Page 15 of Court of Twisted Angels

Magic crackles in the air between us, his power radiating off him in waves that make my skin prickle. He gestures to my wings with an elegant hand.

"I could train you." The words fall casual as rainfall, but his ice-blue eyes lock onto mine with predatory intensity. "Personal instruction. One-on-one."

I force myself to breathe, to push past the memory of claws and teeth and burning pain. "Why would a xaphan noble want to train a human?"

His lips curve into a stunning smile. "Let's call it... professional curiosity." He winks, and I'm surprised by the flutter in my stomach from it. It's the same thing he said to me that first night.

My brain tries to piece together what that means, but I come up short. He doesn't seem like he wants me to fail, like he wants to laugh at my expense, but I can't be sure.

The rising sun casts shadows across his angular features, highlighting the dangerous beauty of his face. "So what do you say, little bird? Ready to learn how to really fly?"

The magical barrier surrounding the platform ripples with his proximity, purple energy dancing like aurora lights in the space between us. My heart pounds against my ribs, each beat screaming danger.

But Mother's face floats in my mind, pale and drawn with sickness, and I know I can't afford to let fear rule me. Not now. Not with her life hanging in the balance.

I swallow hard, weighing my options. Every instinct screams to refuse, but the reality is brutal – most humans who attempt the trials fail. Die. And I can't afford to fail.

"Fine." The word tastes like ash in my mouth. "Show me."

His smile widens, revealing teeth too white, too perfect. "Excellent. First, loosen your death grip on those straps. The wings need to feel like an extension of your body, something I know you are familiar with." His eyes flick to my blades

I try to relax my fingers, but they've locked around the leather straps crossing my chest. The wings feel heavier as he circles behind me, and I fight the urge to spin and keep him in sight. My scar throbs with each step he takes.

"Breathe." His voice comes from directly behind me now. "Feel the magic current in the air. It flows like a river – invisible to human eyes, but you can sense it. That current is what will keep you aloft, not just these training wings."

Magic tingles against my skin as he manipulates the energy around us. The purple wisps thicken, forming visible streams that twist through the air like ribbons caught in a breeze.

"Close your eyes."

"I'd rather not."

"Trust has to start somewhere, little bird." His hands hover near my shoulders, not quite touching. "The magic responds to intent as much as skill. Your fear is blocking the flow."

Cursing silently, I let my eyes drift shut. The magical current grows stronger, wrapping around me like silk. The wooden platform seems to fade beneath my feet, leaving me suspended in that ethereal stream.

"Now spread your wings. Slowly. Feel how they catch the current."

I extend the conjured wings, their joints clicking softly. Without sight, every sensation intensifies – the bite of the wind, the hum of magic, the weight of his presence behind me. The wings feel lighter somehow, more responsive.

"Better." His approval sends an unwanted shiver down my spine. "But your shoulders are still rigid as stone. The wings need to move with you, not against you."

His presence fades as I soar higher, carried by currents of magic that dance beneath my wings. The morning sun bathes New Solas in golden light, its crystalline spires glittering like diamonds against the cloudless sky. Below, the ancient forest stretches endlessly, its canopy rippling in waves of deep emerald.

I bank left, following the purple streams of magic that twist through the air like ribbons. The training wings respond smoothly, like they really are a part of me. For a moment, everything feels perfect – weightless, free, powerful.

Then I look down.

The world tilts sideways. My stomach lurches as the distance between me and the ground suddenly becomes too real, too vast. The magical current I'd been riding slips away like water through fingers, leaving me struggling to stay aloft. My chest constricts, each breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

"Keep moving!" The xaphan's voice cuts through my panic, but I can't make my wings respond. They lock up, the wings stopping as terror freezes my muscles.

The forest floor spins beneath me, trees blurring into a nauseating whirl of green and shadow. Magic crackles around me, but I can't focus enough to grasp it. Panic grabs me as memories flood back – claws tearing, wings beating, pain searing across my back.

My training wings shudder. The right one catches wrong in the wind, throwing me into more of a spiral. Purple wisps of magic stream past, just out of reach. The ground rushes up, then sky, then ground again as I tumble through the air.

"Focus on the current!" he shouts, but the words scatter in the wind. My heart pounds so hard I think it might burst. The scar tissue along my neck and back screams with phantom pain, and I can't tell what's memory and what's now.

Nothing in my body will respond. Every instinct screams at me to curl into a ball, to protect myself, but that will only make the spin worse. Black spots dance at the edges of my vision as the lack of oxygen takes its toll. The forest below keeps spinning, spinning, spinning...

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