Enaya: Solace of Time (16 page)

“Don’t worry about it,” Leo said. He took a few steps toward her and tripped over a blanket. He fell forward and Ashera laughed. She leaned over, tickled to death at this buffoon, and she held her stomach, trying to hold it in. Leo got to his feet and rubbed his head.

“Are you okay?” Ashera asked.

“Yes,” Leo said with all the charm he could muster.

“Where are you from?”

“Nile and I both are from Woodlands.”

“The kingdom?”

“The kingdom,” Leo replied.

“I bet it’s beautiful there,” she said.

Leo had not really thought about it lately, but she was right. It was beautiful. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words hung in his throat and his breathing stopped. Leo inhaled and tried to speak again, but couldn’t find the words.

“It’s okay,” Ashera said.

Leo looked up at her. He was fighting as hard as he could to keep from crying. “Yeah, the castle rests on this hill, covered in vines. We live in cabins. There’s a stream that goes through the kingdom that starts on top of a mountain beyond the castle and it comes under a bridge that connects two of the towers to the castle. Flowers are everywhere. The stables are around the castle, and there’s a pumpkin patch, and Mrs. Largus of Mirialk, who moved there two summers ago, makes the best pumpkin pie in the world. This time of the year is when it’s the most beautiful. Sometimes I’d ride with Nile and we’d sit on a hill and watch Woodlands, with the colored leaves behind the castle, and the autumn reflection of the castle bouncing off the stream. It’s everyone’s dream to visit Woodlands, and it’s my home.”

His words captivated Ashera. “It sound’s beautiful.”

Leo, nodded his head. “It is. It’s very beautiful.”

Ashera kicked off her boots and stretched out her legs. Her olive skin seemed so soft and smooth that Leo wanted to kiss her for ages. She undid her cape, removed her staves, and threw them on the floor. She arched her back, her breasts pointing toward him, and Leo closed his eyes, swallowing all the saliva that had just built up in his mouth.

“I’m going to go,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

“All right,” she said, crawling under the covers.

Leo walked out and closed the lights behind him.

When the doors shut, Ashera began to cry some more. She pulled the blankets up over her head. Her cries became small shrills of pain, as she found it hard to keep it all to herself. She had done well this far, but how far would she be able to go?

Chapter 23

Return to Solace of Time

Nile had Enaya pinched between his thumb and index finger. He was staring at it, reading the details etched into this gem, which were nothing. There were a few streaks of usage, and few scraps chiseled into the curvature of this gem. Mostly, it was just a blue crystal, which could have easily been mistaken for an oversized marble. Nile examined it closer.

“I should toss you off right here,” Nile said. “I should toss you away, but I can’t.”

Enaya sparkled.

“The sad thing about it is that you can hear me.”

Enaya sparkled.

“The past years have been hard on me and you bring it all back up, reminding me of the pain, and now I lost Dywnwen and it’s your fault.”

Enaya rolled in the palm of Nile’s hand.

“Speak to me!” Nile yelled.

The gem glimmered from the lights, but nothing else happened. Nile watched it as if some voice was going to just speak to him, but there was nothing, just the silence and the humming of the Ancrya, so Nile did something he did not think he would do. He imprisoned Enaya under his fingers, and with all his might, he threw it off the Ancrya and watched as it disappeared within the clouds.

“Damn thing,” Nile muttered, walking back to the bench. He sat down and watched the vast sky pass around him, turning the colors from black to blue and orange. The sun was rising now, and he had missed a full night’s rest. He reminded himself of the events that unfolded before him throughout the night—the destruction of his home, the death of the prince and princess, their escape, Ashera, and where he was now. He hoped he was as far away from Silvago as possible.

His eyelids felt heavy. Quick flashes of memories from the night kept playing their way into his mind, reminding him of the horror he had survived.

Then the flashes were gone, except for a white light.

The light was getting bigger.

And bigger.

Nile opened his eyes and he was standing in Solace of Time. The overwhelming peace feeling engulfed him like a chariot on fire. He embraced it, for he knew it would be a short time before he was forced back into the real world where the real pain began.

