Dragon Riders:A New Generation(Book 1)

Chapter 18:Training With A Legend:Nimue

It was Sunday morning and Nimue was in the common room reading a letter, like the one the twins got yesterday for their lessons on how to block out other people's thoughts, blocking their minds from others, how to deal with visions, and to take a test to see if they were a animus, and the four of them were; a dragon or apparently person bonded to a dragon who can enchant an object to do something, but lose a bit of their soul every time.
   Anaba talked to her about the twins abilities, and told her not to tempt the twins to enchant anything or else they might not be able to stop. Anaba also asked her if she wanted to learn how to block her mind too. She declined since she kinda already knew how to block her mind thanks to Hurricane.
   Her letter from Anaba said:
Nimue and Hurricane,
Please meet me on the Training Grounds after breakfast for a lesson for the special gift you have. You do not have to be scared for this lesson, I will not judge you, but do my best to help you improve your skills.
Sincerely, Anaba, Leader of the Erdas Dragon Riders.
   Nimue didn't know how Anaba found out, she never even told her yet. So how did she know?    Did Kala, the red headed, blue eyed, fierce Dragon Rider on the outside and the inside, who rescued her from Damek and his massive dragon, tell Anaba from the evidence she'd probably seen on the beach, where she and Damek had fought, Damek was a person like her who could control earth, and she would had been Mulop knows where if it hadn't been for Kala. Nimue guessed Kala told Anaba, since Anaba was her leader and probably asked what happened and Kala probably told her about Nimue's ability.
   But it didn't matter anymore, Anaba knew and there was nothing she could do about it and besides she had been meaning to tell Anaba anyway. But all she could do was look forward to her lesson with the Leader of the Erdas Dragon Riders.
   She shook off her jitters and walked down the seven flights of stairs and to the Training Grounds; she had already had breakfast, and found the letter when she got back to the dormitory.
   She walked out to the Training Grounds with Hurricane, and saw a large clay jar of water. Nimue wondered what they were going to be doing that required this much water.
   "Good morning Nimue and Hurricane." Anaba said to them walking up to them, carrying a black gem dragon necklace. 
   The necklace was very detailed, with carves in the gem dragon that made it look like it had muscles. Blue sapphires were in place of the dragon's eyes, a blue carved stripe ran from the dragon's sapphire eyes to the end of its black tail, and cobalt blue feathers were on the dragon's head and tail. The dragon looked like the same breed as Hurricane.
   Anaba now stood a few feet in front of Nimue and Hurricane and said, "Nimue and Hurricane I can't teach you all about your elemental water ability. It is different from mine, if you have noticed that Hakan is the same breed Hurricane."
   "What element can you control." Hurricane asked through Nimue.
   Anaba looked at them and then said, "It's the extra opposite of yours."
   "Fire?" She asked.
   Anaba nodded.
   Now Nimue could see why it would be hard for Anaba to teach her how to improve and learn to control her ability.
   "Now have you been having any troubles controlling your ability." Anaba asked, her face etched with concern for her and Hurricane.
   Nimue told her about the urges she had when she was around water, like the incident in the Potions Classroom, and how she felt better that night when she manipulated the water that night.
   "The urges are nothing to be worried about. They often happen to those with this ability to want to manipulate their designated element because they don't know how to control it like their dragons, who don't have the urges because their bodies can handle not having to do it. But humans have to do it constantly before they learn how to control it, because their bodies are not use to having this kind of power flowing through their veins. So the person had to use this ability till they learn to control it, or else it will just keep building and building up inside of them till it destroys them from the inside. So I brought someone who can help you and Hurricane. What I am about to tell you cannot he told to anyone, that includes Kumaglak, Darkstalker, Kaya, and Whiteout. No one can know for this is a closely guarded secret among the Riders. Can I trust you and Hurricane not to tell anyone about this?"
   "Yes," Hurricane said to Anaba.
   "Yes," Nimue said at the same time as Hurricane.
   "Good, then I would like to introduce you to Tidal Wave. I believe you've heard of him before, yes?" Anaba said to her, gesturing to the dragon necklace in her hand.
