The First Nymph: The First Collection, #4

By Teshelle Combs

Do you crave enemies to lovers romances?

Do you love a hint of shadow in your fantasy books?

Do you adore royals, goddesses, and magic?

 

Read The First Nymph

 

Marriage is forbidden in Orega, the Land of Many Waters, but High Prince Maxos does not seem to care. He will stop at nothing to force a marriage out of Eilyn for the good fortune of his own realm. Eilyn will have to destroy the Prince along with his ambitions to protect the women of Orega if she can manage to keep her hands off him.

From the world of The First Collection, including novels like The First Dryad and The First Stone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teshelle Combs
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224148349

Book preview

The First Collection is a series of standalone novels woven together to create a cohesive fantasy romance experience. Choose your own path to piece together the puzzle, or select one of these 10 paths to curate a journey for your personality!

The First Collection Reading Paths

To my Squad, who holds the pieces of me together every turn. I promise to be nice.

Episode 1: Teardrops For Eyes

The man groaned in his cage. I shoved a bit of bread through the bars, and he groaned all the louder, skulking to the corner, hoping to avoid making contact with the offering. His naked form trembled from the cold of the river lapping at his legs. He had not yet given in to tasting our food or drinking our milk, but he would change his mind eventually. All men did. With time.

If you are too frightened when the Queen returns to the sea, you may close your eyes, Eilyn. My oldest friend nodded her head, her swooping copper curls bobbing around her elbows. She told me so herself.

Why would I be frightened? I have no part to play save to stand there and try not to fall asleep.

Morgala gasped, her eyes wide. Eilyn, you do not mean that! You would fall asleep as the High Queen leaves this realm?

I moved on to the next cage, Morgala grimacing behind me. Cage duty was her least favorite chore, but we all had our roles to play in Orega. As for me, I had grown used to it as it always ended up assigned to me. I liked to believe it was mostly because I was able to finish the job every turn. I said I would try very hard not to fall asleep.

She scoffed. Well, I will be paying utmost attention to the ritual.

"Of course you will, you sea star. You are part of it. And you’ll have to play the role of Queen yourself."

Morgala paled at this. She followed me still, ankle-deep in the Shallows, as I fed the men. Every once in a while, she handed me a piece of bread from her basket. I had my own bread to give, but it made her feel like she was helpful, so of course I let her advance the charade.

It is almost time, she said, her voice barely a whisper. I can feel the Haliad stirring the waters. Can you not feel it, Eilyn?

I glanced at the girl I’d cared for all our lives. She often claimed to feel the Ancient Haliad moving and stirring and hissing when I felt not a thing. And when I felt the Ancients, well...Morgala seemed indifferent. Curious. My mother would warn me not to follow after curiosities. In her line of work, a River had to be careful.

We should go, Eilyn. I cannot miss the ceremony.

Wait. We must feed this last man. He is ready.

How can you always tell when they are ready to change? They all seem—Morgala shivered—the same.

They are all the same to me as well. It is when they tire of their own sameness that they are ready to eat.

And then we can be rid of them.

Yes, then we may send them back to where they’ve come from. And they will not come wading through our Shallows seeking entrance into Orega ever again.

Good, Morgala said, toying with the ends of her curls. Must I stay and watch, Eilyn? You could, perhaps, finish the rest without me?

I sighed. Morgala departing during one of her duties was more than commonplace. I will finish. I know you don’t like to see it when they eat.

She scrunched her nose. Thank you. I will meet you at the ceremony. She kissed my cheek and scampered off across the shore without bothering to look back.

I pushed a bit of bread through the bars of the last cage and watched as the man whimpered and then caved, scooping up the sopping bread and shoving it into his mouth. As soon as he swallowed, he rattled the bars of the cage for more. But I could not give it. Patience was everything, and if the man ate too much too quickly, he would perish. It was important that we made every effort to return the trespassers to their homes alive. The Orega were not killers. At least...we were not the cold-blooded kinds.

Still, I would never grow accustomed to the feel of men so close to me, even if they were caged and I was careful. Orega hosted no such humans. Only women and Rivers could taste of the safety and bounty of the Orega cities. It did not stop the men from trying.

Eilyn, Eilyn. Little Ripple, are you not tired of ignoring us?

The sound of the Ancient Haliad whispering my name brought a cold rush to my limbs, but I did not respond. My mother had warned me, every dawn and every dusk since I could remember, not to answer the Haliad, though they offered me visions of the future and renderings of the past.

She had answered once. And they could never be silenced again.

I pretended I heard nothing as I made my way from the Shallows to the Blessed Sea. Come, Froth, I called to my sweet urchin. He was waiting on one of the smooth rocks, all black spikes with purple tips, and I plucked him and set him on my wrist. He liked to stay close.

