Dear Readers,

The beginning of this story is under reconstruction. When you read a chapter that has nothing at all to do with what you have just read, please keep in mind that is the previous version of the story and I am redoing it as quickly as I can. I apologize for the inconveniance. I am not trying to confuse you! Later on, after chapter 28, things mostly fit together with the revised chapters of the story.

This is Chapter 21, revised.

Thank you and enjoy!

DragonRider2000

Two days after their arrival at and departure from Dras'leona, Murtagh and Thorn were back in Uru'baen. The deed that they had been sent to do lay heavy on them, causing Murtagh to remain silent towards everyone he came across.

Immediately on their arrival Murtagh returned the vial of poison to Galbatorix, wanting to get the thing as far away from himself, wanting no more part of it. The pleasure on Galbatorix's face made him sick, and he only nodded his head in response to his master's praise.

"For once you have not failed me, Murtagh." Galbatorix said, in an almost pleasant tone. "She will die slowly and in great pain. Fire will consume her mind, and all the while she will be utterly helpless. Well done, Murtagh. Let this be a part of a lesson. Those who defy me will be punished accordingly."

Murtagh went away from the throne room in pain, whipped, when he should have left unscathed. He tried to tell himself that he could have done nothing, but that only increased the pain by reminding him of his servitude to Galbatorix and how easily he could be controlled. His hunger for power fought against his love for Taya, causing his mind to be turmoil of thoughts and emotions.

As he wandered the halls of Uru'baen, he found that his wandering had led him towards Taya's wing of the castle, and he stopped, wanting no part of the Hljodhr Evarinya. Only, they seemed to be following him everywhere and watching him like hawks, as they appeared to be now. As he stopped, two cloaked figures stepped around a corner ahead of him, and they were instantly recognizable as Captain Melcar Di'Acor and Lieutenant Larton Zax. The two stopped immediately, and after surveying the situation, Melcar raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're back." He said, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I am." Murtagh growled. "And I would prefer to be left alone."

"Ahh, so no social visiting." Zax said softly, and Melcar snapped at him.

"Enough!" The captain turned to Murtagh. "Does that mean we still do not have a departure time?"

Murtagh narrowed his eyes, disliking the situation and especially Zax's comment, although he and Zax had never gotten along quite well. They only tolerated each other, so his comment wasn't too unexpected. "I have only just returned. I will inform you when we will depart." With that, he turned abruptly and stalked off, leaving the two Hljodhr Evarinya behind. He didn't see them exchange curious looks, nor did he care if they did.

To escape from people, Murtagh left the inside of the castle and retreated to the sparring fields. The sky was overcast and the air smelled of rain, but the weather fit his mood and so he found comfort outside, if only a little.

There were a few people on the main field, and they stopped when they saw him stalking towards them. But he passed them by and went to the secondary field, which was half hidden by buildings and a few trees.

He stopped by the back wall and sat down with his back against the wall, sighing heavily. He looked up at the castle, and was staring directly at Taya's wing and the balcony to her room. There was a garden separating the sparring field from the castle, and the garden was hers and it was where her two dogs still resided.

When they were younger, Murtagh had used to spar with Tornac in the secondary field, and was often observed by Taya from her balcony. Thinking that, he thought back to the most memorable time that had happened, which had been on her 16th birthday, and at that moment he felt the weight of her pendant he was wearing around his neck.

*Flashback*

"Move your feet, Murtagh! You are being slow today!" Tornac yelled at Murtagh, swiping at his legs. Murtagh barely blocked his trainer, and he growled back.

"You're going faster today!"

"I'm not being lazy, like you are." Tornac shot back, successfully causing Murtagh to retaliate furiously. After a moment of blows they both stepped away and circled each other.

"It looks like your sweetheart is watching you from her balcony today, Murtagh." Tornac said evenly. Murtagh rolled his eyes but failed to look away from Tornac. He'd fallen for that trick too many times.

