Enaya: Solace of Time (2 page)

Chapter 2

The Moon Song

There had never been a song as beautiful and saddening as the song the moon played that night. The stars sparkled beyond the universe, grieving with Nile Whitman. He lay on the roof of his little cabin and watched the atmosphere around him, tuning to the beat of his heartstrings as he inhaled what might have been one of the most painful breaths he had ever taken.

The August air was cool and crisp, warning Nile that winter was on the horizon. It could have been any time now, but the days were still long and warm. He placed his hands behind his head and watched as the most beautiful sky mourned with him, then he snapped his head toward the window. A figure, squared in size, stumbled through the opening.

“I knew I’d find you here,” Leo said, crawling over to Nile. He lay next to him.

“What did you think?” Nile continued to gaze up at the sky.

“It was beautiful,” Leo replied, placing his hands behind his head. “You should have stayed.”

“I couldn’t,” Nile mumbled.

“You could.”

Nile took a deep breath. The moon glowed warmly, soothing him. This was Nile’s favorite time to heal, when he could lay under the radiance of the moon. The forever-black sky sparkled with white dreams of the galaxy.

“I watched her during the ceremony,” Nile said. “She was beautiful.”

“Of course the princess of Woodlands would be beautiful.”

“She’s been beautiful since I first laid eyes on her.”

“At the very young age of three,” Leo joked.

Nile smiled at him. He knew he was right. Ever since they were little, Nile was in love with her. As time passed and they grew, he would sneak up into her tower to be with her. Her father—King Aidan—never knew this, but since Nile’s father was the king’s most trusted servant, he probably wouldn’t have mind. This gave Nile the freedom to enter the castle at will, and Dywnwen adored Nile and his childhood friend Leo.

They often spent nights wondering if they would ever leave this small kingdom in the woods. Nile remembered a particular conversation the three of them had when he was thirteen. He and Leo had begun the trade of knighthood, which was taught to them by Nile’s father, Alexander Whitman. They had confessed to Dywnwen of their servitude and had wondered if they would ever leave the kingdom. Nile had heard the stories from his father about meeting the wizards and the elves, the dwarves and the fairies, and wondered if it was all true. He remembered spending time with Dywnwen and Leo in the library, reading about all the wars that took place, all the prophecies, all the drawings of the old world, the new world, and the forgotten world.

Nile read that the Forgotten Age was when a great continental shift broke the land apart and separated the nine kingdoms. During this time, a great conflict arose—the Great War. The kingdoms fought over the broken land, and after nearly twenty years of bloodshed, a peace treaty was forged. This declared that the land would remain one and that the nine kingdoms would rule it together. The rulers called this new country Harved’Ul, meaning
Honor and Valor.
And this world became known as the New Age or the New World.

Nile even remembered the nights spent in fear talking about Seraph—the dark lord. Nile had read that Seraph was crafted out of the magic from the stars and was created to love and be loved by Polydorus Nectarious, one of the last wizards from the Forgotten Age. Seraph was always eager to learn from him, but out of jealousy and hatred for Polydorus’s other creations, killed him.

Then, he fled from the north. History recorded that during this time, Seraph visited the graves of those who died during the Great Extinction, a war in the Forgotten Age that nearly depleted the dragon riders and the elves. He raised them from the dead, changed their appearance, and called them Ard’Ols, meaning in the Old World language,
devil feeders.
Seraph and his army of Ard’Ols became known as the Lucian Empire.

Seraph took his army and conjured the Northern Realm. This began what was called as the Magic Wars. Dal’Narmu and Reul gathered their armies and fought Seraph for three hundred years. However, Seraph was far too strong, and when two wizards, Darchin Cardall and Edward Welsh, obtained magical gems with unlimited power, they used it on Seraph.

They bound Seraph in chains and molded a steel trap over his mouth so that he could never speak magic again. He was imprisoned in a temple on the Forgotten Islands, where he was chained a thousand times to the walls. Seraph was left to rot there for all eternity.

The kingdoms forced the Lucian Empire to retreat into the Agorith Hills and in honor of Darchin and Edward, they built two giant steel gates that continue to be guarded until this day.

Not much more of Seraph’s history has ever been recorded.

