Candace Sams - Stone Heart

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Stone Heart***CandaceSams
One
ScotlandThree hundred years ago
“Get out of my way you stupid, useless idiot!” Angus swung a half-empty tankard of ale at the serving
boy. “You are no’ worth the mud I kick off my boots.”
“Here now, there’s no call to be talking to the lad like that. He cannot help it if he is slow,” the tavern
owner said, defending the boy.
“Hold your whist, old man, or you will take the beating meant for him!”
The tavern owner stepped back and shook his head. “You are as mean a curse as ever beset the world,
AngusMacGregor . You will be punished for your brutish ways.”
“And who will do the punishing, old fool? You?” Angus dropped his head back and finished the last of
the bitter ale. Raising a massive forearm, he swiped the foam from his lips and pushed the tavern boy to
the floor. “Keep this half-wit cripple out of my way, or I will make sure he never fouls my presence
again.”
The boy scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as his twisted left leg would allow. One of the serving
wenches wrapped her arms around the child’s tiny frame when he stumbled into her. She looked at the
boor of a man who had frightened the boy and muttered a rude oath under her breath. She, the tavern
owner and the child, walked away before the big man found another excuse to lose his ready temper.
Angus watched their retreat as he pulled a chair toward his mountainous body. He slowly turned the
heavy wooden chair backwards and straddled the seat, eyeing anyone else in the room who might make
a complaint. Everyone in town knew which table in the tavern was his. They knew the time of day he
used it, and no one got in his way when he had a thirst. In fact, no one got in his way. Ever. As far as he
was concerned, the town and its surrounding countryside might be owned by the local farmers and
merchants, but he was in control. People stepped out of his way when he approached. If he wanted the
few coins they carried, he took them. If they had food, horses or clothing he needed, these became his
without question when he raised his sword. And that was as it should be. None of them had ever done
one thing for him. So he gladly returned thefavor .
***
The current Sorceress of the Ancients,Maeve Donald, pulled her cloak more tightly about her and sat in
the corner of the tavern, sipping her grog. She watched and waited, making sureMacGregor could not
sense her presence. All that she had seen thus far bore proof to the tales she had heard. He was a bully,
and she knew what had to be done, though she was unsure how to go about it. Her attention was
distracted by a raven-haired girl of sultry beauty. The young woman walked from the back of the tavern
to whereMacGregor sat. She stood behind him, twisting her long fingers together, as if the nervous action
would give her courage. She wore an expression of anxiety and fear. Finally, the girl took a deep breath
and moved to stand in front ofMacGregor .
“Angus, I must speakwi ’ you,” the girl pleaded, in a trembling voice that plainly related her stress.
Angus smiled. He put his hand on the girl’s shoulder and slowly slid it down to her left breast.
Regardless of those who might see, he caressed her as he raised his mug for a passing wench to refill.
“I have been wondering where you were, Bridget. My bed could use warming this night.”
She pushed his hand away and stepped closer. “Please, Angus. Can we no’ go outside where we can
talk in private?”
“Aye, lass. If that is what you want. We can . . . talk,” Angus said, emphasizing the last word
suggestively. Then he rose to follow Bridget outside.
The Sorceress followed them out the tavern door and stood in the shadows cast by the clouded night
sky. She heard the girl say, “Angus, I have an urgent need to speakwi ’ you. I . . . I have missed my
monthly time. I fear our dallying might have mewi ’ child.”
“Your dallying might have you with anyone’s child, girl. What is that to me?” He leaned back against a
nearby tether rail and grinned.
“Angus,” she gasped, “I have ne’er lainwi ’ a man but you. You know that.”
“I know I was the first. Doubtless no’ the last. But whether you arewi ’ child or no’, we can make use of
the night.” He grinned and reached for her, his body already responding to his need.
“Do you no’ care for your own babe? Do you care no more for me than to use me as a common
whore? I thought . . . I thought . . .”
“You thought what? You little tart! Did you think I wanted more than the few nights we shared? That I
loved you? Cared for you?”
The girl recoiled at his sneering comments, and she winced when his harsh laughter filled the air.
“No,” she muttered. “You bedded me only to serve your rutting needs. You never cared for me at all. I
see that now. How could I have been so blind?”
“How indeed? Did I ever promise you anything, Bridget? Did I ever say I wanted more than the heat
between your legs, you stupid wench?”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But what am I to do? Where will I go? The
townspeople will turn me away.”