He and Tornac were training on the secondary field, which was behind Taya Corsallen's wing of the castle, and she had a perfect view of the field from her balcony. Murtagh had a feeling that she stood there sometimes to attempt to distract him from his sparring, and that feeling included the thought that she and Tornac had some sort of deal. He only thought that because Tornac never stopped her or got angry. He just reprimanded Murtagh's focus severely.

"Isn't it her birthday today?" Tornac asked as he struck at Murtagh, who in turn struck back at him.

"Yes, it is."

"Are you doing anything special for her?"

"I got her something."

"When are you going to give it to her?"

"When we are finished today."

"Ahh"

Murtagh narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure it wasn't too late. She looks pretty anxious up there."

Murtagh's head snapped up and his eyes locked on the figure up on the balcony, pacing back and forth. She paused when she saw him looking, and then Murtagh whirled to block Tornac just in time and deliver a surprising blow to Tornac's hip.

"Well," Tornac said dryly, "maybe you should look up at her more often when she is there. That was the best reflex action I've gotten from you in a while."

Murtagh cocked an eyebrow and then shifted his sword, knowing another bout was inevitable. "Let's just get this over with."

"What makes you think I'll let you go anytime soon after that move?

Murtagh motioned towards the castle with his head. "She does seem pretty anxious." He said calmly.

Tornac laughed, and lowered his sword, grinning at Murtagh's confusion.

"We've been at this for a while. I think we'll end it on a good note today."

"That I don't believe." Murtagh stared at his trainer in amazement.

"Believe it, kid. I told her that I wouldn't keep you too, too long today… What are you still standing there for?!"

Murtagh rolled his eyes at his trainer, but picked up his scabbard and belted it on, sheathing his sword quickly.

"Thanks, Tornac." He said as he turned and jogged towards the castle.

"I won't be so easy on you next time!" Tornac yelled after him, but Murtagh chose not to reply.

Yes, yes Tornac. I'm sure you will. He thought to himself with a grin.

Murtagh entered Taya's garden through a door that was rather well hidden by ivy, and was greeted loudly by Taya's two long-legged and scrawny pups, Danva and Shollana. Their chorus of yelps surely made his arrival known, but when he looked up at Taya's balcony she was no longer standing there.

He made his way through the iron gate leading from the garden into the castle, and took the steps up two at a time. His muscles protested after being worked on the sparring fields, but that was the last thing on his mind. He rounded a corner and had gone only a little ways when ahead of him one of Taya's bodyguards appeared. Murtagh could tell it was one of the Hljodhr Evarinya by the cloak and the barely visible crest on the man's left collarbone.

"Hello Murtagh." The man greeted, and Murtagh recognized the voice of Zen Drayson.

"Hello Zen." He replied evenly, not surprised by his escort. Murtagh thought that out of all her bodyguards, Zen was the most protective. This could be for a number of reasons, he knew. One more than the others always came to mind, though.

"I haven't seen you in a few days." Zen commented good-naturedly as he fell into step beside Murtagh. "We were beginning to wonder what had happened to you."

Murtagh raised an eyebrow at him, but Zen didn't seem to notice.

"Training time has doubled apparently, at the king's request."

"So how were you able to get away so soon today?"

Murtagh frowned ever so slightly at Zen's question, and then realized that Taya must not have told him about her deal with Tornac. He decided not to be the one to tell the bodyguard.

"I can imagine Tornac had an ulterior motive." He said casually, immediately following the statement with a question. "Has anything been going on the last couple of days?"

If Zen thought anything of his reply, he did not show it.

"Well, besides the news that Galbatorix is picking some new 'personal guards', and news of the King's invitation to two influential lords to come to the castle for some special meeting, Taya has been rather reclusive and secretive. I am thoroughly stumped as to what she is doing, because we can hear her doing something in her room and she's gone to find some very random tools, but she hasn't told us what she's doing or let us investigate."

"That is odd. She usually can't keep a secret, not when it is really important." Murtagh said, more to himself than Zen.

Zen laughed and commented dryly. "I think she has a few secrets yet untold."

"You know what I meant." Murtagh growled, and to his relief they approached Taya's quarters, so Zen didn't have a chance to reply. But he did look rather perturbed. Luckily they were friends… sort of.

