The Black Gryphon

The book begins with the title character, the gryphon Skandranon Rashkae ("Skan"), creeping into an enemy encampment on a mission to acquire a new, magical weapon instrumental in the fall and capture of a key defensive garrison. Though successful, he is pursued by makaar, creatures created by the antagonist Ma'ar to match Urtho's gryphons, and eventually crashlands in friendly territory. Meanwhile, in Urtho's camp, Amberdrake and Gesten are waiting for the return of their friend Skan along with two fellow healers, Tamsin and Cinnabar. Amberdrake is sitting in the surgery tent in the area where the Healers live and work when a badly wounded Skan is carried in.

While Skan is recovering in the Healer's tent, he meets Zhaneel, a timid and shy female gryphon who distinguished herself by slaying three makaar using unorthodox falcon-like diving tactics; Skan suggests that she spend her reward token on Amberdrake's services to overcome her apparent shyness -- actually the result of a bullied childhood; having been orphaned at a young age, other gryphons taunted her falcon-like appearance as being "misborn" and a "cull".

Skan also becomes furious with a healer named Winterhart, whose job is to care for Urtho's non-human creatures (such as the gryphons) but who shows no emotional investment in any of them, viewing and treating them as simple beasts -- a feeling shared by the leaders of the Sixth Wing division, General Shaiknam and Commander Garber. Despite being the son of Urtho's most distinguished general, Shaiknam shows no actual competence in military strategy or issuing sound orders.

After a therapy session with Amberdrake, Zhaneel is encouraged to put her unique skills to use and gradually assembles a training course in her off-duty time, which begins to grow in size and popularity. When Shaiknam hears of this he attempts to stop it by sending Winterhart with a reprimand, but Zhaneel stands up for herself, her supporters stand with her, and Skandranon defends her as well; Winterhart is the one reprimanded instead. She is shaken by this turn of events, and later sent to Amberdrake to treat a back injury that never healed properly.

While Skandranon rants about Shaiknam's incompetence, a mage named Vikteren similarly rants about Shaiknam's treatment of the other troops under his command, particularly one mage unit that he worked to magical exhaustion, resulting in their demise. After an uneasy mages' meeting occurs that evening (with the mages protesting Shaiknam specifically), organizational changes are made, with Shaiknam no longer allowed to command non-human or mage troops. He is later placed on leave while another, more competent, commander is assigned to the Sixth Wing instead.

Meanwhile, upon mentioning how only Urtho knows the secret to gryphon fertility, Amberdrake suggests that Skandranon steal the knowledge for possible use in bargaining with Urtho; they consult Urtho's library with Tamsin and Cinnabar, acquiring the secret notes, and discovering that the "secret" is easy to accomplish, with the majority of effort spent simply maintaining its secretive nature. Skan also discovers a strange, childlike gryphon named Kechara locked in an isolated room of the library, but realizes that Urtho has kept this "misborn" Kechara safe from the harassment that haunted Zhaneel's childhood.

Through her treatments with Amberdrake, Winterhart begins to treat the gryphons more as persons than animals, starts to become friends with Amberdrake, and in turn begins to question her superficial relationship with a mercenary mage named Conn Levas. She is also revealed to have formerly been a member of the neighboring Leodhan kingdom before Ma'ar's agents caused it to fall. Meanwhile, Skan begins to fall in love with Zhaneel as they fly combat missions together, though the missions are a mix of victories and retreats.

When the Sixth Wing commander is killed by an explosion in his command tent, Shaiknam resumes command of the Sixth Wing -- much to the gryphons' dismay -- and Skan volunteers to lead the Sixth Wing as they stage a formal protest of Shaiknam's latest orders. Skan then meets with Urtho privately to discuss Shaiknam. In doing so, Skan reveals they have acquired Urtho's secret knowledge and are therefore free to leave Urtho's service if they choose -- but they would rather stay, out of loyalty and love for their creator; Urtho is shocked at first, but ultimately approves. Urtho also reveals that Ma'ar's forces have been advancing quickly, have occupied the nearby Leodhan Palace, and are almost able to launch a direct assault on the Tower itself; Urtho has been secretly organizing gradual evacuations of all nonessential personnel. Shaiknam is appointed to hold the defensive line while the nonhuman and mage troops of the Sixth Wing are dissolved into other divisions outside his command.