“Here,” he said, reaching inside a leather pouch tied to his belt. “Never let it be said that Angus
MacGregordinna ’ pay a willing whore her due.”
“You are made of stone, AngusMacGregor . Your heart is rock. One day I hope someone hurts and
defiles you as you have done me,” she spat out.
With a cruel laugh, he tossed the coins to the ground in front of the girl and walked away.
The Sorceress had seen enough. She watched as Bridget put her hands over her face and ran into the
darkness.
Maeveknew it would take time to follow Angus. She was getting on in years and could not move as fast
as she once did. AndMacGregor was a monstrously large man with a lengthy stride. He’d make it to his
horse long before her, but follow him she would. The girl’s comment had given her the idea for the
judgement that would come.
“The punishment will fit the deed,”Maeve whispered.
Angus made his way to his mount. He had suffered enough clumsy tavern urchins and whining whores
for the night. It was time to get back to his camp. Unlike the farmers and tradesmen, he disliked sleeping
beneath a roof. Especially if there was no soft body to share his bed.
What did he care if the trollop carried his by-blow? If it was his. And what if it fared no better than he
had? Why should he care? The townspeople had made him what he was, so let them deal with his
bastard. Bridget’s recently deceased parents had not have even given him a scrap of bread when he was
a small lad. Why should he show their daughter any mercy?
He let his mount find its own way out of town. The horse knew the road well enough. The ale and bad
company were taking their toll. He was nearly asleep in his saddle when he heard soft crying coming from
the road’s edge.
He reined in his mount and let his keen senses search out the darkness for the source. Then he saw her.
The little girl could not have been more than six years of age, and she was standing near the roadside,
clutching a ragged cloak about her too slim body. He turned his horse in her direction and stopped when
he was but a short distance away.
“What ails you, little fleabag? Why are you out in the night air and no’ abed?”
At the sound of his roughly phrased question, the little girl raised her tear-stained face. “He took my
Holly from me?”
“Someone took a shrubbery from you, and you are weeping over it?”
“Holly is my kitten, and he took her,” she told him, then began to weep harder.
Angus dismounted and stood over the girl. “Explain.”
“I . . . I stole a piece of bread from the baker’s shop and ran. But the baker followed me to the barn
where I sleep. He took my kitten away to punish me. He said he was going to put her in a sack and
drown her in a pond to teach me a lesson.”
Against his nature and better judgement, Angus felt a place in his heart twist. An old wound there
opened up. Once upon a time he had been like this little girl, and he remembered a soft brown puppy
which had perished under the wheels of the careless baker’s cart. He softened the tone of his voice.
“Where are your parents, waif?”
“They died when everyone was so ill this winter past. Please, do not let him drown my Holly. She is all I
have, and I am so afraid.”
The little girl threw herself at one of his legs and clung to him like the night dew. Some of the granite wall
around Angus’ cold heart crumbled a bit, though he could not imagine why he should give a damn.
“What is your name, little one?”
“Elspeth,” she told him in a tiny voice.
“Wait right here, Elspeth, anddunna ’ move. Understand?”
After she nodded, Angus mounted his horse and rode toward the baker’s cottage. It was only a short
distance from where he had left the little girl. If he was too late, perhaps he could give the child a coin to
make up for the loss of her beast. Again, he questioned himself as to why he should care. No one had
concerned themselves about him and his losses when he was that age. But something made him want to
try to help this child.
When light from the baker’s window came into view, he dismounted and walked to the door. He raised
his fist, pounded upon the thick wood, and was rewarded with cursing coming from within. It seemed the
baker was about to find rest for the night and was upset by the disturbance. So much the better. The man
would get a thrashing as well as no sleep. The fat man opened the door with a crash.
“What in the name of creation do you . . .”
Angus grabbed the man by his bedclothes and dragged him out into the night air. “Where is the beast
you took from the little girl, you slovenly ass?”
“I . . . What . . . Who . . .MacGregor ? It is y-you!” the man spluttered.
“I will no’ repeat myself you lazy, addled fool. Where is the beast you sought to drown? The one you
took from the little girl?” Angus ground out between clenched teeth.
“In . . . in yon barn. The night was too dense with fog for me to safely find my way to the pond.”
“You may consider your life saved by that fact, you oaf. And in the future,dunna ’ ever hurt that little girl
or her beast again or you will answer to me. If she hungers, you will feed her the bread she needs. Do
you understand?”
