Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon; Thorn. An evil king has been toppled; and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone; exiled to the outskirts of society. Throughout the land; hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air - and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untravelled; where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal; from brains to brawn; to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems. In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini's blockbuster Inheritance Cycle; a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return.