"Are you planning on being late? my mother smirked as she beckoned for me to hurry. We cut through the forest trail at a brisk walk, my steps just a bit quicker than hers, for I had bested her in height. We were quite similar in appearance besides that, both with moonsilk hair, skin like sea lace, and teardrops for eyes. She clicked her tongue when she saw Froth. You’re going to poke someone’s eye out with that thing," she said with a grin.

And then she went blank, her smile falling and her shimmering eyes brimming with shadows of sadness. You’re going to poke someone’s eye out with that thing, she repeated, her voice flat. But this time she meant it.

Some Tellings were sought after with deliberate work and horrific effort. Other Tellings simply fell from her lips. Regardless of how they came, a Telling meant my mother was off in her thoughts with the Haliad.

Do not worry, Mother. It will not be your eye, nor mine.

And that was it. I would have to make sure she ate and drank, and there would be no more silly jokes or calming talks between us. She would ponder her Telling until it came to pass or until the Haliad released her. And I would be on my own. But no worries there.

Alone is always best.

Episode 2: And With No Cage

"D id you hear Corin is marrying a man ?" Morgala hissed to another River whose name I’d never bothered to learn.

We were all waiting for the ceremony to begin, twelve of us dressed in white and standing a few lengths from the Blessed Sea’s edge. Out of thousands of Orega citizens, our mothers had been chosen to serve Queen Uriella, and we would serve her successor once the ceremony was complete. Around and around it went. The Orega way.

Did she really? Was she unhappy here? the someone asked.

Morgala shrugged. "Well, she must have been unhappy. Why else would a woman simply rise up and leave Orega?"

Maybe she just really, really wanted to marry.

"No one really, really wants to marry, Morgala scoffed. Do not be ridiculous. It is barbaric to be enslaved to another for all your circles, never to savor the notion of your own liberty again."

Maybe Corin thought the taste of liberty was growing quite bland.

"Does liberty taste bland to you, Delfia?"

The River murmured and silenced herself.

None of the others would ever know why Corin left. Once she was married, she would not be able to enter Orega. She would not be our enemy, but she could no longer be our sister. A River with no source.

Eilyn, did Corin ever tell you why she is doing such a thing? Morgala asked. People tell all sorts of things to you for some reason.

I shook my head. I know not. But she will be missed.

Morgala knew I was lying. I would not miss Corin. She was petty and tiresome most of the time. And of course she told me why she meant to marry and leave Orega for the land of men. But I had no interest in counseling the others through the subjects of love and temptation. Corin left because she was overcome with passion, and there was little more to the story. Those who had never left our shores would not understand.

Passion. A weakness to which I would never fall victim. Imagine. A thing as Willful as a River sprawled on her back with her legs flailing open and a man taking his pleasure in her inability to find a more meaningful occupation.

Here comes the High Queen, Morgala said, straightening her hair and her shoulders at the same time.

I straightened nothing. The High Queen would not notice me. She never had, and why should she have? My usefulness was in doing the work other Orega did not have the constitution to tackle. Things like feeding the men and releasing them back to their homes and brushing my mother’s hair if a prophecy rendered her unable to move. Uriella would not care if I was present unless there was some task no one dared perform.

She is so beautiful, the Rivers murmured. Look at the courage with which she embraces her own death!

Correct. The High Queen was destined to die. She who held the Tear of the Haliad, the only True River among us, would be carried into the Blessed Sea and would give her Tear to her successor, rendering her body useless and her life no more. She would turn to the water from which every River was harvested. And the new Queen would emerge, destined to repeat that fate one turn.

The High Queen was followed by our mothers. Some wept, but all kept their regal heads high. All except for mine, who might as well have been left back in the Palace, for she knew not whether it was dawn or dusk. My mother would have winked at me if she had been herself in that moment. But her gaze was far, her eyes clouded, her muscles slack.

I ran my fingers along the sharp spines on Froth’s back and took comfort in the fact that my urchin was always the same. His intention toward me never changed. I would always be the kind River who fed him bits of clam and tickled his quills.

The Queen, her marble skin gleaming with oils and honey, stood in the center of those gathered. Her bare feet kissed the black sands of the beach. Her beaded crown of dawn dew hovered upon her brow.

She was perfection. The most complete picture of Will itself.

Come now, my daughters. The Haliad calls me home. Who will take me now to the swelling waves? Who will take the burden of my Tear and bless the lands of Orega with water, with food, with purpose and joy?

We all waited, eyes on Morgala. Her Will had been crafted for this turn since she was a little girl. Even the Queen stared down at her.

