Enaya: Solace of Time

by Justin C. Trout

  “Yes.”

  Nile looked around the room to see if anybody knew what he was talking about. Roland lowered his head and stepped back in between two of his knights.

  “For twelve years now, Walsh has safeguarded Enaya. We believe it is the element of ice. If in the hands of the Lucian Empire, then it’s hard to say what might happen.”

  “Enaya?” Nile asked in Dywnwen’s ear.

  Dywnwen shrugged.

  “My Lord, I’m just a messenger. What will you do to aid Walsh? Other knights have been sent to the Kingdom of Tavera and the Kingdom of Mirialk,” said the knight.

  “Then I will aid them also. Roland, gather the knights. If we leave port tonight, then we should be there in four days. Gather the horses, the men, and let’s leave for Walsh,” said the king.

  “My Lord, with all due respect, there are other means of getting there quicker,” Roland said. “These knights have traveled on land for weeks to let us know this. The Empire could be there in a day or two.”

  The king stared at him.

  “Perhaps by Enaya,” Roland said.

  Nile and Leo glanced at each other conspicuously.

  “I don’t know how to use Enaya,” the king said.

  Roland smiled, “But I do, and so does Nile.”

  Nile’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what Enaya is.”

  “Yes, you do,” Roland said. “You used it yesterday. The trees have eyes you know.”

  “I did?” Nile asked.

  “That should be the last of your worries,” Roland replied. “Only those who have encountered Seraph face to face can use Enaya.”

  “But I never did,” Nile replied, confused at what Roland was saying.

  The king sunk back in his throne. “You have, Nile, when you were but a baby.”

  Nile grew angry, as if he needed to defend himself. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did,” Roland said. “Ask your father. He told me all about this when we were camped out in the fields south of Edward’s Gate. There is more to your history then you realize.”

  “Why then? Why can I use Enaya if I encountered Seraph?” Nile asked.

  Roland glanced to the king. The king nodded. Roland said, “Seraph was there at the beginning of Enaya. Enaya was part of his creation and the reason why he is eternal. His magic and hatred is so strong that all the elements of Enaya absorbed it. When you encountered Seraph, he left a trail of his malice on your life. You can use Enaya because you are bonded to the element by the darkness of Seraph.”

  “That doesn’t make you evil, Nile,” the king said. “It just makes you chosen. Your free will has defined who you are. It was nothing you could ever change.”

  “But we have more pressing matters at hand, what do we do?” Roland asked. “I say we gather our army and use Enaya, element of time. I say we leave tonight and pray for any chance that the Lucian Empire has not arrived.”

  “And exactly how will you use the element of time?” King Aidan asked.

  “The element of time was designed solely to travel between time. You can go into the future, the past, or even the present. If we use Enaya and connect our ships, I can direct it to take us to Walsh.”

  “How can you direct it?” Nile asked.

  Roland turned to him. “All I have to do is desire to be there. It’s not hard to desire something when people’s lives are at stake.”

  The king closed his eyes. “Very well. We depart tonight.”

  The knights began to discharge and run out of the room. Roland approached Nile and Leo.

  “Ready to see if you are like your father?” Roland asked. He reached for Enaya.

  Nile reluctantly handed Roland the gem. Roland grasped it tightly in his hands.

  Nile stepped forward. “King Aidan, I know I’m not a knight. I know I’m not my father, but we have been very close over the years. You know I will march a thousand times into battle for you. I would like to go. If I’m bonded to Seraph or Enaya and I used it, then I need to see it for myself.”

  Roland looked at the king, rolling his eyes and smirking as he did.

  King Aidan pushed himself off his throne and stepped forward. “But you’re not a knight.”

  “Aye! I’m not. But my father has taught me well. I still remember. You can use the men anyways.”

  “I’ll go too,” Leo said, stepping up beside Nile.

  Dywnwen smiled at them.

  “It’s been my dream since I’ve heard all the stories of my father. If Walsh is under attack from the one enemy we’ve sworn to defeat, then let me be a part of it. Let me show you that I can protect Woodlands.”

