Free The Belial Origins by R. D. Brady

course, they both seem to have incredible resources, so I’m not all that surprised.”
    Jake clapped Henry on the shoulder. “We’ll find her.”
    Henry nodded, looking around. “Where’s Patrick?”
    “Right here.” Laney’s uncle appeared from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Patrick had been exhausting himself trying to find something on Victoria. It was only a few hours ago that Laney had finally forced him to go take a nap. And even with the short rest, his already pale complexion looked unusually colorless, and his blue eyes looked exhausted. Laney’s uncle and Victoria had formed a bond over the last few months. And Laney knew that her disappearance was affecting him as much as it was the rest of them.
    Henry stood up, offering Patrick his chair.
    Patrick waved him back. “I’ve been sitting all morning. It feels good to stretch my legs.”
    Laney stood and gave him a hug. “Are you hungry?”
    “No. I’m fine.” He glanced at Henry and Jake, who were busy clearing the table. He spoke quietly, his eyes on Laney. “Did you find anything else?”
    Laney shook her head, speaking just as quietly. “Nothing different.”
    Patrick nodded, his shoulders drooping. “I was hoping we were wrong.”
    “Me too.”
    Laney re-took her seat and looked up at her uncle. “Henry and Jake were just asking about our progress on the books.”
    Laney knew her uncle hated to give out incomplete information. He liked to find all the necessary information, synthesize it, and only then return a verdict. But right now, they needed to take some leaps if they were going to find Victoria.
    Patrick nodded. “It’s interesting.”
    Henry and Jake looked at him expectantly.
    Laney bit back her smile, knowing her uncle was lost in his own thoughts. “Uncle Patrick?”
    They’d spoken this morning in detail about their conclusions, but Laney had wanted more time. Now that time was up—and nothing new had come to light.
    Patrick started. “Oh, sorry. Well, like I said, it’s interesting. The books are from the Council, as you know. It’s their record of their different searches throughout time for the relics and riches of Atlantis. And what we’ve found is that Victoria—or at least someone who looks like Victoria—is seen throughout the books. All the books.”
    Henry frowned. “How’s that possible?”
    Patrick shook his head. “I don’t know. And they don’t seem to either. She appears, and they note that she’s involved with people associated with the relics. But all they seem to know about her is her name.”
    “And let me guess: different names?” Jake asked.
    Laney nodded. “She appears in different times and even at different ages, but there’s no denying it’s her.”
    Jake frowned. “What do you mean different ages? Like different eras?”
    “No, I mean her own age.” Patrick gave Laney an encouraging nod. She took a breath. This was the part of the reveal she had been dreading. “The youngest we’ve seen her in the books is around the age of fourteen. The oldest, probably in her eighties.”
    Henry started beside her. “Her eighties?”
    Laney’s look showed that she shared Henry’s confusion. “I know—I don’t understand it either.”
    “Could it be someone who just looks like her?” Henry asked.
    Patrick shrugged, but his tone conveyed his doubt. “I suppose, but the similarity is too striking. And again and again, throughout history, always involved with these relics? No. It’s her.”
    “The earliest record in any of the books is from the year 1118,” Laney said. “Victoria, or her doppelganger, is first mentioned in 1234. Then again in 1456 and 1619, and several dates after that.”
    “How many mentions of her have you found?” Henry asked.
    Laney swallowed. “Since 1118, she’s appeared in the book at least eight times.”
    Everyone was silent for moment while they digested that. Finally Jake spoke. “So what does that mean?”
    Laney glanced over at Patrick again. He