Chapter 317: The Museum Roof Would Disagree
An hour after they left the Administrators’ Council, Lancet and his new fiery Summon made their way to the Academy’s main gates.
The tall, long structure was erected beyond three security courts, each one separated by barriers, guard stations and tall black arches carved with protective runes.
As Lancet knew, students could not simply walk out whenever they pleased. Their Student Cards were checked at the first court, their destination and reason for leaving at the second, and the final gate only opened after both records matched the permissions stored in the Academy system.
Lancet watched the guards work and tried not to smile.
This was his first time using an actual permit.
He had left the Academy a couple times already and thank the Elders he was never caught because having illegal exit in your record meant you couldn’t leave the Academy for at least a year.
At the first checkpoint, a guard held out one hand. "Identification."
Lancet passed over his student card.
The guard scanned it, then looked toward Solaris.
She stared back.
"She’s not a.." Lancet said.
The guard’s eyes moved to the golden feathers framing her face, then to the permit Lancet was already taking from his coat.
"This was issued by the Administrators’ Council."
He handed it over.
The guard unfolded the permit and ran a narrow blue light across the seal. Three signatures appeared beneath the surface: Helagreem Pastop, Danistasia Ardental and Elian Vossard.
A fourth mark confirmed that Solaris Ashen had been placed under Lancet’s temporary responsibility.
The guard looked up at Lancet.
Lancet smiled. "Long story."
"I heard the museum exploded."
"That’s part of it."
Solaris glanced toward the gates. "Must every person who leaves this place answer so many questions?"
"Yes."
The permit passed through the second checkpoint, where another guard checked their intended district, expected return time and transport registration. At the final court, a pair of defensive Mages inspected Solaris from a safe distance while a ceiling crystal searched for concealed weapons.
When nothing was found, the outer gates opened with a techy groaning sound, black steel drawing apart while the barrier between them dissolved into blue sparks.
Lancet stepped outside and looked back at the security courts.
The guards were still watching Solaris. "Heh."
She glanced at him. "What?"
"Nothing. I’m just appreciating how secure the Academy is. To think they don’t know about the broken barrier at the back of the school."
Solaris stopped.
Lancet kept walking.
"You have escaped your own school?"
Lancet sunk his hands in his pockets, shoulders lifted. "’Escaped’ is a dramatic word. I just left without permission."
"How many times?"
Lancet looked toward the road. "The cab should be here soon."
Solaris followed, but her stare remained on the side of his face. What the hell was a cab?
Something big and long and made of metal arrived with a violet smoke tracing behind it. Solaris paused and studied the construct.
It had a black metal body, long and narrow, with high curved fenders, silver trim and windows shaped like the arches of a cathedral. A blue crystal engine hummed beneath the front hood while faded runes moved along the doors.
Several more of these ’cabs’ sped down the road, faster than carriages and horses.
The driver leaned across the passenger seat and pushed one door open.
Lancet gestured toward it. "After you."
Solaris looked inside.
Then at the road stretching away from the Academy.
"What is this?"
"A cab."
"What does it do?"
"It takes us where we’re going."
Solaris looked up at the open sky. "But... we can fly. This will only waste time."
Lancet eyed the driver and sighed. "First of all, Solaris. We’re not in a hurry. And we can’t go flying through half the city."
"Why not?"
"Because people don’t appreciate flaming women crossing over their rooftops."
"They will not die because of it," Solaris said matter-of-factly.
"That isn’t," Lancet squeezed his lips, "the point."
Solaris still stood outside.
Lancet lowered his voice. "Look. You’re going to live in the present now. That means learning how people move around, how they interact and how they avoid causing public panic."
She turned and stared at Lancet. He stared back.
Behind the wheel, the driver watched them through the window.
Lancet gestured to the door. "Get in. Please"
Solaris entered reluctantly, like she was accepting a minor insult. Lancet climbed in beside her, and the door sealed.
The cab moved before Solaris had finished examining the seats. She caught the edge of the door when the vehicle joined traffic, then looked through the window as buildings began sliding past.
"There are no horses."
"No."
"And the smoke comes from the cab?"
"It’s called a Grace engine. It fuels the vehicle and propels it to move."
"Vehicle? Not cab?"
"Ah. A cab is a vehicle. It’s a... kind of vehicle. There are several kinds."
"I see. How fast can it move?"
"Fast enough."
"Not faster than me."
"No one said it was."
"Then flying remains better."
The driver looked at them through the mirror. "Awakeners," he muttered.
Lancet heard him.
They met eyes in the mirror and Lancet smiled at him. The driver looked back at the road.
Minutes later, they arrived at their destination.
Lancet was taking Solaris to the apartment where she would be living. It was a complex in one of the quieter districts near the Academy. It was close enough that Lancet and Frieda could visit without crossing half of Brightspire city and far enough that Danistasia could not watch her from an office window.
