Enaya: Solace of Time
Read Enaya: Solace of Time Online
Authors: Justin C. Trout
License Notes
Copyright © Justin C. Trout 2015
Cover Art by
Deranged Doctor Design
Formatting by
Deranged Doctor Design
All rights reserved
This book is protected under the copyright laws. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Disclaimer: The persons, places, things, and otherwise animate or inanimate objects mentioned in this novel are figments of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to anything or anyone is unintentional.
There are several people I would love to thank for their continual support on this project.
Enaya
has been a project I started since the seventh grade and I’m excited to finally bring it to life, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of Carolyn Townes, Jamie Gilmer, and Greg Horn. You guys have read this book—sometimes more than once—and I appreciate your feedback and encouragement.
Enaya
wouldn’t have happened without the professional help from Firstediting.com and especially to my professional editor Allison. I’m very grateful for our partnership and the critique of this novel.
I also want to thank Deranged Doctor Design for the amazing book cover. They say, “Never judge a book by its cover,” and I’m very grateful for the professional look that you all have provided.
There are several people who have encouraged me to pursue publishing, so I’m very thankful for my close and personal friends, Lori Gates-Addison, Sarah Adams, Hughes Melton, John Huffman, Dave Radford, Lance Blaylock, Carleigh Blaylock, Brandon Horne, Thomas Browning, Johnathon Anderson, and especially to Mike Hincher for taking a chance on me.
I’m also very grateful for Franklin Horton, author of
The Borrowed World
series. Franklin has been patient and nice enough to meet with me and guide me into the self-publishing world. I’m very thankful to have someone who is willing to take their time out of their busy career and lead me in mine.
I’m very grateful for my family that has supported me, to my brothers, Nick Trout and Brandon Hibbitts, my sister, Elizabeth Hatfield, and my parents, Clayton Trout and Leslie Henderson. I’m very thankful for my beautiful son, Nehemiah, for always comforting me in times of trial, and I’m very grateful for my wonderful and beautiful wife, Bethany Trout, who has encouraged me to not give up.
I would like to thank God, who has provided an easy avenue for me to walk down and make this become a reality.
To
Nehemiah Wake Trout
“Don’t let time get away from you.”
and
Nicholas Raymond Trout
“Where has time gone?”
Table of Contents
Chapter 5: A Twenty-One-Day Good-Bye
Chapter 7: A Parallel Universe
Chapter 8: The Kingdom of Walsh
Chapter 14: Ripples in the Air
Chapter 16: A Stroll Down Memory Lane
Chapter 18: The End of Innocence
Chapter 20: The Fate of Us All
Chapter 21: The Growth of Evil
Chapter 23: Return to Solace of Time
Chapter 32: The Forgotten Season
Chapter 37: The Angel of Solace
An exclusive chapter from Book 2
To Every Beginning
The music tore the heart of a lonely Nile Whitman.
Everyone stood up, even Nile, as they turned toward the castle. The oak arched door opened with the help of two maidens and an angel appeared. Her dress sparkled in the sunlight, and her bouquet of pink roses reflected off her cheeks. Nile gulped as she took that first step into her new life. If only her new life was with him.
The music continued—a slow symphony accompanied by the violin. The August breeze swept through the angel’s hair as she walked down the center of the grassy aisle, smiling. Nile remembered that this was her dream wedding, with the whole kingdom gathered outside, watching her before a sunset. All of Woodlands had turned into a festive parade for this day. Long splints of oak were placed on two bales of hay, which provided seating for the guests. The flower girl scattered white roses across the aisle, painting a scene that only heaven could muster.
Nile watched as the angel made her way closer to him. Nile sat on the edge closest to the aisle. He wanted her to see him as she passed by. He even wore his best—black. Nile rarely wore black. The last time he wore black was the day his mother and brother were buried. However, Nile wanted to charm the angel on this day, so he wore a black vest over a stainless white jerkin, and black britches that came over his long black boots. His dark hair was pushed back with the stroke of his hand and his smile was forced.
The angel passed by him without acknowledgment. The music continued, and Nile was left wondering why she didn’t see him. She walked down the aisle toward the altar, sculpted into the earth before a setting a sun. Nile looked at his feet and took a deep breath.
A hand fell upon his shoulder and squeezed. Nile turned to see Leo, smiling at him. Leo had been Nile’s friend for so many moons that they’d lost count. Leo was more like a brother, whose wit was as bare as the fruit on a tree, and his charm was only shown through his humor. Leo was often referred to as the comedic jester in the Kingdom of Woodlands.
Nile whispered, “I dread when she says, ‘I do.’”
“She may say, ‘I don’t,’” Leo replied.
Nile forced a grin, hoping Leo was right. Nile had longed to be with Princess Dywnwen ever since he could remember.
The princess had made it to the altar and stopped before Roland, who was tall and broad with the smile of a dagger. His long blond hair waved in the wind, and his armor was as pure as the sunset. He smiled at the princess, knowing that he would inherit one of the kingdoms in the Northern Realm.
