Audience

The streets were only marginally cleaner than the outside and the plants that grew close to the city wall looked withered. It seemed to get far better closer to the city center, though.

The people on the streets here were dressed slightly better than those outside, but everyone seemed to be a bit thin.

Elan’drin didn’t comment on anything and just led her deeper into the city. At some point she noticed a thin stream of a dark liquid in the canals that ran next to the streets. The bridges that led to the houses on both sides hid the canal from view a few times, but it seemed to be one long unbroken and discolored stream. The people here clearly had a water problem. But why would they run all that water in the open in the first place?

They passed over a very large moat that looked as if it was far emptier than intended. Plants grew in the water down there, dense dark green leaves absorbed the what light came through the thick cloud layer above.

The state of the plants and streets on the other side of that moat was a lot better. The greenery was strong and lush, and the water that ran in the canals along the street there was clean.

“This is the second residential ring of Volasis. The Elemental Avatar Academy is located here,” explained Elan’drin finally. “We should get you settled in there first. After that you should meet with President Thun.”

Ria nodded as they took a turn to the right. Her gaze lingered a bit longer on the central palace. A huge building that seemed to have merged with a giant tree. She could make out a few faint lanterns that had been affixed to the lowest branches. That had probably been done because almost no light reached the palace through the thick foliage of that tree.

“Are there many Elemental Avatars?”

“Only the few that are under the control of most capitals or city states. But everyone capable of using magic is going to the academy.”

“Then why is it called Elemental Avatar Academy?”

“Because it has been founded by one.” He pointed to a large building ahead of them. “That’s it.”

It was quite a large building, maybe half the size of Solstice’s old palace. Two tall towers stood at each side, one decorated with waves, the other with Rocks. More buildings ran from each tower to even more towers further back. Ria counted six of them in total. The academy had probably a hexagonal base. And with what she could see, she suspected that the large round building in the center was connected by bridges to all six of the outer towers. Part of the structure even reached into the more barren outer ring they just left.

“Let’s get you settled in.” Elan’drin opened one wing of the big double door that was in the middle of the building.

The inside was even more spectacular. Marble flooring and golden ornaments below blue waves on the wall. A central fountain with clear and cold water. A reception behind that. Corridors went off to both sides. There were doors to the left and right behind the desk.

A lizz greeted them with a nod as they approached the reception desk. “Great Ocean of wisdom.”

“May the stream of wisdom whisper into your ears.” Elan’drin bowed to the lizz. “I have come to enroll a new student. The suite at the very top is still vacant, isn’t it?”

“It iz. Will you be paying for it?”

“I think she can handle the fee herself, if you give her a few crystals to charge.”

The lizz blinked very slowly with both of his eyelids.

“Depending on what happens next, the president might pay for her as well,” Elan’drin added.

There was the blink again. First the transparent then the other eyelid.

“Do you have crystals here?”

“Yez. One moment pleaze.” The lizz went to a cabinet behind the desk and came back with a wooden box full of clear crystals.

“Perfect. This will do.” Elan’drin took the whole box and handed it to Ria. “Please charge these.”

Ria took them and noticed, that the lizz blinked at her for the third time. She ignored it and looked around. After a moment she decided that the corner furthest from them, with some of the fountain blocking the direct line between them might be safe enough. Maybe.

“You’re liable, if she runz off with all thoze crystalz,” she heard the lizz say.

Ria allowed some of her power to leak out. Then she put her hand in the box and concentrated on steering her mana into the crystals.

One after the other the gems in the box lit up and started to glow with a soft orange light.

When she was done, she reigned her power back in and brought the box to the front desk.

The lizz looked at her. This time he didn’t blink. “That’z some imprezzive magic. I felt it even here.”

“Sorry. I didn’t-”

“Don’t get me wrong. It waz really comfortable.” It looked as if he was smiling at her, his tongue tasting the air. “I’ll rezerve the suite for you.”

“Thank you.” She knew that lizz didn’t mind her power that much, but he was the first that had outright complimented her for it.

