23 A Picnic (1/2)

”Even to the best of our knowledge we haven't been able to date these ruins.” Nikolai explained as they rode into the circle of damaged buildings that rested on the summit of the hill. ”When I arrived, I dug through whatever records existed and cast a few spells but could only determine that they're old. Older than the Reclamation.”

Elya hopped off her horse and dug under one of the shattered columns with a knife.

”This is really heavy.” She grunted and tried to shift a piece the size of her head but to no avail. ”It's amazingly dense. Even this small piece won't budge.”

Nikolai wasn't sure a head-sized piece could be considered small.

”Yeah, I had to float things back into town and let me tell you, maintaining a Levitation glyph for so long is tiring beyond words.”

”I can imagine.” She smiled politely, unable to grasp the concept. Those that lacked magical abilities found it difficult to understand why sustaining a simple spell was more draining than calling fire or lightning bolts down on your enemies. ”This doesn't seem like it was done by humans.” She commented.

”Really? Why?” Nikolai had read a few vague mentions of that but no one had written conclusive evidence.

”See these lines? If you look carefully, you can kind of tell how these pieces were fitted together.” Elya traced the lines she was referring to, showing how they continued from one piece to the next. Nikolai frowned for a moment and trotted to retrieve some of his magical supplies from the horse. Taking some chalk he numbered the pieces as Elya directed, marvelling at how she had been able to put them together so quickly. Once they were all marked, he asked Elya to step aside and took a small wand from his belt. Waving and chanting he cast a series of Levitation spells to float the pieces together. Even with Elya's guidance, many pieces were missing, and he bound the cracks and gaps with magical force.

Once he was done, Nikolai stepped back to observe the reconstructed object with her.

”No idea.” He shrugged.

”It's a chair.” Elya remarked, pointing at the top. ”It's taller than us so it's difficult to tell, but you can see where the backrest is and that odd swept curve is a seat.”

”No human could sit in… ah, I understand. That's intriguing, but there's no guarantee it's the correct conclusion.” Nikolai was intrigued by the discovery and placed a ward around the 'chair,' letting the spells that held it together go. ”I'llbring it to my tower later and send a letter to one of my colleagues. If it's an ancient race that's gone extinct, he'll be the best opportunity to get an answer.”

”He's knowledgeable?”

”When it comes to living or dead races, not including the Illyran sages he's the best.” Nikolai affirmed waving his wand a few times to verify the ward was working. Even the best magic could be flawed by a small mistake and ruins like this messed with the flow of mana a lot.

”Well, that was a fun little distraction. Are you ready to tell me why we're here?” Elya had been content to come along when he'd barged into her room and declared 'get ready, we're going for a ride!'.

”Almost.” Nikolai grinned and tied their horses to a nearby column. Orienting himself, Nikolai searched for the building he'd discovered during his last trip here. In most towns it would be a public space, large enough to hold gatherings and a few storeys tall. Most important of all, was the fact that it was almost perfectly preserved, only missing a roof. Once he found it, he grabbed his supplies and took Elya up two flights stairs to what was now the highest remaining floor.

Elya cautiously traversed the stairs, not following Nikolai in his excited dash. A soldier's habit. Nikolai had seen it in many of his companions. Even if they were in the most secure location and were assured of its safety by both magical and mundane means, they'd only believe their own eyes.

She gasped.

It was a breathtaking sight, the sun falling into the sea in the west as ships sailed by the chains that locked and protected the harbour of Konstanz. The fortress on Arkh island glistened in its obsidian glory, Imperial banners swaying softly from its imposing towers. From here, Konstanz was spectacular. His Mage tower stood paramount in the centre of the town, the Eye flickering open following the routine he'd set up to test it. Each burst of power splashed magical light across the broken walls and new construction alike, a contrast that tugged on one's past.