“Aye,MacGregor .”
“Aye, what, you mindless coward?” He shook the man to make his point.
“I will not touch the girl or her beast. Not ever.”
“And?”
“And I will see she does not want for food.”
The baker trembled in terror atMacGregor’s threat. The hulking brute was quite capable of delivering his
promise. Everyone knew he was not to be thwarted in any way.
“Good,” Angus snapped. “Now, get out of my sight before I tie you in an old flour sack and throw you
in a pond!”
Angus pushed the portly man into a nearby mud puddle. He laughed as the man scrambled to his feet
and found his way back to the safety of his cottage. When the door of the dwelling slammed behind the
baker, Angus turned and strode to the barn. He jerked the door open and was met with the sound of a
mewing, frightened kitten. It was, as the little girl said, tied in a sack and waiting for its watery fate.
He grabbed the sack, walked to his horse and mounted. Within a short time, he was back where he’d
left Elspeth. She looked up at him and smiled, obviously hearing the frightened animal crying. After
dismounting, Angus untied the sack, pulled out the tinygray bundle and handed it to its mistress. It purred
loud and strong at being delivered back into the arms of the one who kept it well.
“Thank you,MacGregor ! Oh, thank you! I shall not forget what you have done. Not ever or ever!”
“You know my name, lassie?”
“Aye. Everyone knows you. They say you are a brute and a bully, but I do not believe them. I think you
are the most bravest man I have ever known. And I shall not forget what you have done. Not ever.”
Angus was unaccustomed to such a declaration, and though childishly made, it was sincere. He was
uncertain how to take it. She had unknowingly insulted while heaping praise. The little girl pulled upon the
hem of his jerkin. Angus bent down to see what she wanted and received a small kiss upon one of his
unshaven cheeks. Then she cuddled her kitten tightly and ran off toward the village. At that exact moment
the clouds seemed to fly away and the moon shone brightly. He could see her golden curls glisten in its
light as she ran. For an instant, he smiled. Then the old hatred came back, and he cursed himself for being
all kinds of a fool. Why should I care? It only hurt to do so.
He quickly turned, mounted his horse and rode to his campsite. He should not have become involved in
the matter. The only things that concerned him were those that could increase his power or wealth. He
had wasted good sleep over an incident which had gained him neither.
After arriving at his camp, he settled himself near the circle of stones that served as a fire pit. He tuned
his senses to make sure no one was near then raised his hands and uttered the ancient spell of making. A
bright blaze suddenly came alive in the pit. His magic would keep the fire burning all night and ensure a
warm sleep. A deerskin served as a blanket and would also help ward off the dew. Now that the clouds
had blown away, the night promised to be cold.
He raised his hands to the blaze to warm them and felt a strange sensation. Another of his own kind was
near. He threw off the covering and stood, gazing into the darkness.
“I know you are there. Show yourself,” he commanded. “What is your name, and what do you want?”
“Who I am does not matter. You already know why I am here,”Maeve told him as she pushed the hood
of her cloak back and walked toward the firelight.
“Ah, you are a member of the Order. Others have come and I have defeated them all. Why do you
people keep troubling me?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the woman.
She saw the defiance in his stance and his gaze. She sensed that his magic was great. But not so great
that he could not be defeated and punished. He had misused his power and had to be stopped.
“The ones who came before told me how strong you are, AngusMacGregor . Do not think, however,
that you will send me away like a whipped pup, as you have all the rest. This time you will be punished.
The only reason you have not been destroyed is because you have kept your powers secret from the
village folk. They do not yet know that you have used magic against them for your own purpose.”
Angus smiled. “Idunna ’ know of what you speak, old woman. Be quick about your business so that I
may send you back to the Order as I did the others. The night grows cold and I am weary.”
“You are a liar,MacGregor . You know exactly what I speak about. Do not play the buffoon with me.
You may not know my name, but you do know that I am Sorceress of the Ancients. You also knew that
I would eventually find you when the others I sent could not do as I bid them.”
Angus dropped his careless facade and bellowed in anger, “Idunna ’ care that you are the Sorceress!
Your lawsdunna ’ apply to me, since I have never gained benefit from them. The Order cast out my
parents and left them to die among the village people. The Order left me to fend for myself among
sheep-witted peasants who could no’ find it in their miserly hearts to givesuccor or food to the child I
was. And they have paid for it since.”
