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Her heart sank. So Carline probably had covered up the killing of Harlow and his family. If there were no records that Ben could find, searching for his ancestry, then there likely wouldn't be any for Harlow or the others. If she ever met Stanley Steel, she'd tell him he had a descendant living in the city, who was looking for him. Then Ben wouldn't believe she was mad, and Stan could make contact if he wanted to. Much better than blurting out that not only did monsters exist, but they came into the café on a regular basis.
"Well, record keeping wasn't the best back then. Lots of bushfires, living in tents...it's a wonder we have as much information as we do," Octavia said.
"Yes. The early colony here was a rough place," Ben said, still staring at the screen. He sounded like he actually knew something about Perth's history. Well, it was worth a shot.
"I wonder...in your research, have you come across a man named Sean Bell?" she asked.
Ben blinked. "Matter of fact, I think I have. Not so much the historical stuff, but in a book Callie gave me. I have a copy on my tablet, if you'd like to see it. I left it downstairs in my satchel."
Back down the stairs they went, for Ben to find Callie's book. If Callie had been home instead of away at a wedding, it might have been easier to ask her, but if Ben had actually found Sean Bell, when she never had...
"Ah, here it is. Sean Bell, written in on the page with the demon summoning spell."
Octavia choked. "What sort of spell?"
"One for summoning demons, apparently. Hang on, I think Callie sent me the translation, too. I didn't really pay much attention to this one, because my interest was more about foundation sacrifices and gargoyles, but I think it's...ah, yep. It's a demon summoning spell. Lots of details about the circles of runes you have to draw, around a bunch of candles, and something about the bait...yeah, that part's particularly gruesome. You can only summon a demon with a heart still moist with the blood of your kin." He shuddered.
Octavia forced out a smile. "That sounds really gross. Definitely not something you'd want to try at home."
"Well, no. It says you're supposed to do it on consecrated ground. Demons are dangerous."
She laughed nervously. "If you believe in them, sure."
"I don't think they need us to believe in them to exist. But as long as you're not summoning them, I suppose you don't have any problems." Was she imagining it, or was Ben's smile knowing again? Had he overheard Tacey talking about that girls' night where they'd tried to summon demons, but gotten gargoyles instead? Maybe he had.
"Anyway...Sean Bell. What's his name doing in a demon summoning spell? Does it say?" Octavia asked.
Ben shrugged. "It's next to the part about how to cast the spell if you're after a named demon. Apparently, when you summon these things, you can just make it an open casting call, or you can mention it by name. Kind of like a call back, if you liked the first visit, and survived it, I guess. "
Wait...did that mean Sean Bell was a demon? Carline's husband, her many times great grandfather, was a freaking demon?
Not possible. Just not possible.
Wait, if Sean Bell was a demon, that meant not only was she descended from a demon, but so were Rory, Tacey, Alethia, Sybil and Callie. Callie was going to freak.
"Yeah, well, can't say I'll be doing anything like that any time soon. Or ever. Killing people and cutting out their hearts really isn't my thing." Ben offered her a smile. "But I would be interested in helping you with your history project. It sounds like fun."
"Thank you. I should probably mention that there's no payment for it, as yet. It's pretty much been just my passion project so far, but I'm hoping to make it public when I'm done. If there's any royalties out of it, I can definitely give you your fair share. Rochelle, too, if she's interested. Full credit for work done, of course. I can't even say it'll be great exposure, because I'm not sure how popular it'll be. But if you're still interested..."
Ben just laughed. "Oh, I don't need your money, Octavia. I'm doing just fine financially. Like I said, your project sounds like fun. All I ask is that if you come across anything about my Uncle Stanley Steel, you share it with me."
"Uncle Stanley?" she stammered. It wasn't possible. Like Harlow, Stan would have lived here two hundred years ago. Ben couldn't possibly be his nephew unless he was over a hundred years old, when he barely looked twenty. He probably still got asked for ID everywhere he went.
"Oh, well, that's just what I've been calling him. He disappeared almost two hundred years ago, so he can't possibly be my actual uncle. Great great great...and a few more...great uncle." He wouldn't meet her eyes, though. Like maybe he'd seen something in his research that would sound mad if he shared it, too. "Oh, but the guy you're looking for – Sean Bell. It's Callie's book, though it originally belonged to someone called Carline, so you should probably ask her more about it. I've told you all I know."
Octavia doubted that, but she also didn't know him well enough to call him on it. Tacey trusted him, which had to be enough. Whatever secrets Ben was hiding weren't her business.
"Thanks. I will."
Wow. She had another artist on board, and a history buff, to boot. Maybe her virtual world would be real sooner than she'd thought.
TWENTY-FOUR
Something was wrong, Harlow was sure of it. Octavia had barely spoken, and while she stared at the screen, her fingers weren't flying over the keyboard or the mouse like they usually did.
"What do you need my help with today?" Harlow asked.
Octavia sighed, and looked up. "I don't know if you can help. It's just..." Another sigh, deeper this time.
