WingSpan (Taken on the Wing Book 1) (39 page)

Thank you
for reading Wingspan. Writing it has been an amazing experience and sharing it with others has made that experience even better. Other readers would love to hear your thoughts on this book (or any others you have enjoyed!) Please take a moment to visit your favourite online retailer or website such as
www.goodreads.com
or
www.shelfari.com
and share your thoughts. Your support helps small publishers and independent writers continue to provide great and original stories!

Thank you.

Glossary

Arden
- Dame Arden is the mate of Sire Sher and together they serve the Jasper Eyrie. She is the figurative dame to all who reside in the eyrie.

Cloud
- Is an orphan and the only gryphon to survive the massacre at the Welch Peak Eyrie fifteen years earlier.

common gryphon
- A common gryphon is not descended from the first royal gryphons.

Condor
- Sibling of Shadow and son of Sire Lev and Dame Treasure.

dame
- gryphon word for mother.

den
- A family living chamber within an eyrie. Generally a single chamber, it can vary in size and the number of rooms depending on the number of gryphons in the family.

Dove
- A royal gryphon, daughter of Firn and sibling of Tundra. Her magic is in healing.

eyrie
- the system of stone chambers and tunnels that is home to a social group of gryphons. The eyrie is ruled by a Sire and Dame.

Feather
- Talon’s twin sister.

Firn
- Dame of Dove and Tundra. She has also become Lev’s life companion since both lost their mates in the rogue raids decades earlier.

Grand Council
- The governing body guiding all of gryphon society.

gryphon
- Gryphons are part eagle and part lion and rightfully proud since they are kings of both the land an the sky. The females are communal and prefer the companionship and shelter of an eyrie. Males are generally loners. They are attuned with the earth and spend many months of the year listening for her to show them where to find gold which they store in a secret place known only to them.

Jasper Eyrie
- The Jasper Eyrie is located in eastern British Columbia and is ruled by Sire Sher and Dame Arden.

Jenn Klein
- Jenn is Shadow’s human persona. She was raised as human and does not learn she is a gryphon until she is nearly thirty years old.

Lev
- Sire Lev rules the Vancouver Island Eyrie alone since the death of his mate, Dame Treasure. He is the sire of Condor and Shadow.

Mark Williams
- Mark is Talon’s human name. As Mark, Talon is a trucker.

moonwater
- Moonwater is used by gryphons for a number of magic purposes. It can aid in healing and cleansing items. Females also use it in the Ritual of Blessing.

Rapid
- Rapid is a young gryphon in Dame Shadow’s guard.

Ritual of Exchange
- The Ritual of Exchange is the gryphon mating ritual. The male bites the female and if she accepts him, she returns the bite. Then she offers his tears. If he accepts her then he licks them from her cheeks.

Ritual of Blessing
- The Ritual of Blessing is a secret ceremony performed only by females. Since gryphons are masters of the land and the sky, the females cleanse and bless the deceased’s spirit, freeing it to return to the sky then the body is returned to the earth.

royal gryphon
- A royal gryphon is descended from the first pair of gryphons. Gryphons believe they were once pets of the Gods who were cast out because one was turned into human form by a God and that gryphon did the same to the others. Royal gryphons are descended from that God and his female.

Sher
- Sire Sher serves the Jasper Eyrie as its male ruler.

Shadow
- Shadow is a gryphon who was raised as Jenn Klein by the human foster parent system.

sire
- The gryphon word for father.

Sky
- Master Sky is a legendary blacksmith and combat trainer. She is grand-dame to Soar and her son is mated to Sire Lev’s sibling.

skyblade
- Any weapon made by Master Sky. The ceremony includes the blade’s new owner so the weapon will only be light, balanced and usable by him or her.

Soar
- Master Soar is Talon’s best friend and Sire Lev’s guard master.

Swift
- Swift is Talon’s ex and friend to Feather.

Talon
- Talon is Mark Williams’ gryphon persona. His home eyrie is in Jasper.

Shadow
- Shadow is Jenn Klein’s gryphon persona.

Tawny
- Tawny is Dame Arden’s dame and once ruled the Jasper Eyrie until the passing of her mate. For the past fifteen years she raised Cloud.

Torrent
- Torrent is the son of Sire Sher and Dame Arden of the Jasper Eyrie. He is in line for the eyrie’s leadership since his sibling is deceased.

Treasure
- Treasure is Dame Shadow’s dame. She died as a result of her injuries from the rogue raid on the Vancouver Island Eyrie, shortly after giving birth to Shadow and Condor.

Tundra
- Tundra is the sibling of Dove and son of Firn.

Terry Klein
- Terry is the human name of Jenn/Shadow’s brother, Condor.

