A Picnic

"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'll bring 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.

"Broken and rebuilt." Elya whispered striding to the broken walls to look around. She fingered her scar, lost in thought and Nikolai chose to set up in the meantime. A cloth was laid down to cover a shattered stone slab, and he inflated some cushions with his magic, a trick his Master had come up with to make carrying them around easier.

"It will always be rebuilt. Volhiniya has always been like that." To gain her attention, Nikolai tapped her on the shoulder. "Come, let's have our meal."

They settled and Elya scanned the spread, daintily taking soup and bread into a small bowl. She studied a spoon, frowning at the food for a moment.

"There's something truly strange about these utensils." She said.

"Strange?"

"They're made from some sort of stone, but they feel very light." She whipped the spoon against the ground creating sparks as they struck. "What is this?"

"Actually, I'm not too sure. It's from a supply of strange clay I picked up during the war. I was playing around when I discovered it was sturdy when heated, so I made some tools for the trail."

"You made all this?"

"Yes."

She hummed in thought and silently turned to her food.

They ate quietly, watching the ships and lights.

"It was good." Elya smiled and put down her bowl.

"Adequate. But you seem sad." The soup had been a mess, but not inedible. The misshapen vegetables and slices of meat had been unevenly cooked giving a very strange experience, like he was eating stew and salad at the same time. He'd have to come up with a way to cook them equally even if they were cut poorly. Sure he could use magic to cut them perfectly, but that wasn't the point after all.

"I'm not sad, just…" She struggled and blushed, clearly embarrassed. Seeing Nikolai's curious expression she relented and tilted her head to the side and said shyly. "I thought there would be some eggs…"

Nikolai's heart lurched.

She was too appealing, the shy expression, gentle voice and soft blush were inherently captivating.

Shuddering, he tore his gaze away and took a package from the basket. Her eyes lit up, snatching the eggs from his hand in a rush. She barely remembered to offer him any. Nikolai chuckled and leaned back on his hands.

To Elya, it seemed to be eggs first and fiancée second.