The Silver Eye (webcomic)

*This article is about **the webcomic**. You may be looking for the actual Silver Eye telescope.*
**The Silver Eye** is a fantasy graphic novel created by American artist, Laura Hollingsworth, started in late 2009. As of today, the twenty-third chapter is underway.

Fans of the comic commonly refer to themselves as Nerdarians.

## Premise

Two families are fighting an ancient feud: The Hollingsworths and the Shephards.

A Shephard queen attempts to wipe out the Hollingsworth bloodline. When the immortal Melete tries to intervene, she is imprisoned by her own descendants. Bhatair Hollingsworth, one of the few Hollingsworths to survive the queen’s onslaught, rescues Melete. She rewards him with a curse, one meant to avenge the Hollingsworths’ suffering, but which ironically puts the Hollingsworth family more at risk.

With a new Shephard on the throne, a fragile peace settles between the countries in the East. Bitter about his war-torn homeland, Bhatair often travels to the lands in the West, where he begins to dabble in foreign politics under the name Velvare. Bhatair quickly finds more success as Velvare than he had as himself. He adopts the young prince of this country and befriends an orphan, Enel, because he misses his own family.

Back in the East, the current Shephard king is killed, orphaning his daughters and son, Apen. With peace beginning to crumble, Apen volunteers to be executed so that his people will be saved from another war. The execution fails, and Apen flees to the West. A meeting between Bhatair Hollingsworth and Apen Shepherd is inevitable. Bhatair, now Velvare, welcomes Apen to the country with one rule: Apen must not enter the capital.

One day, the orphan Enel is in the capital eagerly poring over a book he hopes will have answers about countries in the East. Apen mistakes Enel for someone else and attacks him. But a conversation saves Enel’s life, and when Apen gets caught and imprisoned Enel is the one to free him.

While spending time with Velvare, Enel overhears that someone named Nathan has conquered all of the countries in the East. Enel passes the information on to Apen, who announces he’s returning home.

In the current time of the comic, many of Enel’s friends are preparing to join Apen on his journey. Though Enel has no desire to go with them, a force stronger than his will is beginning to pull him toward the East.

## Plot

### Chapter One

Enel, a twelve-year-old orphan under the care of librarian Marcus Lanum, begs to see a valuable book Marcus has. Marcus secretly borrowed it from the study of the country's ruler, Velvare Bamidele, who is currently away, and he knows that he would be in serious trouble if anything happened to it. However, Enel has pestered Marcus so much that the librarian reluctantly lets Enel have it at last and walks away. Enel is almost immediately attacked by another boy named Apen Shephard, who, mistaking Enel for someone else (as yet unknown), tries to kill him with a sword, destroying the book in the process. He soon realizes that Enel is not the person he thought he was and stops attacking. Apen then looks at Enel through the Silver Eye; Enel begs to try it out, and Apen, feeling bad for trying to kill him, agrees. He also tells Enel his name, and they shake hands.

Marcus shows up just then, shocked by the destruction of the book. Apen tells Marcus that his name is Joshua Alfero, thereby trapping himself because he had just told Enel his name was Apen Shephard. At the name Apen Shephard, Marcus freaks out and marches Apen inside, where he locks him in a room.

The next several pages then give a flashback-laden overview of Gallitan and how it was that its current ruler, Velvare Bamidele, came to take power and watch over the heir to the throne, Avidan Leto. Velvare's mysterious connection with Enel is also touched on.

### Chapter Two

Marcus explains to Enel that Apen is dangerous and wanted by Velvare himself. Marcus then tells Enel to guard Apen's door and goes for the authorities.

Locked in a room full of bookshelves, Apen has a flashback to his nine-year-old self standing outside a wall, in the Deadlands. A couple of soldiers on the wall take down the Cedulan flag, wrap it around a rock, and fling it at him, mocking him. Reverend Jonathan Terpsi then shows up on the wall. Apen asks if Delaney is alright, and Terpsi responds that she is still stable and will pull through. He then says that Nathan found out Apen took the Silver Eye, and that Apen should try to find the other nations far west to have a chance of survival. "When others are executed, they don't last ten minutes with the weavers, yet you've been left alone. *You're meant to live. You have a chance. **Leave.***"

In the present, Apen convinces Enel to let him out by offering him information about Levant, a faraway place where he once lived. Walking through the library, Apen has another flashback-glimpse, this time of Joshua Shephard lying dead on top of some books. Apen then leaves, promising (while crossing himself) to find Enel sometime later and tell him everything he wants to know.

Marcus returns a moment later to find Apen gone. He soon gets the truth out of Enel and yells at him, even slapping him once on the head, before he stops and apologizes. He's still upset, and walks into his study, saying Enel might as well go to the orphanage and tell Idony St. Claire his and Enel's arrangement isn't going to work. Enel decides to actually go and talk to Idony.

A flashback then introduces a teenage Idony and her older brother, Noah, who are at the library. Idony is there to chaperone orphans on their regular outing to have Marcus read to them. Idony thinks Marcus has a lovely voice, and when Marcus catches sight of Idony from across the room, he starts blushing and stammering through his reading. Suddenly, young Enel dashes into the room, screaming at Marcus about how Velvare is really hurt and bleeding everywhere. Noah grabs his doctor's satchel and puts Enel on his back, rushing off to help.

### Chapter Three

The flashback ends to Apen leaving his house, saying he can’t stay there. Meanwhile Enel had gotten some flowers for Idony, on behalf of Marcus, though of course, when he asked for roses that weren’t yellow, he got yellow roses. He gives then to the blind Idony, pretending that they are the reddest red as he notices Velvare’s peppermints lying in a bowl. After making sure Velvare wasn’t present, he sneaks off to steal some when he is caught by Velvare. Idony asks what happened and Velvare tells her that Enel has stolen some candy. Enel starts rambling off that he wouldn’t ever steal from him and Velvare forgives him. As he tries to run away, Idony catches up to him and asks him what was wrong. Enel tells her that Marcus was trying to back out of his adoption. It cuts to Apen asking if one of the vessels Gallitan had was leaving soon and Avidan replied snootily, saying that it had just returned while Apen sneaked into the ship. Velvare called Avidan over onto the ship (please expand)