“Is this where I come when I’m asleep?” Nile asked, looking around the island.

He heard his mother’s voice. “This is where you go when you are lonely.”

“It’s just a dream,” Nile murmured.

“If that’s what you want it to be, but I insist you look at it as a comfortable vision of your subconscious.”

Nile approached a tree and fell to his knees. He grabbed the sides of the tree, the bark rubbing across his fingers, and he took a deep breath. The breath ran through his veins, refreshing every cell, and he felt better than he had ever felt in his real life. He took another deep breath and rolled to his rear, scooting back into the bark and cuddling up.

“I guess I just have to wait.”

“For what?”

“To wake up,” Nile said, closing his eyes, but he wasn’t as tired now as he had been.

Something soft brushed against Nile’s face and he opened his eyes. An orb disappeared into the bright sunlight. Another orb floated past him, and he reached for it, but he missed and the force of his hand pushed the orb into another direction. There was an image in this orb—an image he wanted to see—so he jumped to his feet and chased after it.

The orb blew against the breeze, rushing past several trees. Nile jumped for it but it was of reach. Nile took off running, this time getting in front of it. He turned, waiting for the orb to get closer to him, and he jumped up, reached for the orb, and caught it. He looked at the ball of white light to see an image he had almost forgotten.

There was a celebration. There were white candles at every window in the castle of Woodlands. There was a long table of food and wine, and the courtyard was filled with happy drunks, children, women and much more. Then there was him, twenty years old, standing with Leo at the balcony of Dywnwen’s terrace that stretched from her window. They were looking down at the party, watching everybody as they rode in on horses. There was one horse in particular and it was carrying a knight with bright shiny armor.

He got off his horse like a hero and took off his helmet. It was Roland. Dywnwen walked up behind Nile and Leo, peered over, and began to cry. Nile turned to comfort her and then looked back down to see Roland talking to the king and he knew immediately what it was about. This was to be her husband—that was her gift from her father. That was the night Nile knew that his love for Dywnwen became forbidden.

It had been three years since Nile’s family was murdered, and right when his heart was beginning to see the light of day, a shadow cast over him and he slid right back into misery. Nile stared over the balcony at Roland, feeling weaker than he had before.

Nile released the orb and it floated away with all the other orbs.

“All things come in time.”

“That’s what I’m told,” Nile replied, crossing his hands at his chest, and walking back toward the tree.

“You will get over it, Nile,” said the calm soothing voice.

“You never get over it. You move past it, but never over it.” Nile leaned against the tree.

“What do you want?”

“More than anything?” Nile asked, a bit confused.

“More than anything?” she repeated.

“To be back in Woodlands, with Isaiah and my mother, my father, and Dywnwen still alive. Is there any way I change it?”

“You cannot change the past.”

Nile kicked the tree and strolled to the edge of the island. He glanced back across the land and then the sky. “This place needs a waterfall.”

And just like that, the land broke away. Nile stumbled to catch a nearby tree to help hold his balance. A cliff formed, and so did the rushing sound of water, as water poured off it like a flood, running across the crack in the land and emptying into the ocean.

“Did I do that?” Nile asked, walking toward the stream.

“Of course,” she said.

Nile knelt down, took a handful of water, and sipped it. The water cleaned his spirit and his heart, like he was new again, like he had never suffered pain or felt the way he did. So he took another sip, and another, until he drowned his head into the stream, drinking as much as he could. He pulled his head back, his wet hair flinging behind him.

“There is a place, Nile, other than this where you don’t have to feel pain. You don’t have to drink this water to feel alive. In time it will come, and I say this, for I am time. I am the cornerstone of everyone’s day. I’m everywhere. I was at the beginning, and I’m at the end of this world, and I will be beyond, for time has no construct. You need to believe in yourself.”

Nile washed his face clean and looked up to the sky, feeling lifted in some odd way that he couldn’t understand. “Can I bring people with me?”

“That is up to you, but you must believe.”

