Songs of Nendavia - Book cover

Songs of Nendavia

C.E. Jeffery

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Summary

A century ago, Endymion, seventh son of the sea king, would have killed a human on sight. But upon finding a trespassing human woman swimming inside his beloved ocean kingdom of Nendavia, Endymion struggles to follow through. For the safety of his people, he's unable to let her leave, so he decides to bring the human, River, back to Nendavia. Hated by the Nendavians but restricted to the ocean kingdom where she can breathe, River is an unwilling, strong-willed guest. When River learns of a plot to overthrow the royal family, she must convince Endymion of the danger to himself and his throne, while also navigating Nendavian politics and her growing attraction to the youngest sea prince. One thing is clear through: Don't call them mermen.

Age Rating: 18+

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32 Chapters

Book 1: Song of the Abyss

Legend of the Sea King

Long ago, when the world was new, the Sea King ruled the oceans. His name has long been forgotten—a moniker from a language of old, unpronounceable in the common tongues.

He was only the Sea King.

Seven seas there were, once upon a time, shared among the creatures of the waters.

Young and beautiful he was—a sight to behold, if he deemed one worthy. Through the years, he sired seven sons, one for each of the seven seas he ruled.

The oceans lived in peace for centuries, and the Sea King grew wise and powerful.

As his might grew, so did his stature, until he was as tall as mountains and his coils encircled islands.

But then, humans came.

They invaded the waters, polluted the depths, and hunted his people. With righteous rage, the Sea King destroyed their ships, calling up hurricanes and tsunamis to warn them against coming back.

His terrible might became legend, and the humans hesitated before entering the water. For a time, there was peace in the oceans again.

But humans returned, with bigger, stronger boats and sneaky, silent machines that slipped through the water, unfazed by his storms and rage.

In desperation, the Sea King called upon Poseidon, god of the seas, to hide his people and save their kind. In exchange, he offered his youth, beauty, and ability to traverse the sea.

Poseidon accepted the trade and granted him and his descendants the ability to practice godlike magic.

The Sea King used his new power to hide the kingdom and any creature who resided within it from the humans’ machines.

But slowly the Sea King’s eyes lost their sight and his skin burned in warm waters, and he descended to cooler, darker depths, leaving the ruling of his kingdom to his seven sons.

For a while, the Sea King visited as long as he could stand the light. But the visits became fewer, until at last, the sons went to see him in the deeper water instead.

The Sea King’s might faded into legend, save for two lines written on human maps in warning:

Here there be monsters.

Here there be dragons.

Take My Breath Away

RIVER

“We’re here live with diving-record hopeful River Haynes, as she readies to attempt the world’s deepest scuba dive for a third time.

“River, how are you feeling about this attempt, considering how your last two attempts ended?” The reporter held the mic out to a wetsuit-clad woman as she pulled her blond hair into a ponytail.

“Well,” River said, smiling tightly into the light of the camera, “you know, you learn a few things with each failure. And I think we’re in good shape this time. I feel really good about it.”

“Can you tell us a little about what it meant to prepare for something like this?”

“Well, it takes a lot of extreme training. You have to condition your body, especially your lungs, to manage the extreme pressures of a dive like this. It’s the ascent that’s the most dangerous, really.”

“Because of nitrogen decompression, right?”

River nodded. “Yeah, among other things.”

“Hey, River!” a man called from closer to the shoreline, waving her over. “Hey, come here. We need to talk!”

“Thanks, guys,” River said before turning toward the voice of her sponsor. “What’s up, Wade?” she asked tersely.

Wade West squinted against the bright sunlight from behind his aviators. “I just think you shouldn’t interact with the media too much right now.”

River frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wade sighed. “Look, River, you’re a good kid. You work hard, you try hard, but I’ll be honest—BZ is a little…head-shy.”

River looked back at the handful of reporters. “Head-shy? Wade, what’s going on?”

“If this dive doesn’t go as planned…Buzz Zone is gonna pull out.”

River gasped at the mention of the energy drink company. “Pull out? They’re going to drop me?”

“Sorry, I just found out.”

“Jesus, you couldn’t have waited till after to tell me?”

“I figured a little extra incentive wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

River studied the man for a second. He could be a real ass—and was, most of the time.

But they’d had one drunken night in Florida, and okay, yes, maybe it wasn’t entirely ethical to sleep with a sponsor’s rep to get a third chance at a record dive. But…this couldn’t be her last shot.

“What am I gonna do if they drop me?” she said desperately. “Those last two dives weren’t my fault. Shit just kept happening.”

“Look, they’re trying to compete with other big names right now, and they want to be backing someone with a better…success rate.”

River cursed under her breath. “And what about me?”

Wade shrugged. “You could always go back to teaching scuba in Florida.”

