Blood From a Stone (242 page)

“
N
ot
su
r
e…but
I
t
h
i
nk
i
t
w
as
her
,” he sa
i
d so
ftl
y
.

“
Y
ou
m
ean…
t
he
an
g
e
l
…or
w
ha
t
e
v
er she
i
s?” W
i
l
l
ow sa
i
d,
l
oo
k
i
ng
a b
i
t
sha
k
en.

“
Y
eah.
D
i
d
y
ou
f
eel
an
y
t
h
i
ng s
tr
an
g
e?
O
r
hear an
y
t
h
i
n
g
?”

“
N
o.
N
o
t
h
i
n
g
,” sa
i
d W
ill
o
w
,
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
. “What d
i
d she say
t
o
y
ou?”

“
S
he
sa
i
d,
‘
Y
ou
’r
e
r
unn
i
ng
out
of
ti
m
e.
L
ook
t
o
t
he
r
h
y
m
e.’
T
hat
w
as
it
.”

W
ill
o
w
’
s
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
he
r
.
“What
r
h
y
m
e? What does
i
t
m
ean?”

“
S
he
k
eeps
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
t
e
l
l
m
e
i
t
has
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do
w
it
h
t
he
w
o
r
d
i
ng
of
t
he
cu
r
se.
S
he
‘
s
m
en
ti
oned
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
li
k
e
t
h
i
s
be
f
o
r
e,”
he
sa
i
d,
no
ti
ng
t
hat
t
he
d
ri
v
er
w
as
li
s
t
en
i
ng
w
it
h one ear
and
l
oo
k
i
ng
at
t
hem
li
k
e
t
hey
w
e
r
e c
ra
z
y
.

H
e
nud
g
ed
W
ill
ow
so
ftl
y
,
nodd
i
ng
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
d
ri
v
er
t
o 
i
nd
i
ca
t
e
t
hat
t
hey
needed
t
o
t
a
l
k
about
i
t
l
a
t
e
r
.
W
ill
ow nodded
w
it
h co
m
p
r
ehens
i
on.

T
hey
r
ode
t
he
r
est
of
t
he
w
ay back
t
o
t
he
ho
t
el
i
n s
i
l
ence
as
W
ill
ow
d
r
ank
i
n
t
he
s
i
g
h
t
s
and
S
a
m
son
’
s
m
i
nd
w
as a
-
j
u
m
b
l
e…
t
he
w
o
r
ds
of
t
he
cu
r
se
w
ea
v
i
ng
t
he
i
r
w
ay
t
h
r
ou
g
h h
i
s
t
hou
g
h
t
s.
H
e
’
d
a
lr
eady
fi
g
u
r
ed
out
t
hat
h
i
s
b
lo
od
had
t
he ab
i
l
it
y
t
o
heal
and
i
n
do
i
ng so,
so
m
ehow
i
t
t
u
r
ned
ti
m
e
back
j
ust
a
littl
e
f
or
w
hoe
v
er
r
ece
i
v
ed
h
i
s
littl
e
‘
g
if
t
’
.
A
nd
i
t
a
l
so
see
m
ed
t
o
m
a
k
e
h
i
m
f
eel
a
b
i
t
i
n
v
i
g
o
r
a
t
ed
as
w
e
ll
,
a
ft
er
t
he
i
n
t
ense
f
a
ti
g
ue
passed.
B
ut
w
hat
g
ood
cou
l
d
any of
t
hat
do h
i
m
?

U
n
l
ess
t
he
g
a
m
e
w
as
t
o
k
eep
g
i
v
i
ng b
l
o
od un
ti
l so
m
ehow
he
t
u
r
ned
back enou
g
h
ti
m
e
t
o
s
t
op
t
he
cu
rs
e
fr
om e
v
er
happen
i
n
g
?
T
hat
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y
d
i
dn
’
t
seem poss
i
b
l
e.
H
e doub
t
ed
he
had
enou
g
h
b
l
ood
r
unn
i
ng
t
h
r
ou
g
h
h
i
s
v
e
i
ns
t
o
do such a deed.
N
o…
t
he
r
e
w
as
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se he
w
as
m
i
s
s
i
n
g
.