THE BOOK OF ENTHNAR
Part of the Green Candle series by Samuel Warren Shaffer
and edited by K. F. Nickel
Copyright 2005 by Samuel Warren Shaffer and the Temple of the Titans All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Published 2013
Text copyright 2013 by Samuel Warren Shaffer Illustrations copyright 2013 by Samuel Warren Shaffer
Chapter One
King of Elves
Enthnar was born on a rainy day in a cottage, in the village of Egala. Enthnar’s father whose name was Enthnar had gone back that night to secure more of the ancient records of their people before the forces of darkness got to them and had never returned. Enthnar was a prince son of Enthnar who’s Kingdom had been overthrown. This is the brief history of how this began.
Upon distant Isles, which at one time bore the name Embalanach, but are now called the Isles of Infamy, Andan had made his earthly abode. He and his emanations came down and partaking of the elements of Atara was made physical. His capital was called Min-andaris, and was crowned with seven towers, six around and one in the center that reached unto the sky. A Kingdom ordered and grand, although it was too ordered and those who lived under his force had their humanity weakened. Andan forbade any physical relationship between persons without a permit from him. He made everyone wear veils so that they could not see each other’s features and prescribed all the work, eating and every activity. Over many generations the people became so degraded that their physical features were made ugly and their minds full of rage like unto animals, and from these came the races of orcs, goblins and many others.
Other emanations of Andan had settled in other places of the world and were not under his rule. One line of emanations was very fair and full of light and love and lived in a land to the north west of the Isles of Infamy upon a land called Ethema. Ethema was covered in mountains and forests and the whole land round about was guarded by a ring of rocky islands covered in serpents save one port called Winathian. Ethema was the home of the Elves. The King of Ethema was Enthnar the father of Enthnar.
Those from the Isles of Infamy had invaded Winathian and even though Enthnar’s grandfather had defeated them still some of them slipped into the heart of the land and there hid in the almost endless forests of Ethema. Deep in the forests they multiplied and it was not until Enthnar’s uncle Simenon had spotted one that they knew of their survival. Simenon had fallen into a ravine while trying to pursue a rabbit and saw a goblin walking down it. Simenon followed him unto a great den of goblins and other creatures from the Isles of Infamy. Simenon listened unto their leader speaking and heard that they planned to attack the castle of Enthnar and also that they desired to subject the people unto the laws of Embalanach, for freedom was repugnant unto them. Simenon hurried back unto his village and mounted his horse and rode unto the castle of Enthnar and told Enthnar’s father of their existence and of their plans.
Enthnar’s father prepared his defenses and gathered his army but when the armies of those from Infamy gathered he did see their great numbers. He held them off for several weeks but one evening goblins that had been tunneling under the castle broke into the well. They climbed up the well and began to come up into the courtyard. Those who had made it up threw down ropes to those below. A great battle ensued, and the goblins managed to light an oil fire in the gatehouse, which lead to the weakening of the gate until the battering ram made it through. Enthnar’s father evacuated many people through a secret passage and then caved in the passage with an explosion; he also hid the records of his people under the stones of the castle floor. Enthnar’s father then fought his way, with some of his most elect men, through the ranks of the goblins. Enthnar’s father even threw his spear into the heart of the goblin leader who desired to fight him. Many men perished but Enthnar’s father and two of his men escaped severely wounded.
Enthnar’s mother escaped unto Egala and Enthnar’s father met her there; but upon the night that Enthnar was born he had gone back for the records and did not return. Egala was surrounded by high mountains and was just north enough to see the northern sun in the winter months. The forests there were quiet and peaceful and the pine trees stretched in every direction. Enthnar grew up in wisdom and soberness and his mother taught him that Andan was not God but only an emanation of God. She taught him a love of freedom. She also taught him that there was a way out of this plane of existence but that it had not yet been revealed to them.
One morning in Enthnar’s sixteenth year he went hunting with a neighbor and his son. They rode through the mountains on horseback and sunlight poured through the trees. Things could not be more beautiful Enthnar thought. They camped that night on the opposite side of the mountains east of Egala. The stars were beautiful and Enthnar and his friend played a story game around the fire until they were told to go to bed.
Enthnar suddenly startled awake to the sound of his friend’s father yelling frantically. Enthnar knew something was wrong and jumped up into the cold early morning air. “I saw goblins,” he gasped. He then said, “get onto your horses now, both of you; and warn the people at Egala.” Enthnar’s friend didn’t hesitate and rode off before Enthnar could even take in what was happening. Enthnar grabbed his hunting knife and swore he would fight alongside his neighbor. To Enthnar’s surprise his neighbor said, “No! Get away, I will hold them off. Enthnar paused. His neighbor then exclaimed, “Get out of here! There are too many of them and I am giving up my life for you, now get away!”