There was so much to his world that Nile wanted to see. He wanted to go beyond Darchin’s Gate and Edward’s Gate. He wanted to see the Crystal Kingdom or the Latira Wall, which was a shrine of all those who fell during the Barter Wars. He wanted to study the magic of the moon under the wizards and eat from the forbidden tree in the Forbidden Islands. All this he wanted and more with Dywnwen. This was their dream together—a dream now shared with her husband.

Nile sat on his house, facing the galaxy, and wondered where time went. He was twenty-one, still young enough to marry and start a family, but it wouldn’t be with her. How did he end up here? How did she end up with Roland? The more he tried to answer himself, the more shattered he became.

“She asked me why you left,” Leo replied.

“And?” Nile asked, starving for him to continue.

“Nothing, she just asked. I know she wanted you there, on the most important day of her life.”

“On her wedding day,” Nile whispered, almost as if it were hard to believe.

“On her wedding day,” Leo replied, as if he, too, was finding it hard to believe.

Nile turned and looked at Leo, noticing his round face, high cheekbones, and deep sullen eyes. He forced a smile and said, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Leo smiled back. “Me too.”

There was a long pause as Nile took a deep breath. He sat forward and stared out over the kingdom as it bathed under the moon. The decorations had not been removed. Candles were still dying down on several of the tables.

“Have they left yet?” Nile asked.

“No, they will leave tomorrow,” Leo replied.

Nile took another deep breath.

“I’d see her off tomorrow,” Leo said, trying not to look Nile in his eyes.

“I may,” he mumbled softly.

In the bustle of the wedding, Nile had not noticed all of the decorations. He did now, finding it easier to concentrate. The arch at the end of the aisle was made of wooden roots that had been soaked in the magical waters from the Walsh Kingdom as a gift to symbolize undying love. Pink roses had been placed in the crevasses of the arch. Nile couldn’t tell they were pink now, but he had noticed them when she walked down the aisle. The stream that harbored lighted lilies floated sweetly under an arched bridge of the castle, where the stream met the ocean.

Nile leaned forward, resting his arm on his knee. He surveyed the land, then his eyes moved to the castle that sat gallantly upon a hill. On another day or night, the towers would poke through soft layers of worldly cotton, but on this clear and majestic night, they helped to light the night sky. The stone structure always seemed welcoming and had been through the ages.

“How was the music?” Nile asked.

“Beautiful. Sinstad orchestrated the ceremony,” Leo answered.

Nile opened his mouth to say something, but he gasped.

“Go on and speak,” Leo said.

“I stood there and watched her walk down the aisle. This was the wedding day that she and I had planned. This was
our
wedding day. She walked past me and didn’t even look me in the eyes. I felt like a nobody, so what else was I to do? I wasn’t going to stay around and pretend to be happy when I’m not. When we finally talked, it was just friendly gestures. She never acknowledged that we had a past.”

“Maybe she didn’t know you still felt that way,” Leo commented.

“She knew,” Nile said.

“Well, perhaps she was nervous as well.”

“I was hoping in my heart she would say ‘I don’t.’”

Leo giggled.

Nile cracked a smile and looked at his friend. “That was a joke.”

Leo stood and edged toward Nile. They both stared out over the kingdom. “Somewhere out there is your princess.”

Chapter 3

Something Ancient

Nile woke up alone.

He cracked open one eye and discovered the sun smiling warmly outside his window. He tried to go back to sleep, but the sunlight would not be denied, so he grudgingly rolled over onto his back and yawned. He stared at the ceiling and wished he were anywhere else than Woodlands on any other day than this one.

He used the sheets to help pull him up and glanced out the window. He could hear the children playing. A smile found its way across his face. Nile threw the sheets over him and sprung from the bed, fumbling to the window. The wedding decorations were still intact, and children were playing with the pink ribbons that had been strung across the courtyard. Nile watched for several moments before turning toward the small nightstand he and his grandfather had built. He traced the lines, uneven but beautiful, as he tried to distract himself from the pain brewing in his heart.

A pitcher of water and a bowl stood on the nightstand. Nile poured the pitcher into the bowl and rinsed his face. He reached for the towel resting over the arm of a rocking chair and patted his face dry. He looked at himself in the mirror and forced himself to breathe.

