Page 26 (1/2)

"Did it belong to him, then?"

I finished e had been strongest, such shock and shame at the accusations "I’d like to buy it"

Ridiculous--we didn’t have the cash to pay for such a relic Though our expenditures had been loe had only seven hundred nuevos soles left Yet I had to try I didn’t want to sneak here in the dark to steal the crucifix Surely Kel wouldn’t go along with that, even if I was "important"

"It is part of the history of this mission," Father de León said "One cannot put a price on such things"

As a forhtaway: He hadn’t said no That , and that wasan absurd price, ten thousand

"Ridículo," I said, laughing I half rose, as if to leave

"Espere Quizás"

Kel touched htly and whispered in my ear The news made me smile In the end, we dickered for a quarter of an hour before I got de León to accept six hundred cash and apair of silver salt and pepper shakers: Eros and Psyche, of course He could tell they were valuable and would buy a s for the church, but he hid his satisfaction well Instead he wore a grave expression, as if he let the old one go only with great reluctance

"It was a pleasure," he said as I stood "But why do you want it?"

"I work for a man descended from Father Escobar He desires it for sentimental reasons"

The priest nodded as if that made perfect sense "What did you see when you touched the cross? What happened?"

I sirl And I don’t knohere he went, once he left it behind"

"Not heaven, I think"

No, probably not I figured he’d headed north If he was related to Escobar, he’d fathered children, just not on the poor girl who had wanted hiuessed she didn’t understand the concept of celibacy--only that he was powerful and could shield her from shame, if he so chose

"Gracias por todo," I told de León

He waved as I tucked the crucifix intoon toward evening Everyone had gone hooats The forrubs I couldn’t see We followed the track back to the village center, unrolled our sleeping bags, and I sat down, facing hied "If that is the right object, then very well"

I laughed "Faint praise, indeed"

In the dark, his tats glowed faintly, signaling power or strong emotion With Kel I’d never been able to differentiate the two, and perhaps in him they were inextricably bound That fact explained at least half of what rendered hi--and utterly off-liravely "I expected you to falter on the way You have more fortitude than I knew"

"More than I knew, frankly There were a few tile we couldn’t see teeive up"

"I know" His tone was gentle, but also i reassurance to a patient when he’d had seen so many that they had become numbers and diseases instead of names and faces Rarely, he displayed real emotion, but I had the sense it was painful for him--he needed the impassivity to function in a world where he comprised the only constant

"You’ve been fantastic I couldn’t have done it without you"

He tipped his head forward, acknowledging the praise Only a faint curve at the edges of his el probably never said, Good job, or, Thanks for killing that infidel I had no idea why he wasn’t crazy; too much isolation could drive a person out of his mind

"Should you call Escobar?"

"I don’t know if the phone has any charge left" But I powered it on and found I had half a bar, just a flicker of juice Unfortunately, ere far out of range of any cell towers, and there were no pay phones I sighed "We’ll have to find a way to a bigger town We can ask around in the "

"There’s no road," he observed, "so that"Maybe we can go by donkey cart"