Jealousy raged inside of Nile, but he knew he’d never stood a chance. Rumors circulated outside of the kingdom that Roland Enmore had slain two dragons in one day, and that he saved a sinking ship of peasants who were caught in the middle of one of the most vicious storms that ever came to the Northern Realm. Nile scoffed at the latest story, that Roland Enmore himself had come face to face with the greatest of enemies—Seraph.
After the Great War, Seraph was sent to the Forbidden Islands, where he was imprisoned all to himself. Seraph was the creator of all evil, and only one person had faced Seraph and got away with their life. Nile had no idea who, but he knew that it was not Roland Enmore of the Crywharn Kingdom. Or perhaps it was, Nile thought. Perhaps it was out of anger and jealousy that he refused to believe any of the stories about Roland.
The priest looked upon the two with a brilliant smile, as if this wedding was written in the scriptures, and began to speak. Nile couldn’t hear everything he had said, nor did he care. He was just here to see
her
in a wedding dress. She stood straight, her waistline curving with the aid of a corset. Her peach skin glowed with radiance as excitement forced her to lean closer and closer to Roland.
The priest smiled at the crowd. “Love is not written in the stars, nor is conquered in war. Love is neither forgotten, nor enriched. Love is and shall always be the foundation to life.”
The priest lifted his head. “When you love, you are telling that person that you desire that everything you have is theirs. Needless to say, this love is sharing the kingdom, the land, and the throne.”
Everyone giggled. Nile did not.
The priest jumbled words together and Roland repeated after him. There was a moment when the priest slipped up the ceremony and he had to redirect his tongue back into the religious formality that became accustomed to every wedding in the land of Sienna. Dywnwen smiled at Roland and giggled. Even Nile couldn’t help but smile. Her giggle was one of the things he loved the most about her.
“And now you, Dywnwen. Repeat after me. I, Dywnwen Leyona, allow our bondage of love to be the bridge to our hearts.”
Dywnwen repeated, crying toward the end. Roland reached over and wiped away her tears. He giggled as he stared into her big brown eyes. He placed a hand upon her cheek and held the pose, allowing the commoners of Woodlands to make sounds that encouraged their romance. Roland then slid his hand gently upon her face, where he massaged her chin with his thumb. Nile’s cheeks burned.
The priest placed his book upon the quartz pedestal, then brought forth a silver goblet with a red gem encrusted in the middle. The priest held the goblet between the newlyweds and looked upon the crowd. “This is an act of love. You will each dip your fingers and sprinkle each other with the magical water, allowing your soul to become one. Dywnwen, you will be first.”
Dywnwen dipped her fingers into the goblet and then sprinkled Roland. The water fell upon his armor and glowed green before it vaporized. Roland did the same to Dywnwen. Nile leaned forward, nearly holding his stomach, as their souls were about to become one. He felt as if he were watching someone die. The water fell from Roland’s fingertips and glowed green, raining down her face.
Nile looked over to Leo, who was staring at him with a half grin. Nile gently nodded, and Leo frowned, patting Nile on the back. The priest announced the royal family and sent them forth. Everyone stood to their feet and watched as the couple marched down the aisle and disappeared over a knoll filled with white flowers.
Nile stood up and walked over to the stream, watching the candles on top of the lilies float with the current. He flicked a pebble at the candle, knocking one of them off. He snickered. Every time the music changed, so did Nile’s posture. He glanced back at the ceremony; everyone was circled around the couple as they danced to the music. Nile was contemplating returning home and sleeping. Sleep would spare him pain.
After moments of talking himself into getting a drink, he found himself at a table and filling a glass of red wine imported from the Western World. It tasted like a rusted coin, but Dywnwen was in love with this particular brand. Silver platters filled with fruit adorned the table. A large stem of grapes forced Nile to lust after them. When he reached for the grape, another hand slid under his.
Nile’s eyes followed the hand up to the rightful owner, only to be greeted by the brown eyes of Dywnwen. Nile grew happy and sat his glass of wine down on the table. He turned to her with open arms.
“Congratulations,” Nile said, embracing her.
“Thank you,” she said. She scratched her head. “Did I look like I had been crying all morning?”
“No,” Nile said. He hesitated for a second. “You looked beautiful, Dywn.”
“Thank you, and you look handsome today,” she replied. “I thought you didn’t like black.”
“Only on special occasions,” Nile said, “weddings and funerals.”
Dywnwen burst into laughter, but Nile caught several licks of pain on his heart. He shouldn’t have said it like that, as if it was a joke or that he was fine with everything that had happened in his past—referring to the murder of his brother and mother by the Lucian Empire. Not a day went by that he didn’t think about what had happened. He looked around the kingdom as Dywnwen caught her breath, forcing herself to stop laughing.
“Well,” Dywnwen said, still giggling, “I hope you’re having fun.”
Nile shrugged. “It would be a lot more enjoyable if you had married me.”
Dywnwen chuckled. “Stop it. I forget how funny you are.”
“I’m only jesting,” Nile said while rolling his eyes.
Roland came up behind Dywnwen, and without saying a word to Nile, he pulled her away.
Nile took a sip of his wine. “If only you knew how serious I am.” He placed his glass on the table and glanced across the kingdom once more. Everyone was dancing and laughing, and Nile’s heart filled with the melancholy of what could have been his wedding day. He hung his head and disappeared into the sunset.