  “You,” Roland sneered.

  Nile turned to Dywnwen. “You know I have wanted this for so long.”

  She glanced toward the king. “He has, Father.”

  King Aidan took a deep breath. He walked over to Nile, placed his hands on his shoulders, and squeezed. “Very well.”

  Roland gasped. “He’s not a member of the knighthood!”

  “He’s not getting the throne, Roland,” King Aidan said, turning toward him. “He should have the chance to prove himself.”

  “And me,” Leo said.

  “And Leo,” King Aidan replied.

  Chapter 8

  The Kingdom of Walsh

  Nile stood at the harbor in uniform. His armor was a bit rusty, and it clanged even if he wagged his finger. It was almost annoying. He leaned against a stone wall, staring at the ships that towered over the port of Woodlands. Knights were riding horses onto the ship, and several of the knights were carrying supplies.

  “Nile!” Leo called, walking up to meet him from down an alley. “Nile, I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  “Yes,” Leo replied, resting his hands on his knees. “You’re not?”

  “I’m very nervous.”

  “Then why did you volunteer?”

  “Because I need to know if I’m meant to do this.”

  Roland rode a black horse down the alley. Dywnwen followed him on a white horse. They stopped at the ramp leading up to the ships. Roland got off, handed his ropes to a knight, who took the horse onto the ship and then walked back to Dywnwen. He helped her off her horse. She still held onto the reins.

  Roland was wearing his armor. A long purple cape draped over him. His was every bit of the word “magical.” He took off his helmet, his long hair falling and flowing with the breeze of the wind.

  “This should be only a few days,” Roland said.

  “I know, but I’m going to worry about you,” Dywnwen said.

  “Don’t. I’ll be fine.”

  Dywnwen looked over to Nile and Leo. Leo tried to pull out his sword, but his hand slipped off the handle and smacked him in the face. Dywnwen rolled her eyes.

  “Please take care of Nile and Leo.”

  Roland paused for a second. “I will.”

  He grabbed Dywnwen around the waist and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him there for a few seconds. Roland pulled back and stared into her eyes.

  “I love you,” Dywnwen whispered.

  “I love you too,” Roland replied, then turned around. “All knights on deck!”

  Nile and Leo scampered behind Roland.

  “Be careful!” Dywnwen said. “And Nile! Go make your father proud.”

  Nile smiled and then nodded. He followed Roland up the ramp and onto the deck. They were followed by more knights and the three ships across from them were doing the same.

  They headed to the bridge. A horn blew. Seconds passed and it blew again, this time louder. A knight came running up the ramp. “The king! The king!”

  “Formation!” Roland screamed.

  All the knights scattered along the ship and formed two parallel lines. King Aidan rode up on the deck. His horse bobbed its head with every step. Nile glanced up at King Aidan. He looked so much like a god, and when King Aidan rode past Nile, blocking out the sun, he shivered.

&nbs
p; King Aidan pulled the reins back and his horse stopped. He stood up, threw one leg over the horse, and stepped down, handing the reins to a knight at the end of the line. King Aidan joined Roland on the deck. Roland laughed and shook his hand. “Ready to fight together . . . Father.”

  King Aidan pulled off his helmet; his white hair fell over his shoulders. “I’m ready to hear if the rumors are true.”

  “What rumors?” Roland asked.

  “If you really are as good of a knight as Alexander Whitman.”

  Roland chuckled. He pulled his sword from his sheath and pointed it toward the setting sun. The ship began to pull out of the harbor. The other ships did the same. The knights dismissed and ran over to the edge, waving off their family and friends as they crowded around the ports. Nile walked over to the edge and glanced at the crowd. He had no family there, but there was a part of him that hoped that when he looked over the rails he would see his mother and brother, instead, it was Dywnwen, waving Roland off. Nile stepped back behind the knights.

