Inheritance

Eragon and the Varden army arrive in Dras-Leona, and Nasuada sends heralds to speak with Lord Tábor, who controls the city. However, the enemy’s herald refuses to speak with the Varden and mocks their offer of peace. The herald then reveals his identity as Murtagh, Eragon’s half-brother, who is bound by a magical oath to obey Galbatorix against his will. Murtagh is also accompanied by his dragon, Thorn, who appears behind him.

Roran has sent the Varden soldiers on different missions to in preparation for his plan. As a result, the camp is left defenseless. The men of Aroughs use this opportunity to send a troop of horsemen to attack the camp, and they also threaten to kill the remaining Varden. As the soldiers approach, Roran orders his forces to hide in the tent and remain quiet while he sets up a table at the edge of the camp. He sits alone at the table and puts on a confident front to confound the approaching enemy. When the horsemen arrive, they stop, and their leader approaches Roran. Roran remains calm and invites the man to have a drink with him, then spills his own drink on the ground to insult the man. The horsemen retreat to the city, confused but believing that Roran is more powerful than he seems.

Roran is awakened in the middle of the night when an unknown attacker tries to assassinate him. He defends himself, sustaining an injury in the process, and kills the assassin. Carn then heals Roran, who is too unsettled by the incident to go back to sleep.

At dawn the next day, Roran and the Varden prepare to attack Aroughs. They have tied several barges together and reinforced them with sacks of flour. The barges are now essentially a giant battering ram. The Varden board the barges, which are released from upstream and gain momentum until they crash into one of the city’s gates. The plan goes well, but the barges are stopped at a second gate and prevented from entering the city. The Varden disembark, fight off the enemy guards, and finally enter the city on foot.

The Varden walk across the city unnoticed, as it is still early. They reach the inner wall, behind which stands Lord Halstead’s castle. Roran and a small contingent of soldiers dispatch the guards posted at one of the gates and open the gates to allow the rest of the Varden army to pass. The alarm is raised, and many Aroughs soldiers come to fight them. Lord Halstead also sends a spellcaster, whom Carn sets himself to battle. However, the duel turns sour, and Carn is killed in a magical explosion. Before he dies, he manages to kill the enemy spellcaster, so Roran and the Varden advance upon the castle. As they look for Lord Halstead, Roran is struck by an arrow and sustains a grievous wound in his back. He orders the Varden to capture Lord Halstead, then passes out when Captain Brigman attempts to remove the arrow.

A while later, Roran, injured and exhausted, is resting in a room of the castle. When Nasuada contacts him via an enchanted mirror, he gives her his report on their victory. The Varden have won Aroughs, which is now controlled by Brigman. Roran, who is now officially a captain in Nasuada’s army, plans to return to Dras-Leona to help with the siege there.

The siege on Dras-Leona is at a standstill. The Varden do not want to risk attacking the city with Murtagh and Thorn present, but so far, they have been unable to find another solution. While Eragon waits for Roran to return, he converses with Orik, who is now king of the Dwarves and has brought his army to Dras-Leona. Orik shares the art of the Thardsvergûndnzmal (the craft of making stone out of dirt), which the Dwarves use as a meditative ritual.

As Eragon and Arya spar together, the young Rider grows more and more frustrated by his inability to best the Elf. They are interrupted by Glaedr, whose telepathic consciousness suddenly emanates from his Eldunarí and puts an end to the fruitless lesson in swordplay. Glaedr teaches Eragon about the importance of gathering knowledge about his opponent: a skill that will enable him to become a great warrior and defeat his powerful enemies. Inspired by Glaedr’s return, Eragon bests Arya several times as they continue sparring under the dragon’s guidance.

Glaedr mentors Eragon in the art of fending off mental attacks. They practice along with Saphira and Arya, but despite Eragon’s progress, there is little time for him to master the skills that he needs.

Eragon, remembering an old lesson from when he first joined the Varden, asks Glaedr to teach him how to replicate an object by summoning its true form. The spell is complex and dangerous, but Eragon masters it. A few days later, Roran finally returns to the Varden camp, where Jeod, Brom’s old friend, unexpectedly approaches him.

Jeod claims that he has found evidence of an old tunnel in Dras-Leona, which could help the Varden invade the city. He produces ancient texts that hint at the presence of the tunnel, but the information is vague and mostly conjecture. Eragon volunteers to search the area where the tunnel may lie. Nasuada agrees, and Eragon is also accompanied by Arya, the Elf spellcaster Wyrden, the Werecat Solembum, and the witch Angela.

At night, the small group goes in search of the tunnel, and Arya finds it. Eragon and his companions enter the tunnel and eventually reach a set of underground rooms, where they find runes describing the history of Tosk, the founder of the religion that is now followed by the priests of Helgrind. The priests of Helgrind worship the monstrous Ra’zac by mutilating themselves and offering living sacrifices. (They were first introduced during the events of Eldest.) Now, a group of their followers suddenly attacks Eragon, Arya, Wyrden, Angela, and the Werecat Solembum. Because the priests are impervious to pain, they are difficult to kill. Angela and Solembum are taken prisoner, and Wyrden is killed. Eragon and Arya attempt to escape their pursuers but are knocked unconscious.