The Black Gryphon — Mercedes Lackey; Larry Dixon

SKANDRANON RASHKAE IS EVERYTHING A GRYPHON SHOULD BE...

with gleaming ebony feathers, majestic wingspan, keen magesight, and sharp ntelligence, he its the fulfillment of all that the Mage of Silence, the( human sorcerer called Urtho, intended to achieve when he created these magical beings to be his champions, the defenders of his realm--a verdant plain long coveted by the evil mage Ma'ar.

And now, as Ma'ar is once again preparing to advance on Urthb's Keep, this time with a huge force spearheaded by magical constructs of his own, Skandranon is sent to spy across enemy lines, cloaked in the protection of Urtho's powerful Spell of Silence.

As days pass and Skandranon doesn't return, all in Urtho's camp wait anxiously. But there is one among them for whom the possible loss of this great bird will be more than just a major military defeat. Amberdrake--a Healer of body, mind, and spirit whose talents are as essential to the army as those of any general--waits on the landing strip with anguish in his heart. For Amberdrake has come to value the vain, cocksure, and brave Skandranon as his closest friend and comrade, and he now fears that this prince of gryphons will never return....