Before Zen could even knock, the door opened and Taya stood framed in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to get here." She said matter-of-factly, looking at Murtagh. "I was afraid you had gotten lost!"

Murtagh merely stared at her in amusement, and she chuckled. "Just kidding. Come in!" She motioned them in, and Zen followed Murtagh closely and then stepped off to the side and positioned himself by Taya's desk. Murtagh looked around her spacious room, trying to see if she'd left any trace of her secret activity Zen had mentioned. The only things different that he noticed in the room was that her large table by her double bookshelves was covered with stuff, the curtains of the double doors to her balcony were a different color, and all around the room on the walls and on her desk were strange candle lights, which were shaded by a deep emerald colored glass. Regular candles burned too, but the green ones were very peculiar. He looked from Taya to the light on her desk and back to her, his expression asking his question. Again, Taya grinned.

"It's called the Emara Light." Taya walked to her desk and gently flicked the glass of the candle, and it emitted a strange hum as the flame flickered higher for a split second and then returned to normal. "The glass came from Kuasta, and is rather rare. The Light supposedly flickers higher when there is danger." There was a twinkle in her eyes as she looked from Zen to Murtagh as she spoke.

"So how did you come by such fascinating decorations?" Murtagh asked curiously.

"The glass and candles came from Lady Elrina Vertila, who remembered, somehow, my love for the color, and as she knows who I am, I guess she thought that they might be somewhat useful."

"Do they work?" Zen asked.

"Well, usually it makes a funky sound like it just did." Taya shrugged, but Murtagh noticed that the twinkle in her eyes seemed to brighten, especially when Zen's expression hardened. "But I have come to think it only does that with contact to the glass. I only got it to make noise without me touching it once."

"How?"

Taya motioned to one of the lights on the wall, and the two of them noticed a little spot an inch or so away from the light. "I threw a knife at the wall." She said simply.

"Oh." Was all Zen said after that, and Taya stared at him for a long minute, and then made a shooing motion at him with her hands.

"Go stand outside the door or something, Zen. You're beginning to worry me. But don't you worry, because if there is danger, my 'fascinating decorations' will alert you."

Murtagh hid a satisfied grin as Zen hesitated, but after a moment he nodded and left the room rather stiffly. Once he was gone, Taya slapped Murtagh on the shoulder.

"Don't look so smug!" She hissed. "You'll only make him worse! He'll stand at the other side of the hall until you leave, I know it."

"That makes me feel special." Murtagh drawled, and Taya shook her head with a grin.

"You should, but he does this with everyone… usually. But you really do look too smug. So knock it off or I'll kick you out. With that said, I'm glad Tornac kept up his end of the deal!"

Murtagh laughed, but took her comment beforehand seriously. "Yes ma'am. Only you could make a deal with him that involved getting me out of training for a day. How-"

"No, don't ask me how I did it. I might be able to pull it off again. That's unlikely, but there's still a chance. But you didn't look too bad out there today."

"I didn't feel too bad either, but you looked rather anxious, if I may say."

"I admit I was getting rather impatient."

"Might I ask why?"

"You might, but I won't answer you yet."

Murtagh gave her a humorous stare, and then untied a pouch from his belt. Taya looked at it curiously, trying to guess its contents, and then she gently took it from him when he held it out to her.

"Your present." He said simply, but he was rather excited to see what she thought. Her face lit up and she was obviously trying to contain her own excitement as she untied the leather binding the opening end.

Her eyes widened as she pulled out a sleek, ivory hilted knife, sheathed in a brown leather scabbard with beautiful ivy patterns tooled on it.

"Murtagh!" She exclaimed. "How did you know? I thought he wasn't going to sell it!"

"I knew you would like it." He said smugly. "I didn't know if you would remember it. And it might spoil the gift if you knew how I got it."

"What did you do!?" Taya gasped, almost glaring at him.

"Nothing to speak of."

"Murtagh…"

"You'd never believe me."

