Blood From a Stone (63 page)

I
t
had
been
eons
s
i
nce
t
he
A
nge
l
s
had
w
aged
w
ar upon
m
ank
i
nd
f
or
t
he
i
r s
i
ns.
A
nd a
lt
hough sa
l
va
ti
on
w
as ava
il
ab
l
e
t
o
t
hose
w
ho
t
ru
l
y
sought
it
,
w
ar
f
rom on
h
i
gh
w
as
t
he
l
ast
t
h
i
ng
t
hey
needed here…
f
or
t
he hu
m
an race see
m
ed
t
o be good enough at
w
ag
i
ng
w
ar
upon
t
he
m
se
l
ves.
P
over
t
y,
l
us
t
, greed,
m
urder,
t
or
t
ure.
T
he
s
i
ns
of
m
an
w
ere
nu
m
erous
and depraved
enough
t
hat
littl
e
m
ore
t
han
a
t
hreadbare
f
a
b
r
i
c s
t
ood
be
t
w
een
t
he
d
i
m
ens
i
on
ca
ll
ed
H
e
l
l
and
t
h
i
s p
l
ace ca
ll
ed
E
ar
t
h.

So
m
e
w
ou
l
d a
l
m
ost
ca
l
l
i
t
one and
t
he sa
m
e, s
i
nce so
f
ew
sou
l
s
advanced
beyond
t
h
i
s
p
l
ace
and
f
or
t
hose
w
ho
w
ere head
i
ng
up
t
he
sp
i
r
it
ual
l
adder,
i
t
w
as
a
l
ong,
hard c
li
m
b…s
l
o
w
ed
by
t
he
t
e
m
p
t
a
ti
ons of
se
lf-
serv
i
ence and se
t
backs
of
every
day
surv
i
va
l
.
A
nd
so
t
he
A
nge
l
s
h
ad co
mm
i
t
t
ed
t
he
m
se
l
ves
i
ns
t
ead
t
o
w
a
t
ch
i
ng over
and
h
e
l
p
i
ng hu
m
an
i
t
y
t
o
advance
t
hrough
t
he
i
r
o
w
n gro
w
t
h
i
n
t
e
l
l
ec
t
ua
ll
y and sp
i
r
it
ua
l
l
y.

“
W
e
m
ust
m
ove soon,”
sa
i
d
M
ax
i
u
m
us.

A
dr
i
e
ll
e
nodded.
“
Y
es,
I
kno
w
.
B
ut
do
you rea
ll
y
t
h
i
nk he
’
s
ready?
H
e
s
til
l
l
us
t
s.
Y
ou
’
ve
seen
t
he
w
ay
he
l
ooks at
t
he
w
o
m
an.”

M
ax
i
u
m
us
nodded.
“
Y
es.
H
e
i
s
a
ft
er
a
l
l
,
s
til
l
hu
m
an, and sexual
a
tt
rac
ti
on
w
it
hout
e
t
h
i
cs
i
s
but
one of
t
he
m
any d
i
s
t
rac
ti
ons
t
hat
t
he
i
r
bod
i
es
d
i
c
t
a
t
e.
B
ut
he
d
i
d
s
t
ep
i
n
t
o save
her
a
ft
er
you
i
n
f
ec
t
ed
t
he
dog
and
i
t
w
ent
a
ft
er
t
he
hu
m
ans.
H
e
see
m
ed
t
o
have
no
o
t
her
m
o
ti
ve
t
han
pr
o
t
ec
ti
ng h
i
s
o
w
n k
i
nd…and
w
hat
of
t
he
m
ercy
and k
i
ndness
he
sho
w
ed
t
he
an
i
m
a
l
?
H
e
d
i
dn
’
t
have
t
o
do
t
hat
e
it
her.
H
e
t
r
u
l
y
d
i
dn
’
t do any
of
i
t
expec
ti
ng
f
avors.
H
e has
co
m
e a
l
ong
w
ay.”

A
dr
i
e
ll
e
‘
s
bro
w
s
kn
i
t
t
oge
t
her
as
she hugged her
ar
m
s around
herse
l
f
as
i
f
t
o
w
ard
o
f
f
t
he co
l
dness of
h
e
r doub
t
s.
“T
h
i
s
i
s
t
he
fi
rst
ti
m
e
he
’
s
co
m
e
c
l
ose….and
yet
w
e
cannot
w
a
i
t
f
or
ano
t
her
C
hange
t
o co
m
e and go so
w
e can be
sure.“ She s
i
ghed as
M
ax
i
m
us
m
oved
beh
i
nd
her
and
t
ook
her
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
o
w
n
ar
m
s.