AN: Wow, I didn't realize how long its been since I updated, and for that I'm so sorry. Time got away from me. But anywho, I drew this very crappy picture of my version of the northern part of Alagaesia. It will help, I think and hope, with following where my story is taking place. The following is the direct link just remove the spaces: deliriousduck17. livejournal 693. html [Again sorry for the terribly drawn map :)]

For Disclaimer, Spoiler Alert, and Warnings please look back in chapter1

By the time Eragon had reached Saphira, he had decided to apologize to Harry for the way he'd been acting towards him. He would ride with them from now on and stop acting as childish as he realized he was acting. The only problem was, Harry was not there.

"Where has he gone?" Eragon asked out loud as his eyes automatically began searching for the boy.

He said he went to the loo, whatever that means. Saphira said as she twisted her neck to look in the direction that he went. I believe he meant to relieve himself, and if that's the case, he's been gone for quite too long.

Eragon frowned and quickly ran to where Harry should be. He could smell his scent, like sweet honey, and followed it to a spot where the earth seemed to be disturbed, and then he smelled it. It was a scent he was so familiar with because he had been so intimately acquainted with the beast during battle in Farthen Dûr.

He felt a cold shiver ripple through his body and he could almost feel his blood run cold.

Saphira, he's gone—a Kull has taken him! Eragon told her even as he smelled the strong odor of the Kull going back in the direction they were heading.

The Kull must be heading back to the main group. Eragon said and took off running towards Saphira.

Then let us go take him back from those cowering brutes. Saphira said and jumped into the air as soon as Eragon was in her saddle.

He must have been a scout. Eragon said as they searched for any sign of a lone Kull.

Eragon would never forgive himself if something happened to Harry. If he hadn't acted the way he had, Saphira never would have needed to land to pick him up and Harry never would have wandered off alone.

Do not blame yourself little one, it's no more your fault then it is mine. I should have kept a better eye on him. Saphira said just as she began angling down towards the large group of Kull.

It is my fault, Saphira. Eragon said and prepared to confront the Kull.

When Saphira was in clear sight of the Kull, the brutes began to holler out an alert and they all prepared for an attack, but before they could charge at them, Eragon called peace and asked to talk to their leader.

"What you want, rider?" The deep guttural voice of the Kull boomed out.

"One of yours has taken my companion, and I request that he is returned to me unharmed." Eragon said it as an order with the threat of retaliation if it was not obeyed.

"Not possible. Past two days we stay together. We go as one. I would know if such a thing happen." The Kull said and reared up, offended by such an accusation.

Saphira growled at the Kull to remind him that she would attack if he did. Eragon I think he's telling the truth. I do not sense the boy and I did not see him when we were above them.

But I know I smelled a Kull! Where else could he be but with Kull?

"He was taken by a Kull not a few leagues from here. The scent was headed in your direction!" Eragon pointed at the Kull, not caring if it offended them further.

The leader seemed to growl lowly and it glared at him, but reluctantly turned to the large group.

"Ulgralgra!" he hollered to get their attention and continued hollering at them in their language. He could understand some of what was being said and figured he was asking if someone had taken Harry.

Perhaps it was a lone Kull. Saphira pondered as they watched the Kull begin arguing with one another.

If it was a lone Kull then it wouldn't have taken him. He would have just killed him. Just the thought of Harry dying drew a painful ache in his chest, so he quickly pushed the idea away. Could it be one under Nasuada's command?

If it were then he would have headed back south not north, and don't forget what you heard back in Keuson. The order was to kill Harry on sight. Saphira said.

They both looked up at the Kull when the leader came forth once more with another Kull at his side.

"There's no boy taken by us." He gurgled out in anger. "Many days now, a different Kull has followed us. Always keep ahead, never behind us." The leader said and then the Kull who was beside him spoke.

"I see this Kull behind us today." He said and motioned with his head in the direction he was going. "This time, not follow but go back the way we come."

It was clear to Eragon and Saphira that these Kull really were telling the truth, but that only made things worse, because now they had no clue where Harry had been taken. Harry's scent was lost amongst the strong Kull odor and no matter how many times Saphira circled around the area, there was no sign of Harry anywhere. The problem was, they didn't know whether to keep heading north, hoping to run into the Kull that took Harry, or veer off in another direction. All Eragon could hope for was that Harry was not harmed in the time it would take him to find him.