   What Anaba just said was almost impossible. This dragon necklace couldn't, just couldn't be Tidal Wave, the last dragon from her island to choose a Rider. There's no way Tidal Wave was in that dragon necklace.
   They used to call him The Storm's Wrath for a very good reason, he would destroy his enemies so fast that all you ever saw and heard was a calm, like before a storm, and then a black shadow would fall over you and then you were dead. And those who somehow survived would just blabber on about what they saw, a large black shadow descending over them and killing everyone.
   Tidal Wave and his Rider, Kori, where revered and feared throughout all of Oceanus and The Hundred Isles. They were almost as revered as Mulop himself, but sadly Kori and Tidal Wave disappeared ninety years ago with the rest of the Riders. But Nimue hadn't seen or heard of them ever since she arrived in Sanctuary. A sense of dread formed in her stomach and she accepted the truth: Kori and Tidal Wave were both dead.
"I know this is hard for both of you to accept since Kori and Tidal were very important to the people of Oceanus and The Hundred Isles, I'm very sorry, but Kori and Tidal Wave died in a battle ninety years ago." Anaba said to her with sadness in her voice and anger burning in her eyes.
Nimue felt tears start to form, but she just couldn't believe it, her heroes were dead. The person she ever looked up to died in a battle. How could Kori have died in a battle? Kori and Tidal Wave were powerful and invincible. Who ever killed them Nimue would get revenge on them by making them suffer a slow painful death and make them regret that they ever challenge Kori and Tidal Wave to this battle.
Anaba got down onto one knee and put a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes and said, "Tidal Wave is still alive. He lives on in his Skulblaka Eldunarí or Dragon Heart. I brought him here today to help you and Hurricane with you elemental water ability."
Nimue however, still couldn't believe it, but at least Tidal Wave was still alive, well at least his spirit was still alive in a necklace. It seemed impossible that one of the most revered dragon in Erdas had been reduced to a necklace with his soul in it.
Then Anaba pressed Tidal Wave's Skolblak Eldunar thing into her hands and said, "I'm going to give the three of you the time to get aquatinted with each other. All you have to do is reach out to his mind. I've already told him about our lesson today, so he should trust you. And put the necklace on so you won't drop it during your lesson and so you can have both hands free."
Then Anaba got up and walked over to the other side of the Training Grounds, and started setting fixing some of the practice dummies they killed this week.
"Uh, so I'm just suppose to touch his mind?" She asked Hurricane, not quite sure how to contact Tidal Wave.
"Just focus on the necklace and imagine going inside the necklace; searching for his mind, like your actually inside the necklace it's self." Hurricane said, making it sound easy.
She tentatively reached her mind out to the dragon necklace; ready for an attack. She imagined going into the necklace and looking for Tidal Wave's mind.
She found nothing for the first few minutes and was about to give up when a strange, new mind slammed into hers. She tried getting her defenses up, but this new mind was already in her mind, searching through her memories. She didn't know if this was Tidal Wave, but all she knew was that she didn't want whoever this was searching through her memories; especially when the new mind just poked into her most painful experience with Damek and his dragon, bringing back awful memories.
She tried to shove the strange mind out of her own, but failed, all she did was irritate the mind and it responded by digging deeper, causing her to gasp in pain as this new mind continued looking through her memories.
"Hurricane!" She cried out in desperation. "Help me, please!" She cried as the mind found her most precious memory: she and her grandmother holding hands, walking along a wet beach.
She had only been four at the time. Her grandmother was the only one who ever understood her, and Nimue would spend most of her time with her grandmother; either walking along a beach, collecting seashells and sand dollars that washed up on the beach, and swimming, this is were she got her love for swimming. She would also, along with other children, listen to her grandmother tell stories about the Dragon Riders, especially the ones about Kori and Tidal Wave; those were the ones every kid loved to hear, for it gave them hope that they might bond with a dragon and become a legend, just like Kori and Tidal Wave.
Her grandmother however, passed away a year later, and Nimue lost her best friend in all of Erdas, except for Alana. She had cried every night for a whole month after her grandmother died.
The strange mind lingered on this memory for a moment before Hurricane merged his strength with hers and they were able to push the mind away from that one.
The strange mind continued to probe her through her memories, but she and Hurricane managed to keep her most valuable memories hidden behind a undetectable, well defended mental barrier.
