Excerpt:

Lerd was built like a brick on spindly legs. That might have had a great deal to do with the fact that his mother was one of the Chaos Temple's resident gargoyles. He knew nothing of his father except that the bastard hadn't had wings. Gargoyle women tended to drop wingless children off the highest spire available. In most cases, they shattered and the shards were swept up by the Brothers of Chaos and used to keep the gravel walk looking fresh. Luckily for Lerd, he'd landed in a pile of rubbish where an urchin had discovered him and sold him to the nearest menagerie for a few pennies.

Young Master Diril had spent an entire year's allowance to purchase him and Lerd had spent his entire life taking care of Master Diril's things. It was a gargoyle's nature to guard and guard he did. His presence was a match for any dog's. Unfortunately, his intelligence wasn’t. This had a great deal to do with the fact that his mother had dropped him on his head when he was a baby.