Eternal Beasts

Inquisitor

 "Cholim," Kaylee grated. "As the dragons predicted." She then gave Jared's arm a final squeeze and caress before gently pulling it away from her to step towards the rest of her flight. Like her, the other riders had stiffened to alertness as their dragons warned them of the approach.

"Duty stations, everybody," Kaylee directed. "You all know what to do. Let's make it look good for our masters!" Then she was turning to Jared. "Jared, I need you to hide in the corner. Magnus will shield you from their sight. You mustn't be discovered!"

- Troop carriers are on the ground, - Magnus tersely reported. - Cholim are disembarking. -

"Merik, take him!" Kaylee said before turning back to Jared to pull him down into a quick, but passionate kiss. Then, after letting him go, she looked deep into his eyes.

"No matter what happens, do not come out from cover!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jared demanded to know. "Are you in danger here?"

"Promise me, luv!" Kaylee quietly demanded, desperation suddenly in her voice and expression. "Promise me you'll stay hidden." Then Merik and two other of the male riders were pulling him back towards the common room's far end.

"Promise me!"

The door to the common room abruptly banged open, forcing Kaylee to turn towards it. And she watched with a muscle in her jaw jumping with tension as no less than a half dozen cholim strode into the chamber, garbed in expensive cloaks and coats against the chill. And in their shadow, the heavier forms of dragon riders, a curious mix of cholim and humans that descended from the first dragon riders, calling themselves the Nysim-suru. Humans that were almost the same size as Jared.

The Lord of Griffons grunted as Merik pinned him with a shoulder against the wall, holding a finger to his lips in the universal sign for silence when the big human looked at him. Grimacing, he peered past the fairly muscular vahndim rider and at the newcomers.

"Flight Leader Kaylee," one of the cholim said in an almost sneer.

"Here, Lord," Kaylee said as she stepped forward, the remainder of her flight just behind her. As one they bowed their heads and saluted with fists over hearts.

"Ah yes, the half breeds," another one of the cholim mockingly said. "Not worth the blessing of the Harbingers to make them full fledged members of the flights."

"They serve their purpose, magistrate," the first cholim said with an eyebrow arched over an eye. "They ward our western approach."

"Nearly outside their abilities, that purpose," a third cholim noted. "Filthy half breeds cannot be trusted with more, thankfully. I'd rather put torith on horseback."

The first cholim looked at his companions for a moment, a frown on his angular face. Then he turned to regard Kaylee, who had stood silently with head bowed through the entire exchange.

"Do you know why we're here, flight leader?" he asked.

"No, Lord," Kaylee replied, her head still down.

"A group of cholim observers and their torith escort failed to report their activities several days ago in the southwest, close to the Kasidian Forest. When a dragon rider wing was dispatched to investigate, they discovered their remains beneath the snow just outside a nysim settlement that darkling forces had obviously put to the torch. And they had been there the better part of two months. A magical investigation yielded they were struck down by ranged weapons, a combination of knife and sword attacks slaying their escort."

The cholim folded his arms.

"Have any nysim come out of the southwest in the last week or so, flight leader?"