Enaya: Solace of Time

by Justin C. Trout

  At one pond, there was a lynole, a four-legged furry beast with horns. Leo watched it for a second before turning to Nile, who was stretched out and had his palms flat on the ground.

  Locklin walked around the Ancrya, smoking a cigarette. He looked up to the blue sky and stretched. “Sure is a beautiful place here.”

  “I’m going to get you back home,” Nile said to Locklin.

  Locklin waved his comment off. “Nah, don’t worry about it, ya know. If I go back to Silvago, I’m in trouble. I have nothin’ there anyways.”

  “No, I mean, I’m going to get you back to your time.”

  Locklin placed his hands on his hips and looked around the area. “I kinda like it here.”

  Leo rested back on his palms, watching the cloudless sky. “It’s kind of sad, you know. There are no more Woodlands, or wagon rides through the valley. Or the annual festivities that go on where you sing and play your guitar, and I read poetry. There ain’t none of that anymore.”

  Nile had to let Leo’s words percolate through his mind. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right,” Leo said, leaning forward and dusting off his hands. “Where did time go? Yesterday I was at the castle eating eggs and bacon and today I’m on the run from this city from the future.”

  “Somebody once told me that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” Nile said, reaching for a pebble. He chucked it across the fields, losing it in a pond.

  “I hear ya,” Locklin said, sitting down on the staircase leading up into the Ancrya. He pulled out another cigarette and held it to his face. “I want to be back four years ago.”

  “Why four years ago?” Nile asked.

  “I have a little girl, Macy, who turns seven next month. When she was only three, my wife left me because I was never home. I’m a pilot and one thing about bein’ in the military is that ya gotta leave when they dispatch ya.”

  Nile lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Locklin.”

  Locklin clapped his hands together and smiled, fighting back tears. “I haven’t seen her since . . . there’s no use cryin’ about it now.”

  “There is always time to cry,” Nile said.

  “That was the past, ya know? There ain’t nothin’ I can do about it now.”

  Soft footsteps walked down the metallic staircase that extended from the Ancrya. Locklin stood to his feet as Ashera stepped out onto the Ozplesian fields. She stretched, arching forward, and yawned. Leo watched her, getting lost in her beauty. Nile did the same.

  “She’s the future Mrs. Leo Connell,” Leo said, rising to his feet.

  “Dream on,” Nile said, doing the same.

  “Where are we?” Ashera asked, yawning again.

  “Ozplesian fields,” Nile said.

  Ashera walked to Nile forcefully, like she was about to hit him, but instead, she kissed his cheek. “I want to thank you for letting me come.”

  “What about me?” Leo asked, straightening his posture.

  Ashera kissed him as well. “And thank you.”

  Ashera walked to Locklin, but instead of a kiss, he quickly threw out his hand and shook hers. She laughed, then turned and leaned against the Ancrya. If angels existed on earth, she was one of them. Her curves ran wild through Leo’s imagination, but Nile was able to look at her for her. He still pined over Dywnwen. Ashera yawned, then folded her arms beneath her breasts. Nile caught Leo staring at her, so he slapped his arm. Leo woke from his gaze and shrugged.

  Locklin noticed the awkward looks Nile and Leo gave each other. “So, ugh, what about ’em?” he pointed to the soldiers.

  “Leave them,” Nile said, staring at them as they slept against each other, the sheets pulled tightly around them.

  “I say we burn them,” Leo said.

  “Now you’re talking.” Ashera snapped her fingers and flames ignited from her tips. The flames illuminated off her face.

  “No!” Nile said.

  Ashera dropped her hands and the flames disappeared. “Why not? They destroyed our homes.”

  Leo stepped in.” Yeah! Woodlands is gone.”

  “I know,” Nile said defensively. “If we kill them then we’re no better.”

  “He’s got a point,” Locklin said. “Norcross finds out we kill them, then we’ll have a worse death penalty then we already do.”