Hanging on his bedpost was the outfit he had worn to Dywnwen’s wedding. He slid on the shirt and rolled up the sleeves. He stretched as the sun warmed his body. He found his way to the front entrance and lifted the plank that held the door locked.

“Here goes,” he said. He opened the door and stepped outside to be greeted by the universe.

Nile stood on his porch and overlooked the kingdom. His cabin sat down a hill, a few yards from the closest alley that led into the streets and the marketplace. He always said that he was far away from the castle but close enough to touch it. Nile moved forward and noticed the villagers preparing for their average day.He could smell the baked bread coming from the marketplace. He inhaled the scent of toasted wheat rye as he remembered that he’d forgotten to eat breakfast. He walked to the edge of the porch and glanced at the sky.

It was blue.

He stretched out his right foot, over the grass, as his left remained glued to the wooden porch. He knew that if he took that step then the day would go forward. Oh, how his heart hurt, and as much as he wanted to retreat into the shadows of his house, he knew he must press forward. Nile stepped off the porch and looked back at his house.

He had lived by himself for several years now ever since his mother and brother died. Nile had no idea where his father was, perhaps still fighting the Great Pursuit. The Great Pursuit was a constant conflict with the Lucian Empire.

Nile assumed his father had died, since the rest of the knights had found their way back to the kingdom of Woodlands. Nile tried not to think about his father. It would keep him awake more often than not.

“Nile,” said a familiar voice.

Nile turned to see Leo stumble through the swarm of children. Nile rolled his eyes, realizing that he wanted to be alone today.

Leo came to Nile in wide steps. “And you thought you were going to get away.”

“I almost did,” Nile said, forcing a friendly smile.

“But you couldn’t get rid of me, no siree,” Leo said. “Where are you heading?”

Nile shrugged, looked toward the forest surrounding the kingdom, and walk onward. Leo followed him, unaware that Nile was bound to get him in trouble. As they passed through the kingdom, they were greeted by everyone, from the blacksmith to the baker and from the merchant to the gardener. Nile attempted to keep the conversations short, not wanting to engage in a lengthy conversation over the wedding, but as fate would have it, he found himself just on the edge of the alley, ready to make that first step into the unknown when Mrs. Spoonfell stopped him.

She was a short, round lady with dry gray hair. She had the heart of a court jester, friendly and smiling. Nile always enjoyed Mrs. Spoonfell, but he had no interest of talking with her today. He tried to push his way through, but she asked the one question he didn’t want to answer.

“How do you feel about the new prince?” Mrs. Spoonfell’s cheeks were as red as the rising sun.

Nile swallowed. “She will be happy.”

“Oh,” she said, “how beautiful she looked yesterday.”

Nile smirked and glanced at Leo, who was standing behind her. He was mocking her with wide mouth gestures. Nile tried not to laugh, but Leo was always finding himself in comedic situations.

“She looked beautiful,” Nile commented. He turned toward the forest.

“Have a nice day,” Leo called over his shoulder.

Nile left Woodlands and made his way into the forest. He stopped. He stretched his neck back, staring at the sky. The canopy of trees shaded his face. He held out his arms and closed his eyes. Several leaves fell around him.

“I come out here and forget about back there,” Nile said.

“I remember,” Leo commented.

“This is where she brought me,” Nile said, staring at the sky.

“Dywnwen?” Leo asked.

“No, my mother, when she was alive.”

Leo said nothing. It was a bad omen to speak about Nile’s mother and brother. It was bad to mention anything relating to
that day
.

Something moved in the woods. A deer. Nile glanced upward and it leaped through the forest.

He turned around and saw it run through the forest—its home. It was nice to have a home to run wild through. Nile felt that. He could feel the happiness resonant in him when he thought about his idea of home. Nile glanced to Leo and waved his hands for him to follow him.

They walked for several minutes, passing large towering trees. The leaves had begun to change color on some of them. Nile loved that. He came to an opening beyond the trees, almost circular in shape. In the middle were the remains of what appeared to be an angel statue. The head was severed and the wings detached, lying around the base of the legs.

“Here?” Leo asked. “You wanted to come here?”

Nile nodded.

“Why here?”

Nile gasped, finding it hard to speak. He wanted to tell Leo all his memories of this fond place, but he couldn’t. Not all the strength in the world would allow Nile to discuss what had happened here.

