Argon raised his staff, and suddenly Thor heard a roar.
He turned and saw a lion walking towards them, quickly, and as Argon moved his hand, the lion followed the direction of Argon’s palm. It came up to Argon, sat beside him, and stared out at Thor. Tranquil. Obedient.
Thor was speechless.
“I can’t believe it,” Thor said.
“That is precisely your problem,” Argon said. “If you cannot believe, you cannot create. Because you don’t see it, you don’t manifest it. You must learn to trust yourself. You know more than you think possible.”
Suddenly, a great flash came and Argon disappeared—and the lion with him.
Thor looked about, in every direction, but they were gone.
Thor felt exhausted, but also stronger. He felt as if he had trained all day. He had taken an important step, and he felt his skills developing. But he still knew there was much left to learn, and he wondered if he would ever be able to master it all.
How vast were his powers? What was his destiny? How was he supposed to help the Ring?
Until he met his parents, somehow, he felt, he would never solve the mystery.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Gwendolyn stood amidst the rolling hills on the beautiful Fall day, Krohn playing beside her, flowers in bloom as far as the eye could see, the landscape a tapestry of purples and yellows and whites. She took a deep breath, took aim with her bow, and let the arrow fly.
It whizzed through the air, and barely grazed the target on the distant oak tree. She frowned. It was her tenth attempt at this target, and each time she missed. When she had been younger, she had spent years training with the royal archer, and her aim had been true. She hadn’t picked up the bow in years, and she had just expected her aim to be accurate. But it wasn’t. Perhaps it was because she was older, or perhaps whatever skill she’d once had just wasn’t with her anymore.
Gwen set the bow down and breathed the air in deeply, enjoying her surroundings. She had come out here to clear her mind, to try to get her mind off of Thor. Krohn yelped and pounced in the fields, chasing a rabbit, and she smiled at the sight. He been a true companion since Thor had left, and seeing him made her constantly think of him, and gave her a sense of assurance. She loved Krohn as if he were her own, she could feel his protectiveness, and was so grateful for it. He was growing every day, before her eyes, and was well on his way to becoming a full grown leopard. Sometimes she would look at him and be afraid, until he looked back at her and she saw the love in his eyes.
Gwen looked out at the beautiful fall day, saw the light shifting in the clouds, the distant swaying of the trees, and the field of flowers seemed alive as the wind pushed the colors one way, then the next. As she watched the horizon, she thought of Thor. He was somewhere out there, in that village, rebuilding. She wondered what he was doing right now. She had put on a strong face when she had said goodbye, but inside, her heart had been breaking. She ached to see him again, missed him beyond what she could describe, and she wished more than anything that he was here with her, right now.
Gwen also felt a craving to leave this place. She did not feel safe here anymore, since the attempt on her life, since the Nevaruns had showed up to take her way. She felt some measure of safety living here in her mother’s keep, far from the castle, and spending her time secluded from the others, in these hills. She also felt a measure of safety with Krohn here, and in knowing that Thor return soon. She couldn’t wait until he returned and the two of them could leave this place for good. In the meantime, she prayed that Godfrey could find the evidence they all needed to bring down Gareth once and for all. If he could, she would not even need to flee; but Gareth seemed indomitable, and she had her doubts whether they would ever be able to bring him down.
Gwen saw Thor’s face in her mind, and she remembered back to that moment when he looked as if he were about to ask her something. And then something like fear had crossed his face.