thing in the world to slip her hand into his, even though there were no crowds to battle through here and she didn’t fear losing him. They walked down to the waterside, and Henrik gaped at the giant ships.
“The scale,” he repeated in awe. “They are whole cities.”
Gwen had never seen the locks, either, and they were both sightseers together, marveling at the scope of the engineering and wandering down the length of the shopping district, stopping to read all the informational signs and drop quarters into the telescopes.
They watched the slow rise and fall of the water until Gwen was shivering, and Henrik insisted that they return to the car.
There was a dusting of snow on Daniella’s car, and they hurried to brush it off and warm it up.
On their way home, to Gwen’s surprise, Henrik opened up about his own world. “We do not have wonders quite like yours,” he said thoughtfully, watching the landscape zoom by. “But there are many beautiful places. The waterfalls of Aeron are considered a marvel of magic. They are as tall as one of those ships is long, and the water will heal injury and repair a despondency. There are butterflies that live only there that can leach pain from someone who is suffering, and the bird cries are a more beautiful music even than your rock music.
“The gates of Fallesh are mountains so high that no one can survive to their peaks, though it is rumored that the magic there is of such purity that no ill can be done with it.”
He talked about glowing bugs like fireflies that fed on unwanted memories, and creatures like foxes with wings that could find lost things if the right questions were asked.
“Do you miss it?” Gwen asked. They hadn’t bothered to put music on for their drive home; Henrik’s beautiful voice was enough for her as he spoke of the world he’d left behind.
He was silent a moment, then said simply, “It has fallen. My place now is here, to ensure that it does not happen again in your world.”
When they arrived at Ansel’s big house, Gwen pulled the car into Daniella’s parking space and they got out and walked to the front door.
There they paused and Gwen wondered for a breathless moment if Henrik was going to kiss her before they went in.
He took her hands in his own, and looked down at her with a curious expression of longing and sadness. She tipped her head up, but he did not offer to bend down. Before she could gather her courage to ask him for a kiss, Fabio alerted to the fact that they were there and began baying in enthusiastic welcome. The moment was broken.
They went inside, and Henrik was immediately plied for details about the wonders of Sault Saint Marie and their outing.
11
Henrik swiftly realized that Gwen was not only a skilled warrior, but also a patient and capable teacher. She wore a simple uniform of white early the following day, with a black belt tied at her waist.
“When you use Tang Soo Do, it’s not just about fighting,” she explained to Henrik. “There are eight key concepts: courage, concentration, endurance, honesty, humility, control of your power, tension and release, and control of your speed. Some schools also add justice and connection. But it is never about hitting people or hurting them. It is about taking control of your own self and being the best person that you can, with your own body, your mind, and your spirit. We will start with a series of basic stances, and build on each form with new techniques.”
She proceeded to demonstrate all of the many forms, in a seamless flow of her body, punctuated by fast kicks and punches and loud cries. Henrik could see at once that control was a very key part of what she did, and it was almost a dance, as much ritual as it was a show of strength, flexibility, and speed. Henrik watched her breathe as she moved, careful and deliberate.
“Do you feel anything, as she does that?” Robin was sitting on Henrik’s shoulder, observing Gwen.
“No,” Henrik said regretfully. “Do you?”
Robin gave a sigh of disappointment.
They had tried several variations of her fighting technique and his, sparring against Henrik’s shieldmates in different configurations, and nothing seemed to work. Everyone agreed that they fought very well together, seamlessly, even, but it was obvious that something was wrong with the magic end of things. Henrik was as blind to