Three dark towers rose around a shared courtyard. Their upper levels carried narrow balconies and pointed roofs, while green transport lights moved behind the windows. The lower floors held shops, service offices and a small indoor garden.
The property agent met them in the entrance hall.
He was a round man in a navy suit with a gold chain across his waistcoat. His smile held until he saw Solaris.
Then his eyes moved to her feather-crown. "Lady Ashen. You... have returned."
Solaris looked at Lancet. "He knows me."
"Everyone knows you."
The agent recovered and bowed. "An honor. Mr. Leogardt informed us that the apartment would be occupied immediately. We acted immediately."
He led them into a lift.
Solaris studied the closed metal doors. "Another transport box."
"This one is called a lift."
"It moves upward."
"Yes."
"Then it is a vertical cab."
Lancet looked at her. Then at the agent beside him who was stunned and close to laughing.
Lancet shook his head. "Don’t encourage her."
Solaris looked deadpan. "Anything to avoid flying, it seems."
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into the fine red and black corridor. The apartment occupied the upper corner of the second tower.
The agent opened the door and stepped aside.
Sunlight entered through tall windows overlooking the district. The main room held a broad couch, dark shelves, a low table and a flat screen mounted against the wall. An open kitchen stood to one side. Two bedrooms waited down the hall, along with a bathroom and a smaller room that could become a study.
Solaris entered slowly.
She touched the wall near the doorway, then looked toward the windows. "This belongs to one person?"
"It can," the agent said.
"There is more space here than in some noble quarters."
Lancet walked past her. "You’re welcome."
The agent began the tour.
He showed Solaris the kitchen first. "The stove operates through controlled heat crystals."
Solaris turned one knob. In response, a clean blue flame appeared.
She stared at it before moving her finger closer. The flame bent toward her.
Noticing this, the agent stepped back.
Solaris turned the knob again, increasing the fire before drawing the heat into her palm. The burner went cold.
"This is weak."
"It is for cooking," Lancet said.
"I can cook with stronger fire."
"You probably shouldn’t do that," Lancet said, avoiding the agent’s worried face. "You could destroy the kitchen and the apartment."
"I have control," Solaris stated.
"The museum roof would disagree."
Solaris immediately snapped her face at him. Lancet smiled sheepishly.
The agent moved quickly toward the next room.
In the bathroom, Solaris turned the tap and watched hot water fall into the basin.
"The building heats water for every resident?"
"Yes," the agent said.
"Why?"
"So they can wash."
"Fire can heat water."
"Most residents are not Fire Mages."
Solaris accepted that and moved to the shower. "What is this for?"
Lancet reached past the agent and turned it on. Water sprayed across Solaris’s coat.
She stepped back and Lancet turned it off.
"I see."
Solaris looked down at the wet sleeve and the water evaporated in one breath.
They reached the main room again, and Lancet picked up the remote. "This is the television."
Solaris looked at the blank screen. "A black mirror."
"It shows broadcasts. Movies. Tv shows. The news"
He pressed one button, lighting up the screen.
A news presenter appeared behind a desk, speaking about the Inter-Class Competitions while an image of the damaged museum filled the space beside her.
Solaris saw herself hovering over the roof..Her attention sharpened.
Lancet increased the volume.
"...officials at Awakener Supreme have confirmed that the woman seen above the museum was Solaris Ashen, known in historical records as the Phoenix Reincarnate..."
Solaris stepped closer. "They recorded this?"
"Everything gets recorded."
"Why?"
"So people who weren’t there can watch."
The report switched to an older painting of Solaris beside the Phoenix Statue.
She sat down on the couch without taking her eyes from the screen. The agent looked at Lancet.
Lancet lowered his voice. "I think she likes it."
Solaris pressed another button on the remote.
The channel changed to a cooking program. A chef was glazing a bird over an open flame.
Solaris leaned forward. "She is burning the skin."
Lancet took the remote before the criticism became personal. "We’ll learn channels later."
The agent completed the tour and displayed the final price on a crystal tablet.
Lancet read the number, winced privately and pressed his payment card against the screen.
The transfer completed with a ding!
The agent’s smile became much warmer.
"Congratulations. The apartment is now secured for six months, with the option to extend."
Solaris looked at Lancet. "You paid for all of it."
"Yes."
She paused where she was, staring at him like he had done for her the most greatest thing ever. When she realized she’d been staring, she flashed her eyes and looked back to the television.
The agent turned toward the door. Lancet signed the final document. "You can go."
The man bowed and left. Lancet closed the door behind him.
"Now you have somewhere to live."
Solaris looked at him, acting like she hadn’t been staring before. Then she looked around again.
The apartment had become quieter without the agent’s voice filling it. She returned to the window and watched traffic move below.
"It is acceptable."
Lancet smiled. "High praise."
She glanced toward the television.."Leave the dark mirror on."
"It’s called a television."
"Leave it on."
Lancet did.
The next problem was clothing.