Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Nine Part LXXVII

This marks the end of the Reminiscence Arc and the end of the five Riders time on Alalëa. The end of this part also marks the beginning of Niaomi: The Journey, of which the first chapter will be posted after I finish this volume.

Good-bye, Alalëa! Good-bye, to all the lovely creatures (besides the bondmates and pegasi, of course)! Good-bye to all the islanders...for now. ;)

And now, lovely and ever-so-patient readers, part 77 of Destiny...

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Before the sound could fade away, Niaomi was running toward the beach. The view stayed on her as she burst through the forest onto the sand, pausing for just a moment to scan the sky and waterline for a sign of Niom and Vanilor. All that could be seen were the two Lethrblaka, both frantically flying to reach the shore. Eragon assumed that Liress had been using magic to stave of their fear of water, and now that she was no longer with them, it had resurfaced.

Making sure the purple scarf was tightly knotted, the girl shucked off her tall black boots and waded out into the water. Once it was reached halfway, she raised her left hand to her head and said, “Vindr, sitja unin aí böllr yfir iet hjalmstallr eom atra eka ørindi.”

The words blossomed at the bottom of the mirror in English, “Air, stay in an orb at my head to let me breathe,” as Niaomi dove under the waves. The water around her head swirled due to her spell, and she swam further out to sea, calling in her mind for Niüle. The bottom of the coastal floor steadily sloped downwards, and the clarity was so great one could see for miles in either direction. Some ways up ahead the water churned as two large masses thrashed around, indistinct in the haze of bubbles and blood.

Niaomi swam toward the fight, making painfully slow progress until a series of clicks and whistles sounded from behind her. Niüle circled once around her before sliding up beneath her, offering his dorsal fin. After she’d grabbed it with both hands, he took off, slicing through the water at an incredible speed, breaching every so often to breathe before slipping back into the ocean.

As they drew nearer, the masses came into definition. One was Vanilor, his tattered wings beating the water as he tried to rise above its surface. The other was a long, serpentine creature with fins sprouting from its chest and long tendrils sprouting from the bony crests on its head. Eragon could feel Saphira’s surprise, just as great as his own. “What is that beast?” asked Nasuada, her voice tight with distress.

A Nïdhwal, Saphira answered gravely.

The Nïdhwal’s jaw was fastened onto Vanilor’s left foreleg, the rows of needle white teeth puncturing past his layer of scales and the creating the source of all the blood. It seemed the sea serpent was doing more thrashing than the dragon as it tried to rip the flesh from his bones. Vanilor was attempting to gnash at its head, but only managed to grab the tendrils.

As Niaomi and Nïule drew nearer, they could see Niom swimming around in between the two great creatures, his sword hacking and sawing as he tried to dislodge the sea serpent’s grip. Eragon could make out the signs of an air-breathing spell around Vanilor’s and his Rider’s head.

With all the strength her mind could muster, Niaomi sent out a call to her father. Dad!

Looking up, Niom’s eyes widened as he saw his daughter speeding towards him on the dolphin’s back. Nia? he asked in a tired mental voice. Is that really you?

It’s me, Dad, she answered back, a few yards away from where the struggle took place. This far is good, Nïule. Thanks for the lift.