  One of the soldiers began to wake up and Leo kicked him the face, forcing him back to sleep. He gritted his teeth and spit dashed from his lips. He stood motionless, his chest beating up and down while he stared at the soldier.

  The same anger that fed Leo also fed Nile. He would have kicked him not once, but twice. He was surprised that Leo stopped there, since they took all things in consideration. They lost everything, and the worst punishment they got was a kick in the face. Nile knew it was ridiculous, but he fought his anger.

  “Calm down,” Ashera said, reaching for Leo’s arm.

  Leo jumped at the touch of her fingers. “I’m sorry. I, ugh, I’m just upset.

  “Nobody blames ya,” Locklin said, resting on his side against the sleek metal of the Ancrya.

  Nile gripped Leo’s arm tightly. He squinted into Leo’s eyes, nodding in suppression, wanting him to know that he was right there with him. Leo took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. Nile then pulled Leo in for a hug.

  “We’ll get back home,” Nile said. “No matter how long it takes, brother, we will get back home.”

  “Enough romancin’,” Locklin said, laughing. “Where do we go from here?”

  Leo pushed Nile away. “Did you hear that?”

  Nile grew startled. “Hear what?”

  A faint sound rumbled through the fields.

  “That’s a lynole,” Nile said, glancing to one in a nearby pond, splashing water over its body.

  “No,” Leo said, frustrated. “That?”

  “I hear it,” Ashera said.

  Locklin shrugged. “I don’t hear anythin’.”

  Nile walked around the airship to see a man staggering across the fields. He fell to the ground, and when he got back up, he took a few steps and fell again. His shirt was torn and he was wearing blue britches with boots. He must have been his kind, the Magical.

  “Over here!” Nile hollered. The others ran around the airship and saw the struggling man.

  Nile began to dash for him, but Leo grabbed his arm. “Don’t. We don’t know if he is one of us.”

  Nile asked, “Do you think he could possibly be one of them?”

  The man struggled to get up. “I suppose not,” Leo said.

  Nile jolted down the field as hard as he could. He stepped in a small pond and nearly fell, but he got back his bearings and went after the man. He slid to a stop beside the survivor and lifted his head up. “I’m Nile Whitman; I’m here to help you.”

  “Thank you, my boy,” the man said with a helpless grin.

  Locklin and Leo slid to a stop and quickly helped the gentleman up. The two got under each arm and began to walk him to the airship.

  “That!” the man yelled.

  “What?” Nile asked.

  The man pulled out of their grips and fell to the ground. Blood poured from a wound at his shoulder. He swayed his arms as helplessly as he could, warning them away, but Nile looked up to see the Ancrya. It immediately made sense to him. This was not a helpless man, but a man who must have lost everything.

  “You’re with them! That dragon! That monstrous dragon destroyed my home!” he yelled, pulling his arms away as Nile reached down to grab him.

  “No, no, no,” Locklin said. “We are here to help ya. Ya got the wrong impression.”

  “Help me? You killed my family.”

  “We don’t want to hurt you,” Nile said.

  The man spat on Nile. “Then why the dragon?”

  “Airship,” Locklin replied. “I helped them out. If ya follow us, we have a young lady who is with us as well, and she can tell ya we are not with them, eh.”

  “Look at the way we ar
e dressed,” Leo said.

  The man forced himself up to his feet, but stumbled a bit. Nile reached out to balance him and the man’s face looked calm.

  “I suppose,” he said, out of breath.

  Nile smiled. “Where are you from?”

  “Azeul,” the man replied. “We were attacked earlier. My family is gone.”

  Nile looked to the grass, trying to find comforting words.

  “What’s your name?” Leo asked.

  “Bancroft,” he replied tiredly.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Nile said, holding Bancroft by the arm as he guided them back to the airship. Leo slid in a mud pile, but grabbed Locklin to keep from falling. Locklin couldn’t help but chuckle. Bancroft placed his arm around Leo’s neck, pulling him up to him, his head getting caught under his armpit. Leo could smell the body odor of a dead carcass, so he puffed out his cheeks and held his breath.

