Blood From a Stone (224 page)

S
he
l
oo
k
ed
conce
r
ned
sudden
l
y
. “
H
e
w
asn
’
t
j
ust
co
l
d and hun
g
r
y
w
as
he.
D
i
d he ha
v
e…
r
ab
i
es?”

S
a
m
son nodded. “
Y
eah,  h
e d
i
d.”

S
he
d
r
a
gg
ed
i
n
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
ca
l
m
t
he
i
n
s
ti
nc
t
ual
f
ear
she
f
e
l
t
k
no
w
i
ng
t
hat
he
’
d had
t
he
d
i
sease.

S
a
m
son
s
m
il
ed.
“I
sa
i
d
d
i
d.
NO
T
does.
H
e
i
s pe
rf
ec
t
l
y
fi
ne no
w
.”

S
he
nodded
as
she
con
ti
nued
pe
tti
ng his
so
f
t
g
o
l
den head. “When? When
w
il
l
t
h
i
s
chan
g
e happen
t
o
y
ou a
g
a
i
n?”

“
I
f
no
t
h
i
ng
happens
t
o
fr
ee
m
e
fr
om
i
t,
I ha
v
e
about
t
h
r
ee
w
ee
k
s
l
e
ft
.”

S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m
,
and
t
ea
r
s
be
g
an
t
o
w
e
l
l
up
i
n
her e
y
es
a
g
a
i
n.
“
T
he
r
e
’
s
g
ot
t
o
be
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
w
e
can
do.
I can
’
t
j
ust
s
i
t
back
and
l
et
t
h
i
s
t
h
i
ng
t
a
k
e
y
ou
a
w
a
y
w
it
hout
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
fi
g
ht
bac
k
. I
w
on
’t
.”

“
B
e
li
e
v
e
m
e…
fr
om
w
hat
I
k
no
w
,
t
he
r
e
i
s
no
w
ay
t
o
fi
g
ht
bac
k
.
I
‘
v
e
g
one
o
v
er
i
t
i
n
m
y
head
a
m
illi
on
ti
m
es.
T
he
o
l
d
w
it
ch
sa
i
d,
on
l
y
t
hy
j
a
il
er
can
set
t
hee
fr
ee.
A
nd
she
’
s been
dead
f
or
nea
rl
y
fi
v
e
cen
t
u
ri
es.“
H
e
r
eached
out
t
o
t
ouch her
f
ace.

“
I
f
t
h
i
n
g
s
cou
l
d
on
l
y
be
d
iff
e
r
en
t
.
Bu
t
t
hey can
’t
,”
he sa
i
d so
ftl
y
.

W
ill
o
w
’
s
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
he
r
.
“
H
ow
do
y
ou
k
now
f
or su
r
e?
T
hat
g
ua
r
d
i
an an
g
el
l
ad
y
….
w
hat
i
f
she
can he
l
p
y
ou?
H
a
v
e
y
ou as
k
ed he
r
?”

H
e
s
i
g
hed
hea
v
il
y
.
“
I
’
v
e
as
k
ed
he
r
.
An
d
her buddy Max
i
m
us
t
oo.
T
hey sa
i
d
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng about
cho
i
ces and s
t
a
y
i
ng on
t
he pa
t
h.
T
hat
w
as
it
.”