As the evacuations escalate, a gryphon named Aubri discovers General Shaiknam has brokered a deal with Ma'ar, simply allowing them to pass through to advance upon Urtho's tower, while also hiring the mercenary Conn Levas to assassinate Urtho. Although successful in poisoning Urtho, Conn Levas is killed by Skandranon, and the dying Urtho gives Skan a device to be used against Ma'ar specifically, similar to a prototype Zhaneel field-tested earlier (to great effect). Skandranon arrives at the Leodhan Palace in time to rescue a captured Kechara and Aubri, activate the device against Ma'ar, and escape through a Gate before the device detonates. Ma'ar appears to take his own life while claiming that he and his empire will last forever.

Upon Urtho's death, his tower explodes in a massive surge of energy, while mages at the evacuation sites ready magical shielding for the approaching blast wave. The site's Gate activates, with Kechara and Aubri the first to arrive, but the Gate begins to break down before Skandranon can follow; the mage Vikteren, with the help of the others, is able to hold the Gate together long enough to pull Skandranon through safely, though his signature coat of black feathers has been bleached white from the force of the blast. Although unable to establish any magical contact with the other evacuees, they are thankful to be alive and safe.

• Skandranon "Skan" Rashkae—The Black Gryphon. He is interested in books and learning of leaders-and how they lead. Very confident in his abilities, he believes no one else can do what he can. He is injured at the beginning of the story and has to stay in a healer's tent while his wounds are mended. His chief healer is Amberdrake, but he also receives help from Cinnabar and Tamsin. While healing, he meets Aubri and also Zhaneel, who he falls in love with. In the end, he is the defeater of Ma'ar, but it all comes with a price for his black feathers are turned white from a problem with the gates.
• Kiyamvir Ma'ar—leader of the group fighting Urtho. He is a powerful mage bent on world domination. He's defeated many different cities and uses the conquered people in his new army. Like Urtho, Ma'ar creates a new race of creatures called Makaar. The makaar, unlike the gryphons, take orders without question and without a thought of their own. Ma'ar commits suicide rather than face defeat at the hands of Skandranon.
• Kestra'chern Amberdrake "Drake" k'Leshya—Amberdrake is an empath/healer. He does not fit in with either kestra'cherns, people usually of the Kaled'a'in race that are trained in helping people mentally and emotionally, or healers because he is a combination of both. He is a friend of Skandranon, and worries about his friend when he does not return from his dangerous mission. Meanwhile, he meets Winterhart after a confrontation between her and Zhaneel. He learns of her past and falls in love with her. There are some hinted at homo-erotic duties that certain empaths and healers will perform, and some of the fees for the better service providers (Amberdrake is identified as being in that category) can be quite high. There appears to be very little stigma attached to this type of service, and Amberdrake continues to be held in high regard by those familiar with this practice as well as those who are not. In the first novel of this trilogy, Amberdrake is initially seen as someone who is a state of emotional turmoil somewhat more serious than those he seeks to heal in fact. Amberdrake and his emotional status receives a great deal of attention as the plot lines continue to develop and progress. The toll for what empaths and healers are able to do seems to be pretty high throughout the novel, again, with the focus being primarily on the Amberdrake character. Ambiguity and instability are explored in detail in order to give the reader insight when it comes to these interpersonal relationships.
• Gesten—A hertasi, a lizard-like creature very good at getting goods. Gesten is the helper of Amberdrake. He sets up for all appointments that Amberdrake has and assists him with foods.