Nile woke up on the Ancrya, his back stiff. He arched forward and popped his spine. He yawned and looked around the balcony, feeling different than he did before he visited Solace of Time. He felt relieved. He also felt something in his hand; he opened his fingers, and there was Enaya, sparkling in the sunlight. Nile realized that the element had came back to him.

“So this is my curse?” Nile asked.

Nile stood and walked to the edge of the balcony. He pocketed Enaya, and as the Ancrya soared through the clouds like a dragon, he saw the sun rising, painting the sky orange and red. He took in a new breath and knew it was all going to get better

Chapter 24

Close Call

Locklin was falling asleep as Nile came stumbling into the cockpit and took a seat beside him. Locklin jumped awake and grabbed the throttle. He released one roar of a yawn and looked at Nile, waiting for him to say something. Instead, Nile smiled at him.

“I’m flyin’,” Locklin mumbled.

“You looked like it,” Nile said.

“Hardy-har,” Locklin said sarcastically.

Locklin looked down to a small monitor screen that displayed a digital map of the world. Highlighted in the corner of the screen read “Autopilot.” He pressed some switches here and there and the word “Autopilot” disappeared, with the word “Manual” appearing.

“I love flyin’ this damn thing.”

“How long have you been a pilot?”

“Well, let’s see, eh? I’m thirty-four now, so I guess I’ve been flyin’ since I was twenty-two.”

“How did you get into it?”

“Well, I was drafted into a special operation, ya know? They needed some pilots, and out of all the positions I could have upheld in the Air Force, I decided to be one.”

The monitors started beeping.

Locklin jerked toward the monitors, which revealed the outside of the Ancrya. One camera showed the balcony and the other showed the sides, allowing Locklin to see if any other airships were passing him. Nile looked on the monitors too.

There was an airship.

It was large and had short black wings that rotated around the ship. A deck hung from the belly of the ship and four soldiers were standing on it with their guns pointing toward the cameras. There was a dark windshield and bright rotating purple lights flicked on and off.

“We’ve got company,” Locklin said.

“What do we do?” Nile asked, clutching on the armrests.

“Get Leo and hide.”

Nile jumped from the seat and rushed back to the cabins. He burst through the door to see Leo sleeping in one bed and Ashera sleeping in another. He shouted for them to wake up. Once they awoke, Nile told them to hurry, and Ashera quickly struggled to get her boots on and then her cape. Leo was slapping the sleepiness out of his face as Ashera twisted her staff together.

“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.

“The soldiers,” Nile replied. “They’re here.”

Leo sprung around the room, looking for a place to hide. He tore off pillows, pulled out supplies in shelves, looked under the beds, and then he rushed to the closet. There was just enough space for the three of them. They crawled in.

The Ancrya came to a sudden stop.

Leo fell forward, hitting his head on the door. “Ouch!”

“Shhhh!” Nile whispered.

“I hit my head, give me a minute,” he said.

“Hush, Leo!” Nile whispered louder.

***

Locklin got up and staggered out of the cockpit. He pulled out a cigarette from a silver case with his initials. He fingered around his pockets for his lighter. He lit the cigarette and inhaled. A relaxing smile fell upon his face. Locklin walked through the corridor onto the balcony.

“Good mornin’,” he said, waving to the soldiers.

“Norcross has sent for us to retrieve the Ancrya and prisoners Nile Whitman and Leo Connell,” a soldier said.

“They’re not here,” Locklin said.

“Why should we believe you?” asked a soldier.

Locklin shrugged. “Well, I’ve been flyin’ the damn thing, ya know? I’d know if anybody was on this ship.”

A soldier stepped in front of him and pressed a small button on the side of his mask. The jaw extended, releasing steam, and he took the helmet off, revealing short blond hair and a trimmed beard. “We have reason to believe that you are carrying the passengers on board.”

Locklin inhaled on his cigarette. “Well, if you’d let me know you were a comin’, I’d make tea or somethin’.”

“Enough!” said the soldier. He nodded to two of his men, and they pulled out a metal contractible bridge, hidden within the balcony. They extended it over to the Ancrya. They jumped off onto the deck, their rifles on Locklin.