The strange mind soon pulled back from her memories and a gruff, deep voice rumbled in her mind.
"If I had been an enemy you would had been under my complete control. You must work harder to defend your minds from the dangers that lurk in and outside Erdas."
Nimue didn't know who's voice this was, but she had a pretty good guess.
"Are you Tidal Wave?"
The gruff, deep voice was quite for a minute before returning to her mind.
"Yes. You must be the new dragon and Rider Anaba told me about. It would be my pleasure to teach you, but it will be hard work and I expect your best effort. So don't give me 'Oww, my arms hurt,' or 'Can we quit? I'm tired.' I will not teach those who are not willing to learn. So if you are not willing to endure my lessons then I suggest you give my Skulblaka Eldunari back to Anaba."
Nimue was getting the impression that Tidal Wave didn't appreciate whiners or slackers, and only approved of hard work and dedication. She was willing to go through his training, if it meant she got to learn from one of her heroes, then she would do whatever it took to learn from him.
"I'll do whatever it takes to be able to learn from a master such as yourself, Tidal Wave."
"The same goes for me Master Tidal Wave." Hurricane said.
   "I am glad that you gave decided to do whatever it takes to learn. I want you both to be this devoted during all of our lessons, agreed." Tidal Wave said in his gruff, deep voice, that seemed perfect for a strong, powerful hero like himself.
   "Thank you Master Tidal Wave for giving us this chance to learn from you." She said to the old dragon.
   "You are welcome, but I still expect you both to be dedicated and focused on your lessons." The ancient dragon said. 
   "We both promise."
   Tidal Wave didn't respond, and said nothing for awhile.
   Nimue just stood there with Hurricane waiting for the elder dragon to speak.
She became so bored that she started counting the number of birds she saw fly by. So far she had counted two albatrosses, five hummingbirds, a peregrine falcon, and seven seagulls.
   Then after half an hour Tidal Wave finally spoke, "You have good patience." He praised her. "Better than my last students." She heard him mumble to himself.
She wondered what that meant. Did he have other students before her, and if so why did it sound like he hated them.
   "Now let us begin. I want you and you alone without Hurricane's help, to levitate a ball of water from the jar until I say you can stop."
   She walked over to the clay jar, and put her hand over the water, and focused on a small amount of water coming out of the jar and forming into a ball and floating above her hand. The water did as she willed and floated up out of the jar and came to float a few inches over her palm. She made the water float above her hand for what seemed like an eternity. She was starting to become tired and almost lost her hold on the ball of water, but she was determined not to fail in front of Tidal Wave. She kept pushing herself till she felt like she was going to pass out.
   "Focus Nimue." Tidal Wave said to her sternly. "Don't let your fatigue over take you. I know you are much stronger than this. Your veins run thick with ancient power."
   Finding another reason to keep going she dug deep into what was left of her energy reserves, and poured more energy into her aching limbs, she was able to keep the ball of water from falling back into the clay jar.
   After a few minutes, when what was left of her energy reserves ran out, her energy gave up and her limbs failed her, and the ball of water fell back into the jar. Her legs buckled and she fell forward onto her hands and knees, panting.
   "I—I can't—keep going." She said in between breaths, feeling ashamed of herself for being so weak in front of Tidal Wave.
   She felt a scaly snout nuzzle her face and she looked into Hurricane's deep sapphire blue eyes.
   "It's okay Nimue, you did your best. I'm proud of you." Hurricane said, his words comforting her.
A warm hand appeared on her shoulder, and she looked up into Anaba's dark brown eyes.
"Here," Anaba said, offering her a flask of fruit juice. "This will help you regain your strength."
She thanked Anaba and took the flask and drank a few mouthfuls of the sweet juice, and then offered it back to Anaba.
Anaba put up a hand and said, "No, you keep it. You might need it later." Then Anaba got up and walked back over to the shady spot under the tree where the training dummies resided, and went back to fixing them.
"Are you ready to continue?" Tidal Wave asked her.
"Yes, master," she told him, feeling rejuvenated after drinking the fruit juice Anaba gave her.
She then continued the challenge Tidal Wave gave her till he was satisfied with her progress.
