Enaya: Solace of Time

by Justin C. Trout

  “No way,” Leo said, amazed.

  Ishmael reached for a sword that was broad but narrow at the tip. There was an angel’s wing carved in the center, toward the handle, and it shined as if heaven forged the sword. Nile picked it up, recognizing it.

  Ishmael smiled. “That is a sword used by a great knight. He journeyed through Peoria some time ago and gave me that as a gift.”

  “It’s very beautiful,” Nile said.

  “If you admire that sword, then you are blessed with it. I shall give it to you, but please take care of it. We are a peace village, we don’t believe in fighting when you can deal with reason, so you see, these weapons are here serving no purpose.”

  Nile twirled the sword around slowly.

  Leo then reached for a sword that set on the wall. It was narrow and curved at the tip. He picked it up and was overwhelmed by how heavy the blade was, nearly dropping it. He stretched his arm out with the sword to see if he would be able to attack with it, and then he immediately brought the sword down between his legs.

  Everyone looked at him when the sword hit the ground.

  Leo smiled. “It’s heavy.”

  Locklin walked over and grabbed the sword. He picked it up with one hand and studied it thoroughly. “I like this one, eh. I might just take it.”

  “I had that first.”

  Locklin smiled confidently. “It takes a real man to carry one of these.”

  Leo rolled his eyes. There were about seven more swords to choose from, so he scanned them quickly and came to a black blade with a red gem encrusted into the handle. The blade was straight and proved to be more of a long sword than a broad sword; however, the blade was still slightly broad. Leo could hold this one, and it seemed to fit perfectly into his hands.

  “I might take this one,” he said, and twirled it around, accidentally smacking it into a globe.

  “Leo!” Ashera called.

  Ishmael turned and grabbed the globe before it fell from a table, laughing. “Perhaps you don’t need a weapon; you might prove to be more of a danger than the monsters that reside out of this city.”

  Leo sarcastically smiled.

  “And what about you?” Ishmael asked, looking at Bancroft.

  There was a sword with a thick handle, made of leather. He reached for it, crossed the blade from his eyes, and stared at the silver shining from the sunlight that reflected through the windows. The sword was very narrow and curved at the tip. He swung it to the left, then gently to the right, letting the weight of the weapon guide his arm.

  “It’s beautiful,” Bancroft said.

  Nile leaned against the wall, glancing out of the window out into the ocean. His arms tucked between his pits as he straightened his back, folding his arms across his chest. As he repositioned his feet, he glanced down to his sword in the sheath, loving the heaviness of it. He smirked and Ashera caught him, thinking he was cute.

  “You say you’re a peace village, but what of the thing on Charis’s arm?” Ashera asked.

  Ishmael turned to him. “That child is a fool, but very creative. She made that herself. I don’t condemn her; I only ask that she is careful.”

  A swarm of bees caught Nile’s eye.

  “She about got us all,” Bancroft said, chuckling. “She’s very courageous.”

  The swarm of bees was getting closer. Nile turned to them quickly. It wasn’t a swarm of bees; it was the Lucian Empire.

  Ashera caught him. “Are you all right?”

  “This isn’t going to be good,” Nile said.

  Everyone froze for a second. Leo asked. “What?”

  Nile rushed to Ashera, and as he did, bullets burst through the window and collided into the wall. Dust and rock flew everywhere. Everyone fell to the floor covering their heads. Nile broke out into a sweat and for a moment lost his thoughts. He looked up to see Ashera in the fetal position, jerking as each round went off. Nile’s hand crawled over the debris and found hers. She looked to him.

  “Are you all right?” Nile asked as the bullets flew overhead.

  Leo crawled to the window. He pulled himself up and as he did, three bullets flew over his head. He ducked, pressing himself against the wall. Then, he looked up again, only to see several ships land in Peoria. There were others that continued to fly over the ocean.

  “Get to the Ancrya!” Locklin screamed.

  Everyone scrambled to their feet, tripping over the debris of fallen stone and decorations. They rushed downstairs and out the door until several shots went off. Bancroft pushed everyone back in, closed the door, and peered out of a window. There were soldiers holding down several peoriallites.