“Well, eh, ya can check the Ancrya if ya’d like,” Locklin said.

The soldier placed his helmet on a small hook that extended from his belt. He lifted up his rifle and pushed through the door entering the balcony. The other soldiers followed with their rifles aimed.

“You want me to go make tea?” Locklin asked, flicking the cigarette over the balcony before being pushed in by the butt of another rifle.

They searched the cockpit and then the rest area, making their progress into the cabins. The four soldiers separated and scattered throughout the rooms. Three soldiers checked under the beds, and then one soldier went into the bathroom and searched around. He checked the stalls one by one, and when he found nothing, he joined the other three in the middle of the room. Locklin pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

“I told ya they’re not here,” Locklin said.

“We’ll be the judge of that,” a soldier said, and then turned toward the closet, slowly creeping up on it. He peeked through the crack, drawing nearer and nearer upon the door. He grabbed the knob, and as he pulled, Locklin coughed. The soldiers turned to him.

“Went down the wrong pipe,” Locklin said, pounding his fist into his chest.

The soldier at the closet reached for the knob again. He pulled it open, slowly at first, not wanting a surprise. He glanced back at his men for them to ready their weapons. They did so. Locklin saw Nile, and his eyes widened. He coughed again, this time forcing tears out. The soldiers jerked their heads toward Locklin.

“Smokin’ kills ya,” Locklin said.

Ashera was covering her mouth. Her fingers squeezed the side of her right cheek so hard that she almost drew blood. Tears rolled down her cheek. Nile placed a hand over her hand to keep her quiet.

Leo glanced around the closet. On the shelf above him was a metal box. He pulled it off the shelf; it was heavier than it looked. Nile reached for it and Leo gave it up willingly. Nile pulled the box to his chest and closed his eyes tightly.

And a light hit Ashera’s forehead as the door began to slowly open.

“Locklin Richardson of Silvago, you are under arrest for thievery and the suspicion of holding criminals,” said the blond soldier, reaching for something in his back pouch hanging off his belt.

“Is that a thing now?” Locklin asked.

The door opened a little more.

“You can’t arrest me for thievery, I own this ship,” Locklin argued, flicking the cigarette at the soldier.

The door opened a little bit more . . .

Bam!

The metal case slung out of the closet, hitting the soldier in the head. The soldier lost his balance and fell to the floor. The door flung open and Nile kicked the soldier to his back and threw the case on him. The soldier winced in pain, but Nile toppled over him and rolled to the side of a bed. He then crawled under it. The soldiers aimed their weapons at the bed and snuck toward it.

Nile looked past the overhanging quilts and saw the black boots slowly creep up on him.

Ashera jumped out, holding her staff. She twirled her staff in her hand, then brought it down with such a force that the Ancrya rattled when she hit the soldier in the head. His mask cracked and his black hollow eyes flickered white. Then Ashera jammed her staff in his gut and he fell forward. She spun around, hit another in the face, and then dashed across the room. Bullets followed her, piercing the fine wood that crafted the beauty of the inside of the Ancrya.

Ashera swung her staff and a gust of wind flew across the room, hitting the soldier’s to his back against the wall. He dropped the rifle and slid to the floor. Ashera straightened her staff under his chin. He was out cold.

“Who the hell might ya be?” Locklin asked.

Ashera quickly moved across the room, bringing her staff to Locklin’s head.

Leo jumped from the closet. “No, no, no, he’s with us.”

Nile crawled out from under the bed.

Ashera lowered her staff and stared at Locklin. “I’m Ashera.”

“This is gonna get bumpy,” Locklin said. He rushed back to the cockpit, jumped in the seat, and began pressing buttons. The Ancrya lifted higher, and in a sudden burst of energy, it darted across the sky.

Nile, Leo, and Ashera gathered up unconscious soldiers and tied them up. Nile sat on the edge of a bed and fell back with his arms sprawled out.

“I’m so tired,” he grunted.