But Morgala...she did not move.

The Queen drew a breath. It was then I realized that the True River hid her discomfort. Indeed, it was her time. She had ruled Orega with Will and might for hundreds of circles. The Haliad would wait no longer.

Who? she repeated. Who will come forth to carry me?

Still, Morgala did not move. Not a fraction of a length did she travel toward the Queen. She paled, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes wide and her hands stiff at her sides.

The Queen spun in a slow circle. Who will take the crown from my head and the Tear from my heart?

I thought surely one of the older Rivers would step forth, but none did. And my own mother seemed a dozen realms away.

I cannot go alone, the High Queen said, her eyes wide, or we will have no Queen in Orega. No Tear to promise us wealth and sustenance. She took a big breath. Who will carry me?

When at last the Queen finished her surveillance of the Rivers in attendance, her eyes fell to me. She stared for a long moment and then spoke. Why do you not tremble as the rest do, child?

Me?

I am looking directly at you. She pursed her lips. What name did the Haliad give you?

The Shining One. I am Eilyn of Larona.

The Queen glanced at my mother. Larona’s baby? The Seer Who Sees All, The Teller Who Tells No One.

I nodded. What is the point of repeating my mother’s title to me? I know it well. I wish it did not exist. And never would it exist for me. I would ignore the Haliad until my dying turn.

"Well, River—Eilyn—you are the only one who is not afraid of their own death. And so you must carry me. Come."

"You...want me...to carry you into the Blessed Sea?"

The Queen looked one last time at those gathered. No one moved, though many grew red in the face at their own lack of courage.

I sighed. I suppose if Orega falls, I will have nothing of note to do with my life. It is the only good and constant thing I have ever known. Besides Froth, but I did not think the Queen needed to hear that bit.

You suppose?

I smirked. A ‘suppose’ seems to be as good as you are going to get, My Queen.

She groaned and held out her lovely hand to me.

Her skin was softer than a snowflake. I put my arm across her back, and we walked into the swelling, rushing waves side by side.

High Queen, forgive me, but are you sure about this? I am not the...Queenliest sort.

Your Will has spoken for you, Eilyn of Larona.

Has it? Perhaps I am going deaf.

She chuckled. I do not know, in truth. Seemed like a wise and mysterious thing to say though, did it not?

I am appropriately befuddled by it, yes.

You will be the High Queen Orega needs. Of that I am certain.

How are you certain? You know nothing of me.

We faced one another, up to our waists in the madness of the Sea. The wind threatened to stop our sins, the sky a foreboding gray. I know all I need to know of you, the Queen said. You are willing to give everything for Orega. This Land Of Many Waters. This haven. This heaven. Even your very life you are willing to trade for this Tear. For one turn, you will stand in the Sea and pass it to another. She shivered. I had never seen the Queen shiver before. I am glad you were here this turn, Eilyn.

And with that, she fell forward into my arms. Uncertain of what I was meant to do, I stepped backwards and let her sink beneath the waves. In an instant, her body flowed out of my hands and met with the Sea.

Through the tips of my fingers and within my arms, mingling with my very blood, the precious Tear made its way to my center. I felt it nestle there, making a home within the skeletal fragments of my body.

A True River now. Destined to die for my people and expected to serve until that turn came. I faced the noble Rivers standing on the beach. They all watched, though some sobbed and some knelt, broken at the passing of their beloved Queen.

But I had to be their Queen from that moment on. I had taken yet another role no one wished to fill. I patted Froth, glad to feel him clinging to my wrist. You’re a Royal urchin now, Froth, I said to him.

It wasn’t until I tried to catch sight of my mother that I noticed the dark speck in the distance, watching from the Palace walls. Not a River nor a woman. Not a citizen of Orega.

A man.

And with no cage, at that.

Episode 3: To Draw Blood

The importance of looking as Queenly as possible as quickly as possible could not have been overstressed. This could not look like an accident. Orega did not make mistakes. We had to make it seem as though I was always meant to be the new High Queen. Like after hundreds of Circles, Uriella had chosen the perfect candidate to carry her Tear.

Into the bath I went. The dresses that had been meant for Morgala to wear were brought to my chambers. None of them were to my taste—all subtle creams and buttery whites. This is not the Queen I will be. It is not the Queen I can be.

With haste, I instructed a servant, selecting one of the white gowns, take this to the aquarial and stain it with squid ink. Singe the tulle from it and bring it back to me. I need to be in this gown in twenty laps’ time. No less.

But...it will be soaking wet, my Queen. You cannot wear it like that.

I have my Will, do I not? It shall be dry when I need it to be. Hurry now, go.

