Book excerpt: Fooling a gryphon? Not her ideal day of treasure hunting... After a hunter cheats Nuaka in a game of cards, she’s ready for payback. A few shapeshifting ribbons later, she sneaks into his room and steals a promising set of directions to the local ruins—and treasure horde. If she gets the treasure before he does, she’ll be rich, and that cheater will learn his lesson: Don’t mess with the shapeshifter. At first, everything goes smoothly. And then she runs into the gryphon. Can she use her wit and her magic to make it out of the ruins alive... and with her treasure? Journey through the dangers of Cirena’s ancient forests... read "The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear" today! ~ Each of these Legends of Cirena stories can be read stand-alone: ~ * The Wind Mage of Maijev (Livena) * The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear (Nuaka) * The Restless Sands of Neel (Ro'nor) * The Cursed Halls of Kalecen (Hahven) * The Scars of Her Past (Alia) * The Dragons of the Mist (Zynia) ~ Crossovers (It will help to have read the previous stories involving the featured characters): ~ * The Wind Mage and the Wolf - Features Livena (The Wind Mage of Maijev) and Nuaka (The Gryphon and the Mountain Bear) * The Trial of Bells and Blood - Features Hahven (The Cursed Halls of Kalecen) and Alia (The Scars of Her Past) KEYWORDS: fantasy, epic fantasy, young adult fantasy, YA fantasy, fantasy short story, shapeshifter, shapeshifting, rogues, thieves, griffon, gryphon, mystical creatures, mythical creatures, mage life, mages, elemental magic, magical quest, magical journey, treasure hunter, fantasy mage adventure, immortal fantasy, trickster, wild magic