  Woodlands became smaller and smaller within the moments that passed. The castle towers became lost in the mountains. The forest surrounding Woodlands became thicker and all that remained was an image of what Nile had once painted—the castle and the beauty surrounding it, which hung in the Great Hall. Nile turned and started toward Roland.

  A gust of wind blew into the ship and the sails went up. Nile stared as the sails bloated outward, revealing the symbol of the Woodlands Kingdom, a phoenix. Ropes fell from the sails and the knights immediately grabbed them, pulling them back and tying them off.

  “Signal them,” King Aidan said as he stepped up on the main deck.

  Roland lifted his sword into the sky and the ship came to a stop. The other ships aligned with theirs. Roland then brought down his sword and lifted up his right hand. Almost immediately, large brown planks were lifted from each ship, sticking straight toward the sky. They turned and lowered, connecting each ship together.

  King Aidan watched.

  Roland danced around the deck, making sure all the ships were connected. He then took off his glove, revealing a blue gem. Nile’s eyes widened. Roland lifted it high into the sky and then released it. The gem floated eye-level.

  “Ready!” Roland screamed.

  “Aye-aye!” screamed the knights.

  Nile seemed to be the only one confused.

  Then a white flash of light streaked out from the gem, then another, and another, until finally the gem was one ball of white light, almost blinding all the knights on the ship. Nile and Leo threw their hands up in front of their eyes, and within seconds, the gem flashed and cursed the sea with a thunderous roar.

  They were gone.

  The gem flashed again, and all the ships were thrown into the ocean. The knights fell to the floor. Water splashed up over the ship, trickling over their armor. Nile had hit the bottom of the mainmast hard, causing a cut on his lower lip. He pushed himself up, but he staggered and nearly fell again. Leo rushed toward him and caught him, helping him gain his balance. When Nile came to, he saw the Walsh Kingdom.

  It was beautiful.

  The kingdom perched out of the mountain as if constructed by the rock itself. Long flanking towers and turrets protruded upward into the sky. The keep was constructed and carved out of the mountainside. The bailey disguised itself with dry land and fresh crops were springing to life on the mountaintop, where the grass was green and the sun seemed to caress it. Four bridges, two above the other, stretched out from the castle and over the ocean. Long spiral staircases swirled down toward the docks that wrestled with ocean waves.

  Nile could see the townspeople making their way to the ports. They threw up their hats and colorful garments and shouted in joy as the ships pulled into the port. A tingling sensation shimmered down Nile’s back. He had not been this excited and nervous for quite some time.

  “Imagine doing this forever,” Leo said, walking up behind Nile. He leaned over the railing and stared into the crowd.

  “My father must have loved it,” Nile whispered.

  Leo patted Nile’s shoulder. “This, friend, are what dreams are made of.”

  Chapter 9

  Across the Ridge

  After being greeted by dozens of beautiful women, Nile found himself standing in the Great Hall. He was staring at a picture of the ocean and a ship being pulled into a thunderstorm. He touched the painting, feeling every crack of dry paint that kissed his fingers. His fingers glided across the texture. He stopped his index finger above the sail, rubbed it in circles, and then lowered his hand. He stepped back.

  There was beauty in the dark picture. It said more than danger. It spoke passion. There was an inspirational jolt of magic that struck his spine, pulling him into the atmosphere with a happiness that he could not explain, almost like he wanted to immediately do something.

  Nile was so drawn into the picture that he did not hear the door open and close down the hall, or maybe he did and just forgot to acknowledge it. He even ignored the footsteps.

  Leo met him. “Roland told me to wait out here.”

  Nile stared at the painting.

  “Roland told me to wait out here,” Leo repeated.

  Nile turned to Leo, then to the painting. “Oh, Leo. Look at this painting. Tell me what you see?”

  “A ship being pulled in by a storm,” he said.

  “That’s not what I see at all,” Nile replied. “Look at it again.”

  Leo stared at the painting. “Nope, the same thing. Why? What do you see?”

