Murtagh

Chapter I



Maddentide


Will you go alone?

Murtagh gave Thorn a quizzical look. The red dragon sat crouched next to him atop the rocky hill where they had landed. In the fading dusk, the sparkle of the ­dragon s scales was subdued, tamped down like coals in a banked fire, waiting for a breath of wind to flare back to brilliance.

What? You d go with me?

A wolfish grin split Thorn s jaws, showing rows of sharp white teeth, each as long as a dagger. Why not? They already fear us. Let them scream and scurry at our arrival.

The dragon s thoughts resonated like a bell in Murtagh s mind. He shook his head as he unbuckled his sword, Zar roc, from his waist. You d like that, wouldn t you?

Thorn s jaws hung open wider, and his burred tongue ran across his chops. Maybe.

Murtagh could just picture Thorn stalking down a narrow street, scraping the sides of buildings with his armored shoulders, breaking beams and shutters and cornices while folks fled before him. Murtagh knew how that would end, with fire and blood and a flattened circle of destruction.

I think you d best wait here.

Thorn shuffled his velvet wings and coughed deep in his throat. His way of laughing. Then perhaps you should use magic to change the color of my scales, and we could pretend to be Eragon and Saphira. Wouldn t that be fine sport?

Murtagh snorted as he laid Zar roc across a patch of dry grass. He d been surprised to discover that Thorn had a trenchant sense of humor. It hadn t been readily apparent when they d been bonded, partly because of Thorn s youth and partly because of . . . attending circumstances.

For a moment, Murtagh s mood darkened.

No? Well then, if you change your mind ­

You ll be the first to know.

Mmm. With the tip of his snout, Thorn nudged the sword. I wish you would take your fang. Your claw. Your sharpened affliction.

Murtagh knew Thorn was nervous. He always was when Murtagh left,

CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI. Author of the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Inheritance). Creator of the World of Eragon and the Fractalverse. Holder of the Guinness World Record for youngest author of a bestselling series. Qualified for marksman in the Australian army. Scottish laird. Dodged gunfire . . . more than once. As a child was chased by a moose in Alaska. Has his name inscribed on Mars. Firstborn of Kenneth and Talita. Husband. Father. Asker of questions and teller of stories.

"A much-needed follow-up centering a beloved character."  Kirkus Reviews

"Two decades after the debut of Eragon, Paolini shows that there are still fresh tales to be told in this world."  Booklist