“Here iz the key.” He handed her a heavy cast iron skeleton key. “I alzo suggezt that you wash yourzelf and change clothez. There iz a small bazin with fresh water and a few academy robez in the suite. You should find something fitting in there until you get your own clothez made.”

“I’ll show you the way to the room. Then I’ll arrange the meeting with President Thun.” Elan’drin nodded to the lizz and walked to the right.

“Thank you,” Ria said again and followed the elf. He led her into the tower and up the stairs. A lot of stairs. With a lot more of her power unleashed, she would’ve been able to float upwards. But with as little control as she had, she would’ve roasted Elan’drin. So she had to walk like everyone else. It was exhausting. She never had to walk this many stairs in Solstice’s palace.

They crossed the bridge and entered the big tower in the center where they climbed even more stairs. At least after that it didn't take that long until they reached the top. Ria unlocked the door and stepped into the room. A large bed stood on the right side, a huge desk was against the wall and below the window opposite of the wall, and there was a dresser to the left. The room was even bigger than the one she had in Solstice. At the same time it wasn’t as luxurious.

“Make yourself presentable. I’ll be back shortly.” The elf closed the door and left her alone.

Ria sighed and let go for a moment. Holding that much power in for a prolonged period of time was hard. While she was alone, she undressed, used a cloth and some of the now lukewarm water to wash most of the ash and grime off, brushed through her shoulder-length hair and dressed in one of the white robes of the academy. It was really plain. The robes came all with a sash, but none of them had any color.

Cleaned and dressed like this, she already felt a lot better. It was a bit as if some burden has been taken off her mind.

After suppressing her power once more, she tested the bed. It was okay. Not as soft as her old one, but still comfortable.

After a while there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Auron, the dwarf that had followed Elan’drin outside of the city, came in. “President Thun wants to see you.” His voice was gruff.

Ria stood. “Okay then, where do we need to go?” She didn’t get any closer to him.

“Follow me.” He turned around and left. Ria walked after him, down the stairs, out of the academy, and toward the city’s center. To Volasis’s palace.

They crossed another bridge. The water level in the inner moat was a bit higher and it had less plants in it. But going by the shadows on the moat’s stone walls, the water level was also lower than usual.

The dwarf didn’t say anything and the silence stretched so long that it was uncomfortable. It was akin to torture.

“W-Were you related to En’rin, too?” she asked to break the silence.

“Elan’drin’s son? No. His mother was a dwarf, but I’m not related to her.” He fell silent after that. The dwarf was a silence-torture master. Ria looked to the small canals next to the road. Clear water was running through them and toward the moat they’d just crossed.

“Will this city’s Elemental Avatar be there?”

“You will see, once the audience with President Thun starts.”

Ria got the impression that the dwarf was stone cold and that she ran into a brick wall trying to communicate with him. Now she was sure, that he was a torture master.

Still, she tried again: “What’s the president like?”

“You’ll see.”

She stopped. She was clearly biting on granite with him, and she cherished her teeth.

Instead she looked around. Her gaze was once more drawn to the water canals next to the street. They were fed by even more canals that ran down next to the stairs leading up to the palace. Here and there were pools along the way, with thick tree roots making use of the crystal clear liquid.

It was such a beautiful place that Ria almost forgot the problems the outer parts of the city had.

Once they passed the guards at the main entrance to the palace, they arrived in a big hall. Lanterns illuminated the space, and water ran down the surface of the six marble pillars that held up the stone ceiling high above them. Big ferns grew in patches of soil that were set alongside the walls and the stairs leading further up. A big chandelier hung right in the center of the room, and the big feathered leaves of the ferns were oriented towards its warm golden light.

Auron went up the stairs on the left and into a corridor that led deeper into the palace. Water ran along the walls here, too. Another long walk in silence followed and she was admitted into the audience chamber without any other word. The dwarf even stayed outside and walked away as soon as she stepped over the threshold and into the room beyond.

The chamber itself was mostly made of a shallow pool. Stepping stones led to a dais in the middle.

