The sun rose in a brilliant array of yellow and orange as Alex woke up, energized by yesterday's events. He glanced at the sleeping dragons, and started up the campfire to cook some breakfast.

"Such simple pleasures" he thought, looking over Thanatos' wounds. The black dragon rumbled as Alex ran his fingers over the nearly healed injuries.

"Is he doing okay?" asked Brom, who had just woken up and was tending the fire.

"Yeah, thanks for asking" replied Alex, while Eragon walked over and sat down next to him.

"Morning Eragon" said Alex as Eragon returned the greeting.

"So, where are we going today?" Eragon asked the old man.

"Yazuac" he replied jovially. "We're going to need some supplies."

"Good idea" said Eragon.

Alex nodded in agreement and looked over his shoulders at the waking dragons.

What a night exclaimed Thanatos, yawning mightily.

Good morning to you too said Saphira happily.

Thanatos looked at her briefly, then rolled his eyes and laughed lightly. Saphira raised an eyebrow, and smacked Thanatos with her wing. Eragon and Alex were laughing at their dragons actions, while packing up to continue on their trip.

"Let's go" said Brom as he and Eragon climbed on their horses and left the campsite. Alex ran alongside them, and the dragons flew overhead, teasing each other with light blows from their wings.

---------------

As the group arrived at Yazuac, they noticed something was wrong with the town. Thanatos and Saphira were hiding far from the village, while their riders and Brom inspected it. They found the village eerily deserted, whit no one coming to greet them.

Walking into the towns center, Alex said "What has happened h…." he paused, noticing the mountain of bodies before them.

"Ye gods" he muttered, bowing his head in respect.

He looked over at a sick Eragon, with Brom patting the lads back. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Alex noticed a dark shape dash behind a nearby house.

"Brom, something's here" he told the old man, looking around cautiously.

Brom and Eragon looked around nervously as many more dark shapes took to the shadows. The old man then recognized what the shadows were, and hastily beckoned Eragon and Alex to leave the town immediately.

"Urals" he hissed, speeding up his horse.

An urge jumped in front of Broms steed and growled, scaring the animal. While Brom was distracted with his mount, the monster knocked him out, and then joined 2 of his companions in chasing Eragon down an alley.

Alex ran to help Eragon but he heard a rumbling laugh behind him. He turned around to see an Urgal with his axe raised. As the beast swung, Alex felt a strange power welling up within him. He raised his hand, and shot out a bolt of light, deep-frying the urgals face and killing it instantly.

Alex side-stepped to avoid the axe, then noticed an explosion of blue fire in the direction in which Eragon was chased earlier.

"So he has this power as…" he thought, and then got knocked out by an airborne club.

The urgal who threw it quickly ran and picked up the unconscious Alex, and brought him out of Yazuac. The beast then started running to a campsite a horde of urgals set up a fair ways from the destroyed town.

Meanwhile, Eragon staggered out and went to tend to Brom, who was just waking up.

"Where's Alex?" asked the old man.

"Don't know" said Eragon, looking around worried. They looked up as Thanatos flew by in a tremendous rage, emanating feelings of anger and determination.

"Saphira, what happened?" asked Eragon urgently.

I don't know…He was restless for a moment, then just took off in a fit of rage. I hope he's okay… she said.

"This is not good. He must've been kidnapped. If Alex is brought before Galbatorix…Tell Saphira to go look for him" said Brom.

They rode out of Yazuac, watching Saphira fly around overhead, looking for the black dragon and his rider. She returned to her rider, looking sad and forlorn.

I cannot sense him nor Alex… she said to her rider.

"We must hope he is alive, and can escape somehow. I cannot thing of any other way to get to him, so let us continue on and hope he finds us later" said Brom with a twinge of sadness. Both he and Eraogn rode along depressed, with Saphira flying above them.

"You don't think they…" said Eragon.

No…I would know if that happened. They must be alive replied Saphira .

"I am saddened by this loss as well. Now, tell me what happened to you back there" inquired Brom.

Eragon told the old man what he had done in Yazuac as Brom regarded him with interest and concern. They continued riding away as Saphira thought

Thanatos…Please be alive