66 The Road to Neva 2 (1/2)
The plains of Volhiniya disappeared at the border to Arkhangelsk, melting into a forest of mottled browns and vibrant greens. Elya remembered an anecdote from Tsu-Szech's 'Recollections of the Reclamation', describing this land as broken hills and rocky outcrops before the Imperial invasion. The records were unclear but Tsu-Szech believed a powerful spell flattened the land, creating ripples that became the hills around Neva. As for the forest, after the Compact, the Imperial invaders turned settlers laced the lands with their own flora and fauna, bringing exotic species in a memory of home.
The earth was still damaged, sometimes shifting without notice under the feet of thousands of travellers until the generally well maintained Imperial highway cracked. As it had this morning, leading to a broken axle amongst the carriages. It slowed their progress and Nikolai called a halt to their journey as darkness descended. In short order tents and camp-fires sprung up around the small clearing one of the scouts led them to. While the night wasn't cold, a chill wind whistled through the trees surrounding their camp, enough to force everyone into shelter or around a camp-fire. Nestled beside her fiancée's carriage, Elya stared into the flames, patiently observing whatever Nikolai was explaining to Jarek but she'd lost interest long ago. She considered herself a patient scholar but the esoteric concepts of Magic and spell structures weren't interesting to someone without Magical talent.
”Well, it seems our audience finds this topic dull, so why don't we try something else?” Nikolai smirked at her, smugness rolling off him in waves. While he displayed far less arrogance than the typical Mage, he was proud of his abilities.
”Rather than dull, I just don't get it. That 'aspect of duality'. How can the fire be both an element and a… what did you call it?” She tossed a twig into the flames, trying to discern the changes Nikolai had described.
”An outcome of energy transformation.”
”Right. I threw the wood in and it served as fuel. The fire will keep going as long as it has fuel. Makes sense. I even get that treatise of the six elements you were talking about. I've seen it referenced in many historical texts as the basis for the world, but” She gestured at the little ball of flame which wavered over Jarek's hand. ”that doesn't make sense based on what you said. Where's the fuel?”
”Magic.” With a twist of his wrist, Nikolai held a flower, dew drops glistening from its petals. ”Magic is capable of a lot.”
”Please don't tease me.” Exasperated, she tossed a small pebble at him. ”I'm really asking.”
Catching the pebble, Nikolai clapped his hands together with a murmured chant and held his hand out. Grey sand lay in a small pile on his palm and he blew lightly to send a stream of sand into the fire. Sparks flashed and an acrid smoke rose from the flames.
”What did you see?” He asked, rubbing his hand clean against his coat.
”If you don't want to answer…”
”I'm not joking. Think about what you saw.”
Elya frowned at his solemn expression. He wasn't joking around. Whenever Nikolai sat still he was serious, contrary to his normal ebullient behaviour. Adjusting her sword belt and settling into place, Elya sighed in contentment. It was easy for the scabbard to dig into her flesh in the most uncomfortable manner and she spent more time trying to make sure it rested at her side rather than inside her.
Playing with a loose piece of string on her belt, she bit her lip in thought, absent mindedly rubbing her scar. Recalling the sequence of events, she was confused. There didn't seem to be anything meaningful in his actions.
”You turned that pebble into sand, threw it into the fire and got smoke.”
”True. But if you noticed, while the stone changed shape and form, it hasn't actually vanished. Even now the smoke is flowing through the air and if we could sift through the ashes in the morning we'd find ash from the sand.”
”So?”
”So, whatever I did was bound by certain rules. Rules which stop me from changing the very nature of the stone.”
”Wait, I'm sure I've seen you make things vanish. The Eye of the Great Dragon. You make it appear and disappear at will. And that!” She waved fiercely at Jarek juggling his flame. The boy was grinning while passing the Magic from one hand to the other.
”That's the biggest problem when you study Magic.” Nikolai nodded, rapping his apprentice on the head with an admonishment to practise properly. ”There's something like a field of energy that passes throughout the world, and that energy allows us to bend the rules.” Nikolai gestured and Jarek's fire went out. ”Try again Jarek. It took you too long to stabilise the structure.”
”Yes Khan.” Jarek sighed and raised his hands once again, chanting in a halting voice to recreate the spell.
”Call me Master.” Nikolai turned back to Elya, content the boy was following his instructions. ”Well, not bend. It's as if there are two sets of rules which govern the world. One which binds existence together and the other set lets us bypass the first. That's what the duality is. There are a hundred theories, each crazier than the last, as to why things work this way, but as far as most people are concerned it doesn't matter.”
”I guess it doesn't.” Why would anyone create a world which essentially lied to itself?
”To you it actually does.” He grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief and reached out to poke her cheek a few times. ”Ignorance is not bliss.”
”Why does it matter?” Elya bit at his finger, teeth snapping shut like a vice and Nikolai stuck his tongue out while waving his finger in rebuke.
”Aura. It draws on the second set of rules as well.”
”Really?” that was surprising. ”Wouldn't that mean Aura and Magic are related?”
”They're almost certainly related. Think about it for a moment. If I threw you off the top of my tower what would happen?”
”You'd throw me from your tower?” She grinned at his awkward expression, stuttered apologies and clarifications. For all his assumed elegance, he cracked when faced with her displeasure. She was always so tempted to mess around with him. ”Jokes aside, I would probably fire off a few bursts of Aura to slow my descent and enhance my legs to take the brunt of the impact. I don't see how that proves anything though.”
”What would happen if I threw Aunt Natalia instead?”
”A gate from the demonic planes would open up for some Demon to come through and carry the old witch to safety.” She grumbled. ”Don't look at me like that. You're the one throwing relatives off the roof.”
”Umm…” he stared at her askance. ”I doubt she has any demonic influence, I'd have noticed that. I meant, it's doubtful she could survive the fall. Most people can't. Even Jarek here with his current limited ability would meet with… trouble if he were to fall. Oh relax Jarek, Mage Apprentices don't get hurled from tall buildings.” Nikolai closed his eyes and rubbed his lip. A new habit of his while in thought. At first Elya had assumed he was imitating her restless fiddling with her scar, but he wasn't the type to make fun of her. Not at her expense anyway. He coughed and mumbled, still lost in memories. ”At least not until they learn some flying spells.”
”So you get thrown off once you learn to fly?” Elya smiled at Jarek sliding away from his Master, his Magical fire wavering in the breeze.
”If your Master is nice.” Nikolai's eyes snapped open and Elya hesitated at the emptiness she could see within them. There was something desolate about his look, pain and suffering no one else could understand.
”And if he isn't nice?”