Vancouver Island Eyrie
- The Vancouver Island Eyrie is located north of Tofino, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. It is the ancestral home of Sire Lev. The eyrie was decimated twice by the same rogues that attacked Welch Peak.

Welch Peak Eyrie
- The Welch Peak Eyrie is located on Welch Peak near Chilliwack, British Columbia. All but a single infant gryphon were massacred by rogue gryphons.

Skyfall, Taken on the Wing #2

When Cloud is expelled from Master Sky’s ranger training program, the last gryphon she expects to find at her den is her old lover Soar. Now she’s the only gryphon with the skills to get inside a corrupt Calgary eyrie and Soar needs her in more ways than one. Cloud has little choice but to accept the mission. Success will get her back in Sky’s good books but accepting Soar as her working partner will either heal her broken heart or ruin it completely.

Master Soar walked out of Cloud’s life when her departure to the ranger program was inevitable. She was motivated, beautiful and too young to tie herself to someone like him. As much as it hurt, it was better to let her go. But when the Calgary eyrie is at the centre of a conspiracy to destroy his own, he’s forced to play every card he has, including Cloud. When Cloud shuts him out and starts to operate on her own he has no choice but to go in after her, risking the entire mission to get the gryphon he loves out alive.

Chapter One

Master Sky crouches in the center of her Memphis sparring chamber. Her lion haunches and taloned forelimbs tense beneath her powerful wings. Shift-blackened eyes frame the hard curve of her hooked beak. As she lowers her head, a single, sharp claw draws in and digs a narrow channel through the dirt floor. Three hundred pounds of muscle, feather and death stare down the privileged few gathered to challenge her.

A feline growl strains from her feathered maw.

Cloud’s throat closes at the sight of her terrifying friend and mentor as she remembers to breathe. She forces a dry swallow and fills her lungs, trying to find calmness and slow her pounding heart though it continues to race.
It’s an honour
. Cloud clings to the thought but instinct screams danger almost loud enough to override her still exterior and she's sure everyone can hear the pounding in her ears.

“Third-years,” Hunter scans the semi-circle of students and settles his eyes on Cloud. “You will face our mentor, Master Sky. This is the first of three afternoons we will spend with her and focus on keeping our asses in one piece."

He adjusts his stance and ties on his scabbard and dulled training dagger. The surrounding students follow suit, unified by clicks and cinches in the dim light. As one of Sky’s most advanced students, the young gryphon earned offers from several eyries to serve in the guard. Cloud suspects he only remains in Sky’s Memphis Eyrie to torment her with his attention.

Hunter faces Sky as if he were made to take on the fully shifted gryphon. In a way, he is, since the infuriating jerk is her grandson.

Cloud keeps her eyes on him rather than let Sky’s battle form rattle her. The other students watch Sky, their soft growls amplified by the rounded stone ceiling high above. Cloud anticipated today’s lesson as much as anyone but once Sky shifted and her scent changed, apprehension ravaged her.

“When taking on a fully shifted gryphon, your priority is survival. All other goals are suicide.”

Hunter turns and smiles earning a couple of nervous snickers because he’s popular even when he isn’t funny. Although this exercise challenges their psychological strength, many third year students receive near fatal wounds from even the most experienced and restrained Master. It takes centuries before a gryphon can shift beyond mere tail and wings on their human form into a fully-shifted beast armed with talon and claw and protected by a thick muscled body covered in feathers and fur.

Cloud feels Sky's pure black eyes focus on her though the absence of surrounding whites offers no clue as to where Sky looks. Sweat beads on her crawling skin, moistening her homespun clothes. Even thicker garments offer little protection from the chamber's chill.

“Master Sky will slash. She will growl. She will do everything but kill you.

“And she does not promise you won’t be hurt.”

His eyes settle on Cloud again and he winks, appearing oblivious to Sky who makes no sound as she circles around behind him.

Hunter's stupid sideways grin disarms her every time.

For a moment, she lets her mental guard down and smiles in return maybe because he looks so much like his brother. But he isn’t Soar. That jerk hasn’t spoken a word to her in three years. Didn’t even say good-bye when she left for Sky’s mountain.

Hunter sidesteps, just in time to disappear into Sky’s shadow. The soundless predator pounces and consumes him in a blur of muscle and feathers.

Bloodlust ripples through the students, drawing them toward Hunter and Sky in the center sparring ring. Cloud inches away and eyes the exit then she catches sight of jerk number two.

Soar stands on one of the upper shelves above the tunnel, arms crossed, and watches his youngest sibling wriggle out from beneath Sky’s massive body. Hunter jams his boots into her abdomen and shouts into the darkness as he pushes the giant gryphon off balance. Sky gracefully braces herself with her wings and keeps her beak out of the dirt but can’t use her sharp talons on him with them sunk into the ground. Hunter twists up onto his feet and Sky faces him head on.