Blood Sins

relatively unimportant.

Bishop didn't comment on Quentin's aside but continued, 'It became obvious that we needed operatives able to bridge the gap between cop and civilian. Operatives trained in both law enforcement and military tactics, with strong investigative instincts and abilitiesand with some kind of psychic edge. People capable of going undercover, possibly long term, with little or no backup, and not necessarily with government sanction.'

Hollis let out an odd little sound and said, 'You do like to walk the edge, don't you?'

'I have to sometimes. Whether I like it or not.' Bishop shrugged. 'Reese, like a number of our civilian operatives, is a licensed private investigatorand his military background is legit.'

'And I like working alone,' DeMarco said.

'What about your normal life?' Hollis asked.

'Don't really have one.'

Hollis looked curious, but before she could ask the obvious question, Tessa lost patience with the lot of them.

'Ruby,' she said in the tone of one who was not going to be ignored. 'That little girl is in trouble.'

'Ruby isn't in immediate danger,' DeMarco told her.

'But you know she is in danger?'

He looked at her, those pale blue eyes not warming at all. 'They're all in danger. Samuel's Prophecy, remember?'

'Armageddon.' Quentin's voice was wry. 'All the best prophecies seem to predict Armageddon.'

'Yes,' DeMarco said. 'But the difference is that Samuel, unlike all the prophets of the past, might actually have a shot at seeing his vision, his Prophecy, come true. Even if he has to light the conflagration with his own hands. Or his own mind.'

'You don't mean literally?' Sawyer said. 'That he could createwith his minddestruction on a scale that could be even loosely termed apocalyptic?'

'Afraid so.'

'But you saidWait. The lightning?'

'Why not? He's used it to kill on a small scale. Who's to say he can't eventually gain or channel enough energy to be able to destroy on a truly massive scale?'

Quentin murmured, 'Welcome to our world.'

'Shit,' Sawyer said. 'No offense, but I'm finding it very difficult to think in apocalyptic terms. That was never a brand of religion I bought into.'

'Perfectly understandable,' Quentin told him. 'I've been having trouble with it myself. And I saw it. I think.'

'That was your vision?' Tessa stared at him. 'That Samuel destroyed the world?'

'Well, a goodly piece of this part of the world. All his followers. And Ruby. You, the chief, Hollis. Maybe only the beginning of his apocalypse, because my sense was that he was just getting started. There was sure as hell nobody stopping him.'

Bishop spoke suddenly. 'And Ruby.'

Quentin lifted a brow at his boss. 'Yeah. So?'

'You aren't including Ruby as one of his followers. Why not?'

Considering the question, Quentin said, 'I have no idea. From all appearances, she was one of his followers. At least she was sitting at his feet, almost like an acolyte. But he killed her too.'

Bishop was frowning. 'Are you sure that's what you saw?'

'No. I mean, the visions are new to me, we both know that. They only last a few seconds, and I'm trying to see as much as I can, remember what I see, because so far everything's been literal rather than symbolic.'

'So what did you see?' Hollis asked.

Since Quentin hadn't yet given Bishop the actual details of his vision, he tried to remember and relate every one; if he'd learned anything in his years with the SCU, it was that details could be and often were very important in their understanding of abilities and events.

'It was that outside pulpit of his, energy crackling in the air, hellish storm clouds overheadand smoldering bodies everywhere. Samuel standing on that ledge of granite, his hands smoking, Ruby kneeling at his feet. And behind him'

'Behind him?'

Quentin looked at Hollis, Tessa, and Sawyer in turn and grimaced. 'You three, crucified.'

'Literally?' Sawyer wondered how many times he had asked that incredulous question.

'Yeah. Crosses, ropes, iron spikes. The works. Everything but Roman centurions. Four crosses, three occupied. You and Hollis weren't conscious. Tessa was. Tessa cried out Ruby's name. Samuel looked down at Ruby, smiled, put his hand on her headand she burst into flames. Tessa screamed. Samuel turned his head and looked at her, then stretched out his free hand toward her, and what looked like a blast of pure energy shot out of his fingers. That was it. All I saw.'

* * * *

Ruth took Mara's sweater and Ruby's cloak as soon as the girls entered the church. She hung both garments in the cloakroom, then rejoined the girls in the vestibule. 'Your shoes, girls.'

Obediently, they removed their shoes, lining them up just outside the cloakroom. Mara had to remove socks as well.

The giggling had quieted by now. All the girls were solemn as Ruth made sure everything was as it should be. That robes were clean and pressed, hair tidy, nails trimmed and neat.

Then Ruth led the way from the vestibule and down into one of the side hallways that ran the length of the church, just below ground level. The hallway was rather institutional, with plain walls, plain carpet, and rather ugly wall sconces. At the end of the hallway was a locked door. Ruth produced a ring of keys and unlocked the door, revealing another set of stairs that led down to yet another level.

The girls went ahead of Ruth down the stairs, all of them hearing the sounds of the door being closed and once again locked behind them. She joined them at the foot of the stairs, and the girls stood silently as the older woman, with the deliberation of ceremony, unlocked a small room just past the stairs. The interior of the room was lined with cabinetry, everything metal and frosted glass so that only vague shapes could be seen inside.

Why? Because it has to seem mysterious to us? Or is there something here in the Ceremony Room that's really important?

Ruby didn't know. But she hated this level of the church, where there were only hushed rituals and secrecy. Where she had to fight so hard to protect herself.

Using another key, Ruth unlocked a big stainless-steel cooler. Inside, on a glass shelf, they could all see four white roses in individual crystal vases. One at a time, Ruth brought out a rose and fastened it into a girl's hair, just above the left ear. Each girl bowed her head as the rose was affixed.

Ruby was last and bowed her head obediently while the rose was placed in her hair. Perfect roses. Except that they have no scent. Not that it mattered today, since Ruby could still smell the sickly-sweet fake rose perfume from the soap she had used.

Ruth didn't appear to notice. She went back into the Ceremony Room, opened another cabinet, and emerged with four white candles, which she gave to them. Each girl held a candle in both hands while Ruth ceremoniously lit themwith a plastic disposable lighter.

Ruby almost giggled. Ridiculous. It's all so ridiculous.

And yet she was so afraid. Her hands were cold, her bare feet were cold, and her head was pounding because she was trying so hard to keep her protective shell in place. She was afraid she'd made a mistake in sending Lexie away to be safe, afraid Father would know about that, that he'd know she'd been hiding Lexie.

Afraid that he would know all the secrets she had done her best to keep from him.

There was nothing at all funny about that.

'Ready, girls?'

Ruby looked up fleetingly, and for an instant see saw the empty shell behind Ruth Hardin's solemn, serene face. That hard, ugly, scorched shell holding so much emptiness there couldn't have been much of Ruth left in