"Ok, well, let me put that a different way. They're gonna ask you to do it again."
Thane didn't pause, just talked around the food in his mouth. "Not gonna happen."
"Because you can't, or because you won't?"
"Won't."
Slowly, Laird smiled. "Where's your truck? Have a funny feeling you're going to say - "
"Warming," Thane filled in, but the mood was definitely lighter. "Want to tell me what those books are in the Bishop's office?"
"Encyclopedias of Words."
Which was what he'd expected. "And how exactly do you know if someone outside the cloth uses them? How'd they catch Mom?"
Laird's shoulders slumped and he set his fork down. The half-smile on his face had vanished. "Dad. He turned her in. She'd figured out a few Words and was using them to ward our room at night."
"He turned her in for protecting us?"
"Yeah." Laird rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "You were still little when it started, so not sure what you remember, but they warned her first. Told her to stop. Said the Power of God was only for the firstborn son, not a dutiful wife. The next time she got caught, they threatened her with a convent."
"Why'd they decide to go the possession route?"
Laird couldn't meet his eyes. "She used a Word they didn't have cataloged. She created it, Thane. She used the Power of God in a way that had never been tried before to get out of the house."
The meal in Thane's stomach began to roll. He remembered that. He'd been in the back of the car. "To visit Aunt Edith. But Mom was born an inquisitor!"
"And Aunt Edith was her friend, not her sister. She was trying to get out. She locked Dad in the house and was leaving him, so he turned her in. The problem was that no Word existed to prevent a lock from releasing. She was trying to get out and had powers that they'd never seen before, so they declared that a demon must've taken control of her body."
"And Dad didn't try to stop them?"
For a moment, Laird just stared at the table. "No. Now you know why I wouldn't talk to him." Then he set his fork down. "Mom's power was stronger than Dad's. They think you got both, combined. That's why you're sterile. It's also why you're so damned powerful that they won't risk you using a Word."
"What?" Thane asked.
Laird just nodded. "I've spent my entire life figuring out how to keep my power in check. I force myself to stay calm so it won't rush through me. The Church doesn't want strong priests, Thane. They want a lot of weak ones to support those in power."
"We have to stop them," Thane realized.
"That's why I want to get promoted." Laird pushed his plate toward the edge of the table. "This is a damned cult, and I want to find a way to let people leave if they want out. I mean, it's all I have. My life is devoted to God, whether I like it or not, so at least I can make some kind of difference."
Thane's next words hit like bricks. "I want out."
"Where's your truck?" Laird asked again.
"Probably on I-35, heading north."
"Yeah," Laird breathed.
He leaned back and dug in his pocket. What he pulled out was not at all what Thane expected. It was a small book. The cover was just black, but the edges were gilded like a mini-bible. Old and bent, it looked well used. Slowly, Laird pushed it across the table.
"These are the most commonly used. It's broken into types. I think you'll figure it out pretty fast." He licked his lips and looked up. "I've got another, so it won't be missed."
When Thane opened it to a random page, it looked like a dictionary. Over and over were listings. First the Word, then the result. Thane nodded, then slipped it into the same pocket that held his phone.
"Can you tell if I use it?"
"No," Laird assured him. "Unless an inquisitor catches you speaking one or can directly tie the result back to you, we have no clue. That's just a rumor the higher-ups like to float around to keep the flock in line."