  “We’re not going to make it,” Bancroft said.

  Locklin peered over Bancroft. “I believe ya right.”

  “What is going on?” Ishmael asked, shaking in his knees.

  “Get everybody out of here as quick as you can. Peoria is under attack by the Lucian Empire,” Nile said.

  “They’ve evolved,” Ishmael said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  “I can explain later,” Nile replied.

  “Are you the reason why they are here?”

  “No,” Leo replied hesitantly, “okay, yes.”

  Boom!

  Everyone looked outside to see smoke rise above the structures. Nile took a deep breath, grabbed Ashera by the hand, and opened the door. He started down a small street and then jumped the staircase leading out of the village to where the Ancrya was resting. In a quick motion, he jumped the metallic staircase leading into the airship. He ran toward the cockpit and looked through the window to see an airship hover over the bridge connecting the village from each side of the mountain. Soldiers slid out on black ropes and landed on the bridge, immediately running in formation into the village.

  As Nile looked around, the tower in the corner caught his eye, and it was clear too. “Give me a rifle,” Nile demanded. Leo rushed to the cabins, grabbed one, and came back to Nile.

  “Just aim and pull the trigger,” Leo said.

  Nile grabbed the rifle and took off to the entrance. Ashera quickly caught his hand. “Please be careful.”

  Nile looked at her for a few seconds, hoping that he did not have to say anything. Then he nodded and took off, landing on the fallen leaves that crunched beneath his heavy feet. Nile rushed toward the tower with all his force. Then an explosion went off in front of him. He stopped suddenly, then quickly picked up his pace as he jumped the small stone steps and down a street leading to the tower.

  As he came around a house, a soldier was aiming a rifle at a little child. The soldier was screaming at them, tormenting them, and then the soldier broke concentration as Nile entered his vision. The soldier aimed up at Nile, and then a bullet flew over Nile’s shoulder and hit the soldier in the mask. When Nile turned around, he saw that it was Leo who guarded him.

  “Go,” Leo said.

  Nile rushed into the tower where a wooden ladder set against a wall, leading up to the top floor. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, sheathed his sword, and jumped on the ladder. He scurried to the top, knelt down by a window, and aimed the rifle out.

  A loud explosion roared through Peoria and Ashera turned abruptly, nearly falling as she did, to see a house swallowed by flames. Nile watched her from the tower. His attention quickly bounced to the airships that flew out in the distance and then turned toward Peoria. Several missiles peeked through their weaponry, then zig-zagged through the air, hitting Peoria all at once in many different places. Then a bright blue captured Nile’s eye, and he turned to see Ashera holding out her staff, protecting several children as an explosion went off.

  An airship lowered several yards away from Nile. It was at perfect level, and Nile aimed at the windshield. He could see the pilot, and with a quick press of the trigger, a cylinder-shaped bullet fired out, broke through the windshield, and hit the pilot. The airship immediately spun out of control and lowered into the forest outside of Peoria. There was a large ball of fire,
and then smoke rose to the sky.

  “Whoa!” Nile said, pulling away from the gun.

  A crow landed on the tip of the rifle. Nile looked at it warily, thinking of the first painful thought that had entered his mind: the day his mother and brother died. The crow hopped up the barrel, staring at Nile, cawing as it did. The head tilted quickly from side to side, but the eyes stayed fixed on Nile.

  Then another crow landed on a loose stone at the window. The stone crumbled at the corners, and the crow cawed as the rock moved slightly. Then the window became cluttered with more crows. The crows cawed and looked at each other, communicating in a language that Nile did not understand.

  Almost immediately, with the blink of an eye, a crow flew into another, their bodies twisting and turning, forming one flesh, or feather. Nile jumped to his feet, backing away from the window. The crows leaped and cawed after him, fluttering their wings. Nile stumbled over loose rope that led to an upper level. Nile glanced up through a square cut hole in the ceiling and saw a bronze bell hanging.

  Crows became one body.

  Nile now knew who it was.

  He remembered his father calling them by name, Srinath and Ramiel.

  This one had to be Srinath.

  “What do you want?” Nile asked, flattening his back against the wall. To his side was a window.

