Blood From a Stone (43 page)

She
knee
l
ed
bes
i
de
h
i
m
t
ouch
i
ng
h
i
s
gnar
l
ed
f
ea
t
ures as
her
t
ears
f
e
l
l
on
t
he
t
op of
h
i
s
head.

“
M
y
l
ove,
I
am
sorry
f
or
w
hat
des
ti
ny
has
be
f
a
l
l
en you.
D
es
ti
ny
i
s
but
a
pa
t
h…and
w
e
choose
w
h
i
ch
w
ay
w
e
w
a
l
k.
Y
ou
chose
your
pa
t
h
by
your
ac
ti
ons.
I
can
on
l
y
pray
t
hat
t
he
ange
l
s
of
your
G
od
w
il
l
w
a
t
ch
over
you
and
by
t
he
i
r hand sha
l
l
you so
m
ehow
fi
nd peace.”

She
t
urned
and
w
a
l
ked
a
w
ay
f
rom
t
he
s
t
one
f
orm kno
w
i
ng
h
i
s
f
a
t
e
w
as
sea
l
ed
and she
w
ou
l
d
never
see
h
i
m aga
i
n.

A
nd
t
he
next
day
and
f
or
m
any
days, 
w
eeks
and
m
on
t
hs
a
ft
er, h
i
s
f
a
m
il
y
searched
i
n va
i
n
f
or
h
i
m
,
w
onder
i
ng
w
hat
had
happened
t
o
t
he
i
r
son
w
ho
’
d
s
i
m
p
l
y
d
i
sa
p
p
e
ared and
dropped
f
rom
t
he
f
ace
of
t
he
ear
t
h.
N
o
one
ever
knew
w
hat
beca
m
e
of
t
he
w
ea
lt
hy
l
and baron
’
s son and
t
hey
he
l
d on
t
o
t
he
i
r gr
i
ef
f
or years
t
o co
m
e.

A
nd
of
course,
t
he
care
t
akers
of
t
he
graveyard had
f
ound
a
new
gargoy
l
e
l
y
i
ng
at
t
he base of
one of
t
h
e bu
il
d
i
ngs, and
w
ondered
w
here
i
t
had co
m
e
f
ro
m
.
P
erhaps
a scu
l
p
t
or co
mm
i
ss
i
oned by
t
he
C
hurch had
l
e
f
t
i
t
w
hen no one
w
as abou
t
?

Shrugg
i
ng,
t
he
m
onks
ho
i
s
t
ed
i
t
up
w
it
h s
t
rong ropes and
a
tt
ached
i
t
t
o
t
he
s
i
de
of
t
he
bu
il
d
i
ng
w
here
i
t
w
ou
l
d
do
it
s
j
ob
and
s
t
and
guard,
keep
i
ng
a
w
ay
ev
i
l
f
rom
t
hose
w
ho
’
d crossed
over
i
n
t
o 
t
he
peace
f
ul
s
l
eep  of
dea
t
h 
i
n 
t
h
i
s
ho
l
y p
l
ace.

A
nd
t
hat
i
s
exac
tl
y
w
here
Sa
m
son had
Aw
akened
fi
f
t
y years
l
a
t
er
t
o beg
i
n h
i
s
cen
t
ur
i
es
l
ong
j
ourney
of
be
i
ng gargoy
l
e
and
m
an
as
one…a
j
ourney
w
h
i
ch
had
kept
h
i
m
i
n
m
i
d
d
l
e
E
urope
f
or
a
coup
l
e
hundred  years,
t
hen  he
had s
e
cured
h
i
s
passage
t
o
Am
er
i
ca
and he
’
d spent
decades here perched
on
a
f
ew
d
iff
erent
bu
il
d
i
ngs
and
m
auso
l
eu
m
s
.
A
l
w
ays
t
ry
i
ng
t
o
fi
nd
t
he
cure,
a
l
w
ays
t
ry
i
ng
t
o
unders
t
and
how
t
h
i
s had
happened,
and
a
l
w
ays
t
ry
i
ng
t
o
undo
t
he
co
l
dne
s
s
i
n h
i
s soul
t
hat
had
l
ed
t
o
t
h
i
s…and
u
lti
m
a
t
e
l
y
a
ft
er
f
a
i
l
i
ng at ever
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se,
t
ry
i
ng
t
o
co
mm
i
t
su
i
c
i
de
several
ti
m
es
i
n one
Aw
aken
i
ng and
t
hen ano
t
her.

B
ut
i
t
w
as
t
o
no
ava
il
.
So,
even
t
ua
ll
y,
he
’
d
g
i
ven
up
on
t
hat
goa
l
,
and
i
ns
t
ead
ded
i
ca
t
ed
h
i
s
prec
i
ous
t
i
m
e
as
a
m
an
t
o
fi
nd
i
ng
w
ays
t
o
m
ake each
Aw
aken
i
ng eas
i
er
t
o
t
ake and as
en
j
oyab
l
e as poss
i
b
l
e.