby-furred Were-cat, her shoulders heaving and her face screwed up in a mask of outrage and anger as she surveyed the ones who surrendered, just daring them to try to get up with her eyes.
	Darax was silent for a very long moment, staring at Kimmie in shock and disbelief.  Maybe now youll take our warnings seriously, your Majesty, Kang told him in a grim tone.  Youve been too resistant to the idea that whats coming cant possibly be any stronger or better than your forces.  Well, that little slip of a Were-cat just laid waste to your nobility.  Your nobles were like biting gnats to her, couldnt hurt her at all, nothing more than a nuisance, and they lasted only as long as they didnt annoy her enough to make her squash them.  That is exactly what youll be facing when the Demons come.  Beings you cant hurt without magical weapons, that will toy with you until you aggravate them, then theyll just kill you.  Now, if Kimmie can do this, imagine what a Demon can do, whos bigger, stronger, and much meaner than Kimmie.
	Ye make a strong point, General Kang, Darax said with uncertainty in his eyes as he looked at his defeated nobility.
	Kimmie, enough, Tarrin called sternly.
	She blinked, then blew out her breath, and then the sunny expression was back on her face, as if she had not just brutally beat up most of the Dwarven nobility.  Excuse me, she said politely as she stepped over a groaning Dwarf laying on the floor.  May I have my dress please, munchkin? she asked Zyri, holding her paw out for the dress that the young lady was holding for her.
	A good fight, Denai said with a grin.  I might have to dance with you someday, shaida Kimmie, she offered.  I would love to see how good you are.
	I cheat, Denai, Kimmie warned with a grin.
	It looks like Kangs demonstration had more to do with the Dains arrogant belief that his warriors can defeat Demons than teaching him about Were-cats, Dolanna mused her her voice.  I did not realize that he had been resistant in the planning meetings.  I have not been there.
	They can beat Demons if theyre prepared for them, Tarrin said with a wave of his paw, as the Dwarves started shakily getting up off the floor.  Kimmie had broken a few bones, but hadnt done any serious injury, nothing that the Priests among the Dura couldnt fix with a few simple healing spells.  But maybe now Darax has an idea of whats coming.
	That little demonstration made the Dura quiet and introspective as they were collected up off the floor, their injuries healed by Priests, and the furniture returned to its proper places with a few gestures of Tarrins glowing paws.  But where the Dura were pensive, Daraxs young face was openly troubled.  Maybe for the first time in his entire life, he had seen his warriors, his people, bested.  And not just bested, but totally beaten down like a dog.  For the first time in his life, Darax was realizing that his people could  be beaten, that they were not as invincible as he had always believed.
	All in all, Tarrin felt that maybe what happened would be for the best in the long run.

	Though the others had taken an interest in the Dura, even the Vendari, Tarrin did not.  Where most of his friends and family explored their city, talked to the Dura, got to know them and to like them, Tarrin remained closed up in his room, with his spellbook in his lap, or locked in deep discussion with Camara Tal over matters both magical and theological.  This seemed strange to most who knew him, since he had spent so many years studying the Dwarves, but those closest to him understood that Tarrins mind was weighed down by grim and weighty matters that blinded him to virtually everything except what was coming.
	Tarrin was not the only one.  Kang too had become obsessed to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep, as had Bragg, as the two of them went over the maps, went out and studied their proposed battlefield, and planned and planned and planned.  They had no idea how many they were going to be facing, or how many of the dreaded Demons were going to be part of the battle.  Braggs general staff was just as busy, and it wasnt long before Binter and Sisska were drawn into the command staff, Lorak and Phandebrass were brought in to consult on the uses of magic, and one of the Selani, the son of a tribe chief named Zaran, was brought in to help the generals use his people most effectively.  An