There, in the center of the room sat a throne, and behind it, on an even higher level, another chair that sat in a pool. The water flowed freely from that pool and into canals that left the lower throne almost completely dry. Then he noticed the six smaller glass pillars around the upper chair that ran up to the ceiling. Water ran up within them and down on their outsides.

And amidst all that, on the chair in the upper pool, sat a young woman. She had blue hair and wore a familiar iron collar. Her long white dress was pretty wet and partly see-through. Ria could even make out her white undergarments.

Below that, on the mostly dry throne, sat a man with short black hair. He wore glasses and rested his head against his hand, while his elbow was held up by the chair’s dark mahogany armrest. Elan’drin stood to his right, and the lizz of the waters of wisdom, Lithzy, to the man’s left.

She almost didn’t notice all the soldiers that waited at the outer perimeter of the room, standing on the thin dry rim of the pool.

“You are Ria Solstice, correct?” The man on the throne sat up straight and lowered his hand. He had a deep, rich voice that reverberated through the chamber and caused ripples on the water’s surface.

“I am.” She stopped half-way to the throne. She didn’t bow. She never had.

The doors closed behind her. “I am President Thun of the city state of Volasis. Elan’drin has told me that you have a lot of power and are willing to help us with a problem of ours.”

“That depends a bit on what the problem is and whether I am able to help you.”

The president looked at her for a long time. Ria stared back. She was used to these political games.

After a while he lifted his right finger and Elan’drin created another water bubble. He clearly wanted some privacy. But because it kept all the soldiers outside, Ria had to walk a bit closer to him to be inside of it as well.

“I have heard what happened to Solstice and that you were the cause.” President Thun lowered his finger. “Understand that I can’t allow that to happen here. If necessary, I will pit Ariel against you.” It was a clear warning. Though Ria wasn’t sure, whether the girl could really hurt her.

“I am willing to help you out by allowing you to study magical control at the academy. But in return, you will have to do the city some favors. One of them is looking into one of our problems.” He lifted his left hand and Lithzy stepped forward.

“We have problemz with some studentz at the Academy. There iz a special drug called Agua Intelligencia. It booztz onez Intelligence for a while, but damagez the mind in the long run. Magez are left unable to think clearly, which iz problematic, since they do wield a lot of power.”

“We want you to investigate the usage and the source of that problem.” President Thun lowered his finger.

“Understood.” She nodded. “Do you need any more favors at the moment?”

He glared at her, then shook his head.

“There is one thing I want you to understand: Even though you are doing the city a favor, you’re not a city official. You don’t have any authority to arrest or interrogate people. You are not even a citizen of Volasis. You are but a guest for now.”

“Should you happen to find something out, please speak to one of us.” The elf stepped forward. President Thun looked at him out of the corner of his eyes.

“Understood.” Ria nodded.

“Good. I wish you all the best on your investigation.”

“I’d like you to visit from time to time.” The girl above the president spoke up for the first time. She had a pleasant and cute voice. “I’d like to talk to another Elemental Avatar.”

Ria smiled. She could probably get closer to Ariel. Another Elemental Avatar should be able to tolerate her power. “I’ll try to come by as soon as possible.”

“Prove your worth to us first and that you’re no danger to the city.” President Thun sounded as if he would brook no argument. He stood and vanished behind the dais.

“I look forward to our next meeting.” Ariel smiled, then stood from her chair and descended behind the dais. She vanished as well.

Elan’drin’s bubble popped. Its water splashed into the pool. The elf nodded at her, and stepped backwards. The audience had ended.

The doors behind her creaked as they were opened once more. As Ria stepped outside of the audience chamber, she ran into Auron once more.

“Yer class schedule.” The silence torture master handed her a parchment roll and left immediately.

Ria sighed. The people here treated her a lot different than they had in Solstice. She wasn’t being put on a pedestal anymore. It felt odd. At the same time it meant that they wouldn’t get too close with her, which lowered the possibility that she’d hurt them.

She’d have to get used to the new situation. With her class schedule in hand, she made her way back to the academy and to the room she had been given.