Ashera sat on the bed across from him and crossed her legs, leaning back on the palms of her hands. Leo picked up a rifle and examined it. The barrel was long, and there was a scope on the top. He aimed the weapon up and peered through the scope to see a red dot. He assumed he was supposed to aim the red dot at something and then fire. He brought the gun down and flipped it around. The way it handled amazed him.

“Do you like it?” Ashera asked, as Leo examined the rifle.

“Yeah,” Leo replied. “She’s beautiful.”

“You think so?”

Leo spun around with a cocky grin. “But not as beautiful as you.”

Ashera smiled.

Nile sat up and looked at the soldiers. “What are we going to do about them?”

Leo shrugged.

“Throw them off the balcony,” Ashera said with a smile.

Nile smirked. “Yeah.”

Locklin looked up to the monitors overhead to see the airship behind them gaining speed. It was coming at an angle, and three soldiers were standing on the balcony with their rifles aimed at the Ancrya. Locklin tilted the Ancrya to the right. Then the other airship flew beside the Ancrya. A small window opened and a cannon extended outward.

“This ain’t gonna be good,” Locklin said.

Red particles of energy began to form at the barrel of the cannon and then a large red ball formed. There was a loud rattling sound, and then the beam shot out like a spear. Locklin forced the Ancrya down and dodged the beam. The Ancrya shifted underneath the airship, and Locklin leaned over to the window and looked up, seeing part of the wooden deck that hung below the belly of the metal beast chasing them.

“Take this,” he said enthusiastically, and he brought the airship up into the deck and knocked it off. Wood slid down the Ancrya like rain, and so did the soldiers on it, as they struggled to find something to grab. Locklin did not stop; he moved the Ancrya up and bumped into the bottom of the other airship, and there was a sudden jerk. Nile, Ashera, and Leo fell and rolled around.

The airship tilted to the left as if it was knocked off balance, and the Ancrya came up beside it. Locklin smashed a few buttons; the top of the Ancrya slid open and four laser cannons extended out. The cannons rolled around to face the opposing ship, green particles formed, then shot out simultaneously. They crashed through the windows, through the metal exterior, and the airship exploded. Locklin threw a fist in the air in excitement. The enemy ship became a cloud of fire and then a black ball of smoke, as flaming debris fell to the ground.

Nile, Ashera, and Leo rushed to the cockpit. Nile clenched the sides of the leather seats.

“That was close,” Nile said.

“Ya ain’t kiddin’, eh,” Locklin said.

“Is that what we are goin’ to have to put up with?” Leo asked.

Nile looked back at him. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t know your world, Nile; ya need to tell me where ya want to go.”

“I don’t even know where we are,” Nile said.

Locklin rolled his eyes. “How about ya, Leo?”

The ground was moving too quickly below them for Leo to tell where they were. He examined it thoroughly, from the pine trees that eventually turned to shrubs, then savannahs, and then back to pine trees. There was a lake that snaked off into the ocean to the east of them, and for a second he thought he had a clue as to where they were. Then they flew over mountains that he did not recognize.

“Nope,” Leo said. “I’ve never been here before.”

“I do,” Ashera said.

“Bless ya, girl,” Locklin said, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a metallic case. Flipping it open, he grabbed a cigarette and placed the case in his pocket. He then pulled out a small lighter and tried to light the tobacco stick, but only sparks ignited from the round metal lighter. Ashera placed her right hand in front of the cigarette and snapped her fingers. A flame formed. Locklin smiled. “Thank ya.”

“We just crossed the Elkanah Mountains, and we are heading to Gailford, if I remember correctly,” Ashera said. She slapped her hands together. “And with that said, I’m going to go back to stay guard. Wouldn’t want our guests trying anything funny.”

After she left, Nile slumped down and rubbed his face in his hands. “Locklin, don’t tell her or anybody that what has happened is because of me. Don’t tell them that I still have it.”

Locklin grabbed Nile’s shoulder and nodded. He inhaled on his cigarette, and Leo waved his hands in front of face as the smoke circulated toward the ceiling.

“You have nothin’ to worry about,” Locklin said.