Harry thought his sense of smell had been forever distorted. Being carried on the creatures shoulder with his face pinned against its back, well, all he could smell for several hours was the strong and foul odor like rancid meat, vinegar, and something else he didn't have a name for. When the Kull finally stopped and put him down, even though he was no longer directly smelling it, all he could smell was his odor. So when he heard horse hooves galloping louder and nearer, he almost cried tears of joy—if it wasn't for his situation—that he could smell the natural odor of the horses. Of course he could smell them well because the two horses were tied to the tree the Kull had tied him to. Like he could get away with his hands and feet already tied.

"Quick work," said the shorter of the two men. He was balding and had an obvious protruding beer belly. They both had leather trousers with a sword hanging at their waste.

"Yes, faster than we expected, but the jobs hardly done yet." The taller one said and Harry noticed his small beady eyes when he turned to glare at him. He turned back to the Kull. "You are to take him to Hendü and deliver him to the monks."

"Dul Grashna!" The Kull growled and the two men flinched back a little. "I was told to take him to Tust. Hendü lies too far north. The dragon will catch me before then."

"Those are the orders," the tall one said harshly, "the monks have gone to prepare for the merging. Now stop wasting time and get a move on."

"Here," the short man handed the Kull a large bag, "we bring you supplies from Oksí. It will last you until you reach Hendü."

The Kull was obviously restraining himself from crushing the two men's skulls and wished the two wouldn't have ordered him to get going so quickly because he wanted to rest. Also because the farther they got, the harder it would be for Eragon to track him.

It was apparent the two men would wait until they left, so the Kull tied the pack to his back and untied the rope that was holding Harry to the tree, leaving his restraints on, of course. He was once again thrown over the shoulder and they took off.

The Kull, with his brute-speed like that of a horse on steroids and his odor was beginning to make Harry gag and after about another hour of traveling, with the motion and everything else, Harry could no longer hold it in.

He barfed all over the Kull's back and the bastard growled in anger and flung him off making him hit the ground—very hard—landing on his shoulder and knocking his head back against the hard ground.

"Dul Grashna!" It hollered and Harry cringed back in fear as the brute hovered over him with a clentched meaty fist shaking it as if deciding whether to pummel him or not. Instead, he smashed his fist on the ground next to Harry's head and kicked him hard in the stomach.

Harry gasped as the wind was knocked out of him even as he was thrown back even farther, hitting a tree and jarring his already tender head.

The Kull tied him to the tree and then flung the pack off his back and stomped away, probably in search of water to clean himself up.

"Bastard—" Harry gasped as he tried to recover from his injuries.

When the Kull returned—clean he might add—Harry was surprised that instead of continuing on their journey, the Kull actually sat down and began eating, not caring to offer him anything, not even a drink of water. And then, even more surprising, it actually just huddled against a tree, with Harry in his sight, and rested.

Well, that was a good thing because the sun was beginning to set and he didn't want to be riding on his should through the entire night. The only problem was, it looked like he wasn't going to light a fire, and Harry was freezing.

Harry thought the Kull fell asleep, since it began making this strange gurgling sound after a while, so taking advantage, Harry tried to get free of the ropes. He tried squeezing his wrist free, but that only gave him rope burns and he was sure he'd have red marks.

Harry was beginning to get angry. First of all, he never asked to be sent to this medieval world just to be pointed out as the enemy in league with Galbatorix. He didn't ask to harvest feelings for Eragon, this guy who seemed to always come to his rescue like some knight in shining armor or for said guy to suddenly cast him aside like if he was the plague rat. And then this beast of a Kull comes along and thinks he can just kidnap him and treat him like trash?!

Harry felt his heartbeat accelerate and a sudden breeze picked up around their little fireless "camp". He didn't understand what was happening, but he knew that he was losing control. His anger was rising and even if he tried calming down, he couldn't. It was as if something or someone, he realized, was influencing him and taking control of his emotions. He couldn't do anything to stop it, and when he felt the magic flaring within him, the magic he was so familiar with, he stopped trying to contain the anger and just went with it.

His body was trembling now and the trees around them seemed to shake and bend away as if afraid of what he might release.

"Relashio," he cast a quick wandless spell to release himself from the tight ropes and he stood carefully, unsteadily as the power threatened to throw him down.

The Kull was awake now, as the breeze had turned into a nightmarish storm. He pulled himself upright and growled at Harry who stood in one spot, trying to ground himself.

