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Authors: K. J. Taylor

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The Dark Griffin

BOOK: The Dark Griffin
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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 - The Black Egg

Chapter 2 - The Emptied Nest

Chapter 3 - Arren

Chapter 4 - Rannagon

Chapter 5 - At the Sign of the Red Rat

Chapter 6 - Rivermeet

Chapter 7 - Out of the Blue

Chapter 8 - Taken Sky

Chapter 9 - To Home

Chapter 10 - The Arena

Chapter 11 - Darkheart

Chapter 12 - Visions

Chapter 13 - Cursed One

Chapter 14 - Accusation

Chapter 15 - Entrapment

Chapter 16 - The Collar

Chapter 17 - Unspeakable Crime

Chapter 18 - A Thief in the Night

Chapter 19 - Hanging

Chapter 20 - Pact

Chapter 21 - Freedom

Chapter 22 - Falling

Chapter 23 - Risen Moon

Chapter 24 - The Cursed One

Chapter 25 - Blackrobe and Darkheart

About the Author

Wild

The black griffin circled lower, as if he was singling out prey, and soon he could see the strange creatures that moved among the rocks. They were tiny, only about as long as his foreleg, and they stood on two legs like birds, but they didn’t have wings. He saw them looking up at him. They did not run, but he heard their calls drifting up toward him, and his heart leapt when he realised that they were speaking to each other.

“Humans,” the yellow griffin said. “They are the key.”

“Food?” the black griffin suggested.

“No—sometimes, maybe.” She fixed him with a steady bright blue stare. “I will give you some advice. If you want to live in this world, find a human. Protect it. Keep it safe. Help it. If you do, you will always be safe. Our magic is not enough for us to survive now. Not alone.”

As she spoke—using words he did not know, to express an idea he did not comprehend—the black griffin had a strange feeling in his throat. It wasn’t quite pain, but it wasn’t quite pleasure, either. It felt as if something was lodged in there, something hard and unyielding and burning hot. It made him want to scream.

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

THE DARK GRIFFIN

An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY

HarperCollins Australia mass-market edition / February 2009 Ace mass-market edition / January 2011

Copyright © 2009 by K. J. Taylor.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-101-44601-0

ACE
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

http://us.penguingroup.com

For Bran.
You’ll always be my big guy.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the following people, who told me I didn’t suck: Arthryn, Carnoc, Lord Alexander, Mordacity, Galdor, bl1nk, jumpman1, blahblahwhatever, Cerenthor, Elohim of Death, Skandar Traeganni, Jinx, Fenris, Attack Bunny, Brienne, Irith Omor, Randomdej, Vox, Pegasus, MurtaghRider, Corascant, NammilLumpen, Warthode, Murtagh799, Seithr Arget, StormShade, Texas Sweetie, LadyWater, Sugarquill, Queen Mindi, Beefstew, unconquerableflame, Kazza, Fricai Andlat and many, many others. I apologise to anyone I left out.

Extra thanks to OceanicChick for her helpful suggestions and for listening to and commenting on my ideas in their early stages. Your input was invaluable.

Extra thanks also to Dragonknighttara, a.k.a. Natalie Van Sistine, the great composer. Your talent amazes me. That you decided to use it on a project dedicated to something I created was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever had happen to me in my life.

Final thanks for Welsh translations to Janice Jones of Gairynei Bryd (A Timely Word), which provides proofreading, editing and mentoring services ([email protected]).

Author’s Note

The language of the Northerners is Welsh, a very ancient and beautiful language.

Accordingly, in line with the rules of Welsh pronunciation, “dd” sounds like “th.”

Hence our protagonist’s name Arenadd is pronounced as “Arrenath.”

Cymria

Eagleholm Lands

Eagleholm

1

The Black Egg

I
t all began with the hatching of the dark griffin. A restless day. A grey day. Clouds the colour of lead lay low over the land like a blanket, and the wind that blew over the mountains had the tang of ice in it. Winter was over, but the memory of it lingered.

The valley, overlooked by a trio of craggy peaks, was green and wild, untouched by humans. This was the domain of something else.

From her perch high above the treetops, the great beast who owned the valley had an excellent view of her territory. She lifted her head, the wind ruffling her feathers, orange eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement. All was peaceful, and she sighed and resettled herself in the massive nest she had made for herself. It was supported by the tops of five large trees and woven from the branches she had broken away to make room for it. Normally a griffin was content to sleep on a bare bough or a ledge, but this one had a clutch of eggs to guard. She would not leave her nest once during the three months it would take for them to hatch.

BOOK: The Dark Griffin
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