Enaya: Solace of Time by Justin C. Trout Page B

got off the horse and grabbed the reins that were resting on the post. He pulled them over the snout of the horse and then jumped on it, pulling the reins tightly to get the horse to turn around.
    “Are you ready?” Roland asked, sitting up straight.
    Nile shook his head.
    Roland spurred his horse, and the horse abruptly exploded out of the stables and onto the deck. Roland stopped and turned around to wait for Nile.
    “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Nile yelled, as his horse walked up the ramp and onto the deck. “That a girl.”
    “I need you to keep up,” Roland said.
    “I can’t,” Nile said, pulling on the reins.
    Roland’s horse stammered back to Nile. Roland lined his horse up with Nile and then drove his spur into the horse. The horse reared up, neighed, and then charged off the deck. Roland then drove his spur into his horse and charged off.
    Roland gained enough speed to jump in front of Nile, which was a good thing since Nile was about to run into a fruit market. The horse lost focus and followed Roland under arched streets and out into the open field of Sienna.
    Nothing but vast walls of green blocked their path. The forest was as full as the book of life. They rode into it, and as they did, Nile glanced up to see birds fill the sky and fly outward, almost racing with the horses. They came across a long fence that was damaged due to weather. Vines and flowers covered the fence and there was evidence of an old stone walkway. There must have been a house that once sat there.
    Roland pointed to his left. Nile almost missed it. He pulled the reins. The horses stampeded up the knoll, over the broken fence, and started up the ridge across the Rabellank Mountains.
    Roland stopped abruptly. His horse snarled and snorted as Roland peered over the orange valley. A small stream snaked out into the forest from whence they came. Across from them was another ridge. That would be the mountains that the Tavera Kingdom would cross. Roland scoped the landscape, then turned back to Nile.
    “Nothing,” Roland said.
    Beyond Nile, the towers of the Walsh castle could be seen. Roland’s eyes followed the tip of the tower down to the trees that blocked the rest of the castle. He then turned around on his horse to see if anyone was coming from around the canyon.
    Nothing.
    Roland jumped off his horse and continued to look around. He grabbed the reins in one hand and patted the horse with his other. “The first thing I learned as a knight was beginning to parry. You will value everything in your line of duty. I really became fond of my skills. You’ll find that all you can trust is yourself in some situations. This is one of those moments.”
    Nile tightened his grip around the reins.
    “Would you ever trespass into another man’s heart?” Roland asked, running his hand down the horse’s rib.
    Nile gulped. “No.”
    “One thing your father taught me was to protect everything that is rightfully yours. He hated that he could not protect you and your family.”
    Nile’s grip grew tighter.
    “Do you know what I’m talking about?” Roland asked, turning slowly to Nile, staring him in the eyes.
    “N-no,” Nile hesitated.
    Roland released the reins and charged over to Nile. He extended an arm, grabbed Nile by his breastplate, and pulled him down to the ground. Nile hit with a hard thump, nearly knocking the wind out of him. Roland pulled Nile closer to his face.
    “I know you know about Enaya,” Roland spat on him.
    “All I know is what I saw,” Nile said, panicking that Roland might hit him. He closed his eyes, grabbed Roland’s wrists, and tried to push him off.
    Roland punched Nile, his fist guiding Nile’s head into the ground. Roland brought back his hand and Nile’s lip was bleeding. “Enaya! Why? What did you see?”
    “Large towers and dragons, I guess. I saw a world where people use these dragons to fly,” Nile said.
    Roland punched Nile again.
    Nile pushed Roland off him and rolled around in the dirt. He