Eragon hit the floor hard, his breath exploded from him. He looked up at the hole in the ceiling from which he came and heard soldiers running towards it. He looked around the room, to his right there was a passage way. Picking up his elven sword he leapt to his feet and ran down it. As the tunnel became too dark for him to see clearly in he muttered.

"Brisingr raudhr."

As his surroundings lit up he glanced back towards the chamber he had fallen into. It was not there! He turned around to face a damp stone wall not two feet from his face. How is this possible? He asked himself. He turned to examine his surroundings. It appeared as if he had stumbled into some kind of cave. He inhaled; the air felt damp and stagnant however he could detect a hint of what appeared to be rosemary.

Following his nose Eragon followed the smell for a few minutes through the twisting cave. Eventually he felt the faint touch of a draft brush past him. Invigorated he followed the draft. He turned a corner and from the far side of the tunnel he saw light. Eragon took off at a run toward the light. As he was dazzled by the daylight as he ran out Eragon narrowly avoided running of a steep cliff. A huge water fall crashed down the cliff to his right. To his left where a set of stairs that climbed the face of the cliff. He drank from a small pool at the foot of the stairs. The water was cool and refreshing after the muggy damp of the cave.

As he turned to climb the stairs, a noise from the cave entrance whispered past his ears. Eragon was overcome by the compulsion to run and his body had run up a score of steps before the compulsion passed.

Eragon looked around anxiously. Walking cautiously back down the steps Eragon pondered what had just occurred; was there a spell caster nearby? Tentatively Eragon opened his mind (which he had closed before the fight) and was immediately sensed two incredibly frightened humans about to come pelting through the exit of the cave. Eragon looked around for somewhere to hide. There was nowhere. Gritting his teeth Eragon drew Brisingr and waited for the pair to run out. A couple of seconds passed then with a lot of noise and spluttering a young man and women came bursting out the cave. The pair where so focused on looking between their knees panting, that they did not notice Eragon. Eragon examined them, both where adorned with fine tunics and and the women wore an armour of a type Eragon could not recognise. She also carried a bandolier with seven bells of increasing size. Both were well-armed. Eventually the women (more of a girl to be fair) looked up.

"Sam!" she yelled.

The young man turned drawing his sword. Eragon watched as the man's hand moved and as it did so drew livid marks in the air. He then threw the marks in Eragon's direction. Eragon, having no intention to find out what these strange marks did, moved swiftly to the side. As he watched the burning mark fly pass him he suddenly heard a crescendo of sound passing through and into him, and it did his defences around his mind shattered instantly and a foreign consciousness entered and dominated him and forced him to be still. He looked at the young women again. She held a large bell in both hands. Her eyes looked scared but determined.

The man eyed him warily, then turned to the girl and asked.

"Now what?"

"I have it, it's not going anywhere." She replied, then to Eragon. "Name yourself!"

It? What do they think I am some kind of animal?

"Speak!" she shouted forcibly.

"Eragon Bromsson!" Eragon stuttered and continued. "Shadeslayer, Argetlam, Firesword!"

"What manner of beast are you?" She demanded.

Eragon shuddered as her will forced him to speak.

"Human! I am human!"

"Enough Lireal, he's telling the truth. He won't hurt you." Said a female voice behind the pair.

They parted to let the newcomer through. Eragon looked down and saw… a dog?

Both the Inheritance cycle and the Old Kingdom Trilogy are my favourite fantasy series. I am very attracted to the practical view on magic both these series possess and their description of its mechanics engages me so I thought, hey why not mix them together and check out the mutated results. Anyway I don't own anything here. And as this is my first chapter in my second ever ff I would appreciate feedback. I hope you enjoy.