Thor looked at the book with a new respect. He pulled back its heavy lid, and flipped through its pages, crinkling as he went, running his hand along the ancient, handwritten script which he could not understand.
“What else does it say?” he asked.
“It talks of the eighth MacGil ruler,” she said. “It says that he will bring destruction to the Ring unlike any we have ever known. Yet he will also bring great change and the Great Peace. It is a mysterious prophecy. All the others are clear, but this one is vague. I do not understand it. Neither does Aberthol. If Argon does, he is not telling us. I have checked all the sources, and I can get no clarity. Our best guess is that this book is unfinished.”
Gwen reached over, closed the book, and looked deeply into Thor’s eyes, with an intensity unlike any he’d ever seen. Her eyes shone with scholarship.
“Do you understand what this means?” she asked. “If I am to rule, I will be the eighth MacGil ruler. That is me. I do not wish to be the harbinger of destruction. This prophecy, it scares me. I can’t help but feel as if I’m a cog in the wheel of destiny, as if I’m destined to bring some great doom on my people, no matter how hard I try. Unless of course, I am killed, and the eighth MacGil ruler is someone else.”
Thor sat there, trying to follow her quick wit, her bouncing between books with a dexterity unlike any he’d ever seen, her depth of knowledge. He tried to process it all. He was about to ask her more questions, when suddenly a horn sounded from high up above, from the top floor of the building, echoing down the spiral staircase, all the way down to this chamber.
Suddenly Gwen stood, looking alarmed.
“Aberthol,” she said. “He never sounds the horn unless it is pressing, unless someone has arrived here for me.”
She hurried from the room, and the two of them climbed up the flights of stairs, circling all the way to the top, then continued down the corridor and out the front door, Krohn following.
Thor raised his hands to the harsh sunlight, squinting, as he made out the figures before him. He was surprised to see his friends-Reece, O’Connor, Elden, the twins-along with several Legion members, on horseback, waiting for him.
“Sorry to break this up,” Reece said, “but Kolk’s orders. We need to go. The Legion has been dispatched for rebuilding. Squadrons are already beginning to line up, and you are captain now. They won’t leave without you.”
Thor felt his stomach drop at the thought of leaving Gwen, but he nodded back to the others.
“I’ll be there momentarily,” Thor said. “Go ahead without me.”
Reece nodded in understanding, and corralled the others, and they turned and galloped away, back down the hill.
Thor turned to Gwen and saw the distress in her eyes. It was their final moment, before he left. He needed to ask her the question. Now, more than ever. But he saw the sadness in her eyes, and he did not feel that the time was right.
“Will you be safe here, alone?” Thor asked.
She nodded gravely.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”
“But you can’t stay in the castle,” Thor said, concerned. “Not with Gareth there. It is not safe.”
She shook her head.
“I will stay at my mother’s castle. No one knows of it. I’ll await your return there.”
“When I return, if you have not found a way to depose Gareth, we will flee this place together. I will bring you to a place of safety.”
“There is nothing to worry for,” she said. “Gareth tried to ship me off, and he failed. There’s no way he can harm me now. Too many soldiers are aware of his treachery. I will be fine. And you will be back in a short period of time.”
“Let me, at least, leave Krohn with you,” Thor said.
Krohn, beside them, whined, and jumped onto Gwen, licking her.
“He will watch over you here, in my absence,” Thor added. “And when I return, we will be together. Forever this time.”
Thor leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back. He felt transported by that kiss, and he held it as long as he could. A cool fall breeze rushed over them, and he wanted this moment to last forever.
Slowly, he pulled back. There was a tear in Gwen’s eyes.
“I love you,” Thor said.
“I love you too,” she answered.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Gwen stood there, outside the House of Scholars, and watched as Thor disappeared yet again, riding into the horizon with his Legion members. Once again, she felt a pit in her stomach. She did not feel the same sense of desperation she’d felt when he’d left for the Hundred; it was different, since at least this time he would be coming home soon, and this time he was not risking his life in a dangerous place, but merely helping villages rebuild close to home. He would also be surrounded by loyal friends, and she felt confident he’d be safe; and she, for her part, had Krohn by her side, had her mother’s castle to hide in, and had the other soldiers behind her, who were now at least aware of the depth of Gareth’s treachery.
Yet still, she could not help but feel overwhelmed with a sense of sadness, of longing. In some ways, it was harder this time. She loved him more. More than she had ever loved anybody. She loved him with a love that was hard to explain, that even she did not understand. He was so kind, and sensitive, and loyal, and protective, and proud. It hurt her when he was gone. She wanted him close all the time. And as she reached down and felt her stomach, she sensed that she carried his child. With every move she took, every gesture she made, her body felt different. She felt an energy welling within her, an ever-present feeling. She felt a sense of peace. And that made her miss him all the more.
And even though he was leaving for a peaceful mission, these were troubled times, and one never knew what could happen, even close to home, even on a peaceful mission. A part of her feared for him. And a part of her still feared for herself: she had come too close to being taken away by the Nevaruns, and it had rattled her. Gareth’s treachery never seemed to amaze her, and while she felt supported by the show of arms from the Silver, and the King’s men, she also feared her brother. She was still in danger here. Staying in her mother’s castle would provide her with some security for now-but not for the long run. She and Godfrey would have to find a legal way to oust Gareth soon-or else, she realized, she would have to leave this place for good.
More than ever, Gwen needed to see Argon, to know what the future would hold; but she knew that seeking him out would be a waste of time. He appeared when and if he wanted to, and if he didn’t, she would never find him.
So instead, Gwen walked across the hilltop, watching Thor as he disappeared, farther and farther. Krohn whined beside her and leaned against her leg, virtually sticking to her side; she looked down and smiled, and he licked her hand as she stroked his head. She felt reassured beyond words to have him there; it was like having a piece of Thor with her. He was morphing into a full-grown leopard, and while he was still just a puppy in her eyes, she could see from the frightened looks of others that he was a savage beast in the eyes of others.
She looked back up and wiped a tear as she watched Thor’s contingent fade into the horizon, swallowed in a cloud of dust.
“A horizon of faded dreams,” came a voice.
Gwen did not need to turn to know whose voice it was. She felt overwhelmed with relief. Argon.
Gwen turned slowly and saw him standing there, beside her, a few feet away, wearing his robes, holding his staff, looking out over the horizon as if watching Thor leave with her; she did not know how he got there. He was such a mystery to her. But she felt comforted by his presence.
She turned away, watching the horizon beside him, and smiled.
“Thank you for being here,” she said. “You must have sensed my desire to see you.”
“I always answer when a King summons me,” he said. “If it is a true summons. And a true King.”