“That’s it? They pull out and…just like that, I’m done?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Riv. We don’t have any other takers right now, and there’s that up-and-coming girl from Taiwan…”

“Ugh, save it,” River complained. “Jesus, Wade, I’ll lose my apartment if they stop paying me.”

“Like I said, you could always go back to Florida.”

Someone handed River a sports bottle and she took a long drink of the water. “Christ, I thought today was gonna be a good day.”

Wade shrugged again. “Sorry, kid. Wish there was more I could do.”

“Is everybody here?” River asked, shielding her face with one hand from the sun and peering across the sand. “No missing support divers, no missing equipment?”

“Yep. Triple-checked it myself. Nobody’s missing, all the equipment is accounted for.”

River sighed. “All right. One last shot. Better make it count.”

All told, the boat held something close to thirty people to assist with the dive.

The water was a little choppier than normal. River kept an eye on the horizon, carefully watching a smattering of foreboding clouds.

It seemed she didn’t need to worry, though.

The clouds stayed distant, and as the boat slowed over the spot where she was going to attempt her dive, she pulled on the rest of her gear and checked her supplies for the umpteenth time.

“Good luck, River,” Wade said, not insincerely. “I know you can do it.”

Somehow, she didn’t feel any more reassured. It was time to dive.

Two at a time, the team jumped into the water. River was last. She saluted the remaining team members on board and jumped.

River was very used to the cold of the Pacific Ocean, but today it seemed even colder somehow. She shivered uncharacteristically.

After checking that the lines and supplies were in good shape, the team submerged.

The ocean held such a different, alien beauty beneath its surface. Visibility was clear enough and the sunshine speared beams of light through the aquatic world.

River took a moment to note a school of fish, then a manta ray leisurely gliding by.

There was a reason she’d chosen this spot, just off the coast of Japan. If nothing else, even if she failed for a third time, at least the marine life was spectacular.

She was at home in the water—God knew she’d spent most of the last decade in it. River propelled herself further down, toward the trenches.

As she descended, there were fewer creatures around, and her visibility diminished. The sun didn’t reach this place much. She clicked on her flashlight.

One of the reasons River had been so successful in the diving world—short of the failed record attempts—was her ability to descend more quickly than most divers.

This was where her training and conditioning shined. The majority of her entourage floated above her in shallower water. And finally, she was alone in the deep water.

She had to be at least 200 meters down now. She could feel the pressure mounting outside her suit, and her lungs tensed in complaint.

A dark shape in the water, just outside the radius of her flashlight, caught her eye.

Shark?

It was long, almost serpent-like, with a spiny dorsal fin.

An eel, maybe?

The sea creature had disappeared. River took deep, steadying breaths and descended another couple meters.

It was so dark now. Her flashlight barely helped. She wasn’t sure she’d even be able to find the depth marker.

River’s brain buzzed pleasantly, and she noted the first sign that her time was running out. She needed to find that marker—fast.

She beamed her flashlight around, looking for the telltale red flag.

As she passed under a rock formation, someone flipped on a light switch.

The water was suddenly clear, and she could see. She looked up in shock as rays of sunlight filtered down through the deep water.

This is impossible.

A school of fish rushed past her. Looking down, there appeared to be a path lined with pristine white stones.

Following them with her gaze, she could only just make out some unusual rock formations in the distance.

They looked a lot like, well, a city.

I dove too far. I’m hallucinating. I need to go up.

Something struck her from behind, and she thudded against the rock wall. For a moment, she felt nauseous and fought back the urge to vomit. The blow knocked her helmet askew and water rushed against her face.

A black-and-silver spear was inches from her face, but her attention was not focused on it.

What the fuck is that...?

A man floated before her in the water. He wore no kind of protective gear, no oxygen tank.

A wide, black, barbed ray fin framed his torso. Where his waist should have tapered to human genitalia and legs, she saw only undulating fins and an iridescent black...tail.

“You should not be here,” the man said.

He spoke. He spoke underwater.

And she heard him.

Panicked, she lunged sideways in the water.

In a swift motion that belied his size, the creature slammed the spear against the rock, blocking her.

Oh my god, I’m going to die down here. This thing is going to kill me.

Her gauges must have been off the charts. She looked up wildly for a sign, any sign, that her team was trying to signal her. She hyperventilated through her oxygen, unable to make herself stop.

Nothing in this place made sense. She didn’t see a single silhouette even resembling a diver.

Forget failing a dive for a third time. Forget losing her apartment. Death wasn’t preferable to that.

The—merman? Was that what he was?—frowned and muttered something she didn’t quite hear. He extended a hand, and for a moment, she thought he was offering a truce.

But something bright and wild exploded from his fingertips instead, engulfing her. Her body went slack, and she floated limply in the water.

Guess Buzz Zone will be dropping me after all... was her last coherent thought. How absurd. The swirling black fins encroached on her vision, and she lost consciousness.

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