• Conn Levas—A hired mage mercenary working for Urtho. He appears for the first time with an appointment with Amberdrake. His reasoning for going to a kestra'chern in the first place was to make Winterhart, his lover, jealous. Conn later turns against Urtho, taking Aubri and Kechara to Ma'ar, and attacking Urtho with a magical thorn that slowly kills the recipient. Conn upon leaving the room where Urtho is dying, runs into Amberdrake and Skandranon, and Skandranon brutally kills Conn Levas.
• Healer Tamsin—A healer, life-bonded to Cinnabar. He heals many of the combatants on Urtho's side and also aids in the stealing of Urtho's formula for gryphon mating.
• Healer Cinnabar—A healer, life-bonded to Tamsin. She was formally a child of nobles in the king's palace. Cinnabar aids in the stealing of Urtho's formula for gryphon mating.
• Urtho—The Mage of Silence. He is the reluctant ruler of the people in the land. He was made ruler after the king was killed and all nobles had fled. He is the "Father" of the gryphons. He is surprised by the attack by Conn Levas and is hit with a very deadly thorn. He tries to challenge Ma'ar to a duel knowing that when his death come that his tower would explode and kill Ma'ar, but he later helps Aubri, Skan, and Kechara to escape just before his death.
• Zhaneel—A gryphon that was believed to be "misborn" early in the story; towards the end it was made clear she was simply the first in a new breed of gryphons, called a gryfalcon (a gryphon in the shape of a falcon), whose parents are killed in battle. She is made fun of by other gryphons because of her form. She is much smaller and has smaller wings than the broadwing variety. She also has human hands in the place of talons. She gains recognition after single-handedly killing three makaar. Due to all the years of being made fun of, she is very unconfident and Skan suggests that she visit Amberdrake. Amberdrake convinces her to learn how to use her differences as a strength. She creates a training course fit for her skills. Skandranon falls in love with her and the feeling is mutual. Her time to really shine happens in a confrontation between herself and Winterhart.
• Aubri—A grumpy gryphon from the sixth wing, the same wing as Zhaneel. The first time he appears is after a battle when he is badly burned. He later spots Shaiknam, Garber, and Levas backing out and allowing Ma'ar's troops through. He is captured by Conn and given to Ma'ar, but rescued by Skan.
• Winterhart—Trondi'irn, trainer of the gryphons, of the sixth wing. She is the lover of Conn Levas, but she doesn't really love him. After her face-off with Zhaneel she is sent to Amberdrake to help an old back problem. With the help of Cinnabar, she admits to who she truly is to Amberdrake. She was formally a lady of the king's castle, but ran away due to a device that caused fear in all but those with shields. She has lived in disgrace for years due to her cowardice. She later breaks it off with Conn Levas and becomes the lover of Amberdrake.
• General Shaiknam—One of Urtho's commanders. He is the leader of the sixth wing. He uses the gryphons and other non-humans, including mages, only as weapons and not as though they actually having intelligence. He is removed from his position after sending many of his mages to their death. He gets his position back after the commander that takes over is mysteriously assassinated.
• Commander Garber—Shaiknam's second in command. He believes the same as Shaiknam and sends orders to Winterhart that keep the gryphons under their thumb.
• Vikteren—An Adept Mage. He hides his skills, making people believe that he is lower than he really is. He leads the mages on the revolt against Shaiknam and Garber. He also lends Amberdrake a key that will unlock any magical locks that Urtho may have put on his books about gryphon mating.
• Kechara—A "misborn" gryphon whose name is translated to beloved. Kechara is kept locked up in Urtho's Tower because he does not want her to fall into the wrong hands. Kechara is discovered by Skandranon while in the tower getting the formula for mating. She is older than Skan, but her mind is not as advanced. Her mind may be of a child, but her power is mindspeech. She is later kidnapped by Conn Levas, and rescued by Skan. Before his death, Urtho gives her to Skan for protection.