While that servant ran through our Palace corridors, I had another detangle my moonbeam hair and weave it atop my head. I then placed Morgala’s pre-coronation crown upon my brow. It was a silly thing with silver and gold and etchings of sea turtles for no reason at all, but there was no time to have another crafted.

No time because a man had come to pay a visit. And not just any man. A High Prince. Maxos. Maxos Dredda of Greshia. He was uninvited and unwelcome, but he had come nonetheless.

I overheard a servant just outside my chambers mumbling about something when Morgala shoved her down and stepped in through my open door. Her hem still caked in sand, she stood before me in a sheen of sweat, her eyes raw from her weeping. She wound her hand back and slapped me across my face.

I almost wished she was capable of hurting me, but I hardly felt the blow. And I knew that by my failure to flinch or to gasp, I had offended her even more deeply.

How could you do this to me? she began.

I did not do anything to you, Morgala.

She clutched the fabric of her fair skirts, her hands shaking with rage. "You are wearing my crown right now, Eilyn!"

I sniffled and realized then, upon wiping at my nose, that Morgala had summoned enough Will to draw blood when she struck me. No matter. I look good in red.

Morgala, if you wanted this crown, you would be wearing it.

I did want it! Of course I wanted to be High Queen. It has been my destiny since I was a child. I have been groomed—

"Then your grooming failed you. Otherwise, I would be polishing this gold for you right now, wouldn’t I? Wouldn’t I?"

Yes.

And now, you have to live out a different destiny than you planned. As do I. And since I did not choose this, but Uriella chose me, perhaps I am also very disappointed and disconcerted. Have you not thought of that? That perhaps your decision to remain on the sand has ruined my life?

Morgala stuttered and blushed. "You are...disappointed to be High Queen?"

I am not prepared. I have not even had enough time to consider how I feel, Morgala. And now that my closest friend has slapped me in the face and accused me of stealing her very destiny, I have even more I must process. But there is not time.

Oh. But...the coronation does not commence until the next dusk, when the tide shifts....

I shook my head. A man is here.

She gasped. From the cages?

No, Morgala. A Prince. A High Prince. When a dignitary pays a visit we are meant to treat them as such, in order to maintain our good relations with the outside world. I must receive him in the Hall Of Fountains in just a few laps.

Morgala paled. ...What? Wh-why did he come here?

I threw my hands in the air. "I do not know, Morgala."

But you are not...you are not ready!

No, I am not. I was too busy being slapped about.

Morgala shook her head, her copper curls bouncing around her round cheeks. Sit down. Your hair looks ridiculous.

I plopped into the cushioned chair while she untwisted my braids and reformed them, weaving them into the crown and leaving long spirals of silvery white to trail down my neck and back. Your hair is one of your finest features; it cannot be hidden in too tight of a coil.

I thought you hated me.

I will have to think about it. After you get rid of this...man. She shivered, cleaning the blood from my nose and upper lip. Truly, I do not envy you. They are so frightening to me. I do not know how Uriella faced them in the courts with such courage.

I am more accustomed to them than you, Morgala. I often traveled with my mother when she was sent out to give Tellings to other realms.

Oh, I forgot that! I suppose I imagined there were no men there just as there are none here. But of course, that is not the case.

Even in her musings, Morgala attempted to evade discomfort. It is no wonder she did not want to give her life to carrying the Tear for Orega.

Once my servant returned with my dress, I was more than ready to pull it over my slight frame.

You have ruined my beautiful gown, Eilyn! Morgala gasped. It looks like you plucked it from the Newmoon Bog!

I smirked. Perfect. Tie up the back for me, will you? I slipped my feet into my favorite shoes of black sea glass. And, of course, I took Froth from his bath on the window sill and put him on my wrist.

I chose the Hall Of Fountains to receive the foreign Prince because I would remain visible to my Orega guard in case he meant me harm, and, at the same time, the waters from the fountains would rush so loudly that a private conversation could be had without us being overheard.

The servants and nobles bowed as I passed them by, some murmuring, some simply staring. I could not tell if they did this out of awe or complete disbelief.

I wanted to take a peek at the High Prince before I let it be known I was present in the Hall. Not only had I heard of Maxos Dredda from the gossips at the Gathering Well, but I had met him before. A few times, in fact. When we were very young and the only thing we wanted was to be permitted time to get into a bit of trouble. My mother was summoned on occasion by his father, High King of Greshia, to give Tellings. He preferred the nature of her predictions for a season, and she would take me along to care for her. Maxos and I argued then, as children, about what we would play and who had won which race and by how much.

It should not have surprised me that the Monarch had changed. From the bottom to the top,