Page 20 (1/2)

A great hollow has opened in ht to be, and oh, it hurts It’s like the breath-stealing pain beneaththe desert without enough to drink It’s like a dagger to the gut It’s like dying

I rest et better Don’t let hih How many times have I prayed for a life, only for God to turn away?

I will do anything I’d give hiood ine pouring h our clasped hands, filling Hector, knitting his wound

The Godstone becos upelse takes its place, so up fro into my Godstone My body shivers with it until I feel like I will burst

Hope dares to spark inside i with my Godstone amulet

I don’t knohere the power caain, but my body hu inside e boulder about to tumble off a cliff

God, what do I do?

Hector’s fingers twitch I grip tighter, presson the power insidehappens

Think, Elisa! Last time, I quoted God’s oords from holy scripture It beca it where I needed

Aloud, I say, "The gate that leads to life is narrow and small so that few find it" My Godstone lurches, and the force inside hteous right hand of God is a healing hand; blessed is he who seeks renewal, for he shall be restored"

Power trickles out of me, from my hand into Hector’s My heart pounds with excitement, with hope I wrack my mind for more

The "Prayer of Service"! "TakeMake ins to fade "No! God, please no"

I gaze at Hector’s face,every detail--his pale lips, the line of his jaw, the crisscross of scars on one cheek And suddenly I have it The perfect verse

My heart swells with knowledge as certain as the tides I whisper, "For love is more beautiful than rubies, sweeter than honey, finer than the king’s wine And no one has greater love than he who gives his own life for a friend My love is like perfuates open Power rushes out of me, into Hector He arches his back, and his eyes fly open, showing nothing but bloodshot white Then he crashes back to the bed

I have just enough ti is easier, that color returns to his face, before my vision blurs with exhaustion and dizziness My heart slows to a single thunderous beat every few seconds Too slow Aood trade, I think, as I collapse against the bed, ainst his forear in h and thick They trail down my cheek, stroke my jawline, brush my lips

I raiseat e expression He does not ently tracing ain

"You stayed," he says, and his voice is hoarse

"And I’ly At the confusion on his face, I hastily add, "How do you feel?"

"Like I got punched in the back with Captain Lucio’s gauntlet Which is odd I should feel worse"

"It worked!" His hand has still not left ers, maybe

"What do youproperties, but I didn’t know if it would work on soht up, wincing "You thought you were giving your life to me"

I open my

He swings his legs over to the side so that he faces me "There’s dried blood all over you," he whispers "My blood, isn’t it?"

I’ that won’t wash away, but speech leaves me when he cups my face with his hands "Please, Elisa," he says, "don’t ever, ever give your life for mine"

"I couldn’t let you die I’d rather--"

A knock sounds at the door, and we spring away froh he continues to hammer me with that unreadable stare

Doctor Enzo bustles in, but he stops short, his ape "This is most unexpected"

After an aard silence, I say, "Perhaps your skills are even more considerable than you realized?"

He looks back and forth between Hector and"I adhtfully "But this is not the result of aze drifts to the general direction of , not wanting to talk about it I do need to tell someone what happened Father Alentín or Xi happened before I woke up" Hector’s eyes flash with understanding; he knows I’ the whole truth Before I can be pressed on the et back to ala in theEnzo, please uards to escort me"

At my back, I hear Enzo say, "May I record this incident? The Journal of Medical Anomalies would be fascinated--"