  They came around the Ancrya and Ashera hurried into the ship and opened the door to the cabins, watching them stagger with Bancroft up the small staircase and into the ship. Locklin accompanied the older fellow to a bed and set him down. The wound from his right shoulder leaked with blood. Dirt covered him, and loose twigs and leaves filled his hair.

  “I’m sorry to intrude, my young friends,” Bancroft said.

  “No, don’t apologize,” Nile said, “We are here to help.”

  Locklin leaned against the wall. “May I ask, how’d this happen?”

  Bancroft, raising his upper body a bit and resting on his elbows, looked at Locklin. “People, in giant birds like the one we are in.”

  Locklin lowered his head and crossed his arms. “I’m so terribly sorry, eh.”

  “Now this will feel weird,” Ashera said, pressing Bancroft back down on the bed. She placed her right hand over Bancroft’s wounds and closed her eyes. No words spoke, but a white mist formed around her hand that covered the wound. The mist gently rested on his skin, and his skin absorbed it. Once she removed her hand, the wound pulled itself together and healed.

  Bancroft looked down to his shoulder and smiled. “Thank you, my dear sweet girl.”

  Ashera smiled and helped Bancroft to his feet. He stumbled and fell to one knee. Ashera helped him up again and set him back on the bed, where she went down on her knees and placed both hands on his left leg. She closed her eyes, and again the white mist appeared and was immediately absorbed through his clothing and skin.

  “Now stand up,” Ashera said, helping him to his feet.

  Bancroft took a step and felt fine. The limp was gone. “Hey!” he shouted in excitement. “Thank you so much. You’ve been the only blessing I’ve received today.”

  Ashera blushed.

  “How long ago has your village been attacked?” Nile asked.

  Bancroft closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His lips trembled and he fought back the tears. “This . . . this morning. I live but a few miles from here.”

  Nile looked up at Locklin. “If it was that soon, maybe we should get this bird up in the air.”

  Locklin nodded and rushed to the cockpit and started the Ancrya. The airship lifted off the ground and flew east. Nile sat down and watched Bancroft walk around, getting the feeling back in his legs.

  “I fell about forty feet, I did,” he said. “I hit every branch on the way down and luckily, I’m still alive.”

  “I hear Azeul is a very beautiful town,” Ashera said.

  Bancroft turned to her. “Oh, it is, my dear child, it is. Houses are made of the finest wood from here to Woodlands.”

  “Well, that is where I’m from,” Nile interrupted.

  “Woodlands?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Bancroft chuckled. “Well, I’ll be a dead rat in a bucket. I would never have thought that you, my dear boy, would be from Woodlands. I tell you, it is very beautiful up there where you live.”

  “You’re right.”

  “But Azeul is very beautiful.”

  “You said you had family?” Nile asked.

  The jolliness died down as Bancoft backed into a bed and sat down. “Yeah, and I had great family at that, my lad. I had me a beautiful wife and five superb kids.”

  “Awww,” Ashera mumbled.

  “My youngest five, but I suppose they are all . . . dead.”

  Leo sat down next to Nile and listened as Bancroft recounted his story.

  Bancroft looked at the floor. He told them what had happened, one sentence at a time. “I was eating breakfast with my family.” Then he looked at the ceiling and paused. “This is hard.”

  “Take your time,” Nile said.

  Bancroft closed his eyes tightly and nodded. “These monsters engaged our city and killed those who opposed to joining the Lucian Empire.”

  “Who was in charge?” Nile asked.

  “A dark elf. He was covered in black.”

  Nile grew silent.

  Bancroft leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. “He was with another man, but he was dressed not of this world. The weapons they had, my boy, were more than fast. They took us out, slaughtered the women and children and whomever declined their proposal to join the Lucian Empire, and that is why I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ashera said, patting his shoulder.

  “My eldest son prepared a way for us to escape, but these crows attacked us. These crows were the same elf that came into Azeul.”

