Archangels are a nuanced group. The more powerful angels—not necessarily archangels—are referred to as the Perfections, similar to the most powerful dragons are the Ascendant dragons. Perfections are created for a specific purpose. What creates them varies, but is usually a divine entity. Their divine protection makes them immune to mortal weapons. Some Perfections included the archangel Basilicus, justicicer and arbiter of law; he sacrificed his divine protection to defeat the dracolich Malfador, resulting in his eventual destruction. The archangel Seresh, keeper of harmony. Ielordin, whose focus was the flourishing of life. Amellorel, the archangel of death created by the first Empty Seat; they vanished after a conflict with Acererak. Other Perfections include Alluen, Celeniel, Dranil, Syrelle, and Arinthes. They each protect the secrets of their domain using their divine protection. They are, essentially, a delegation of divine duties. Ward also considers the meaning of the word "Orologia," deciding that it might be related to the study of the passage of time and timekeeping, though there are several other options.

The next morning, as the group sits down for breakfast, a group of armed individuals appears in a burst of green flames. The lead assassin raises an orb above their head, activating its ability to charm everyone in the room. She commands them to slay the Prince. As killing children is not in the nature of most people present, this only serves to delay her own group's defeat. Ward in particular has a hard time breaking the mind control. One assassin manages to escape; a second is captured for interrogation and punishment. The captured assassin declares his group wishes to overthrow the tyrany of the Prince, chaos being the way to free everyone. Meneldin strikes then, stabbing the Prince and departing just as quickly as he arrived. Vera uses their ring to take the damage the next day, preventing him from taking any damage. Vera decides that they need Life is Pain, and they and Alibi go in search of one.

While working in the library, the Apparition mocks Ward for having a knack for killing nobles. Ward counters that he did not succeed, would that he had inherited some of the more useful traits from the Apparition. The only traits he can think of are resistance to magic and maybe his skill with swords. The Apparition assures him that Ward will become skilled, surely skilled enough to rip the heart out of the next princeling he targets. Ward decides this is where he departs the conversation, returning to his spellwork.

Introduced

Returning

• Talthis Vim
• Alibi
• Tuna
• Hayward
• Prince Haziz

Mentioned

• Cecily Cardew
• Meneldin
• Lyra