When they stopped to rest for the night they were almost out of the Beor Mountains, the Hadarac Desert would have been visible if not for the darkness. The Kull carrying the two humans dropped their cargo heavily onto the ground before making their way to the centre of the camp.
Lorena tried to lift herself but found that the enchantment controlling her muscles was still in place. A hand grabbed her arm and rolled her onto her back, Lorena looked up to see a Twin above her. Something hard and cold pressed against her lips and Lorena's heart caught in her throat. She tried to thrash against her invisible bonds panicked as to what he may be doing to her. A liquid trickled into her mouth, it had been in the skin too long but it was undeniably water. Lorena welcomed the liquid, wishing for more.
Almost immediately after the flow began it finished and Lorena prayed that she wouldn't choke. "I am curious to see what King Galbatorix plans on doing with these two." The Twin peered down as he handed the water skin to his brother.
"I would make them both slaves. Put them hard at work with the filthiest jobs imaginable, and when I was bored I'd use them to extract all kinds of pleasure."
The Twin above Lorena leaned down, his face only centimeters from her own. "Have you ever seen a flayed man before?" he grinned horribly, "I have seen a man flayed alive, I have always wanted to try it."
From the corner of her eye Lorena saw the second Twin lift a long dagger. "I wonder how long a man can live without his skin," the rhythm of Murtaghs' breathing changed slightly, "I wonder if we could twist magic to allow a man to live without his skin." The Twin passed his brother the dagger and Lorena could see a red liquid dripping from the tip of the blade.
"Maybe our King will let us try it," he whispered as he pushed the blade into Lorena's flesh. She sucked in her breath as skin broke and the metal scraped her collar bone. Lorena was fighting tears when a shout from the Kull stole the Twins attention. The magicians growled and took their leave. There was arguing between the Twins and Kull but Lorena was unable to make out what it was. Though, she was grateful that they were not visited by the Twins again that night.
The next morning the pair was woken when the Kull threw them back over their shoulders. They continued into the desert throughout the day, the hot sun searing their exposed flesh. Lorena wondered how they would survive if not for the regular short breaks where the Twins trickled water down their throats.
The group camped the night in the desert, Murtagh and Lorena thrown next to each other to have their body temperatures keep the other warm. A hand shaking her arm woke Lorena the next morning.
"Get up," the Twin ordered. Lorena stared at him nonsensically, causing him to shout "Get up!"
She found that her limbs, while heavy and clumsy where again under her control. After several attempts Lorena managed to push herself off the ground. The Twin pushed something into her hand, she looked down and discovered the heel to a loaf of bread. It took all her energy to chew. Looking to her left she saw Murtagh finish off his own scarce meal. Lorena pulled at the bread until it broke in two and handed Murtagh a piece. Murtagh nodded in appreciation before the Twins returned. When handed a water skin, they both drank greedily, dehydrated from their time in the desert.
When finished the Twins again placed a hand on their captives brow and ensorcelled the pair. The band travelled throughout the day and by dusk the grainy sand had transformed into hard packed dirt. That night as they made camp from the corner of her eye Lorena spotted lights in the distances, she watched in silence as they grew bigger and eventually a Kull shouted and pointed. The Twins stood on the edge of camp and greeted a group of horsed men. They wore red tunics with gold thread embroidered in the outline of a jagged flame, indicating their alliance in the Kings army.
The Twins relayed harsh words with the soldiers, the Kull stood behind the Twins their hands tight on their weapons. Two soldiers dismounted and accompanied the Twins over to Murtagh and Lorena. The Twins whispered a spell then sharply instructed, "Speak."
"Okay," stated Murtagh.
"Alright," Lorena's mouth felt clumsy, and when she tried to sit she found that none of her other muscles had been released from the enchantment.
The Twins indicated to the soldiers and they picked up the unmoving pair. The breastplate was cold and hard against Lorena's back as she was carried into the group of soldiers. A wagon appeared as they pushed their way through the bodies and the pair was thrown aggressively onto the hard wood. Lorena laid on her back staring at the stars when the wagon began to move. Occasionally the wagon bumped when it hit a rock but otherwise the ride was much smoother than with the Kull, and both humans were able to get some sleep.
When Lorena woke the next morning she realised that the Hadarac Desert was still insight, but the Kull horde had gone. The wagon was stationary, and there was silence as their captors slept.
"Murtagh?" whispered Lorena.
"Lorena," Murtagh's voice was low and scratchy, "Are you okay?"
"I'm… fine, what about you?"
"...Fine."
The pair lay in silence. Lorena tried to peek at him from the corner of her eye but her angle played against her and she was still unable to move. The hopelessness of their position weighed upon them and Lorena couldn't contain a whimper, "What are we going to do?"
"I... I don't know." Murtagh grunted in frustration, "Simply think about the Beors, Du Weldenvarden, and Surda. Keep your mind away from here. I don't know about you but this immobility is killing me." He chuckled slightly.
"A joke, Murtagh?"
"Only on the gallows, remember."
The pair remained silent throughout the day. When the Twins had awoken they had allowed them to eat and explained that they were only capable of speech because of the soldiers. Apparently the Twins did not trust them with the son of Morzan or his pretty companion. Lorena thanked the gods for the protection, for being able to speak—if only briefly—with Murtagh that morning, and even for the wagon which was more comfortable than a Kulls' shoulder.
At midday they noticed an increase of travellers on the road. They stood to the side to allow the soldiers past, their eyes on their feet. Lorena dared not try to speak with Murtagh again, afraid of what might happen if a soldier or Twin heard. Instead she thought back to how things were when Murtagh, Eragon, Saphira, and she had all travelled together. She remembered how she had spared with the men, and how Murtagh had taught her how to improve her skills. She remembered their talks on archery and hunting, and watching Eragon practice magic. She remembered watching Saphira hunt and how majestic she was in flight. She remembered cuddling up at night against Murtagh for warmth, and how Murtagh and she had cuddled intimately on that stout bed in his cell. How they read to one another and their passionate kiss after their first real battle.
Lorena opened her eyes and realised they were in now in the capital. Many buildings stood as high spirals, made from an elegant mixture of glass and stone. The procession of soldiers eventually stopped and the Twins appeared above the immobile pair. They slapped their hands against their foreheads and murmured a spell to release their muscles. Next thing Lorena knew she was being dragged out of the wagon and onto cobbled stone. Her muscles were clumsy and slow to react. When she saw Murtagh she reached for him only to be pushed to opposite way. Large iron gates opened before them. The Twins lead the way, followed by their captives who were being pushed along by the accompanying soldiers.
They made their way down an impressively huge hallway, much bigger than those in Tronjheim. The soldiers pushing and shoving the prisoners whenever they stumbled or their muscles seized. Many passageways branched off of either side of the stone hallway, varying in size from human to dragon. Spaced evenly down the hallway there were lanterns and red banners embroidered with the tongue of flame that the King had taken as his sigil.
As they neared the end of the hallway Lorena noticed immense golden patterned doors. These doors slowly swung open as they approached, revealing a huge dark chamber. A line of flameless lanterns mounted on iron poles ran straight out from either side of the entranceway. The soldiers pushed them forward and they stumbled their way behind the Twins. They walked roughly one and a half hundred meters.
"Your Grace, we have a present for you." Each Twin grabbed a captive and threw them before them, Murtagh and Lorena hit the ground hard. "Murtagh son of Morzan"
Murtagh pushed himself to his knees and Lorena struggled to follow suit. She lifted her eyes to see a broad dais, upon which rested a throne. Upon that throne sat a single dark figure. That figure unquestionably King Galbatorix.
