Blood From a Stone (64 page)

             
“
I
know
w
e
are
t
ak
i
ng
a
r
i
sk.
I
f
w
e
ma
ke
a
m
i
s
t
ake,
t
hen
so
m
eone
e
l
se
w
il
l
be
passed
up
w
ho
m
ay
have a
ct
ua
ll
y been
t
he
one
w
ho
w
as
ready
and
deserved
our ass
i
s
t
ance.
B
ut
i
sn
’
t
i
t
a
l
w
ays
a
chance
t
hat
i
s
t
aken
w
hen
one
of
t
hem breaks
t
he
i
r
bonds
t
o
j
o
i
n
us
and
one
of
our
o
w
n
ascends
t
o
t
he next
l
eve
l
?”
H
e knew
a
l
l
t
oo
w
e
l
l
t
he
t
ru
t
h
i
n h
i
s s
t
a
t
e
m
en
t
.

“V
ery
w
e
l
l
t
hen.
W
e
w
il
l
con
t
act
h
i
m
w
hen
t
he
ti
m
e co
m
es,
but
as
you
w
e
l
l
know
fi
rst  he 
m
ust 
fi
gure  out 
t
he curse
’
s
undo
i
ng,”
she
s
i
ghed..
“
S
i
nce
t
here
i
s so
littl
e
ti
m
e,
t
here
i
s
no
l
aw
t
hat
says
w
e
can
’
t
l
eave
h
i
m
m
aybe
one
or
t
w
o c
l
ues, r
i
gh
t
?“

M
ax
i
u
m
us
f
ro
w
ned
f
or
j
ust
a
m
o
m
en
t
.
“
Y
ou
know
w
e can
not
reveal
ourse
l
ves
t
o
h
i
m
be
f
ore
he
has
fi
gured
i
t
out
f
or
h
i
m
se
lf
.
I
t
i
s
aga
i
nst
t
he ru
l
es.“

“
I
kno
w
.
T
here
i
s
no
need
t
o
w
orry,
m
y
l
ove.
H
e
i
s s
til
l
hu
m
an….he
cannot
see
us.”
She s
m
il
ed and he
fi
na
ll
y nodded
i
n agree
m
en
t
.

A
sp
li
t
second
l
a
t
er
t
hey
sh
i
mm
ered b
a
ck
t
o
t
he
i
r o
w
n d
i
m
ens
i
on.

T
he day passed une
v
en
tf
u
ll
y
f
or
W
ill
o
w
.
S
he and
S
asha
had
sho
w
e
r
ed
and
had
a
b
it
e
t
o
ea
t
,
then
m
ade
su
r
e
t
he
dog
w
as
fe
d,
had
fr
esh
w
a
t
er
and
d
i
d
h
i
s
bus
i
ness
out
i
n
t
he
back
y
a
r
d be
f
o
r
e
ca
lli
ng a
cab
t
o
t
a
k
e
her
t
o her
car
.

             
The
s
tr
ee
t
s
had
been
p
l
o
w
ed,
sa
lt
ed
and
w
e
r
e
f
a
irl
y d
r
y
as
i
de
fr
om
t
he
p
il
es
of
d
irt
y
snow
a
l
ong
t
he
s
i
des
of
t
he
r
oad.
T
hey p
i
c
k
ed
up
her
car
and
d
r
o
v
e
i
n
si
l
ence
f
or
t
he
t
h
r
ee
b
l
oc
k
s
o
v
er
t
o
J
e
ff
e
r
son
S
tr
eet
t
o
S
t
.
L
u
k
e
’
s
H
osp
it
a
l‘
s
g
a
r
a
g
e,
pa
r
k
ed,
and
s
t
epped
i
n
t
o
t
he
e
l
e
v
a
t
or
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
t
a
k
e
t
hem
up
t
o
t
he
fift
h
fl
oo
r
.
S
asha
no
t
ed
W
ill
o
w
’
s
f
a
ra
w
ay
l
ook as
t
he
y
‘
d d
ri
v
en a
l
ong
t
he
f
a
m
ili
ar
r
ou
t
e.

S
he
fi
na
ll
y sco
l
ded,
“
O
h
co
m
e
on!
S
t
op
pou
ti
n
g
.
Y
ou
’
v
e
ha
r
d
l
y sa
i
d
a
w
o
r
d
t
he
w
ho
l
e
d
ri
v
e!
H
e
’
s
g
o
n
na
ca
l
l
y
ou
f
or
G
odssa
k
e.
I
t’
s
on
l
y
been
w
ha
t
?
E
i
g
ht
hou
r
s?”