Anchoring Nola: A Castre World Novel, #0

By E.A. Shanniak

Nola's own flesh and blood turned against her, vowing to bind her to a marriage brokered in secrecy and bribery. Finding herself bound to a fate worse than death from a mermaid, Nola's new life aboard a ship is stressful with her new husband.

 

Jax swears to never love again. The more time he spends with Nola, the more he finds himself intrigued by a beautiful woman who loves the sea with the same passion as himself. However, loving a woman may prove more treacherous than a storm.

 

Will Nola turn her hardened sailor's heart?

 

Come back to the land that makes you crave more. This daring and explosive short story will have you glued to your chair for the entirety. You'll laugh, love, and relate to Nola as she finds her way through life and marriage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E.A. Shanniak
• Release date: May 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223080633

Book preview

Chapter One

Year of Corwaithe 1245

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They had been so close growing up but that seemed years ago now. What had changed between them, Nola didn’t exactly know, or when it had happened, but it had. And it hurt more than being left by the man she’d been set to marry. Claire was more than her sister. Claire was her best friend, her confidant, her everything; thicker than molasses and stronger than an oak, they had been inseparable since they were kids.

That was, until last week.

Nola wiped the tears from her eyes that bleared her vision. Her memories faded back to when she was nine and Claire was seven. Claire had brought home a lamb from the neighbors that was to be slaughtered. Mom and dad had told Claire to get rid of the pet, because it made their eldest sister Abigail upset. Nola had hidden it in their room for an entire day before their mom finally discovered it was the animal making sounds, not them. Claire had cried that her beloved lamb was to be taken back to the neighbor to be killed. Nola worked for two months straight for that lamb, so Claire could be happy.

Nola pounded back another shot of whisky. Her family was interesting to say the least. Mom and dad doted heavily upon the eldest, Abigail, constantly comparing both her and Claire to their snobby sister. And all she and Claire had were each other. They did everything together. Nola racked her fuzzy brain for anything she might have done to upset her younger sister so terribly.

She couldn’t think of a memory—each one she had was of them laughing and being together happily. Yet, what Claire had done burned more than Nola could ever express. Her sister had changed from being a vibrant, loving young lady to a greedy, spiteful woman. Nola blamed her parents for the changes as they were now all the same – greedy and manipulative.

Claire was a thief. Nola hadn’t thought her sister—her blood—would stoop so low. But Claire had. And the man she had ended up marrying was just as horrible. Wesley had promised Nola forever. He’d promised her a family, a loving marriage with a home out on the Swanshen coast. Wesley had promised to love her—only her—for forever, but he’d lied. The whole relationship was a giant deception, from the moment they’d met to their failed wedding.

On the day that was supposed to be the most memorable, happiest moments of Nola’s life, Wesley left her for Claire. In front of everyone who’d come, her sister and Wesley snuck away, leaving Nola waiting at the altar with the priest. The entire village spoke about how awful it was. Some even going as far as stating that there must be something wrong with her! Truly, Nola felt that way. For someone to do that, wouldn’t it mean she was horrid?

I truly must be something, she thought, the bar chair creaking underneath her.

Nola wanted to break free of this town, to see something new, to experience life to the fullest. But she was alone now. Her mother and father lived in Flowermoss. Claire was gone, taking the only man she’d ever loved with her. All Nola knew was this town.

Vamort Village was a hunting town on the outskirts of the Black Forest on the Swanshé side. Every man was either a hunter or a blacksmith. One man happened to be a horse master, but he was as strange and wild as the beasts he tamed. The men here already had wives. The ones who didn’t, happened not to glance in her direction.

Nola, the barkeep called.

Nola flicked a silver on the table top, paying for her pervious drinks and a few more. Aye, keep them coming.

Nola drowned her sorrows in the tavern. She sat in the same spot for the past week, drinking and crying intermittently. The only source of comfort was when the barkeep Lewis put whisky in her glass.

Lewis served her a drink, which Nola drank greedily, chasing away her sorrows. Nola hated the smell, the taste, how it slid like fire down her throat, but it made her head all foggy. Whisky allowed her to forget the betrayals of the people who were never supposed to do something like that to her, to family.

Nola banged her cup on the counter. Lewis scraped the coin off the table, the metal grating sent shivers down her spine. Nola’s swimming gaze glanced up. Her eyes were hazy as she stared at the small, shrew-like man still standing behind the counter.

What? she asked grumpily.

Lewis shook his head. You can’t keep on this way. Today is the last I’m serving you.

Nola stood abruptly, her stool crashing to the ground. I’m paying you for a service, now serve me.

Lewis shook his head. I refuse. Go home, Nola.

Nola looked around helplessly, her head pounding with the movement. Pitying faces stared back at her. The only sound she could hear was the crackle of the fire.

Forlorn, she glanced back at Lewis. What home?

Lewis pointed toward the rotting tavern door that didn’t close all the way.

All right.

Nola stumbled out of the tavern, the daylight stinging her eyes with its vibrance. Her legs unconsciously moved forward without her control. Her balance lost on the smoothed road. Her wobbly legs trying to take her in different directions.

She rubbed her eyes, straining to get the haziness to clear, but it only seemed to make everything triple.