Eternal Beasts

To Findias

It took a few minutes for Jared and Nikeera working together to calm the distraught griffon and get her back to the Land Rover. Feeling empathetic towards her plight, Nikeera let Samantha take the front seat and for the entirety of the trip back into the city, the griffon was huddled against Jared as close as she could without interfering with his piloting of the vehicle, arms wrapped around his arm.

Samantha stayed close to him on the walk back to the dorm room as well, unwilling to waste even a second of her remaining time as a nysim and able to cuddle close to him. In the dorm room as well, there were frequent pauses for her to hug and kiss Jared, the big man holding her close while she cried with impending loss.

Finally, though, they could no longer delay. Slinging the satchel with the Watcher and the three remaining stone statues in it, over his shoulder, Jared pulled back the dresser to find the door waiting for them.

- Okay, Jared, - the book began. - Just like before, you'll open the door and ... -

Abruptly the entity was gone. And just as abruptly it was back.

- By the Light, the cholim are casting an interference spell! - the book said with no little alarm. - It's twisting the temporal connection between the two realms. You might not get your twenty four hours after all, if I can't stabilize it. -

"Do we go, or not?" Jared said out loud, staring at the door, Nikeera and Samantha right behind him.

- Hold, while I work on it a bit, - the book replied, oddly sounding a bit out of breath, if that was possible for an alien lifeform that was the essence of a history book!

Then:

- Go! - the book barked. - Go now! -

"For pity's sake!" Jared growled, reaching out to yank open the door. "Nik, Sams, hold on to me as tightly as you can so the vortex doesn't pull us apart and dump us in different locations!"

The two quickly wrapped themselves around each arm. Then, when they both gave him a nod to confirm they were ready, he carried them through the door and into the floating clouds beyond.

The clouds, of course, instantly disappeared. And in their place was darkness filled with wildly flashing lights and the whooshing sound of a training running past them at high speed. Then they were falling through the air to hit hard stone and rolling forward.

Jared was first to his feet. Looking around, he found them standing on a large, circular stone platform. And beyond it were the achingly familiar towers, spires, and domes of the city of his dreams. Findias, the last City of Stone, the three dwarf suns that dominated Ethaeron's sky just dipping behind the distant horizon.

"Damn," he breathed. "We made it!" Then he was grunting as first Nikeera threw her arms around him with a happy cry. Then again when Samantha did it. Which, of course, earned her a quick querulous look from the big man.

- Uh, book, - he began as his griffon, still in nysim form, snuggled up against him with definite sounds of relief and happiness that she now stood on Ethaeron still in her nysim form. A body she had begun hating and ended up loving.

- I think we have a problem here. -

- I see that, - the entity replied with no little dismay. Before it could say anything else, however, there was the sound of dozens of boots climbing a nearby flight of stone stairs. Then, exploding onto the platform were a couple of platoons of heavily armed tuathan guards in breastplates, carrying long spears and crossbows. Both of which were quickly aimed at the uncertain trio.

"Intruders!" one of them wearing the plumed helmet of an officer, shouted in Iesho as he leveled his spear at them. "Hold your places or die in them!"