"What are you?" The Kull took a step towards him and the wind pushed him back against the tree. "Sorcerer!"

Harry's eyes flashed black and he dropped down to one knee as he felt Galbatorix taking control of his body. He quickly lifted his hand and took hold of the pendant around his neck. He had to fight or Galbatorix would break free.

"NO!" Harry yelled and with one final push on his mind, he cast the anger aside. A burst of energy, accumulated by the building anger and power, exploded out of his body destroying their surroundings and killing the Kull.

Harry fell to all fours gasping for air. He felt like he'd just done intensive Quidditch drills until collapsing. He tried standing and he wobbled, but he had to leave, find shelter at least until he recuperated. He passed the Kull and saw that his entire body looked like it burnt to a crisp. In fact, the entire area was burnt, even the dirt.

His vision blurred as he slowly hobbled away and there were several times where he had to hold on to the trees to avoid falling. He had no idea where he was going, what direction, nothing, he just had to find shelter and hide, or else risk being found by those two riders that the Kull had met earlier.

Without knowing how far he got, he found a few large boulders lodged against the side of a hill and climbed in between them. Not until he was hidden from sight, did he dare let go and he fell unconscious, exhausted.

Murtagh and Thorn were resting on the ground when they heard a loud boom echo from the distance. It was strange and they immediately took to the night sky to try and see if they could discern from whence it came from. It was faint and far, but they could make out a small green light perhaps a few leagues south from them.

What do you think? Murtagh asked Thorn as they slowly hovered high in the air.

I think it means trouble, Thorn said, unfortunately for us, at this point, trouble is where we might find Eragon.

Hmm, Murtagh agreed and without the need of saying what they were going to do, they headed towards the light. Of course, it faded a few moments after they headed towards it, but they at least knew where to go. If anything, they would find traces of whatever had caused the loud sound.

When they reached the general area of where they had seen the light, they began searching, for what, they weren't sure, but it became plainly obvious when they spotted the charred area. They landed at the center of it and took a careful look around.

I don't think this is Eragon's doing. Thorn suggested as he sniffed the air.

You mean Saphira's doing? Murtagh knelt and picked up some of the crisped foliage and watched as it disintegrated into ash as he passed his thumb through it. What else could have burnt the area like this but Saphira's fire?

No, it wasn't them, Thorn said resolutely and turned to look at the dead Kull. I can't smell either of them, but I do smell a different scent. He followed the scent away from the area and snorted at the burnt fleshy smell of the Kull as he passed it.

Should we be looking for whatever did this? Murtagh said, If it wasn't Eragon then what does it matter? We don't have time.

Thorn didn't stop, however, and kept swerving through the trees following the scent. It wasn't long till he stopped next to some boulders and craned his neck over them and looked down.

That's why it matters, Thorn said and moved back so Murtagh could look.

When Murtagh saw the boy curled up, he immediately pulled out the paper in his bag. It was the wanted poster of the man that Eragon was supposedly helping to bring back Galbatorix. He realized it was the same person and he turned to look at Saphira.

"This is not a man but a boy." He crouched above the boulder where the boy was tucked away. "Do they really feel threatened by him?"

Perhaps they should, if he's the one who did that back there, Thorn said, referring to the burnt trees and dead Kull.

"Even if it was him, he must know where Eragon is." Murtagh said as he leaned down and pulled the boy out from between the boulders. He was lighter than he thought and felt even more fragile than he looked.

Thorn let out a great puff of smoke, Am I to carry another bundle of weight? Do you not care for the frailty of my back?

"Your frailty?" Murtagh laughed as he scooped the boy up and carried him over to lift him onto Thorns back. "My friend, if you were any more frail than you are now, you'd still be using the rocky side of a cliff to get rid of an ich. Carrying his pathetic weight won't hinder you any more than carrying a sack of feathers would hinder me."

Thorn let out a growl of laughter as he crouched low so Murtagh could lift the boy up into the saddle.

So where should we go now? Thorn asked as Murtagh strapped himself into the saddle. He tied the boy down as well and then held on to him for extra support.

We have to wait for him to wake so for now, we must find shelter.

Thorn took off into the night sky and headed south, as to their previous direction and quickly made for some large hills where they were surely to find good shelter.