  Srinath said nothing, but slowly dragged his sword out of his sheath.

  Nile aimed the rifle at Srinath and fired. The bullet shot out, but Srinath faded into crows and the bullet passed, crumbling into the wall beyond the elf. Srinath formed again and swung his sword into the rifle, knocking it loose from Nile’s hands.

  A black object jumped through the window beside Nile. Nile jumped away and was surprised to see Ramiel standing hunched over with his sword out. Ramiel sniffed the air and quickly picked up the scent of his prey like a hunting dog.

  “I can smell your fears, boy,” Ramiel said, crawling through the window.

  “Are you sure that’s my fears you smell?” Nile asked, pulling his new sword from the sheath.

  Nile lifted his sword, struggling to remember what his father had taught him. Ramiel slashed his sword into Nile’s, pressing it against the wall and holding it there. Srinath then held his sword up at Nile’s neck. Nile began to sweat, and his breathing was harder, more painful than before. The fear of death had snuck up on him like a thief. He closed his eyes.

  “Should I spare you?” Srinath asked.

  “Should you?” Ramiel asked.

  Srinath smiled, and when Nile opened his eyes, his first sight was black slimy teeth. He pressed his sword tighter against Nile’s neck. A trickle of blood leaked through a small wound.

  Ramiel stepped closer to Nile and licked the blood from his neck. “He is fresh.” Ramiel laid his head on Nile’s shoulder and looked up at him, sniffing him. Ramiel’s nostrils flared up and down rapidly. Nile felt as if he was watching a hairy spider crawl up his shoulder, and he wanted to shake off Ramiel badly.

  “I can see your heart,” Srinath said.

  “I can smell it,” Ramiel implied.

  “You’ve taken my family away from me, my hopes, and my dreams. What else can you take?”

  Srinath now looked puzzled. “I’ve taken a lot of families.”

  Nile spat on Srinath. “Does Alexander Whitman ring a bell?”

  The two elves looked at each other, and Ramiel moved back. “Kill him now.”

  Srinath pulled his sword back, and as he brought it forward, fire whirled into the room and smashed into the wall opposite of Nile. Srinath lost his footing and tripped, falling in the large gap down the floor and hitting the steps to the ladder. Nile rushed and looked down to see Srinath transform into his army of crows around the seventh step.

  Ramiel was sniffing around, trying to find his scent. The smell of sulfur mixing in with Nile’s scent made Ramiel confused. Nile rushed toward Ramiel, yelled through gritted teeth and pushed the elf out of the window. He watched as the creature smashed into a roof below. The roof gave way and caved inward. Smoke quickly became his grave.

  Nile rushed to the ladder and stepped down. Srinath was flying around in pieces, the crows looking at each other anxiously. Nile knew he had to get down. If not, the tower would be hit again by a missile, and he would not be so lucky next time. He headed down the ladder, and the crows fluttered around him. He was nervous.

  He took another step down, and a crow flew between two steps at face level, and came up, its feet hitting him in the nose. Nile’s head slung back as he lost his grip and fell fifteen feet, hitting the ground hard. His breath was knocked out of him, and the crows flew down on him, landing on his shoulders and picking at his skin.

  He remembered this same incident when he was eighteen.

  He rolled to his knees, then pushed himself up to a sprint and ran out of the tower. Nile looked over his shoulder to see Ramiel staggering and massaging his neck while Srinath dashed out of the tower. The two brothers looked at each other, Ramiel moving his head like a blind snake.

  Bam!

  Nile fell to the ground and shook his head. What was it that he hit so hard? When he looked straight, everything was blurry. He shook his head to see Leo gain his balance. He ran right into him.

  “Sorry,” Leo mumbled.

  Nile got to his feet and turned around to see the two elves jump forward and shatter into crows as soon as they landed on their stomachs. They flocked toward Nile, some of the crows spiraling in the air. Ashera stepped in front of Nile. She held out her staff and twirled it between her fingers until a gust of strong wind blew like a fan from the ends of the staff.