Enthnar climbed up on his horse and from that vantage point he saw them coming up the hill with swords drawn. Realizing the gravity of the situation he rode through the woods as fast as he could. He heard the howl of dogs behind him. Enthnar rode and rode until he thought that he had lost them for sure and got off to get a drink from a river he came to quickly. He also wanted to get his bearings as where he was did not look familiar. As he drank the cold water Enthnar suddenly heard the dogs behind him. Heart beating he tried to get back onto his horse as fast as he could. They seemed to come out of nowhere and started chasing his horse down the riverbed. Enthnar’s horse tried to leap up the opposite bank, as the dogs were biting at his legs, but missed and Enthnar and his horse came tumbling down the bank and into the icy cold water.
Enthnar jumped up and one of the dogs latched onto his arm. Enthnar screamed before he realized what had even happened, the stinging pain shooting up his arm. He instinctively grabbed his knife and started trying to stab at the eyes of the dog while the dog jumped back and forth pulling him around. The horse got up and Enthnar dropped the knife to grab onto one of the horse’s leather straps. Enthnar felt himself being dragged through the riverbed and his arm almost being torn off as it were. Suddenly the horse went over a huge waterfall and Enthnar’s heart stopped for a moment. There was a terrible clap, as they struck the surface of the water. He felt a horrible sudden pain as something struck his back. Enthnar surfaced gasping for breath and then realized there was a powerful current and used it to swim sideways down the river as far as he could get from the dogs.
When Enthnar came to a beach he was lightheaded and breathing hard. He didn’t move for a while, until he realized that his hand was bleeding into the soil and that he must do something to stop it. The terrible pain in his back remained and it hurt just to try and reach back and feel it. He bound his hand with some cloth and waited for nightfall. He shivered in the night making the pain worse, so he crawled up under a low pine tree. The needles poked him but at this point he was numb to most pain. The next morning Enthnar began to get up, he felt a huge lump in his back, and still felt faint. He hobbled down to the river again and tried to catch fish with his hands or by casting rocks at them in vain. Feeling so weak he began to tear moss off of rocks and eat it, even though it tasted like dirt. That day Enthnar summoned some more strength and began carefully walking up the river trying to find his horse. It wasn’t until night fall that he found it dead on the shore of the river. He looked in the leather bag that contained the bread only to find a wet soggy residue of it clinging to the sides of the leather; he gratefully scooped it up in his hands and ate it. Enthnar also found his pot and his flint and steel. He decided not to make a fire tonight, but put some sticks and leaves up against a log to sleep under.
That night Enthnar looked up at the stars fully conscious at night since the other night around the fire. He wondered if his mother would be okay, and also if his friend escaped. Enthnar also wondered about the endless expanse above him as if he was seeing it for the first time. Are there other worlds? What is the meaning of this one? To have joy; and what brought us here? By what power did I enter this existence and to where am I going?
The next morning Enthnar realized that he should start to eat the horse before its flesh began to rot. He also saw that something else had been eating at it in the night besides birds. Enthnar took a sharp rock and started trying his best to tear some small strips out from under its hide. Enthnar managed to place some stripes of meat out on the rocks to dry, it was the best he could do with what he had. At night he ate one and took the others into his shelter with him.
On the third day after the attack, Enthnar spotted a large hill and decided to climb it and see if he could see in which direction he had to go to get home. Once he had reached the top of the hill by the late afternoon he realized that he had no idea where he was. He walked back down the hill; head hung low, and tried to make a better shelter before nightfall. Enthnar was told as a boy that his father chose the valley of Egala because of its hidden nature and that one had to know the right pass and valley to enter it. From the top of the hill Enthnar had seen dozens of mountain passes and he didn’t know where to go. In the morning Enthnar ate another piece of his horse feeling fatigued and decided to go down the river instead of trying to brave the treacherous passes in which he would surely be lost and killed.
Chapter Two
with Isis Reunited
Enthnar hiked all day down the river until he came to a small meadow as the sun as it set behind the trees. He quickly put some branches against a log to crawl under as the night air began to become cool. As Enthnar lay there behind the branches he saw one light after another appear in the sky, but suddenly lights started appearing in the grass of the meadow also. One by one they began to appear until the opening in the woods was full with dancing lights. Soon Enthnar drifted off to sleep.
