Blood From a Stone (62 page)

C
H
AP
T
E
R
S
E
V
E
N

T
he
W
a
t
chers
A
dr
i
e
ll
e
and
M
ax
i
m
us
l
ooked on
i
n s
il
ence
as
t
he
cursed hu
m
an Sa
m
son ex
it
ed
t
he
bu
ildi
ng, una
w
are
of
t
he
i
r
presence.
So
m
e
ca
ll
ed
t
hem
G
uard
i
an
A
n
ge
l
s…so
m
e
t
hought
t
hey
w
ere
N
eph
ili
m
.
So
m
e
ca
ll
ed
t
hem
D
e
m
ons.
A
nd
ye
t
,
t
hey
w
ere
perhaps
a
b
i
t
of
bo
t
h.
B
e
i
ngs
of L
i
ght
and
d
i
m
ens
i
on
t
rave
l
ers
w
ho res
i
ded
i
n
t
he
e
t
hereal space
be
t
w
een
par
ti
c
l
es
of
m
a
tt
er,
j
ust
ou
t
s
i
de of
hu
m
an pe
r
cep
ti
on;
ever
on
t
he
l
ookout
f
or
t
hose sou
l
s of
da
m
na
ti
on
w
ho had sho
w
n po
t
en
ti
al
f
or
rede
m
p
ti
on.

So
m
e
ti
m
es,
i
f
t
hey
m
oved
t
oo
c
l
ose
he’d
t
urn
around as
i
f
t
he
gargoy
l
e
i
n
h
i
m cou
l
d
sense
t
he
m
,
j
ust
as
he
had
a
m
o
m
ent
ago.
A
nd
ye
t
,
t
hey
knew
he
cou
l
dn
’t
.
H
e
w
as
a
ft
er
a
ll
, hu
m
an,
or
m
os
tl
y
so
f
or
t
he
next
f
ew
w
eeks
at
l
eas
t
.
T
he
i
r
m
ove
m
en
t
s
w
ere no
t
h
i
ng
m
ore
t
han
t
he breeze
t
o h
i
m
.

T
hey
had
been
keep
i
ng
t
abs
on
t
h
i
s
C
h
a
nge
li
ng
w
ho he
l
d
pro
m
i
se
f
or
so
m
e
ti
m
e
no
w
,
a
l
m
ost
f
rom
t
he
beg
i
nn
i
ng
of h
i
s
da
m
na
ti
on,
w
a
t
ch
i
ng
h
i
s
every
m
ove.
Look
i
ng
f
or
s
i
gns
t
hat
he
had
l
earned
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
s
i
nce
t
hat
day, cen
tu
r
i
es ago
w
hen
t
he
o
l
d
pr
i
es
t
ess
had
dra
w
n
her
c
i
rc
l
e,
li
t
t
h
e
cand
l
es and ca
ll
ed upon
t
he dark
f
orces
t
o
w
ork
t
he
i
r
m
ag
i
c.

A
t
h
i
s
fi
rst
Aw
aken
i
ng
and
f
or
at
l
east
a
f
ew
a
f
t
er
t
ha
t
,
he
had
sho
w
n
no
re
m
orse, no care
f
or
t
he ug
l
i
ness
i
n h
i
s soul
t
hat
had
brought
h
i
m
t
o
t
h
i
s.
B
ut
s
l
o
w
l
y,
a
ft
e
r
a
f
ew
m
ore
ti
m
es,
a
ft
er
he
’
d
done
so
m
e
good deeds
out
of
m
o
tiv
e a
l
one…
t
r
i
ed
t
o
t
ake
h
i
s
o
w
n
lif
e…
t
r
i
ed
near
l
y
ever
y
t
h
i
ng e
l
se, he
’
d
co
m
e
around
and
began
t
o
rea
li
ze
t
hat
pe
r
haps
t
he heart of
s
t
one
he
’
d sho
w
n
t
o o
t
hers
t
ru
l
y
w
as
t
he very
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
had d
i
c
t
a
t
ed
h
i
s
curse.
P
erhaps
i
t
w
as
f
i
na
ll
y
ti
m
e
t
o
br
i
ng
h
i
s soul
t
he
f
reedom
he so despera
t
e
l
y
craved.
B
ut
w
as he ready?

T
i
m
e
t
o
w
a
i
t
and
see
w
as
not
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
hat
e
i
t
her
t
he
W
a
t
chers
or
t
he
C
hange
li
ng had
i
n abundance r
i
ght
no
w
.
T
he
cho
i
ce
of
sou
l
s
ready
t
o
m
ove
beyond
a
spe
l
l
s
u
ch
as h
i
s, and
f
or
so
m
e
t
he
t
rans
iti
on
i
n
t
o
G
uard
i
ansh
i
p
w
as
v
ery
s
m
a
ll
.
O
n
l
y
a
f
ew
w
ere
se
l
ec
t
ed
and
i
f
he
d
i
dn
’
t
m
ake
i
t
no
w
,
i
t
w
ou
l
d
be ano
t
her
fi
ve hundred years be
f
ore
t
he chance
w
as ava
il
ab
l
e
aga
i
n.
T
en
m
ore
l
ong
cyc
l
es
of
s
t
one
t
hat
he
w
ou
l
d endure.