Harry had the strangest dream. He dreamt that he was playing a game of Quiditch. He was freefalling at times, and then he would shoot straight up and spiral through the air chasing after the snitch. Draco was there, riding his broom towards Harry and looking angry and scared as he pointed at the sky. He was yelling something to him but the wind swept the words away. Harry tried to slow his broom so he could hear, but then a black shadow fell over them both and Harry fell off his broom. His stomach lurched as he fell and then he jumped awake, sitting up as he gasped for air.

"You ok?" Someone asked and Harry looked up to see a strange man sitting on the other side of a campfire.

Harry looked around and quickly recalled what happened with Galbatorix and the Kull that had kidnapped him.

"Just peachy." Harry said and noticed he was lying on a pile of blankets. "What am I doing here?"

Murtagh stood and walked around the fire towards him and Harry instinctively searched for the magic he'd felt earlier, but calmed when the stranger offered him a bowl of food.

"Thanks."

The man nodded and went back to his side of the fire and sat back down.

"The truth is, I only helped you because I'm looking for someone." The man said and pulled out a paper and slowly unfolded it. "This is you is it not?"

Harry saw the drawing of himself on the paper, and he looked far more older and 'evil' looking with a sneer than he really was. But that was the least of his worries. As soon as he saw the paper, he threw the bowl at the man and took off running, only stumbling slightly when he stood. He didn't have to look to know that he was being chased, because he could hear the heavy footsteps getting closer really fast. When he felt the other close behind, he spun and swung his arm at the same time, landing a heavy backhand into the man's face, who grunted and still managed to throw Harry to the ground.

Harry fought back, punching and even scratching to get the other off him, but he was pinned down.

"Stop, I'm not trying to hurt you!" The stranger said and Harry had no choice but to stop and listen once his hands were pinned to the ground and his body trapped by the other. He quickly remembered Eragon's lesson and tried pushing his hips up to throw the other off but the man had a very strong hold of his wrists.

"Why did you run?"

"Why else? You know who I am so you were gonna kill me!"

"Why would I kill you after helping you?"

Harry was gonna say something else but then he realized the man had a point.

"Can I let go without you running off?" The man said and Harry nodded.

They stood and dusted themselves off and walked back to the fire, Murtagh keeping an eye on the boy to make sure he didn't take off again.

"I needed to be sure that you were the one from the wanted poster."

"Why?" Harry asked as he sat back down on the pile of blankets he had woken up on.

"Because I'm looking for my brother, Eragon, and he's been accused of helping you to bring back Galbatorix."

"Your brother?" Harry's eyes widened as he realized whom he was talking to. "You're Murtagh?"

Murtagh nodded, "So you do know him? Do you know where he is?"

Harry quickly gave a brief account of everything that happened. He explained to the best of his abilities, how he came to arrive in their world and Galbatorix' plot to keep himself alive using his body. Of course, Murtagh knew none of this because, as soon as the battle ended, he fled and didn't give Eragon a chance to tell him about Harry.

"So Galbatorix is still alive, in you? Can't you destroy the pendant and kill him that way?" Murtagh asked as he rubbed his cheek where Harry had backhanded him.

"No, it would just set him free to take control over my body like he previously planned." Harry saw when Murtagh flinched and felt bad for attacking him without knowing.

"Sorry about that." Harry looked down in shame. They needed Murtagh's help and here he was attacking him and probably alienating him.

"It's ok, really." Murtagh gave him a small smile. He hadn't expected Harry to give such a hard punch so he was caught off guard.

"So," Harry said to change the topic. "Where's your dragon."

Murtagh laughed. "You mean Thorn, he went to feed. And just a heads up, he won't like it if you refer to him as my dragon."

"Sorry, force of habit. You see, where I come from, dragons aren't so intelligent you know?"

Murtagh nodded, "Must have been a shock then, to have whole conversations with them."

"Yea," Harry smiled and picked at the thread of his sleeve coming undone.

After a while, Thorn returned and Harry was introduced, they talked a bit while Harry ate. Murtagh watched him with curiosity, wondering about the boys' power and the world he came from. He found himself staring up at the stars more than once trying to picture another world far beyond and imaging the possibilities. Perhaps there was more out there for him. Harry, although small and seemingly powerless, gave him hope. Hope for something more—something more meaningful in life.

AN: Hopefully you were able to see the map with the link I posted at the top, but if not, you can find it at LiveJournal and my name is the same as it is here on fanfiction.

Please R & R and tell me what you think.

:3