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Lucian turned to look at hian or anyone around you, I’ll bring you down faster than you can blink All right? Let’s see how you fare in church, huh?"

They found parking easily enough; it was still early , and despite the havoc of the fire at the hotel the night before, the ht

As they approached the church, Finn fell back, feeling the pounding begin in his head Lucian opened the door easily enough, and stepped inside As Finn faltered, Lucian stepped back, slipping an arainst the agony that assaulted hi Finn down the aisle, he came to the front of the church and lowered Finn down into one of the pews He paused in front of the altar for a h nearly blinded, watched hi Then Lucian , but apparently, Lucian are that the priest had come into church

"We need your help, Father," Lucian told hi ti, you knoithout the approval of Rome"

Lucian shook his head "You’re afraid"

"Of you? Yes, that I am Very afraid"

Lucian shook his head "Father, you are afraid on so many levels We need your help But I understand if you can’t give it I will ask you to turn a blind eye, though, to the theft I am about to commit"

Father Brindisi nodded slowly Then he walked back toward Finn By then, Finn knew that his features were totally devoid of color He and the priest stared at one another He heard Lucianwhat he required

Then suddenly the priest stiffened, and seerow He reached out a hand to Lucian "The holy water Hand me a vial"

Lucian did so Father Brindisi lifted the vial over Finn’s head "Father, protect thy servant Let hithen him from evil"

The water dropped onto Finn’s head He felt as if he had been shot He fell to the floor, doubled over in pain The priest did not stop He implored God’s er and stronger

A burst of pain knifed through his skull

He blacked out cold

The shift at the hospital had changed Janice’s replacement, a woman Martha didn’t knoell, had come on She explained herself politely, said that Dorcas had thought it an excellent idea for her sit there, as next of kin, and talk to Andy

But the new nurse--a Miss Matthews--disagreed

"No one is going in there during my shift The doctor has already been in There’s been no change, and he didn’t say a word toanyone in to hold his hand or any other such nonsense!"

"I et to Andy!" Martha insisted

"Andy is in a co in there Not while I’m on duty!"

Martha should have been calm, serene, and hard as nails, totally deter "I must I must see Andy Get him to talk, to wake up--talk in his sleep, whatever! He knows so Don’t you understand? Haven’t you seen the news? My niece is going to be accused of arson

There has been so on since she arrived, and Andy, bless his old soul, is part of it! Please, Miss Matuhews, the doctors have said that he ht respond to the voice or the touch of a friend"

"No one gets in!" Miss Matthews said firet me out of here," Martha said firmly

"You think that I won’t call the police?" Miss Matthews deravated

She turned to the phone on the counter

Martha looked up and down the hallway They were alone; the nurse on duty who should have been at the desk ay, either attending to a patient, or,for a snack out of one of the machines

There was a heavy clipboard on the counter

Martha picked it up

She was ath as she knocked the bitchy little pinched-nose Miss Matthews hard on the head

The nurse crumpled to the floor without so much as a whimper

Martha set the clipboard down and headed for Andy’s roo to read, but despite herself, growing exhausted The others had gathered back around the table again She had thought that if she was going to read, she’d remain comfortable

They knew one another--it seein reading a passage, get stuck, and find a friend right there, deciphering the words They were growing excited, as if they were on to so any sense to her

She and Finn were evidently the ones in danger, so she was deter in her own defense as well

But exhaustion was taking its toll She didn’t think that she’d actually slept through an entire night since they’d coht… at the least, it had been rent with drearow heavy

The fire could be so pretty, fascinating, co in so e and ethereal contrast Brilliant golds, deep

Despite herself, she felt her eyes close

The fla

She didn’t realize that she had fallen asleep, and strangely, that thought ith her, even in the dream

She walked… and walked Lulled by the colors in the flames Lulled by a voice, by a face in the fire, by a deep, rich tenor in the whisper of her name that beckoned and coo