"I can hardly see you pleading with him either." Taya said sarcastically. "I distinctly remember him saying that he was saving it for someone special and it was only displayed to see if there was any interest in the design."

Finally he couldn't hold back a smile. "He was saving it for someone special. The knife was made especially for you."

"…what?"

"Now I really won't tell you how I managed it."

Taya narrowed her eyes and sat down on the arm of her couch, folding her hands on her lap. "I am all ears." She said pointedly. "I don't think I have seen you in such a good mood in a while, Murtagh. I'm going to remember this day."

He ignored the last part of her comment and leaned against her desk. "If you must know, I got your hand measurements from Kyra, and Tornac recommended this man for the job, who turned out to be a very hard man to work with. I don't think he cared for me in the beginning, especially when I demanded that particular ivory. We argued for a while about it, too. I think he was going to do it from the start, looking back, but I also think he wanted to see what I'd do, and if I'd stick with him. Of course, Tornac warned me that he might be difficult, and I obviously did not give up."

Taya was looking down at the knife, so he couldn't see her reaction to his tale. He watched as she turned the knife over and over, and he knew that he had done well.

"Thank you, Murtagh." She looked up, beaming at him. "It is absolutely wonderful." Taya stood and before he knew it she had given him a hug.

"Now, I have something to show you." She said mischievously, and went around to the other side of her desk. Murtagh watched as she unlocked a drawer and pulled out a light colored wooden box with gold designs and a lock. Taya positioned herself beside him, and with a smile she opened the box.

Inside were two gemstone necklaces side by side, one a dark ruby and the other a deep emerald. Each gem was encircled by a silver band, which attached to a silver chain. The gems were not large, but they were not small either.

"That one," She said, pointing at the ruby, "is yours."

"Mine?" Murtagh stared at her incredulously.

"Yours. I tried to make it look more masculine so you wouldn't feel too weird about wearing a necklace."

Hesitantly he picked it up by the chain, and froze when he held it up to the light and he watched as it slowly changed colors to match the other gem, the emerald. He slowly looked back at Taya, and still smiling she picked up the emerald necklace and held it up beside his, and it too slowly changed color, to ruby.

"That's… impressive." He managed, and when he removed his gem from the light it quickly changed back to ruby. "You said that you made these?"

Taya looked quite proud of herself. "I did. I've been working on these for a long time. Oh, I have had a great deal of help. I had to tweak the gems cuts to change colors in the way that they do, which was not easy. I did work with a jeweler for a while so I wouldn't mess it up."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you make these? And why give it to me on your birthday?"

"What, I can't give a gift on my own birthday?" She scoffed, and then at his expression she became more serious.

"The gems are from the same rock. No matter what happens in the future, I wanted you to have something to remember me by, and when I found this stone I thought it was perfect. It's something to say, when I cannot personally, that I care." She said the last part so simply that he almost missed it, but he caught it and knew exactly what it meant.

"Thank you, Taya."

"You're welcome, Murtagh."

Without hesitating he took her emerald necklace and clasped it around her neck, and then ignoring the fact that he was putting on a necklace, he clasped his own around his neck.

Taya was beaming when he looked back at her. "You get high marks for refraining from saying what you were thinking." She teased, causing him to laugh.

"Only you could compel me to wear anything like it."

"Then you will be happy when I tell you that it looks perfect."

He looked at her necklace, the color of which made her eyes stand out dramatically.

"Perfect is certainly the right word to use." He said seriously, and he hugged her.

*End Flashback*

Two and a half years later they were both in the position to not care at all, but Murtagh still wore the ruby around his neck. He took it off then and stared at it, moving it back and forth in the light, watching it change colors. It had never tarnished or scratched, and he didn't know if that was just the properties of the gem and metal, or if there was something more to it.

Staring at the stone, he once again saw her expression as he had regained control over himself and found that he was choking her to death.

She had known that he was coming. She had even been waiting for him. How, and why? Why had she not tried to run, to save herself? She was stuck, poisoned and dying in Dras'leona.

