Chapter 19: A Shadow of Doubt

Days ran into weeks, and absolutely nothing was heard about Eleanor. Emma and Nathaniel lost all hope as they appeared to have scoured every nook and corner of the town. It was now when all hope was thought of being lost, that a new character was introduced to Eldridge Falls, an individual who referred to himself as Silas, a traveller on his way to some city in the distance. Silas was an elusive character-ominously secretive. His accent sounded strange, and his eyes told the tale of something that haunted him. The villagers avoided him, but to Emma and Nathaniel, he was fascinating. Silas seemed to know more than anybody else as far as their town's history came into question. He would speak to them of hidden passages and secret societies, of ancient rituals and dark magic. They were still sceptical at first, but with every further detail Silas continued to tell, they thought perhaps he was, after all, telling the truth. One evening Silas took Emma and Nathaniel to a room deep beneath the old library. Weird-looking symbols adorned with ancient artefacts decorated the room everywhere. "This was the meeting place of the Order of the Veil," Silas said, "A secret society that has controlled Eldridge Falls for centuries." Emma and Nathaniel exchanged puzzled glances; they had never heard of this thing, the Order of the Veil. "The Order is responsible for many of the tragedies that have befallen this town," Silas continued. "They are a powerful force for evil." Just as Silas was about to say anything else, a sound put them in a scramble; somebody was coming. Emma and Nathaniel pulled Silas out of sight, peeking together as figures hooded, and swathed in cloaks streamed into the room. The figures had been chanting ancient words as their voices echoed through the chamber, preparing to perform a ritual. Like Nathaniel, Emma knew they needed to be stopped. They creepily crawled out of their hiding and faced the hooded figures. A fight ensued: Emma and Nathaniel fought gallantly but were outnumbered. Just when all seemed to be taken over by events, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Eleanor. Eleanor fled from those kidnappers and began making her way into town. She was fighting Emma and Nathaniel until they overcame the figures in hoods. There they were, just about to rejoice at that triumph, when the next menace popped up: a figure in the doorway, his eyes regarding them with icy calculation. It was a woman, yet her features were indistinguishable in the dark. She spoke, and her voice was cold and clear-cut enough to run one's blood cold. "You have meddled in our affairs," she said. "You will pay." Thus saying, she turned and vanished into the night. Emma and Nathaniel knew that their story was far from over, knowing full well that the Order of the Veil was still out there, and it would make sure Eldridge Falls became nothing but ruin and smoke. They had trusted Silas, and now they were being forced to reevaluate everything in a town with a new terrorizing threat. Had they been right to trust Silas? What secrets had Nathaniel kept? The answers may mean life or death for everyone that they love.