Murtagh groaned and rubbed his eyes until white spots blurred his vision. Jinxx was fast asleep, leant against his shoulder with the remains of dinner close to dropping onto the leaf-littered floor; she was like a child. He smiled and pushed her plate to the floor before scooping her up and tucking her under cloak inside his mediocre tent.

Such a peaceful night. He mused to himself as he pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his defined muscles and battle scars. With a soft moan he rubbed the back of his neck before tossing his shirt into the tent and unbuckling his boots.

Indeed. Thorn rumbled sleepily. Another delightful night without Galbatorix breathing down our necks. Murtagh chuckled at his dragon's thoughts then scrambled in beside Jinxx. They shared the tent after realising they would freeze if they didn't have the other person's body heat; although Murtagh neglected to mention he could heat the tent by magic. His strange dreams had decreased and he found a strange sense of pride welled in his stomach when he would wake to find Jinxx pressed against him for heat; a sense of pride a father would have after he successfully protected a child from a terrible nightmare or the pride a farmer would have when he awoke to a bountiful harvest. Aye, Murtagh was proud of himself.

Exhaling deeply, he fidgeted onto his side then closed his eyes with a scowl tugging at his lips. Tomorrow, they would be moving again. He longed for a home instead of all the horrendous terrains they had had to make do with. He began to paint an image of a castle by the coast he imagined was further north before sighing again.

Pointless imaginations are useless. Thorn reminded his rider from his curled up form, outside the tent.

Is it pointless to imagine a safe haven for us? Somewhere we can be accepted? Somewhere where no one will judge us for our mistakes? Is it? Murtagh pointed out as one finger scratched the inside of his nose.

There was a pause as Thorn mulled over the questions. Will it have halls and doors tall enough for me to fit through with ease?

Murtagh chuckled at the eager beast and folded his arms under his head, Of course. With that, the conversation was dropped and the two drifted into sleep, dreaming of the palace that would be built when the found the right place.

…

Thorn woke with a start, the sudden drop of temperature and a sudden weight on his chest had startled him. He lazily opened an eye to see nothing. No, he didn't see anything out of the normal, he genuinely saw nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. He opened his giant jaws to let loose a jet of fierce flames but his throat became clogged and he found himself suffocating.

He scrambled up on his great paws with a shocked yelp. Without his sight he crashed into a tree and howled, thinking he was under attack. He relied on his other senses to guide him but, once again, he was met with nothing: no trace of a wind could be felt; no excitement could be tasted; no heartbeat could be heard and no perspiration of an attacker could be smelt. It was as though Thorn had been placed into a vacuum and sucked out his insides so he was merely a shell.

A yell shattered the silence followed by the clash of metal upon stone. Murtagh! He cried out mentally but no reply was heard. His thoughts merely bounced around his skull until he dropped the thread. Thorn shuffled towards his rider as the sound of Zar'roc clashing against various objects could be heard. Thorn let out a quick roar to identify himself before he felt his windpipe being crushed once again.

"Thorn?" Murtagh's hands found Thorn's scales then they left to be replaced with a daintier pair of hands. Murtagh had pushed a whimpering Jinxx forward onto the great beast. The dragon didn't understand Murtagh's growing infatuation with the strange elf. He barely understood the jealously that welled up in his chest when she would turn to Murtagh for heat.

"Fly!" Murtagh managed to wheeze out from behind Thorn's scaly neck. Without issuing a warning to hold on, he leapt into the air, crashing into various trees out of sheer blindness. Finally, he could see clearly and could feel the chill air against his scales.

What was that? Thorn found his thoughts could be heard by Murtagh once again.

I have no idea. Murtagh glanced down at the clearing they had escaped; it was swamped in darkness. Silence ensued and after circling over their hidden camp countless times, Thorn landed on the opposite side of the lake to rest. The shadow melted into the rising sun's light to reveal their tent and saddle bags had been shredded to pieces.

Murtagh dropped from Thorn's back and yelled, slamming his fists against a tree trunk, "We've lost the camp! We've lost everything!"Murtagh screamed furiously as he pounded the trunk heartlessly.

"D-Don't worry Murtagh," Jinxx rested a hand on his shoulder, "S-Someone must be out here…. Somewhere." Her weak smile brought another curse from his lips. She flinched.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her harshly, "Who? Where?" She let out a cry as his grip tightened, "Show me where this 'someone' is!" He thrust her to the ground with a roar, "You can't because there's no one out here!" Tears welled up in Jinxx's eyes as she heard her wrist snap behind her.

"P-Please calm d-down," She pleaded, cradling her wrist and struggling back tears. She clumsily rose to her feet, using a boulder nearby as a prop, and leant against it for support while she clutched her broken wrist.

"There's no one to feed the children!" Murtagh shrieked, resting his forehead and arms against the tree he had managed to send a deep crack up the trunk.

Come again? Thorn's left eye snapped open. You don't sound yourself Murtagh. Are you unwell?

"We're starving! Feed us!"