Page 12 of Dark Stars
The place seemed empty as they steppedinside, but Bobby had no idea if that was normal or not. "Arechurches always like this?"
"I have no idea. I don't go to these sort ofwhite people churches," Alejo replied. "I don't go to church at allanymore, unless Mamá drags me. Which she rarely does these days.Churches always give me weird vibes, like something crawling alongmy skin."
"I know the feeling well," Bobby said. "Holyplaces don't like me much. Well, not this type of holy place."
Alejo gave him a look, but clearly knew notto bother asking more questions. "Report said the priest was lastseen here in the nave, but that it looked like his office hadeither been the site of a fight, or was tossed fast and ugly. Orboth, I guess." He jutted his chin at a door behind the pulpit."Guess it's probably through there."
Bobby led the way this time, tasting thebarest traces of that primordial miasma. Of home. "The cultistswere definitely here, but as friend or foe, I can't tell." Thatwould require reaching into the primordial dark, which might verywell give him away to whichever troublemaking relative he wasdealing with this time. That was the last thing he wanted, at leastfor now.
"Oh, good, we might be dealing withChristian cultists," Alejo said. "Those are myfavorite."His breath hitched on the word, and Bobby could suddenly taste hispain, his fear, they were so strong and sharp.
He stopped, turned sharply, stared into eyesthat were filled with unshed tears before Alejo blinked them away."What happened to you back home, Alejo?" Bobby reached up, curledhis hand around the back of Alejo's neck—and felt the barest hintsof incredibly powerful brujería before Alejo jerked away.
"Do— don't touch that," Alejo said. "Justleave me alone. I'm not going to hurt anyone."
"But what kind of trouble seeks to hurtyou?" Bobby asked.
"It doesn't matter because it can't find me.Can we just get on with this?"
Bobby hummed thoughtfully, but for now themystery would have to remain, because everything he could use tofigure it out would reveal him. Being careful was so boring. Hepicked up the amulet he'd given Alejo, stroking his thumb over it,enjoying the tingling vibrations of his mother's power, the way theresonance was already changing to match Alejo's. In time, theamulet would work for no one else.
His father wore a collar made entirely ofthe material, an extravagance so great, even his mother's familywas aghast, and they hardly stirred over anything.
"Bobby…" Alejo whispered.
Shaking himself, Bobby stepped back. "Let'sget back to work." He turned sharply and strode down the hall,opening doors as he went. Bathroom, storage room, some sort oflounge or meeting room, a breakroom… and finally the office. Themiasma was slightly stronger here, as though it had lingeredinstead of simply passing through, but that made sense, as they hadclearly tossed the place. "I smell no violence here, not againstthe living, anyway. They were looking for something, but whether ornot they found it I cannot say."
"How do you smell so much?"
Bobby threw a grin over his shoulder beforehe bent to right a knocked over chair. Kneeling, he picked up thepapers scattered on the floor around the desk, stacking them neatlyon one corner before going around the room to collect papers thathad gone further astray.
Nearby, Alejo was going over the bookcasethat took over one wall with a fine-toothed comb. "This is a weirdmix of books. It's got everything fromWar and Faithtosomething that is very obviously gay erotica. Remarkable."
"Are you serious?" Bobby joined him at theshelves and pulled out the book in question. "No, that's definitelynot the kind of book a preacher should just have out in the open.This is about a demon and a human getting it on."
Alejo abruptly looked ready to throw up. "Noone with any sense would ever 'get it on' with a demon." He jerkedaway from the bookcases and went to the desk instead, sitting atthe seat behind it and pulling the papers Bobby had gatheredclose.
Bobby slotted the demon loving book backonto the shelf and looked over the others, which were indeed astrange mix. It was the farming book, though, that bothered him themost. This wasn't a farming town. Not even close. This townsurvived on factories and tourists. No preacher needed a book onsmall-scale farming best practices.
Bobby grasped the book and pulled—andinstead of coming out, the book tilted and a muted click filled theroom. "Secret passage! Yay! An actual secret passage!"
Alejo stared at him, looking torn betweensurprise and amusement, before he scooped all the papers into theknapsack he'd brought along, swung it on his shoulder, and came torejoin Bobby at the bookcase.
It was actually two large bookcases builtinto the wall, or seemingly, because the rightmost one had poppedout ever so lightly in the middle. Bobby grabbed the edge andpulled, swinging it open wide enough they could both see what laybeyond.
Stairs, damp and mildewy. The scent of dampwafted up, along with that miasma that signaled the cult. "Theycame through here, but I don't know if they found it and went, orcame to the church through it."
"Are we going down?" Alejo asked. "Pleasesay yes."
Bobby's mouth curved as he shot Alejo alook. "You really are a troublemaker, aren't you?"
"My dad says trouble magnet," Alejo repliedwith a sigh. "Come on, I never get to go down into a secretpassage. In a church, to find a missing preacher, while huntingcultists. Comeon, my siblings willseethewithjealousy." He looked at Bobby with wide eyes that probably got himout of worlds of trouble, the little brat."Please."
"Fine," Bobby said, jerking past him andhastening into the passage before he lingered too much over thatpretty littlepleaseand how much he liked it. Alejo wasentirelytoo young for him to be noticing like that.
His stupid brain helpfully reminded him thathis mother was millions of years older than his father, who was afew thousands or so years old now himself.
The stairs were slick and green, whichseemed strange when there was no major body of water close enoughto cause such a thing. Smelled brackish too, which was strangerstill. They were still hours from the ocean, far too inland for seawater and fresh water to mix.
