A Nixie in the Mist: Guardians of the PHAE, #0.1

By CHRISTY NICHOLAS

Hidden beneath the waves, a secret power rises

 

In the depths of the pool at SUNY Rochester, Anna Taylor isn't just any swim coach. Beneath her clothing hides a secret; growing scales and an ability to manipulate water in ways she's just beginning to understand.

As whispers of her newfound abilities reach the wrong ears, Anna is pulled into a turbulent world of intolerance, where even her estranged brother, Joel, stands on the side of the oppressors.

Thrust from the sanctuary of the university, Anna's journey to seek refuge takes her from the tumultuous streets of Rochester to the possibility of sanctuary in Ireland.

But with family ties strained, and a world increasingly divided, Anna must decide where she belongs and who she can trust.

A Nixie in the Mist is a prequel short story to the high-action contemporary fantasy trilogy, Guardians of the PHAE.

Dive into a gripping urban fantasy where the line between human and Unhidden blurs, and the struggle for acceptance could mean the difference between life and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CHRISTY NICHOLAS
• Release date: Nov 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223620051

CHRISTY NICHOLAS

Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were. She loves to draw and to create things. She says it's more of an obsession than a hobby. She likes looking up into the sky and seeing a beautiful sunset, or seeing a fragrant blossom or a dramatic seaside. She takes a picture or creates a piece of jewelry as her way of sharing this serenity, this joy, this beauty with others. Sometimes this sharing requires explanation – and thus she writes. Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad.

Book preview

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. – Loren Eiseley

CNN UPDATE: WHILE THERE are still no reports of geologic or astrophysical effects of the magnetic earth pole shift, we are following stories regarding a surge of seemingly magical powers in some people. Scientists believe this surge may be related to the pole shift, but as yet, have been unable to explain the phenomenon.

Anna Taylor remained after the girls’ swim team for the State University of New York, Rochester shuffled out of the locker room. The heavy scent of chlorine lingered as the echo of water slapping the edge of the pool fell into silence. She pulled off the clothing hiding her scaly skin, leaving only her one-piece. As a coach, she had to remain conservative in her plain blue swimsuit, but she longed for a shiny, iridescent one.

She stepped to the deep end and dove in, relishing her privacy as she cut the water with her hands. It enveloped her like a comfortable lover, caressing her reddened skin and soothing her pain. Now her skin glowed with delight, the only irritation coming from heavy levels of chlorine in her beloved water.

Swimming several laps, Anna lost track of time as she communed with her element, delighting in her solitude. After a blissful eternity, she stood in the shallow end and examined her arms. Painful flakes had faded into an even pattern, like the scales of a snake or fish, when under water. As soon as she pulled her hand out of the water, the angry redness returned.

Anna moved her hand just under the surface, forming eddies in the water. She did it again, hoping to make stronger eddies, and she coaxed a small waterspout in the pool. Raising her hands, the waterspout lifted, hovering over the surface. She’d never been able to do that before. Her abilities had grown over the last month, which both excited and frightened her.

Someone gasped, and Anna glanced up. The tall, blonde freshman’s eyes grew wide. She must have seen Anna making the waterspout.

With growing dread, Anna dragged herself away from the water’s embrace. The air stung her skin and made her wince as