Her shoulder looked so delicate but once Nikolai had touched her he"d sensed barely restrained power. As a Mage he could perceive the strength that lurked beneath her skin and knew that if she didn"t want to be moved, he wouldn"t be able to force her. Still the contact had been pleasant, and he felt an instant sense of intimacy, like the contact was a necessity of his life. He tried to focus on the sensation, but all he that happened was the part of him connected to the Great Dragon reached out to her. He"d been a little scared at how easily it had happened but when Elya saw the Eye and gasped she leaned into him, bringing their bodies together until they were almost embracing."Is it actually the eye of a Dragon?" when she looked over her shoulder Nikolai was dazed.
It was a perfect moment.
Magical light cascaded against her gorgeous silver hair, her eyes sparkling in wonder and awe. In his Sight she stood as a blazing torch of fire, drawing in every strand of mana that existed nearby. His magical and mundane vision overlapped and at that second, he understood why she was a Dragonslayer, a woman of such beauty and skill that calling her G.o.ddess would be demeaning. He grabbed a lock of her hair, enjoying the silken texture as it flowed through his hands. She observed him, calculation, warmth and surprise flickering in her eyes and gently turned till her cheek was resting against his fingers.
Elya"s eyes drooped in what he thought was contentment and she stared at him from under her lids and all he wanted was to know her.
Why was she here?
Who had caused that scar?
What made her smile?
What was it that she wanted?
Could they have a connection beyond their family"s desires?
A cough from Alexis shattered the atmosphere and suddenly Elya was fussing with her hair while Nikolai"s arm was left hanging in the air, reaching for something that had slipped away. He took a shuddering breath to focus and glanced at the curious eyes of his apprentice and the Vice-Captain"s knowing smirk.
"It"s… not an actual eye but a spell construct." He cleared his throat and glimpsed Elya retying her ponytail out of the corner of his eye. "Utilising some things we learned from the Azokarri and a few of the resources we gained in the surrender I had this idea. Basically, we"ve bound that arm and mirror to three different spells. First a physical construct that can observe the surroundings, which is the Eye." Nikolai gestured at the hovering magical rune, warming to his subject when he noticed the rapt gazes of his audience. "Second a binding between the mirror, eye and arm, and finally a fascinating spell that can convert the information into a map."
The Knights gaped at him, lost in the explanation but Jarek was nodding along. Even though the boy had heard him speak of it many times, he never tired of hearing about the spell.
"This… With something like this we could spy on enemy formations and map out battlefields." Elya breathed puzzling through the implications.
"That"s one of the end goals. The Fates know how many times I wished we had better knowledge on enemy positions." Trust a Knight to immediately see the military implications. "But, to maintain the spells I had to fix the focus into the tower. I haven"t been able to pa.s.s the information through a moving reference frame." He was met by a wall of blank stares at the explanation, so he wrapped up his words a little deflated at their expressions. "The Eye doesn"t work if I move the table from the tower because the spell is using the tower itself to work."
"Oh." Elya glanced at her subordinate and fixed him with a stare. "Nikolai why aren"t there more guards around the tower?"
"There are all sorts of traps and wards that I"ve set up and people don"t like being around Magic much." He was surprised by her question.
"Is this the only thing you"re working on?" She was rubbing the scar again. He wasn"t sure what that meant, but he had a feeling Elya only did that when she was worried.
"Oh no. There are some prototype weapons, communication tools, herbs and crops that we"re testing and a few rare breeds of beasts that we"re trying to use for various purposes. Would you like to see?" Nikolai was excited, hoping to impress her with some of the astounding things they were hoping to achieve. If she found the Eye interesting, then she would be astonished by the thunder blades.
"Maybe later." Elya exchanged another look with Alexis and took a deep breath. "Nikolai. I"d like permission for the Knights of Chernigov to be allowed to train with the local guards in the spirit of friendship."
Her words seemed innocuous but there was something deeper in the request. He wasn"t sure whether it was the formal phrasing or the tightness around her eyes, but he was sure that she wanted to use this opportunity to have her soldiers on the streets. There was really no need to disagree and while there was a possibility her Knights would create difficulties, he could use extra bodies in the field over the next few weeks, so he agreed.
She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Offering some pleasantries, she excused herself and brushed his hand with her fingers on the way out. He flinched at the contact, but she just grinned at him, amused by his reaction and mouthed the word "revenge" before swiftly departing.
"The Khanbikeh is very nice." Jarek said once they were gone.
"Yes, she is."
"Khan you blush a lot when she"s around."
"I said to call me Master." He replied instantly and glared at Jarek "What are you talking about? Go do your work and practice more, you"re too far behind." The boy laughed and scampered to the shelves in search of a book.
Nikolai remembered Elya"s retreating figure and resolved to get her a decent present worthy of their engagement. She deserved it for being so accommodating to everyone.