Enthnar awoke with a terrible knot in his shoulder, having slept on some roots, he was also sore all over. He got up and continued hiking all day through the woods and meadows of the valley below until he finally came to a small lake. Enthnar went down to the edge of the water and got in to cool himself off. Once he was in the water he suddenly got low in the water as he saw someone else on the other side of the lake. It was a young elf woman. She took off her clothes and got in the water to bathe. Enthnar didn’t want her to know he was watching her but he also wanted to know about the closest town. He thought there must be a trail on her side of the lake, and determined to sneak around. It was a big lake and he got into the water a ways off to swim around real low since there was a lot of moss and sticks in the water. Suddenly he heard her voice calling out, “Hey, come here.”
Enthnar looked back with his eyes just above the water and saw that she was waving to him. He felt as though he had no choice and started swimming towards her. He started feeling nervous as he approached her head sticking out of the water. “What is your name?” She asked. “I am Enthnar, Son of Enthnar.” “You are the Son of the King?” She asked. “Yes.” Enthnar replied. Enthnar continued, “I came from Egala, but my friends and I were attacked by goblins and I and couldn’t find my way back, I was wondering if there was a man in your village who could take me there.” “Yes there probably is, but you must make children before the goblins get you and your line is destroyed.” She said with a smile. “I never really thought too much about it.” Enthnar lied. Enthnar had grown up in the knowledge that even though elves usually made life long relationships, the elves of Ethema did not believe in marriage. In their minds marriage was something that was invented by those from Embalanach, and they called it infatuated or possessive slavery.
“I am Isis,” the girl said as she put her arms on Enthnar’s shoulders. “It is nice to meet you.” Is all Enthnar could say. Suddenly Isis kissed him and said, “Let us make sure you have some offspring.” Enthnar did not know what to say while she led him to the shore. She had a horse waiting in the trees, and she got a blanket off of it, and laid it in the trees where a deer bed had been. She held Enthnar close against her wet breasts and said, “From the moment I saw you a few minutes ago I was attracted to you for some reason beyond what is normal, and I believe you, that you are the Son of Enthnar, I can tell that your words are true. It looks as though you have been through a lot.” “They killed my friend’s father.” Enthnar replied suddenly feeling more emotion than he had anticipated at his words.
Isis held Enthnar even closer and they began to kiss more. “I will heal all of your wounds,” she said; and they began making love. They made love until the evening time, and then Isis, said,
“We better be on the road back to town.” They got dressed and mounted her horse and began to ride through the woods. After a while they came out of the woods into a beautiful clearing that opened up to bigger fields, and at the center of which was a town. There was a short wall made of stone and on the other side of that all the houses and shops were huddled together. They rode into the center of town and Isis said, “My people, this is Prince Enthnar Son of Enthnar from Egala.”
Once Enthnar got off the horse a man came up to shake his hand and ask him how he came to come from Egala, although Enthnar immediately noticed that he was a Human; Enthnar had never seen a non-Elvish man before. He introduced himself as Sir Birgawin and told Enthnar that he had served in the war with his Father. Cyrus the Father of Isis also introduced himself to Enthnar, and invited him into their home saying, “I am sure he is tired Birgawin, he can tell all once he has rested and eaten something.”
Enthnar never remembered being so hungry as they put some chicken and vegetables in front of him. Enthnar told them how the goblin dogs had gotten his horse in the river and how he ate his horse to survive, and why he had decided to come down into the valley. During dinner a knock also came at the door and a tall blond haired elf entered the room, and said, “You are him, I am your uncle Simenon.” Simenon sat down and everyone continued the conversation, and they told Simenon about how Enthnar had gotten down into the valley. Simenon raised his horn of ale in Enthnar’s direction, and made a toast to him. They all had a good time and Enthnar felt as though he had found his long lost family.
Enthnar stayed in the village for several days recovering. Cyrus was up watching the moon late one night when Enthnar was walking by on the path. He gestured for Enthnar to come to him. “Yes sir?” Enthnar said. “You will have to face the forces that destroyed your father’s Kingdom soon. If our land is to be freed you must unite the people who can help you defeat the powers who dwell in your father’s castle,” Cyrus said. Enthnar’s words seemed to catch in his throat; “I wish I could just live happily here with you and Isis forever. Can we not make peace with them?” Cyrus went on, “It is a matter of freedom and love versus force and fear. If you ever want the world of your ancestors to be restored you must take up your sword and fight. The life here as it is will only last so long. Do you want freedom for your children and your people’s children or not?” “Can’t I return to Egala and let my mother know that I am alive?” Enthnar asked. At this point Cyrus seemed to choose his words with care, “You have been set on this course for a reason, and if you turn back now you will not fulfill the purpose for which the three fates brought you into this world. Simenon and Birgawin will prepare you for the journey to gather our best warriors tomorrow. A storm is coming Enthnar, do you want to be the hunter or the hunted?” Cyrus replied.