"We will continue our lessons for a few hours every Saturday and Sunday." Tidal Wave said to her.
Then taking off the necklace she walked over to Anaba and gave her Tidal Wave's Skolblack Eldonari thing.
Then she and Hurricane went back to the dormitory till Flying Practice and Battle Training.
In Flying Practice they gradually started flying higher, and doing a few of the simplest and least dangerous flying maneuvers.
In Battle Training they once again practiced with the wooden staffs, and once again Kaya whipped the floor with her and Kumaglak. At least this time she gotten closer to beating Kaya that the last two times.
   After Flying Practice and Battle Training Nimue spent the rest of her time, before dinner, practicing her water manipulation with a bowl of water she snuck into her room. She really didn't want Kumaglak and Kaya asking a million questions; even though they already knew about her ability.
   When it was time for dinner she and Hurricane walked down to the Great Hall with the twins and Darkstalker and Whiteout.
   They had roasted deer and potatoes for dinner. Nimue had never had deer or potatoes before, but she had to admit it was pretty darn good. She wondered who the cook was.
   It was so good that Hurricane insisted on having a bite. When she gave him a taste he found it delicious and said he would have to catch one of those horned animals; he now knew were deer. The potatoes however, he didn't like as much claiming a dragon isn't meant for eating plants, and that they don't fill him up much, and are meant for eating other animals and that was why they were at the top of the food chain.
   She had laughed at him for that. He eventually joined in too.
   After dinner she and Kaya went to the Shower Room. She took a bath and Kaya took a shower, she seemed to take a more liking to showers over baths.
Nimue took this time to practice her ability with this much water at her disposal.
   When she got done taking a bath she went back to her room and changed, and sat down with Hurricane on his bed. And thought about her day.
   She still couldn't believe Tidal Wave was still alive and that she was learning from him.
   "Yes it is a great honor to learn from one as powerful and wise as Tidal Wave." Hurricane said to her, catching onto her thoughts.
"I still can't believe it though. It seems impossible that his spirit is still living on in a necklace. Why did he choose a necklace of all the things he could have probably chosen?" She asked Hurricane, hoping he might have some answers.
"I don't know. Maybe he didn't have a choice in what his Skulblaka Eldunarí was." He responded.
   "Maybe, and how can you say the Skolblack Eldonari word?" She asked, completely baffled on how he could pronounce such a strange word in a entirely different tongue she had never heard of.
   "It's Skulblaka Eldunarí." He said slowly, clearly a little annoyed that she had trouble pronouncing the word.
   "Skullblaka Eldonarí?"
   "No, Skulblaka Eldunari." He said slowly once again, making sure to pronounce each syllable.
   "Skolblack Eldunare?" She tried again.
   Hurricane slapped himself in the face with one of his leathery wings.
   "Sorry." She said sincerely to him, getting up and sitting on the edge of her bed.
   "It's okay, it's a hard word to say. I shouldn't try and make you get right in one night. I just  wanted to be able to impress Tidal Wave." He said, uncovering his face.
   "Oh Hurricane," she said walking over to him and putting a arm around his thick, muscular neck, "you shouldn't put this much pressure on yourself. I'm sure Tidal Wave doesn't appreciate his students trying to show off, he only appreciates hard work and dedication."
   He looked her in the eyes with those similar dark sapphire blue eyes like Tidal Wave's Skulblacka Eldonari thing.
   "Thank you and you're the best Rider I could have ever picked."
   She smiled at him, and then said, "Good night Hurricane."
   "Good night Nimue."
   She then got up and blew out the lantern on her bookshelf and climbed under the covers and fell into a peaceful sleep. The best sleep she had ever had since her fight with Damek and his giant dragon, after their fight she had always had awful nightmares that tormented her in her sleep that involved twisted images of Damek's face that scared her half to death. This was the first time since the fight that she had finally found peace in her sleep.

P.S. Hope your all enjoying. A Eldunari is from the Inheritance Cycle, it is the soul of a dragon after they die. I changed the Erdas Dragon Riders ones because I thought since these are two different groups of Riders they wouldn't have the same customs and names for things. You can look Eldunari on the internet if you
want to know more about them.