There was an image in his mind of her when he'd first entered her room, of her turning towards him. She had been afraid, but there had also been confidence… which he had shattered by letting Galbatorix take control of him and by his hand he had become her executioner.

Murtagh! Thorn suddenly protested angrily, causing Murtagh to jerk, and he could feel his dragon smash his tail against the floor of the dragon hold. Enough of this wallowing, you are making a fool of yourself! I will not have my rider acting like some beaten, good-for-nothing, unimportant human child. This was not your choice, and unless you tarnish your memory of her so much, she will know that. You and I do not know what passed between her and Galbatorix, but do you think she wouldn't notice what was going on?

You saw her expression, Thorn. I will never forget it. I did that to her.

Nor should you forget it. But you should not call yourself her executioner. She is not dead.

Murtagh leaned his head back against the wall, looking into the cloudy sky.

She may not be dead, Thorn, but her chances of surviving are almost non-existent… A sudden thought occurred to him as he said that, and he straightened. He had thought it before, but it meant something to him now.

Why had she been waiting for him, in a place where she had no friends and where she would be stranded and poisoned, with no chance of worthy help?

His eyes narrowed.

She had to have help. Taya would not have stayed in Dras'leona for so long without a good reason. He said to Thorn, and the dragon agreed.

Only, Murtagh continued thoughtfully, there was no one else there… I couldn't feel any outside fear, and Taya was scared, but not as scared as she would have been if she was worried about someone else.

Do you think she could have hidden this person or these people from us?

She must have, Thorn. That's the only way any of this could make sense.

Then there is a chance that these people could get to the Varden before the poison kills her?

Murtagh sighed. She has hardly any time. They couldn't make it fast enough, not with her in the condition she is in.

Thorn snorted. I thought you learned a long time ago not to underestimate Taya.

I am not underestimating anyone, Thorn. I am estimating her companions, whoever they may be.

And how do you know they are not as tenacious and determined as Taya?

I doubt it, Thorn. I doubt it.

Then you doubt Taya, because I cannot imagine Taya entrusting her life to anyone who was incapable of protecting it.

Murtagh felt a chill go up his back.

The Hljodhr Evarinya.

If they knew… if they ever found out about what he had done, willingly or unwillingly…

They were always there for her, no matter what. Now look what has happened. She may have been thinking that she was doing something good by escaping, Thorn, but I don't believe she was right. Everything is worse.

And what if she had stayed? We do not know what would have happened, Murtagh. But like we cannot doubt Taya, we cannot doubt the Hljodhr Evarinya. They are a strong group of humans. But I agree. It would not be wise for them to know what has happened. Taya was right to leave them in the dark about her escape, for them not to know her fate.

Now I must lead them to their deaths… which is worse?

No one's death is certain yet. Stop thinking that.

I wonder how you can continue thinking like that Thorn, with all that is going on. I wonder how you are able to.

Thorn paused, seeing his underlying meaning.

I may be his servant, Murtagh, but I can still state what is true. We all may die soon, but we have yet to. So therefore no one's death is certain… yet. We do not know the future, or what might have been.

Murtagh looked down at the gem still in his hands, and he slowly clasped it back around his neck and stood up. No matter what Thorn said, now that he had returned from his mission, he had to gather his forces and prepare them to move, to whatever end that awaited them.

The Hljodhr Evarinya. The title continued playing across his mind as he made his way back into the castle, and he kept seeing those bodyguards who had faced death and survived, with help.

'Then you doubt Taya, because I cannot imagine Taya entrusting her life to anyone who was incapable of protecting it'. Where was Taya and her mysterious companion, or companions? Did they really have a chance?

There was a knock on the door, and Melcar Di'Acor went to open it.

"Ahh, thanks for getting here so quickly, Larel." He said, allowing Larel Katzia to enter. The young man nodded.

"I wasn't far. I hear that Murtagh is back."

Larton Zax nodded from where he was by the fireplace. "It's true. And it was quite the return."

"Larton, I told you, enough! This isn't the time to be a smart-aleck." Melcar snapped at him for the second time that day, and Larton leaned back in his chair.

