Blood From a Stone (221 page)

H
e
sat
t
he
r
e,
w
a
iti
ng
f
or
her
t
o
say so
m
e
t
h
i
ng but
s
til
l she hadn
’
t u
tt
e
r
ed
a
w
o
r
d. 
H
e
w
as
w
onde
ri
ng
w
he
t
h
er  he shou
l
d
bo
t
her
g
o
i
ng
on,
w
hen
she
fi
na
ll
y
r
eached
o
v
er
and
t
ook h
i
s
hand
i
n her
o
w
n.
H
e
l
oo
k
ed do
w
n at
her
fi
n
g
e
r
s e
n
t
w
i
ned
t
h
r
ou
g
h h
i
s.

“
D
oes
t
h
i
s
m
ean
y
ou
’r
e
s
til
l
w
it
h
m
e?
O
r
d
i
d
I
l
ose
y
ou at
be
i
ng
bo
r
n
fi
v
e hund
r
ed
y
ea
r
s
a
g
o?”

“We
ll
...
I
can
’
t
hones
tl
y
say
I
don
’
t
fi
nd
t
h
i
s
t
o
be su
rr
ea
l
.
I
t’
s
j
ust
so
ha
r
d
t
o
be
li
e
v
e.
B
u
t
,
a
ft
er
al
l
I
’
v
e seen and hea
r
d
i
n
t
he
past
f
ew
da
y
s,
I
g
uess
no
t
h
i
ng
can
shock
m
e an
y
m
o
r
e.
And…well…
I
’
m  not
g
o
i
ng
an
y
w
he
r
e.”
she
sa
i
d so
ftl
y
as
she squee
z
ed h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
s. “
G
o on.”

“I
d
i
dn
’
t
g
i
v
e
a da
m
n
about
m
uch
of
an
y
t
h
i
ng except  d
ri
n
k
i
n
g
,
spend
i
ng
m
y
f
a
t
he
r’
s
m
oney
and
s
le
e
p
i
ng
w
it
h
coun
tl
ess
nu
m
be
r
s
of
w
o
m
en of
a
l
l
s
t
a
ti
ons
i
n
lif
e
. Tavern wenches, married, betrothed, single.
P
r
o
m
i
ses
of
p
r
oper
i
n
t
en
ti
ons….
m
a
rri
a
g
e…I
w
ou
l
d
say
w
ha
t
e
v
er
i
t
t
ook
t
o
g
et
w
hat
I
w
an
t
ed.
I
t
m
ade
no
m
a
t
t
er
t
o
m
e
t
he
l
ong
r
o
a
d
of b
r
o
k
en p
r
o
m
i
ses…and b
r
o
k
en hea
rt
s
t
hat
I
l
e
f
t
i
n
m
y
w
a
k
e.”

“
A
nd
             
t
hen,”
             
he
             
con
ti
nued, 
“
t
he
r
e 
w
as 
D
a
n
i
a.
B
eau
tif
u
l
,
y
oun
g
…and
a dau
g
h
t
er of one of
t
hose da
m
ned p
a
g
an
p
ri
es
t
esses
t
hat
li
v
ed h
i
g
h
i
n
t
he h
ill
s near
t
he
I
ri
sh bo
r
de
r
.
I  p
r
o
m
i
sed
her
an
y
t
h
i
n
g
…e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
i
f
she
wou
l
d on
l
y
g
i
v
e
i
n
t
o
our
des
ir
e.
S
he
w
a
r
ned
m
e
t
hat
she
w
ou
l
d
l
ose her
po
w
e
r
s
un
l
ess
I
t
ook
so
m
e
k
i
nd  of
oa
t
h  and 
ritu
al
t
o b
e
co
m
e
one
of
her
peop
l
e.
I ca
r
ed
no
t
h
i
ng
f
or
her
w
a
y
s,
her supposed
m
a
g
i
c,
or
t
he
i
r
see
m
i
n
g
l
y
f
oo
li
sh
tr
ad
itio
ns.
B
ut
s
til
l
I
p
r
o
m
i
sed
her
w
hat
I
k
new
I
had
no
i
n
t
en
ti
on
of
g
i
v
i
ng he
r
.
A
nd
w
hen
t
hose b
ri
ef
m
o
m
en
t
s
of
p
l
easu
r
e
w
e
r
e
o
v
e
r,
”
he co
n
ti
nued,
“I pushed
her
a
w
a
y
,
j
ust
as
I
’
d
done
w
it
h
a
l
l
t
he o
t
he
r
s. 
I
cou
l
d
not
ha
v
e
m
a
rri
ed
her
e
v
en
had
I
w
an
t
ed
t
o.
S
he
w
as
not
of
m
y
s
t
a
ti
on.
B
ut
t
he
po
i
nt
i
s
t
hat
I
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant
t
o,
and
I had
b
r
o
k
en
her
hea
r
t
and
r
obbed
her
of
h
e
r po
w
e
r
s….po
w
e
r
s
t
hat
I d
i
dn
’
t
be
li
e
v
e
i
n
at
t
he
ti
m
e an
y
w
a
y
…and
t
he
ri
g
h
tf
ul
p
l
ace
as
h
i
g
h  p
ri
es
t
ess
t
h
a
t
she
w
ou
l
d
ha
v
e
i
nhe
rit
ed
fr
om  her
m
o
t
her
so
m
eda
y
.
W
it
h
o
ut
t
hose
po
w
e
r
s,  she  cou
l
d  not
ho
l
d 
t
hat
pos
iti
on 
w
ithi
n  her
f
a
m
il
y
or
her
tri
be.”