Page 4 of Court of Twisted Angels

"Other noble houses seek the stones as well. The Praexa have placed them within different stages of the trials." He pauses. "They wish to watch us tear each other apart for their entertainment because, apparently, the humans are doing it well enough."

"Which houses?"

"House Meridian claims the first stone lies within the darkness of the initiation chamber. House Voss pursues another in the storm arena. The others..." He shakes his head. "How many there are and the locations remain unclear, but I would consider that there will be one or more in each trail."

Rage burns through my veins, but I keep my expression neutral. The Praexa would turn our salvation into a spectacle, forcing us to compete against our own kind while humans die for their amusement.

"Then we have no choice." I straighten, letting my authority fill the room. "I will go to the trials myself."

"My lord," Castiel protests, "The risks-"

"Are nothing compared to watching our bloodline wither." I cut him off. "Prepare what we need. The next trials begin in three days."

"There's something else." Gavreel's wings rustle as he shifts in his seat. His golden eyes dart to the other council members before settling on me. "The trials have... changed."

"Changed?" I lean back, studying his face.

"A human." His lip curls. "One actually earned her wings at the last one."

Laughter erupts around the table. Castiel nearly chokes on his wine. Even I can't suppress a smirk at such an absurd claim.

"Impossible." I wave my hand through the air. "No human has ever completed the trials. They're nothing more than entertainment for the masses."

"I thought the same." Gavreel produces a scroll from his robes. "But I have proof. The Praexa themselves confirmed it. They're using her victory to draw more humans in."

"Humans have grown wary." Castiel strokes his beard. "Word spreads through their pathetic settlements that the trials are rigged. Numbers have dwindled at recent events."

"The Praexa are offering novas now." Gavreel's quill scratches against parchment as he makes notes. "Enough to feed a human family for years. But that's not all - they've added more challenges. My sources say these will be the most brutal trials yet."

"How so?" I drum my fingers against the table.

"There will be an initiation trial and then four trials to follow. They are using every bit of magic to rip apart humans and xaphan alike." His lips curl in a grimace. "They will be nearly impossible to train for and even harder to survive, even with magic."

The council chamber falls silent. Even the candles seem to dim.

"They mean to create a true spectacle." Gavreel rolls up his scroll. "One worthy of drawing both desperate humans and noble houses. The Praexa grow bored with simple death - they want to witness suffering."

I rise from my chair, pacing before the ancient fireplace. The flames cast my shadow large against the wall, my wings spread wide in the flickering light. The Praexa's game grows more complex, but it changes nothing. I will find a way into their trials, claim the stones, and save my bloodline - no matter how many humans or noble houses stand in my way.

I pause at one of the windows of the chamber, overlooking the sprawling expanse of New Solas. Golden spires pierce the violet sky, their crystalline surfaces catching the light of the twin moons. Magic pulses through the city's ley lines, visible only tothose trained to see them - rivers of power flowing beneath the streets like molten gold.

Below, xaphan nobles glide between towers on pristine wings, flashes of white in the air that are so like my own. I push open the window, listening to the market squares as they buzz with activity of merchants hawking their wares from stalls draped in rich fabrics. The scent of incense and spell-work drifts up even to this height, carried by winds that dance between the architecture.

In the western quarter, humans scurry through narrow streets like bugs, their drab clothes a stark contrast to the city's splendor. Torch light flickers in their windows - they can't afford the spelled crystals that illuminate the noble districts. Their desperation is almost palpable, even from here. Each one dreaming of wings they'll never earn.

I trace the path of a zarryn-drawn carriage as it winds through the lower streets, carting in preparations for the trails. The beasts' tufted hide gleams like polished silver, their twin tails twitching with each step.

"The first contestants arrive tomorrow." Gavreel appears beside me, silent as shadow. "They'll be housed in the preparation chambers beneath the arena."

"Good." I flex my wings, watching moonlight play across the feathers. "Let them wear themselves down in training. Every failed attempt, every death, brings us closer to understanding the structure of the new trials."

"And the gemstones?"

"We watch. We wait. These fools will map the hazards for us, reveal the stones' locations through their failures." I gesture toward the massive arena rising from the city's heart, its enchanted barriers shimming like heat waves. "Their bodies will mark the path to our salvation."

A cold smile curves my lips as I imagine the coming spectacle. Let the Praexa have their entertainment. Let the humans chase their impossible dreams. Their suffering will serve a greater purpose - the restoration of my bloodline.

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