“We did not know your parents would take you when we cast them out, lad. They had been ordered to
leave you behind. When we found out you were missing, we sent emissaries to find where your mother
and father had hidden you. By then, they had died in the disease-ridden countryside, and you were as
wild as the wind. You had already learned how to fight, steal and bully those around you. No amount of
diplomacy worked. We tried to help you, to bring you back into our midst. You know that.”
“Bah!” Angus shouted, rudely gesturing with the middle finger of his right hand. “Your emissaries cared
nothing for me. They only came because they feared I would use my Druid powers and let the world
know about the Order. I can only imagine the chaos that would befall all of you if your precious world
were revealed to mankind. If it became known that an Order of Fairies, Druids and Goblins lived in the
nearby woods, the villagers might have soldiers sent to hunt you down like the weak prey you are. But
my parents wanted to make contact with the villagers, try to make them understand who and what the
Order is. They tried to let them know magical creatures existed nearby and meant them no harm.”
“That could never be allowed, Angus. You must know that,” the old woman insisted. “Your parents
could have been put to death for their attempts to reveal their magic to the outside world. Instead, we
tried to show compassion and let them live.”
“You should have saved your compassion!” Angus growled. “Instead of killing them outright, you
banished them, and theverra ’ same villagers they tried to befriend let them starve. My parents had no
coin with which to buy food. Too weak to fight off the illness that ravages the countryside each winter,
they died within hours of each other. I was but a young boy and had to dig the holes in which to bury
them. Where was your precious Order then, Sorceress? Where were you when I fought for every scrap
of food I could find?”
“Your parents should have left you behind as they were ordered . . .”
“What decent parent would leave their child, old woman?” he interrupted. “I remember the day they
were banished from the Order, though I was barely past my fifth year. I owe you, the Order and these
cursed townspeople nothing. Nothing! Do you hear? You cast my parents out of the only home they had
ever known. And the townspeople would not even acknowledge that they lay dying in a hovel. They
were without food or warm clothing. None of you ever cared a whit for the child my dead parents left
behind. So I learned to care for myself and no one else. I learned how to take what would no’ be offered
to me.”
“And to make the lives of everyone around you a misery?” she asked. “Is this also what you learned,
MacGregor ?”
“Yes. All this I did learn. And I learned it so well that I now command the town and everyone in it. They
fear me as they fear nothing else that exists. I take what I want and no one stands in my way. They are
shown the same mercy they showed my parents and me. And as for the Order, they can rot. I care
nothing for any of you!”
The old woman bowed her head and sighed. “Part of what you say is the truth,MacGregor . We should
have been more persistent in our efforts to bring you back to the Order. It was poorly done of us to
leave you among the abusive townsfolk. But your hatred and the use of your magic to run this town
makes you dangerous.”
“These simple-minded foolsdunna ’ know that I use magic. Mostly I use these.” He held up his two
gargantuan fists and shook them. “They are what these ignorant peasants best understand. I only use
magic to ruin a crop or two when someone will no’ pay me what I ask, or give me clothing or livestock I
want.”
“And you think what you do is just and that the townsfolk do not make a connection between you and
the loss of their livelihood?” she asked.
“What if they do? They stilldunna ’ know that I am Druid or that the Order exists. Let them think me a
black witch or demon. I care not.”
“It is a wonder that you have not told them about us outright. Why have you not done so?”
Angus smiled. “They are ignorant and frightened by that which theydunna ’ understand. If I told them
about the Order and they believed me, they would pack up in horror and move to distant places. They
would no’ tolerate knowing Trolls and Gnomes were living in the woodlands so near their homes. And, if
the people left, I could no’ have the vengeance against them which is due me. It is better to let them think
I am the most powerful being that ever besieged them. I may one day be powerful enough to come back
to your Order and avenge my parents, as I have avenged them by terrorizing these simple fools.”
He saw the Sorceress’ eyes narrow and knew he had gone too far. Still, he did not fear her. If she had
wanted him dead, her minions would have been sent to do the deed long ago instead of being sent to
bring him back to the Order.
“I hold my temper no longer, AngusMacGregor . I am here to pass judgement. You misuse your powers
in the world and would threaten the very Order from which you came. Your hatred has left nothing of
your heart but a blackened abyss. I can find no redeeming quality in you. And the worst of it is, your
parents had so much love in them that they wanted to share their magic with the world. Even though they
knew such a thing was not allowed, they were willing to risk their very lives in their cause. As noble as
their purpose may have been, I cannot approve what they did. But I can admire their courage. You have
shamed them and their efforts. They would have hated the man you have become and you are dangerous.
