They fled across the desert, the three of them with the two dragons, or rather only Saphira being able to fly with a badly wounded Thorn strapped securely to her. Luckily Saphira had grown large enough to handle it, but the added weight was severely restricting her ability to fly and she was forced to stop and rest every two hours or so. But of course she still had no problems whatsoever in staying ahead of the party and scouting the path before them.

They had buried Brom atop a nearby hill that very night and Murtagh had transformed his tomb into marble. Eragon hadn't been sure what to make of Brom's story, though he suspected that it had to be true if it was indeed powerful enough to change his very name and break his former bonds to Galbatorix. Arya had told him just who Brom was and his many achievements and it confirmed everything else in his story.

They made for an odd party, as Murtagh was still as of yet refusing to speak with him, and Arya being stoic like most elves out of their environment as well as being traumatized by the Shade's torture he could tell, acting as the awkward go-between. She had thanked him for killing the Shade in revenge as well as his attempts at "rescue" but Eragon felt deeply awkward in accepting her gratefulness. After all he had been technically working for Galbatorix all along that time. So they never said much between each other either, with Arya imploring that they wait until they reached the Varden for most things.

The Varden was the troubling point for Eragon. Discussing things with Saphira he had grudgingly conceded to the necessity of seeking out this wayward "rebel group" but Eragon felt that it would be merely delaying the inevitable.

He had broached the topic with Arya the other night with Murtagh uncharacteristically breaking his stony silence to rail against his point of view.

"Galbatorix will know that I've defected by now," he said five days into their journey. "I would expect him to fly to Gil'ead himself after hearing about your escape and once he realized Durza could no longer be contacted. He has been trying to scry me for some days but I've barely had the energy to hold him off. Since I was the one given the mission that coincidentally led to your escape and the Shade's disappearance he will put two and two together."

"What forces do you think he will send after us in the Hadarac?"

"Urgals, I should think. They have their own nation now to the East, after sacking Hedarth. They are loyal to Galbatorix as a result and will answer his call. You know better than I that only an Urgal, or better yet an army of Kull could survive a rigorous march across the desert."

"Do you have any information as to how Galbatorix gained the cooperation of the urgals?" Arya asked. It had been the first time she had asked him anything about the empire.

He hesitated, an old habit still left behind. But he had made the conscious decision to leave and go against everything the King stood for.

"Morzan did it. He's still the King's right hand man as I'm sure you know. After Galbatorix forced," he took a deep breath trembling with anger. "Saphira to give birth to a clutch of eggs, he somehow used a dark magic ritual to hatch one of them which he bound to Morzan. Again he is not a true rider, but such a ritual allowed the decline of his abilities to stop."

"He had a similar ritual done to himself and Shruikan. Which is why, well unlike Brom, the King's magical abilities did not decline. Morzan entered the Spine and killed a lot of urgals and eventually forced them to terms. Galbatorix saw the opportunity to gain their loyalty and extend his influence to the East. So he marched them all east and they sacked the small Dwarf and Elf trading posts. Now he has a perfect choke point to prevent any easy communication and travel between the Dwarves and Du Weldenvarden."

Arya was silent at this, considering all the information deeply though Eragon suspected that he was only confirming what she largely suspected. The only new bit had been Saphira's eggs, there were now five eggs in the King's possession including the last one out of the trio that had survived the rider's fall. "You can't beat him you know," Eragon said resolutely, "Galbatorix I mean. He's too powerful. He's had a century to hone his powers, to experiment and further his abilities. I know personally that he is close to finding the Word."

That drew her immediate attention. "Impossible."

"At court, I spent most of the time either in the library or training. I wasn't allowed to leave the Palace most of the time. Galbatorix has an enormous collection of books on every obscure topic, magic, the languages, the Elves and Dwarves. But there was a tiny section of the library that he cordoned off magically with wards. He spent most of the time in that study, searching. I remember when I was younger he would leave frustrated and angry but as time went by his expressions turned more hopeful, hungry, and ambitious."

Murtagh chose this moment to jump into their talk. "How do we know he's really changed sides? From the way he talks he could be a double agent sent by Galbatorix and we'll lead him straight into the Varden bypassing all their defences where he could wreck havoc and destroy us."

Eragon laughed bitterly. "Galbatorix has no need of informants in the Varden he already has two in the highest position." To Arya he said, "I'll tell you who when we arrive, that is if the Varden accept me." Turning to Murtagh again, "As for me betraying the Varden and destroying them from within, I assure you I would be much more useful to Galbatorix on the battlefield than skulking behind the scenes assassinating their leaders. That said, I certainly expect the Varden will force me to swear an oath in the ancient language and search my mind."

So the three of them were now in the midst of the desert waste, its scorching sand was kept off of them by his and Arya's combined efforts to shield them from the wind. During the nights, the ground froze hard with frost and the chill was truly palpable as it descended upon their bones, even as they slept to the warmth of magically conjured secret flames that were devoid of light and so could not be seen from a distance.

On other days, Arya would begin tutoring Murtagh in the ancient language, and Eragon could easily see that Murtagh was being drawn to the beautiful elf. Eragon had offered to tutor Murtagh with swordplay but the brash and proud young rider had turned him down.

He lay down and stared at the star-strewn sky, so bright and full of constellations than he would have dared imagined. Saphira and he had already agreed to throw themselves before the Varden and hope for the best. They really had nowhere else to turn and this course of action gave the best hope for survival. He had contemplated fleeing, as far east as east goes to a place that was uncharted and unmapped but he felt certain that Galbatorix would still find them in the end and force them to serve him again and they would suffer grievous punishment for their act of betrayal. Still he had no idea what the future would hold. He found himself just as lost as when he was staring at the sky wondering what the outcome of his life, his and Saphira's, would ultimately be, and the infinite choices that still lay ahead of them.