All he could say was, “My mother and brother came out here often.”

“You never brought me out here,” Leo said.

“I never had a reason to.”

Nile sat down against the standing remains of the statue and leaned his head back against the fractured knee. Leo sat on the ground across from him. He ran his fingers through the grass and pulled up and handful at a time. He then would go through each blade of grass and toss them to the side.

“Sorry you came out here,” Nile said.

“Don’t be,” Leo said. “I wanted to be here for you.”

“I can’t believe she married him!” Tears filled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks.

“Are you being fair?” Leo asked.

Nile shook his head and glanced at Leo. “It just hurts.”

Leo quickly stood to his feet. “Get up.”

Nile furrowed his brow, bewildered.

“I’m not joking, get up,” Leo said again.

“Well,” Nile said, getting to his feet.

“Now scream.”

“I’m not screaming.”

“Scream, Nile. You’ll feel better.”

“I’m not screaming.”

“Do it.”

Nile realized Leo was being serious. So, he took a deep breath and screamed. His voice carried through the forest and birds left their nests, fluttering through the leaves. Nile stopped and laughed.

“Feel better?” Leo had a confident smirk upon his foolish face.

Nile looked around the forest, stunned. “Yes, I do.”

“Now push over that statue,” Leo demanded.

“I’m not doing that,” Nile stared at the crumbled remains.

“Do it,” Leo said.

“No, that’s all that’s left from . . . you know.”

“Here, I’ll do it,” Leo said, charging toward the statue.

“No!” Nile jumped in his way.

“How can you move on if you don’t accept change? Push that statue.”

Nile bit his lower lip. He looked at the statue as if he were looking deep into his past. The torso was lying nearly six feet away covered in vines and moss, the wings stuck up from the ground, and the head was lying near a pile of rocks. Nile approached the statue and placed his hands on what remained.

“If I do this,” Nile said, “I can’t go back.”

“You can never go back,” Leo said reassuringly.

Nile pushed on the statue and the base slid in the dirt. Leo watched and giggled. Nile glanced back to him and told him to not laugh, but Leo ignored him. After a few moments, Nile pushed again, this time arching his back and thrusting his hips forward. The statue began to give way and was lifted inch by inch. Leo rushed to his aid and helped pushed the statue over. When it landed, the legs shattered and crumbled into hundreds of pieces.

Leo dusted his hands as Nile’s heart raced.

“How do you . . .” Leo started to ask.

Nile looked down and saw something mysterious hidden by the statue.

A chest was buried in a hole in the ground. Nile fell to his knees and wiped away some of the dirt that kept this chest buried within the earth. As the dirt smeared away, the symbol of a dragon with its tail wrapped around a phoenix revealed itself. This was the current symbol used during the war with the Lucian Empire. Nile recognized the symbol from the stories his father told.

“What do we do?” Leo asked, his knees shaking in excitement as if they’d struck gold.

“We open it,” Nile replied.

“You open it,” Leo commented.

Nile placed his hands around the seal and tried to lift it up, but it was too heavy for him alone. He signaled for Leo to help. They placed their hands under the rough edges and pried it open, little by little.

Whoosh!

The lid popped off, revealing a cloud of smoke. Nile waved his hands through the cloud. Then he reached into the dark abyss, fingering the rough texture inside the chest. It felt like dry clay. His curious hands came across a leather texture. Nile grabbed it and weighed it in his hand. It wasn’t heavy, but something hard was inside it. Nile pulled the item out, revealing a leather pouch.

“What do you think is inside?” Leo asked.

Nile didn’t reply. He quickly untied the pouch and allowed the flaps to fall over his hands. His eyes glowed, for the sight of this beautiful object had him mesmerized in a trance, and it was as if time stood still.

Leo leaned over Nile’s shoulder and glared at the blue oval-shaped gem. The object looked like a marble, with scratches and smears etched across it. Time had nearly withered this object away, but the ancient beauty captivated their hearts and they had a sudden loss of words for what they were holding.

The gem began to glow, a deeper blue than the ocean. The gem reflected the passion of Nile’s heart as if it were reading his emotions. Then, almost suddenly, everything grew silent and still. The wind seemed to seize, and the only thing heard in the wilderness was the loud thumping of Nile’s heart.