  Nile leaned closer to Bancroft. “You said this elf can turn into crows?”

  “By my life, he did.”

  Nile sat back in shock. “Srinath and Ramiel.”

  “What?” Bancroft and Ashera asked in unison.

  “Was there just one elf or two elves?”

  “There was just the one, my boy.”

  Nile stood up quickly and his knees wobbled.

  “What is wrong, Nile?” Ashera asked.

  Leo patted Nile on the back. “It’s All right.”

  Nile slammed his fist in the wall. “No, Leo! It’s not all right! They’re still out there! They killed my family!” Nile slammed his fist into the wall again, his hands beginning to burn from the pain, but he continued for several more times. He turned toward the group, his face burning red and he spoke, “I can’t let them get away with this.”

  “I don’t expect that you should,” Leo said, “but take into consideration that we have other people with us now. We can’t do anything. We can’t go after them now.”

  “Did I say something to offend you?” Bancroft asked.

  “No, I’m sorry to interrupt you. These elves raided my village before and killed my family. I know what you’re going through.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, my boy.”

  “It makes me mad that Norcross is now with them.”

  “Norcross?” Ashera asked.

  “The people who attacked your village are from the future.”

  “What do you mean?” Bancroft asked.

  “They come from the future,” Nile said, massaging the stress away from his face.

  Bancroft nearly chuckled. “That makes no sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense—they want to kill us. They call every creature, plant, organism that inhabits this planet the ‘Magical.’ Either we join the Lucian Empire, or we die.”

  “How do you know this, Nile?” Bancroft asked.

  Nile stopped ranting and looked at the saddened gentleman before him. “I don’t know.” With that being said, Nile walked out onto the balcony of the Ancrya and sat down, feeling the breeze brush against his face. This time, the breeze didn’t feel so good. It was swaying through the sky with painful memories and bad thoughts.

  Leo rushed after him. “What the hell was that about?”

  Nile jumped from the chair. “Srinath and Ramiel attacked me, my mother, and my brother. They are the reason my family is dead.”

  “This isn’t about you right now. They are the reason my family is dead. At least have the common courtesy to let Bancroft mourn; he just lost his
family.”

  “I know,” Nile said while calming down, “I know.”

  “It’s like Locklin said earlier: you can’t undo things.”

  “That’s the problem, Leo. Time has escaped, and now I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m running out of time, and I don’t want to feel this way. I want to live my life and stop wanting to redo the past. I want to undo this whole mess I got us in.” Nile pulled Enaya out from his pocket.

  “You only have one chance. You can never go back and redo anything.”

  Ashera walked out on the balcony, and Nile quickly stuffed the gem back into his pocket. She looked at them curiously. “What is going on out here?”

  “Nothing,” Nile remarked.

  Leo winked at her. “Nothing at all.”

  Ashera rested her arms on the railing and leaned over, looking at the ground below her moving fast. The wind blew her hair back, and Nile and Leo stood behind her, watching her.

  “Beautiful, isn’t she?” Leo whispered.

  “Yeah, reminds me of Dywnwen.”

  Leo smiled. “I can see that.”

  Nile started toward the door, but Leo pulled him back. “Nile, why don’t you stay out here and talk to her, man? I’ll go in and check on Bancroft.”

  Nile smiled. “No, I want you out here.”

  Leo rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t.”

  They smiled at each other, and Leo patted Nile on the arm before leaving the balcony. Nile stared at Ashera as she faced the running earth. Her hair fluttered against the wind, and she rested her chin in the palm of her hands, watching life pass her by. Nile took a deep breath.

  Ashera lifted up her left foot and scratched the back of her right leg. Nile ran his hands through his hair and slowly approached her. The sunlight sprayed off her cheeks and she smiled. She then brought her hands down, clutched them together, and rested on her elbows across the railing. There was a moment of silence between them, just like there was a moment of silence between Dywnwen and him in their younger days.