  “Passion,” Nile mumbled. “I see the story of us being thrown into something wonderful, our dream of being knights. Don’t you get it, Leo? We are the ship. And this world we are in now is the thunderstorm. One day we may be as great as Alexander Whitman.”

  It made perfect sense. Nile glanced back at the painting, feeling inspired. He was living the dream he had constructed around his imagination since he could walk and talk. It was even his brother’s dream.

  Nile turned from the painting. “What did Roland say?”

  “To wait out here, but a slew of his best knights are in there with them. I overheard them saying that the Lucian Empire was moving. I also heard them call for the aid of the wizards.”

  Nile’s eyes widened. “Wizards?”

  “Yes,” Leo replied. “The wizards. They have not responded.”

  “Why would they?” Nile asked. “They only help those in dire need. After the Magic Wars there is no way they would help . . .” He held his train of thought as the doors opened and Roland and seven knights marched down the hall.

  Nile stepped out of the way.

  Roland stared at Nile intently as he passed him, almost as if he knew a secret about him. He then snarled in the other direction. “Follow me.”

  Nile and Leo fell in behind the knights. They marched out of the Great Hall and onto the bailey. Stone pathways built by hand lay before each of Roland’s steps and spiraled around, meeting in the center, only to greet a bench and a pedestal with two birds bathing in it.

  Roland turned toward the knights. “The Tavera Kingdom should have been here by now.”

  One of the knights stepped forward. He had a long brown beard. “Do you wonder that they met the Lucian Empire on the way?”

  “Tavera is coming north. The Lucian Empire is heading from the west. They would merge onto the same road unless Tavera went across the mountain, which would be too dangerous. If Tavera left five days ago they should have arrived by now,” Roland explained, resting his hands on his hips.

  “Would you like me to take a few of our good men and horses to see if we can spot them?” asked the bearded knight.

  “No,” Roland said. “Nile and I will go.”

  Nile swallowed.

  “We will ride a few miles out across the mountain and circle back around. Hopefully we run into good news.”

  “Are you sure?” Nile asked.

  Roland laughed. “Yes, and besides, we have a lot to talk about.
”

  Nile broke from the group, glancing at Leo. Leo shrugged. Nile followed Roland down a stone staircase and through an alley that led out at the ports. The ships towered over all the townspeople and the knights that were still tying the ships into the port. Nile passed a father holding his child, pointing at the ship.

  “We will head south across the mountain for a few miles. Turn around and travel back. We want to be within a few hours’ ride from here. Too far and we risk our lives.”

  “If we don’t see either one of them?”

  Roland stopped and turned to Nile. “We will.” There was fire under his breath.

  They walked again, this time up a ramp leading them to the ship. They stumbled across the deck as the knights were carrying off cargo. They went into the horse’s bay.

  “Pick one,” Roland said, grabbing a saddle off a post. He turned and threw it onto a black horse, tying it around the belly, then the reins across the snout. He climbed up; Nile was still tying his saddle.

  Roland rolled his eyes. He leaned forward and rested on his horse, smiling as he did. “Do you need help?”

  “No,” Nile said, pulling the saddle tightly. He climbed up on the horse.

  “The reins?” Roland asked.

  Nile grabbed for them but got a handful of hair instead. The horse neighed and Nile lowered his head, embarrassed. He got off the horse and grabbed the reins that were resting on the post. He pulled them over the snout of the horse and then jumped on it, pulling the reins tightly to get the horse to turn around.

  “Are you ready?” Roland asked, sitting up straight.

  Nile shook his head.

  Roland spurred his horse, and the horse abruptly exploded out of the stables and onto the deck. Roland stopped and turned around to wait for Nile.

  “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Nile yelled, as his horse walked up the ramp and onto the deck. “That a girl.”

  “I need you to keep up,” Roland said.

  “I can’t,” Nile said, pulling on the reins.

  Roland’s horse stammered back to Nile. Roland lined his horse up with Nile and then drove his spur into the horse. The horse reared up, neighed, and then charged off the deck. Roland then drove his spur into his horse and charged off.