A big One Thousand Worlds welcome to Niki Bond and thanks to her for sharing the first one thousand words of Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss. Niki is kindly putting up five copies (paperback or ebook/kindle) to be won in her giveaway.
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Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss-
"I'm sorry, Anya. Please don't look for me."
Those were the last words he had left Anya before disappearing from her life. Having known him through a shared mind link since the early years of her childhood, she can’t help but feel that his sudden absence means he’s in danger. For that reason, she sets out to find her lost friend with the only knowledge about him she has—the name she had once given him: Raymond.
However, the outside world is much darker than she expected. As her country is torn apart by the tyranny of the Dark Lord Kyros, she soon becomes a primary target, and Anya finds herself thrown into a battle that could determine the future of the entire world. But what will she do when everything she thought she knew begins to crumble to ash around her?
Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss is the first book in an all-new fantasy series from author Niki Bond. It's an epic adventure in a world where magic and the paths of the stars determine the fate of all who dwell within. The unique mix of magic, weaponry, and astrology makes this a can't miss book for fans of Japanese RPGs and anime!
Chapter 1
Looking For You in the Sky
“I ’m sorry, Anya. Please don’t look for me.”
Even now, his last words echoed repeatedly in her head. He’d been there her whole life, but now, no matter how hard she tried to reach him, he wouldn’t reply.
Though they were friends, she didn’t know him through class or around town. In fact, she’d never met him in person. For as long as she could remember, he’d been a voice in her head—a voice that’d grown up with her and helped her in times of need. Yet, somehow, she knew nothing about him except the name she’d given him: Raymond.
Well, that and a nagging suspicion that his disappearance held untold tales of danger.
She ran her fingers over the white petals of a snowdrop in a vase of flowers, watching its hue glimmer with the cold air despite the day’s fading light. With a pluck away from its family, Anya combined it with a few others and offered it to a customer as she pushed her thoughts aside. “I hope it brings you luck, Alaina,” she said, handing the flower over.
“Mm... Thank you again, Anya,” the woman said. She paid a few large chondrules before returning to her daily business with a wave.
“Hey, Anya,” a familiar voice spoke up. It was Simon, her employer at the small flower shop in Egeria. Though he had a balding head, he kept a grin on his middle-aged face around customers, only allowing it to relax when they’d all left. She turned her teal eyes to him as he continued, “Do you want your break today?”
Anya shook her head, her light blue ponytail swishing back and forth. “Thank you, but no. It’s my last day, so I might as well keep working.”
“You’ve been working pretty hard the last few months,” he pointed out, taking a break from his daily paperwork. “What are you going to do once you leave here? You’re not out of school, are you?”
“Not yet, but... There’s just something I have to do,” she answered as she moved the vase to the windowsill. She stared out at the snowy streets to watch people walking about. Despite the cold weather, sailors still worked on loading up their ships and couples held hands as they made their way towards dinner. Not one stopped to pay notice to the flower shop, or even to rest on a bench as they pulled their jackets tight around them. None of them knew or cared what happened outside of their own small world...
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Anya turned to him, forcing a smile across her pale face. Her worries vanished before the one person around who treated her like a normal girl—almost as if they’d never existed. “I’m going on a journey.”
“Traveling? Are you saving up for a boat trip, then?”
“No... There’s no way I could afford something like that. I’ll just have to walk.”
“What’s so important that you have to leave?”
Simon wouldn’t understand—she knew that. He could live in the same place, content his whole life, as long as his friends and family stayed nearby. Humble, blissful... but for her, that life of simple ignorance had become a hole that threatened to devour her.
“I have to find someone,” she said. “A precious friend of mine...”
“A friend? Is it that Edwin guy you’ve mentioned before?”
A true grin met her lips this time as she recalled her childhood friend. A few months younger than Anya, Edwin always stayed studious in his training to become a mage. She stifled a laugh as she remembered him running to greet her one day in the forest, exhausted after getting lost. Two years ago, though, his parents had sent him to a prestigious academy to improve his education, and she hadn’t seen him since. However, he never failed to send letters once a month and packages bearing gifts for important holidays. “No. He’s studying in Eunomia... I’ll probably stop by and visit him, though; Eunomia’s not that far.”
“‘Not that far’? Are you crazy? If I were you, I’d just send him a postcard.”
Before she could argue, the bell above the door rung as another customer entered. She found a young, well-dressed man standing there. From his hurried gate and the smell of rich cologne, Anya guessed that he needed to impress a girl. “Welcome,” she spoke up, walking over to greet him. “What can I get for you today?”
“I’m looking for a bouquet,” he said, his tone curt.
“Any flower preference?”
In response, he stared at her like she’d grown another head. “I don’t know—aren’t you the florist?”
Of course he didn’t know. They never knew. “What’s the occasion?”
“I have an important date coming up.”
Just as she’d thought... With a skip back, she twirled around and said, “All right, I’ll set something up for you. Just give me a moment... Do you want a vase or no?”
“No.”
Pulling out a flutter of tissue paper to wrap the flowers in, the young woman waltzed around the store to prepare the request. She parted the silence with a melody just barely allowed to leave her lips, her fingers adding flowers to her dance as she passed. Pink crocuses for the prelude of spring, Venus’ looking-glass dashing the array with purple for the beauty that emerges from shards of love, white orchids for a pure and polished beauty... With a note of azaleas for passion, she coupled them up until she’d formed an arrangement. She then rolled them up in paper, and, after adding a ribbon to finish the symphony, presented the bouquet to the customer. “How’s this?”
“That’s fine...” He allowed his words to draw out as he spoke now, calming.
With a sly grin, she informed him, “That’ll be thirty chondrules.”
He produced the money before thanking her and leaving with the bouquet. She waved, though a smirk lingered on her face.
Where to buy Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss:
Amazon (hardcover, paperback, and Kindle available)
ClickBitz (pdf)
Win a copy of Nebula Andra: Synchronicity Abyss
I just reviewed a book from Casey Bond. I doubt it, but is there a relation there?
ReplyDeleteThere isn't any that I know of... I know few people with my same last name, and I definitely don't know any Casey.
Deletethis quickly draws the reader into the protagonists world. Many questions are opened and it is compelling.
ReplyDeleteI think you should take another look at the tense used in the synopsis. Seems to be switching between present and past tense.
though; Eunomia’s not that far.”-- I would make that an em dash or ellipsis rather than an semi-colon. I might just have to enter your giveaway, but I'm about to start writing fantasy again, and I can't both read and write the same genre. Good luck
It has a pretty good pacing, slow at certain points, but enjoyable overall. Definitely worth giving a read if you're into fantasy/adventure style stories, and if you are a huge fan of JRPG's, and even if you're not, it still worth picking it up. There's also a mix of mystery and conspiracy, for when they investigate certain places, which adds to making things even more exciting. You get to experience the story from more than just one point of view, and are drawn into feeling and seeing what other characters go through.
ReplyDelete