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any bargain, says the Vestal Amata.
    There is something hard in her, something angry. Moses wonders what exactly he has sworn to protect, and he wishes to know it for what it is. He wishes to sound the depths of it so as not to get
drowned inits tides or ripped to pieces on its shoals.
    No, Moses says to her. You’re right. You never made any bargain. So you kill him.
    The two gaze upon each other. She realizes she’s being tested. Their eyes lock, and Moses feels as though he is being watched by a giant caged animal – a panther pacing back and
forth waiting for its moment to strike.
    Give me the gun, she says, holding herhand outstretched.
    But he doesn’t give her the gun. Instead, he kicks around the base of the outcropping until he finds what he’s looking for. A loose stone roughly the size of a bowling ball. He hefts
it up and holds it out to her.
    The shot’ll signal to them something’s gone wrong. You want to kill him, you gotta do it this way.
    Hey, Fletcher says. Hey, wait a minute.
    He risesto his knees, but Moses points the gun at his head.
    Stay down, Moses commands.
    We had a deal, Fletcher says to Moses. You can’t just let her do it. That’s akin to doin it yourself.
    Akin to it, but not exactly the same, Moses says.
    He can see the sudden fear in the man’s eyes. There is no doubt in Fletcher’s mind that she’ll kill him.
    And, indeed, she takes the rock from Moses.The weight of it nearly topples her, small as she is, but she steadies it against her chest.
    Jesus Christ, Fletcher says, raising one hand over his head and knocking the sombrero off to protect him from the stone and another palm towards the pistol to protect him from the bullet. He is,
at the moment, a truly pathetic thing. Jesus Christ, he says again. Tillie, don’t.
    The Vestal Amatauses all the strength in her small arms to raise the rock over her own head. She pauses for just a moment. Moses looks to see what’s in her eyes, and resolution is what he
finds there. Deep, unquestioning resolution.
    At the last moment, Moses reaches out, seizes the rock from her hands and tosses it to the ground where it gives a deep, earthy thud that makes Fletcher fall forward into afoetal position as
though he has actually been struck.
    What happened? he says.
    What happened is you got a stay of execution, Moses says. Now sit tight till your people come for you.
    Moses takes the girl by the arm and heads back to the car.
    This is your last chance, Fletcher calls out to Moses as they walk away. He has regained his confidence now that there is no rock hangingover his head waiting to bash his brains in. You give
her back now, and we won’t even charge you to take her off your hands.
    And he laughs.
    *
    Before they reach the car, Moses seizes the Vestal Amata by the shoulders and looks down into her unflinching face.
    You were gonna do it, he says. You were gonna kill him in cold blood.
    That’s right, she says. And you weren’t.

    He wasn’t no threat to you – not then.
    He shot your brother.
    Is that what you were gonna do it for? On behalf of Abraham?
    No. I was going to do it on behalf of myself. And on behalf of decency.
    Decency, Moses repeats and guffaws. That’s a mighty big concept for such a little redheaded thing like yourself.
    Little nothing – I’m the Vestal. Or haven’t you heard?
    Your nameain’t Amata. He called you something different. Tillie.
    Amata’s the name that monk gave me. Tillie the Vestal just didn’t sound right to him. I didn’t use to always wear white robes either.
    I guess you didn’t.
    What’s that supposed to mean?
    That trick back there with the slug. How’d you do it?
    Her voice suddenly takes on a deep southern twang, as though in imitation of Moseshimself. Though Moses can’t decipher the shifts in her dialect – can’t determine which voice
is performance and which is real.
    It ain’t no trick, brother Moses, she says. I’m speciallike.
    You ain’t a holy woman.
    Do you know what’s holy and what ain’t? You sure bout that?
    I got a few ideas on the topic.
    Well, don’t expect a deep dissertation on the matter from me. Let’s youand I visit a slug town together and see which one gets along better with the locals.
    You also got a trick to save you from throttling by living men who just get tired of your talkin?
    Ladies and gentlemen, she addresses the desert around them, my sworn protector. Take a bow, Mosey.
    Moses turns and walks the rest of the way back to the