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Thor ran through the night, through the chaotic streets of King&039;s Court, amazed at the commotion around his of people hurrying about in an agitated stir Many carried torches, lighting up the night, casting stark shadows on faces, while the castle bells tolled incessantly It was a low ring, co once a minute, and Thor knehat that meant: death Death bells And there was only one person in the kingdo

Thor&039;s heart pounded as he wondered He saw that dagger from his dream flash before his eyes Had it been true?

He had to know for sure He reached out and grabbed a passerby, a boy running the opposite direction

"Where are you going?" Thor demanded "What is all this commotion?"

"Haven&039;t you heard?" the boy shot back, frantic "Our king is dying Stabbed Mobs are foret the news If it&039;s true, it&039;s terrible for us all Can you i?"

With that, the boy shoved Thor&039;s hand off and turned and ran back into the night

Thor stood there, his heart pounding, not wanting to acknowledge the reality all around him He could hardly believe it His dreams, his premonitions - they were more than fancies He had seen the future Twice And that scared hietting stronger with each passing day Where would this all lead?

Thor stood there, trying to figure out where to go next He had escaped, but now he had no idea where to turn Surely within &039;s Court - would be out looking out for hiuilty But then again, the fact that MacGil was stabbed while Thor was in prison - wouldn&039;t that vindicate him? Or would it make him seem like part of a conspiracy?

Thor couldn&039;t take any chances Clearly, the kingdoht - it seemed that everyone around hioat He needed to find shelter, soo where he could ride out the storo, he kneould be far froe - or even farther, as far froet

But Thor did not want to take the safest route; it was not who he was He wanted to stay here, to clear his naion He was not a coward, and he did not run Most of all, he wanted to see MacGil before he died, assu he was still alive He needed to see hiuilt that he hadn&039;t been able to stop the assassination Why had he been doo he could do about it? And why had he envisioned hi poisoned when he was, in fact, stabbed?

As Thor stood there, debating, it came to him: Reese Reese was the one person he could trust not to turn hiive him safe harbor He sensed that Reese would believe hienuine, and if anyone had a chance of clearing Thor&039;s name, it would be Reese He had to find hih the back alleys, twisting and turning against the crowd, as he ran away fro&039;s Gate, towards the castle He knehere Reese&039;s roo, close to the outer city wall - and he only hoped that Reese was inside If he was, maybe he could catch his attention, help hi that if he lingered here, in the streets, he would soon be recognized And when this nized him, it would tear him to bits

As Thor turned down street after street, his feet slipping in the ht, he finally reached the stone wall of the outer raside it, just beneath the eyes of the watchful soldiers who stood every few feet

As he neared Reese&039;s , he reached down and picked up a sotten to strip hi, and he extracted it from his waist, placed the stone, reached back, and hurled it

With his flawless ai over the castle wall and perfectly into the open-airof Reese&039;s room Thor heard the stone clack into the inner wall, then waited, ducking low along the wall to escape detection by the King&039;s guards, who flinched at the noise

Nothing happened for several moments, and Thor&039;s heart dropped, as he wondered if Reese was not in his room after all If not, Thor would have to flee this place; there was no other way for hi, as he waited, watching the opening by Reese&039;s

After what felt like an eternity, Thor was about to turn ahen he saw a figure lean his head out the , brace both palms on the sill, and look around with a puzzled expression

Thor stood, darting out several steps away froh

Reese looked down and noticed hinition, visible in the torchlight even from here, and, Thor was relieved to see joy on his face That told him all he needed to know: Reese would not turn hinaled for hi low just as a guard turned his way

Thor waited for he did not kno long, ready at any uards, until finally Reese appeared, bursting through a door in the outer wall, breathing hard as he looked both ways and spotted Thor

Reese hurried over and e, and looked down to see, to his delight, Krohn, bundled up in Reese&039;s shirt Krohn nearly jumped out of the shirt as Reese reached down and handed hied hi Thor&039;s face

Reese smiled

"When they took you away, he tried to follow you, and I took him to make sure he was safe"

Thor clasped Reese&039;s forear hi hiuards will hear us"

Krohn quieted, as if he understood

"How did you escape?" Reese asked, surprised

Thor shrugged He did not quite knohat to say He still felt unco about his powers, which he did not understand He didn&039;t want others to think of hiuess," he responded "I saw an opportunity and I took it"