So I must pass judgement upon you.”
She raised her arms and began to speak in Gaelic. “Clach,clach ,” she chanted. She summoned the
ancient magic for transforming the man into stone.
Words as old as time wove a spell around the place where they stood. The fog, which had earlier
disappeared, now reappeared and circled the campsite. Though it grew colder, the wind did not blow.
No creature made a sound.
For the first time since he was a child, Angus knew fear. He felt an iciness creep over him. It began at his
feet and moved up his legs. He was unable to move or speak. Each second that elapsed seemed like an
eternity as he grew more and more frigid. He thought he would freeze. Perhaps that was what the
Sorceress intended to do. To kill him with the frosty air which penetrated the deepest part of his lungs.
Soon his sight dimmed and failed. He wanted to cry out in rage and horror. But that was a luxury denied
to him. He could still hear the Sorceress’ voice wielding her enchanted powers, but he could do nothing
to stop her. His magic was not as strong as hers, and the spell had come upon him too suddenly.
“As it was with your parents, I do not have it in my heart to destroy you,” she told him. “I acknowledge
that part of what you have become is due to my negligence.” She paused and regarded her handiwork.
“You will exist as you are, able to hear all that occurs around you, but you will never be able to see or
respond. If, on the three-hundredth anniversary of this enchantment, one soul will come forward, and
utter the exact same words used to bewitch you, then the spell will be broken. Perhaps in that time you
will learn how evil hatred is. Since you have not endeared yourself to a single being, I fully expect you will
spend eternity as you are. A statue of stone. Hideous in appearance, and devoid of any friendship or
human contact.”
The Sorceress turned and walked away. Her head hung and her shoulders slumped. It would have been
less cruel to kill him outright. Unless the small presence she sensed would come to his aid, he would
spend the rest of time in this entombed state. But the spell was cast and her job done. She made her way
back to the forest from which she came.
Minutes later, nearby bushes began to rustle. Elspeth walked forward and stood before the horrifying
statue. She tilted her head as she looked up at the monstrosity, but she was not afraid.
“I heard everything. What the old woman said was not true. You are not a bad man. You saved my
Holly, and I will never forget.” She knelt and placed a dead flower at the foot of the statue. “I ran back
from town to bring you a flower. I picked it several days ago, and I am sorry it is not so pretty as when it
was growing. I was coming to give it to you when I saw what the old lady was doing. I kept as quiet as a
mouse and listened. She is gone now, so do not be afraid.”
Elspeth stood and backed away. Then she clasped her hands together. “I promise I will not forget. We
will always be friends.”
She turned and walked away, as the night grew colder and the wind began to blow. But Elspeth was
determined to come back each and every day to talk to her friend, even though he could never answer
back. She repeated the words of the spell over and over as she walked. The words had to be exactly
right. She must remember all of them. She had made him a promise, and it had to be kept.
***
As Elspeth had promised Angus, she came back the next day and every day thereafter. She spoke of life
in the village and how everyone wondered what had happened to TheMacGregor . She was always there
and time passed.
Years went by, and Elspeth’s voice changed from that of a tiny child to a young girl. She brought
flowers, laid them at his feet and described them to him. He wondered when he would go insane from not
being able to communicate. Neither hunger nor thirst plagued him, but he felt as if he would starve from
the lack of real contact. Only the girl’s daily presence kept him from losing touch with reality and going
completely mad.
In time, someone decided to build a cemetery around him. Those who passed by could be heard to
comment on how hideous he was and speak of finding less, unwholesome scenery. Still, Elspeth came
and never sounded as though she was afraid of his appearance.
When she spoke, no news was too trivial. She told him everything. Then she told him she had met a
young lad from aneighboring village, and she had found work there as a cleaning woman. Angus feared
he would lose his only friend altogether. Perhaps she sensed his fear, for she reassured him the walk from
the nearby village was not far. She would still come. He need not have agonized, for she kept her word
as she always had.
She married her lad and bore him children. She described each of them to him. She shared her hopes for
the future and her plans for a new home and her life. And time went on.
She came to him in tears one day when her husband and oldest son had been killed in a senseless war.
He knew the countryside was besieged because of the weeping he heard. Many loved ones had been
newly buried in the surrounding graveyard, killed before their time. He regretted, with all his heart, that he
could say not a single word of comfort to her. Still, she came.
