diff --git a/bittensor/dendrite.py b/bittensor/dendrite.py
index a99b28e300..3895d526c9 100644
--- a/bittensor/dendrite.py
+++ b/bittensor/dendrite.py
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ def query(
                 returns the response from that axon. If multiple target axons are provided,
                 returns a list of responses from all target axons.
         """
+        result = None
         try:
             loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
             result = loop.run_until_complete(self.forward(*args, **kwargs))
@@ -231,7 +232,6 @@ def query(
             asyncio.set_event_loop(new_loop)
             result = loop.run_until_complete(self.forward(*args, **kwargs))
             new_loop.close()
-            return result
         finally:
             self.close_session()
             return result