  The crows stopped in midair and gently flapped their wings. The wind was so strong that the crows could not fly through, as another explosion went off near Ashera. She lost her balance, losing her concentration. The crows ambushed her, hitting her nearly four feet off the ground and pushing her body down.

  The crows crushed down on her like falling bricks.

  Nile and Leo rushed to her, slashing their blades at the crows that hopped over her squirming body. Nile’s blade hit the back of a crow, knocking it off onto the ground. It rolled a few feet then extended its wings and cawed. The other crows flew to this one, forming Ramiel. There was a large gash across his chest from when Nile hit the crow.

  The other crows came together, and the two brothers hunched over and slowly stepped across each other. Nile helped Ashera up, and he stood before them with his arms extended out. Ashera grabbed one of his arms and pulled it to her tightly.

  “Enaya,” Leo said. “Use it now.”

  “What?” Ashera asked.

  Nile swallowed. He stared at Ashera for a second, feeling like everything went into slow motion. He lowered his hand, digging through his pockets. Enaya rolled between his thumb and forefinger. He was tempted. He pulled it out.

  The elves stopped.

  “Enaya?” Srinath asked.

  “I can sense it,” Ramiel said.

  Nile thrust his fist in the air and tightened his grip. His palm itched and sweated, but it was working. He could feel it. It was spinning against his grip, forcing his fingers to loosen. Nile’s eyes met Srinath’s eyes. Srinath was fixed on Nile’s hand, his eyes bright red. The gem burned and he pulled his hand down to him and released it. It fell to the ground, bounced once or twice, and rolled to Srinath’s feet.

  “What?” Nile asked, shaking the pain out of his hand.

  “What was that?” Ashera asked.

  Nile ignored Ashera, but watched as Srinath picked up Enaya. He examined every little crack and scratch the gem had endured. Ramiel grabbed Srinath’s arm, pulled it down to his nose, and sniffed down his wrist to the gem. Ramiel’s crooked nose pressed against it. He smiled.

  “Shebris will be pleased.”

  A black shadow came over the city. Everyone and everything darkened quickly. A black cloud spiraled down. No wind came from it. It stretched to the stone walkway, between Srinath and Nile, and then faded away, le
aving nothing but a black figure standing there. Her eyes gazed over Nile.

  Srinath wickedly danced up behind Shebris, reaching over her shoulder. The dark elf dropped the gem into her cold, pale palm. She smiled, her rigid teeth pursing her lips. Her crooked fingers encompassed the gem and she pulled it to her chest.

  Nile reached behind him, feeling for Leo and Ashera’s hands. He clenched them both tightly. He took a few steps back, then turned with them and rushed toward the Ancrya, where Locklin was at the door, pushing a soldier off his blade. Nile jumped the steps two at a time, helped Ashera in, and then stood to the side, catching his breath as Leo and Locklin rushed in. Nile closed the door behind them until he saw Bancroft out in the distance, fending off two soldiers.

  “Bancroft!” Nile screamed.

  Bancroft dashed toward the Ancrya, charging as fast as he could. A soldier jumped in his way, loading his rifle. Bancroft brought his sword at an angle, hitting the soldier. He continued toward the Ancrya. A soldier jumped in front of Bancroft, smashing him in the face with the butt of his rifle. Bancroft fell to his knees, holding his nose with one hand and his sword in the other. Nile screamed for Bancroft.

  “He is the one who used Enaya,” Shebris said, pointing to Nile.

  “What makes you believe that?” Srinath asked.

  “I can feel his presence in the gem.”

  “What would you like us to do?”

  “I will deal with him.”

  Leo met Nile at the door. He was holding a rifle. He fired, missing by about twenty yards. He aimed again, firing at the soldier, but only hitting the ground. Nile was shaking. He reached for the gun, but Leo refused to give it to him. Leo fired again, this time missing the soldier and hitting a house.

  “I’m going after him,” Nile said, gripping his sword. He jumped from the staircase and rushed toward him. His legs extended as far as they could—a muscle cramped in his hamstring, forcing him to limp.

  Shebris saw this and was pleased. A wicked smile transformed her sunken face. She started to glide over to Bancroft. Black fog formed around her hands extending outward into what looked like black swords.