One day, almost sixty-one years later, Angus waited for her. The afternoon grew into the evening, and
he felt the night mist upon his stone flesh, but Elspeth did not come. The next morning, he knew what had
happened. The faithful little girl who had turned into a woman would come no more. His only friend had
passed from this life into the next. He could hear the voices speaking of her as her body was lowered into
a nearby grave. Had the mourners taken the time, they would have seen one lone tear slide its way down
the face of themoldy statue he had become. He could not even grieve for her properly.
Days passed by, and he mentally begged the Goddess of the Earth to take his life. He had been able to
handle the loneliness as long as Elspeth came, but not any longer. The only caring person left to him was
gone, and it hurt far too much to bear. So he came to know what it was like to be afraid and alone again.
Just as he had when he was a child. In his utter despair, he did not sense the boy’s presence one sunny
morn, some weeks after Elspeth’s passing.
“My grandmother told me about you. My name is Andrew. She knew her time was near, and she made
me promise to come and speak to you every day. She told me that real men always keep their promises,
and so I shall. I am sorry I did not come sooner, but I had to get permission to walk here first.”
Angus guessed the child could be no more than the age Elspeth was when he first saw her. The little boy
talked on and on, and Angus listened to every syllable the child uttered. His friend had not forgotten. She
had kept her word, and now there was a new person to keep him company. No one could ever take
Elspeth’s place, but she had sent a new generation to help him tolerate the long days.
That boy, and Elspeth’s descendents who followed, seemed to believe that speaking to the gruesome
statue was a kind of game—a family tradition to pass from the oldest of one generation to the youngest of
the next. Angus felt the joy of learning to love each life that came to him. And he learned the pain of
losing each one as well. He learned a great deal.
One day strangers came into the cemetery. One of them spoke of moving him, saying he was an eyesore
and a detraction from the new cemetery gardens. Using ropes and equipment, Angus was moved from
where he stood and horror followed. He was placed in some out-of-the-way spot where no voice ever
came. Again, he wanted to die. This time he believed his wish might be granted. There was certainty in
his heart that no one remembered the enchantment to set him free, even if he could be found. Each day
brought him closer to the three hundred years which marked his enchantment. Dying was his only hope.
He prayed for such release.
Loneliness. It was a horrible thing to be alone. Not to just feel that way, but to actually know there was
no living being within hearing distance.
There was no way he could stand the torture for another moment. If only they had cracked and broken
him as he was being moved. Surely that would have destroyed him and he could know peace. His mind
cried for companionship. Any kind of company. Even the birds did not sing where he had been placed.
Was this the kind of cruel anguish others had endured because of him? Out of his hatred, he had done
horrifying things, and this was his atonement. Hundreds of years of it. This had to end soon. It must or he
would go mad. He would not only be alone in a dark stone world, but he would be quite insane there. He
would will himself to death.
“Someone help me,” his agonized mind begged. “Please let this end soon. Goddess, please!”
Two
Present day
“I’m sorry, Miss Matthews. All we can do is see that she’s made comfortable,” the doctor consoled.
Karen swallowed hard and lowered her voice. “How long?”
The doctor looked at Karen’s aunt, who lay on the bed, then back at Karen. “Maybe a week. No
longer.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”
The doctor paused before picking up his bag and leaving. “And how are you feeling? Did the
prescription I gave you help?”
She nodded. “Oh, yes. The pain isn’t nearly as bad now.”
“Maybe you’d better let me have a look at you. All this worry over your aunt hasn’t done you much
good, I’m afraid.”
“No,” she said and waved a hand in refusal. “There’s no need to fuss over me. We both know what the
verdict is where I’m concerned. There’s no point wasting your time.”
The doctor sighed and nodded. “Karen, I wish I could move you ahead on the transplant list, but the
way things are, a donor might not match anyhow . . .”
“Don’t! There’s no sense going into all that again.” She smiled and tried to act brave. “I’ve been ready
摘要：

  StoneHeart***CandaceSamsOneScotlandThreehundredyearsago“Getoutofmywayyoustupid,uselessidiot!”Angusswungahalf-emptytankardofaleattheservingboy.“Youareno’worththemudIkickoffmyboots.”“Herenow,there’snocalltobetalkingtotheladlikethat.Hecannothelpitifheisslow,”thetavernownersaid,defendingtheboy.“Holdyo...

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