Blood From a Stone (42 page)

“W
ho
are
you?“
he
sa
i
d,
s
t
ar
i
ng
at
her
w
it
h
bo
t
h
f
ear
and
l
oa
t
h
i
ng.

“I
am
one
of
t
he
C
hosen.
W
e are
t
he pro
t
ec
t
ors of
E
i
re,
and
her
daugh
t
ers.
Y
ou
sha
l
l
l
earn
your
p
l
ace…and you sha
l
l
harm
no
m
ore.”

H
e
s
t
ar
t
ed
f
or
w
ard
t
o
grab
her
neck
and
choke
t
he
lif
e
f
rom her,
but
w
it
h
a
s
i
ng
l
e
m
ove
m
ent
of
her
hand
she shooed
h
i
m
a
w
ay,
dropped
h
i
m
t
o
t
he
ground
w
here
he
l
ay po
w
er
l
ess
f
or
so
m
e
m
i
nu
t
es
be
f
ore
fi
nd
i
ng 
t
he
s
t
re
n
g
t
h 
t
o s
t
and and
t
ry
t
o
m
ake
i
t
ho
m
e.

“P
l
ease
I
beg
of
you…re
m
ove
t
h
i
s
f
rom
m
e! I
am
not as
you
t
h
i
nk
i
ns
i
de
m
y
heart
and
sou
l
.
I
am
sorry
f
or
w
hat
I d
i
d
t
o
D
an
i
a
and
i
f
I
cou
l
d
I
w
ou
l
d
t
ake
i
t
back”
he
p
l
eaded.

             
She stared at him intently.
“
I
canno
t
.
F
a
t
e
i
s a pa
t
h of
our o
w
n choos
i
ng and
w
ha
t
ever
f
a
t
e
be
f
a
ll
s
us
does not
r
e
li
eve us of
t
he burden
w
e
m
ust
carry…
i
t
on
l
y
changes
w
h
i
ch
burden
w
e
m
ust
ca
r
ry.
Y
ou have
chosen
yours.”
She
shook
her
head
be
f
ore
t
ur
n
i
ng
on her
heel
t
o
w
a
l
k a
w
ay.

T
here
had
t
o
be
so
m
e
w
ay
t
o
s
t
op
t
h
i
s. Surely his f
a
ther’s wealth and power could buy his reprieve? But then,
how
w
ou
l
d he
even
t
e
l
l
h
i
s
f
a
m
il
y
what was happening
?
He would think of something…if he
cou
l
d
j
ust
m
ake
i
t
ho
m
e.

H
e
began
t
he
l
ong
w
a
l
k,
w
i
sh
i
ng
t
o
G
od or
H
eaven or even
t
he
dev
i
l
h
i
m
se
l
f
t
hat
he
’
d
had
t
he sense
t
o
ri
de
i
n
t
o
t
he v
ill
age
on
a
horse,
but
i
t
w
as
t
oo
l
a
t
e
f
or
t
hat
n
o
w
.
H
e
f
e
l
t
li
ke he
cou
l
d
bare
l
y
m
ove
and
a
pr
i
m
iti
ve
i
ns
ti
nct
f
orced h
i
m
i
n
s
t
ead
t
o
head
f
or
t
he
graveyard.
H
e
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant
t
o go but so
m
e
k
i
nd
of
i
nv
i
s
i
b
l
e
m
ag
i
c
or
so
i
t
see
m
ed,
f
orced
h
i
m
t
o p
l
od,
s
t
ep
by
pa
i
n
f
ul
s
t
ep
t
o
h
i
s des
ti
na
ti
on.
T
he des
ti
n
a
ti
on
t
hat
he
dreaded
and
t
hat
he
knew
w
as
go
i
ng
be
t
he
e
nd
of h
i
m
…at
l
east
f
or
fift
y
cyc
l
es.

Just
be
f
ore
m
i
dn
i
ght
he
f
e
l
t
t
he
fi
nal
s
t
age of
t
he change
t
ak
i
ng
p
l
ace.
A
t
t
hat
po
i
nt
he cou
l
d not
fi
nd
t
he
m
e
n
t
al s
t
reng
t
h
t
o
t
ry
t
o
fi
ght
back
as
h
i
s
eyes
s
t
opped
w
ork
i
ng
and h
i
s
m
i
nd
s
l
o
w
ed
t
o
no
t
h
i
ng
but
a
d
i
s
t
ant
echo and
h
e
cou
l
d no
l
onger
m
ove.

La
t
er
t
hat
n
i
gh
t
,
D
an
i
a
w
ept
as
she
s
t
ood
i
n
f
ront
of
t
he
gargoy
l
e.
H
i
s
f
ea
t
ures
no
l
onger rese
m
b
l
ed
t
he han
d
so
m
e young
m
an
she
had
l
oved and her
heart
ached at
w
hat
had co
m
e
t
o
pass.
She
knew
t
here
w
as
no
t
h
i
ng
she
cou
l
d
do,
as her
m
o
t
her
’
s
spe
l
l
w
as
bound
t
o
h
i
m
and
she
had
g
i
v
en up her o
w
n po
w
ers
by shar
i
ng her
body
w
it
h h
i
m
.