"I was merely commenting on what I heard. I wasn't trying to get you worked up into a dither, Melcar, but it seems I have. My apologies. I'll shut up now."

"First, before you shut up," Larel said with a raised eyebrow, "tell me what's going on so that I can be on the same page. Obviously I missed something, and obviously I am a part of something. All I heard was that Murtagh had come back and had almost the whole castle stepping lightly. He apparently didn't seem very happy."

"And when our glorious Red Rider isn't happy, no one is happy." Larton quipped, and Melcar growled.

"And when your captain isn't happy, neither should you be."

Larton quieted down at that, and quickly went back to the main topic. "No, Murtagh was not happy. I heard from one of the servants that Galbatorix was quite pleased with the results of Murtagh's mission, but Murtagh failed to be so pleased. The servant said he looked as if he had been condemned, not congratulated."

Melcar sighed heavily, and then explained to Larel. "Larton and I ran into him in Taya's wing. We'd heard that he was back and decided to go see where he was. When we turned a corner there he was, looking like an angry, condemned and lost man. His mission was not to his liking, and there are very few things that would make Murtagh like he was."

Larel stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't think…"

"I don't know, and I won't think about it. I highly doubt it, mainly because of the timing. He was only gone for a few days. But Galbatorix was indeed very pleased. And that is not good for us. Murtagh was abrupt when I inquired if we didn't have a departure time. Just the look on his face made it very clear that was the last thing he wanted to think about. This whole ordeal does not sit well with me."

"When has it?" Larton retorted, and to Larel's surprise Melcar didn't reprimand him, but sighed again.

"Sadly, you're right Larton. It never has, not from the day Taya escaped." He could really only say this in Larton and Larel's company, with the exception of Xackzan and one or two others, as they thought as he did that Taya had actually escaped instead of having something else happen to her. "My guess is that when Murtagh gets a hold of himself he will start preparing for the next mission, which involves us. That means we have to be prepared as well. Everyone else will hear that Murtagh is back soon enough. I want you two to make sure that they all realize how soon we will leave. Thank goodness Myra and Shiana have already left."

"They should be close to halfway to Dras'leona by now." Larel mused. "While I see Kell's skepticism about them going to Dras'leona, Furnost would have been too far, too much off the beaten path… and too close to where we will be."

"We couldn't travel fast enough to catch up with them." Larton protested, but Melcar shook his head.

"We are trained soldiers, Larton, and they are two families with provisions. I do not think that Murtagh will go slow with us. I think he will push us to the brink of our strength."

"That doesn't sound smart." Larel commented dryly.

The comment made a ghost of a smile appear on Melcar's face. "No, it certainly is not. If only mutiny was so easy."

Larel made a weird face. "If only you couldn't read my mind so easily."

Larton cleared his throat. "Back on topic."

"Right." Melcar said, and he looked between the two men, hoping for some miracle that would keep them all safe. "At that, you know what you have to do."

They nodded, and quickly left the room together, leaving Melcar to himself.

The order would come that evening, he thought. He did not expect them to still be in Uru'baen in two days. Murtagh's small strike force was on alert, knowing what would happen when he came back from his unexpected mission. They were as ready as they would ever be.

Melcar walked over to the window and opened it, and a few sprinkles landed on his face. The sky had darkened in the last hour. There would be another storm that night, undoubtedly. He looked out, seeing a good portion of the city and beyond, shadowed by the grey clouds, and he wondered for the first time in a while about his only living family, his older brother Raelack. He thought about it, and didn't think it was so odd that he hadn't thought of him in a while. It had been years since he'd seen him, and their last meeting had not been under the best circumstances. He didn't even know if Raelack was still alive. Melcar had a feeling that he was still alive, and he wondered how he was faring, wherever he was. He hoped better than he, Melcar, was.

His thoughts turned back to the Hljodhr Evarinya, and he closed his eyes. They were good people, the best he had ever known. He didn't want anything to happen to them. He would not lose his family all over again. Taya's escape struck a chord somewhere inside him, and he longed to know if she was safe.

We will find you someday, Taya… or maybe you will find us.