Enthnar could hardly sleep that night. Since he had arrived he felt as though his new family would surround him forever, and he had hid the harsh reality of the situation at hand from his thoughts. Enthnar felt like he had been awoken almost before he had fallen asleep. Simenon and Birgawin stood above him with their shirts off and painted in war paint. They grabbed Enthnar, blindfolded him and proceeded out into the woods to a mound of earth covered in grass. There was a door in the mound and they took him down into a dark cavern. They laid Enthnar on a cold slab of stone, and let him stay there in the darkness for a while. Enthnar felt as though the darkness totally enveloped him, and the abyss around him was totally silent. Only a few minutes felt like forever, and he was there for a lot longer than that.
Enthnar was suddenly raised by a strong arm and heard a voice. He heard Isis calling his name, while the arm was that of a man. The man held his arm in the sign of the horned God, to lift him up. The voice changed slightly to reveal his new name. Suddenly a torch was lit and there standing beyond the stone alter was Isis surrounded by golden light. Enthnar looked down on the alter to see bones laying in cobwebs. “That is your old body.” Isis said. “Come and drink the mead of eternal lives and be married unto the Goddess.” Enthnar went around the altar and drank from a drinking horn in the hand of Isis. She then led him to a stone to sit upon and gathered water in a rag from a dip in the floor filled with water. She washed his feet and said, “Regardless of any fault you shall be our prince forever and we shall overlook your mistakes in eternal love. We shall love you enough to be with you, and you shall love us enough to keep us as your eternal Kingdom.”
Cyrus then came out from the shadows and poured oil upon Enthnar’s head, and laying his hands upon his head ordained him a king forever. Enthnar was then lead into the morning light and given a horse by Sir Birgawin. He pronounced the blessing of the horse kings saying, “This shall be your horse Enthnar. You shall die if he dies and he shall die if you die; you shall ride him into the afterlife.” Enthnar mounted his horse and Isis tied a cloth around Enthnar’s arm and gave him a kiss. Cyrus clipped a sword unto his belt and said, “May the Gods be with you.”
Chapter Three
Freedom or Force
Enthnar looked back at Isis as he rode away with Simenon and Birgawin. Enthnar barely assimilated what had just happened to him as they rode through the countryside, across meadows and through woods. The day was over after a very long ride and Birgawin was looking for a suitable place to camp off the road as the sun went down. Simenon explained that they were going to a certain lake where a tribe of horsemen that were once loyal to his father dwelled. They were the only non-elfish humans that lived in Ethema and Birgawin was one of them. After that they would go into the mountains to gather men from several tribes of elves. “The element of surprise will be our only friend,” he explained.
They set up a cloth tent Birgawin had brought and retired for the night on the hard ground. Enthnar slept surprisingly well and they were packing up and riding first thing in the morning. They rode for several days and Enthnar saw more countryside than he had in his entire life. One night Enthnar was awoken to some rustling outside. He began to arise and Birgawin put his hand on his chest and gestured to be absolutely silent and put his bedroll over him. Enthnar held the hilt of his sword under the bedroll. Birgawin took out his sword and Simenon carefully nocked an arrow on his bowstring. Simenon covered Birgawin while he peeked out of the opening in the tent. Suddenly Enthnar heard Simenon’s bow release as he let an arrow fly. There was a groan and Birgawin shouted and started clashing metal with someone. There were a few more groans and after a few moments Simenon took the bedroll off Enthnar. Outside Enthnar saw the slaughtered remains of two goblins and a dog. Enthnar slept lightly that night, and they left with great haste in the morning and traveled cross-country.
Finally they were overlooking a giant lake down in a valley below them, and Birgawin told him that they were almost to their destination. They made their way through some dense forest and came out into an opening in the trees with a wooden wall looming before them just after sunset. Birgawin hailed the watch, and they entered through a small horse gate into a large town, full of houses. Enthnar had never seen such an extensive settlement having grown up in the village of Egala. The people stared at them as they made their way to the house of someone Birgawin knew.
A tall muscled man with long hair and a wide belt opened the door. He smiled and he and Birgawin suddenly embraced. He invited them in and they entered. Birgawin introduced him as his cousin Tyrawin. Birgawin also explained to him who Enthnar was, and also about their mission, and the attack the previous night on the borders of the town. Tyrawin leaned in close and whispered. “There is a priest of Embalanach here in this very town, trying to convert people to the ways of Embalanach, and preaching about the sin of freedom and many other things. There is no telling how many people he has swayed but there are some to be sure. We must be careful who we try and recruit, so we do not endanger ourselves and the mission.” “We will rely on your judgment.” Birgawin said. “I will have a small army gathered by the peninsula on the north bank, by sundown three days from now, stay here tonight and then go camp and wait for us in the woods there.” Tyrawin said.
Enthnar, Birg
