Blood From a Stone (260 page)

H
i
s
f
ace
t
ook on
a
m
o
r
e
se
ri
ous
exp
r
ess
i
on. “
A
nd,
i
f
y
ou
don
’
t
g
et
y
ou
r
se
l
f
on
t
he
ri
g
ht
pa
t
h
it’l
l
k
i
ck
y
ou
r
s
t
oo,
son.”

             
D
an
i
el
nodded
as
S
a
m
son
t
u
r
ned
on
h
i
s
heel
and
r
an
back
ac
r
oss
t
he
s
tr
eet
and
j
u
m
ped
i
n
h
i
s
tr
uc
k
.
W
ill
ow
w
asn
’
t
g
o
i
ng
t
o
be
happy
w
hen she hea
r
d about
t
h
i
s, he
w
as
su
r
e, but he
’
d
had
t
o
m
a
k
e
ano
t
her
of
t
hose cho
i
ces
Max
i
m
us
had p
r
e
d
i
c
t
ed.

T
hrough
t
he b
l
ood of
t
hy
w
ill
….

S
udden
l
y
,
t
hat
li
ne
r
ea
ll
y
d
i
d
seem
t
o
m
a
k
e
pe
rf
ect sense
t
o
h
i
m
.
E
v
e
r
y
ti
m
e
he
’
d
g
i
v
en
b
l
ood,
i
t
had
b
een
i
n
an
i
ns
t
ance
w
he
r
e
dea
t
h
w
as
i
mm
i
nent
had
he
not
i
n
t
e
r
v
ened.
A
nd
of
h
i
s
o
w
n
fr
ee
w
ill
…
w
it
h
no
m
o
ti
v
e
w
ha
t
soe
v
e
r
,
he
’
d s
t
epped
i
n
and
g
i
v
en
t
he
g
if
t
of
lif
e.
A
nd
i
n
t
hose
m
o
m
en
t
s
ti
m
e
tr
u
l
y
d
i
d
s
t
and
s
till
.
A
nd
appa
r
en
tl
y
i
t
t
u
r
n
e
d
t
i
m
e bac
k
w
a
r
d
f
or
t
he
r
ec
i
p
i
ent
as
w
e
ll
.

B
ut
t
hat
w
asn
’
t
t
he
deeper
m
ean
i
ng  of
it
.
I
t
w
as
i
ns
t
ead:
t
hat
no
m
a
tt
er
how
littl
e
ti
m
e
w
e
ha
v
e,
th
e
on
l
y
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
r
ea
ll
y
m
a
tt
e
r
s
i
s
w
hat
w
e
do
w
it
h
it
.
B
ecause
i
t
o
n
l
y
t
a
k
es one
i
ns
t
ant
t
o
do
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng po
w
e
rf
ul
enou
g
h
t
o equ
a
l
an e
t
e
r
n
it
y
.

H
e
w
onde
r
ed
i
f
t
h
i
s
r
ea
li
z
a
ti
on
w
as
ac
t
ua
ll
y 
t
he ans
w
er
he
’
d
been
l
oo
k
i
ng
f
o
r
.
Was
he
now
fr
ee
of
h
i
s
cu
r
se?
I
r
on
i
ca
ll
y
….on
l
y
ti
m
e
w
ou
l
d
t
e
ll
.
H
e
w
i
shed
t
hat
G
u
a
r
d
i
an
A
d
ri
e
ll
e
w
as
he
r
e
so
he
cou
l
d
ask her
but
her
v
i
s
i
t
s
see
m
ed
t
o be as
r
andom
and unexpec
t
ed as
t
he
w
i
nd.

H
e
d
r
o
v
e
t
he
sho
r
t
d
i
s
t
ance
t
o h
i
s
ap
a
rt
m
en
t
, and s
t
opped
by
t
he
o
ffi
ce
t
o
p
i
ck
up
h
i
s
m
a
i
l
be
f
o
r
e
h
e
ad
i
ng back o
v
er
t
o W
ill
o
w
’
s
house.

H
e
pu
ll
ed
i
n,
j
u
m
ped
out
and
p
r
ac
ti
cal
l
y
r
an
up
t
o W
ill
o
w
’
s
po
r
ch
and
i
n
t
he
doo
r
, be
f
o
r
e
C
i
sco e
v
en
h
ad
ti
m
e
t
o ba
r
k
a
w
a
r
n
i
n
g
.