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stopping the gryphon before he shifts further and goes through
Cloud to get to the human.
    Much to her horror, the gryphon ’ s front teeth merge and she knows he ’ s out of control. The human chooses that
moment to pull on her, setting the gryphon off. Cloud jams a thumb deep beneath
the gryphon ’ s collar bone and turns
sideways to escape the hold the human has on her shoulders. As the gryphon
makes his move she punches him in the chin, snapping his teeth together. He
doesn ’ t slow but his eyes lose
focus.
    Then she hooks one foot behind the human ’ s knee and pulls, toppling him backwards
as she follows through, bringing her knee up into the gryphon ’ s stomach. As the air rushes from his
lungs, Cloud steps clear and drives an elbow between his shoulders for good
measure.
    The two land in a passed out
gryphon-on-top position.
    Before Cloud can appreciate her
handiwork, Lawrence has her around the waist and pulls her clear.
    “ You
okay, Cherry? ”
    “ Yeah, ” she says but the last thing she expected
was to diffuse a fight. This one wouldn ’ t
have happened if she hadn ’ t shown up.
    “ He ’ s in some trouble when he wakes up, ” Lawrence mutters then looks up at the balcony.
Several of the winged gryphons watch and Cloud ’ s cheeks flush with the attention. “ Get a foot up on them since you kicked
their asses. ”
    Cloud moves at his order. He ’ s clearly the guard master and she ’ s a guest so her response is quick and
automatic. She puts one foot on the gryphon ’ s back and raises her arms in victory.
    “ This one is going on the wall, ” he says as he takes a couple of pictures.
    “ Lawrence , trouble? ” The
male who nodded from the balcony arrives through a door by the bar so Cloud
drops her arms and puts her foot down. His wings are gone and he wears a white
Cooper ’ s shirt.
    “ Yeah,
Daniel, ” Lawrence explains. “ One
on break and my other two bouncers were tied up downstairs. She ’ s quick. I don ’ t think anyone noticed there was even a
problem. ”
    “ Fortunately, ” Daniel approaches Cloud with a hand out. “ I ’ m Daniel Cooper. I own the bar. What do
your friends call you? ”
    Cloud looks at his palm and when she
finds it empty she remembers to emulate and holds hers out. Her stiff fingers
don ’ t relax as he grasps them and
bounces her arm up and down. Cooper leans forward over the bodies on the floor
and keeps well out of reach.
    “ My friends here call me Cherry, ” she announces with her chin up. Cooper
holds back a small burp with his closed mouth but it sounds more like a growl
and Lawrence and the bartender drop their eyes.
    “ Lawrence, ” Cooper groans.
    “ Cherry from the eyrie, ” the bartender explains. “ This your first time out? We didn ’ t mean anything by it. ”
    She suspects she ’ s the target of some joke she doesn ’ t understand.
    “ And what do folks who aren ’ t your friends call you? ” Cooper tries.
    “ I suspect they also call me Cherry, ” she says with a glance at the bartender. “ My
red hair... I ’ m Cloud. ”
    But Cooper seems done with her.
    “ Get him to the lockup until he ’ s sober, ” he
points at the prone gryphon. “ I don ’ t want him back here for a year and get
the human a coffee and a cab.
    “ Provide Cloud with a quiet meal and a
room. See that she ’ s not disturbed until after
noon tomorrow. ”
    I ’ m in.
     

Chapter Six

     
    Daniel Cooper places his palm over a
smooth stone on his master bedroom wall. A small thunk buzzes his hand. Seconds
later, he pushes the recessed door open and steps inside a cave-like chamber.
    Uneven grey stone covers the unlit floor
and walls. A tattered sleeping mat and a small wooden box rest at the far side
of the otherwise empty room. Years earlier, over the course of two weeks,
Cooper promised the Earth he ’ d protect the contents of the
box with his life for inside is a relic so powerful it could bring an entire
clan of dragonkin to its