Chapter 46 A Call to Arms

The morning sun tore the clouds above Eldridge Falls and with it shone a path of long shadows across the town. One storm had moved away but another type of storm-one silent, yet one, no doubt, that argued in no way to be barred-stirred in its wake. It was time for Youth to arise. It was a duty performed by elders; now it was time for Clara and her friend to do so. Clara stood in the middle of the city square, beating her chest, and watched her friends and allies. So many of them were so young, still in their twenties, yet they had seen more than any human was supposed to go through. The dark had shown them their fears, but it made them grow stronger nonetheless. Now was about the time that this strength would be put to a test. Are we ready?" Clara asked a lot louder than she was expecting, through silent nervousness. Thomas took another step forward and only nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be. We've trained, we've prepared. We can do this." Victor, the always calm one of the group, readjusted his grip on the staff he now carried. "We don't have a choice. It's us or them. Clara looked around at the others: Annie, sharp as a tack and quick; Lucas, who found out he could move objects with his mind; Ella, who could heal with a touch of her hand, having already saved more than a few of them. Each of these skills was called into existence over the past few months, each working on perfecting them far harder than any of them had ever done. Yet, an air of fear was there. Long past some secret society of individuals, it had come to be even darker, perpetuated by powers of old they had no comprehension of. The man in black, the one they had faced within that ritual room, was their most dangerous adversary yet. "We need to stay together," Clara said matter-of-factly. "Nobody goes off alone. That's how they'll get us." Annie nodded in vigorous agreement. "And we must be very discretionary with our powers. If we were to lose control…" "We're not going to lose control," Thomas said, cutting her off. "We've prepared for this. We can do it." Clara, however, was unconvinced. For goodness sake, none of them had ever witnessed such a thing happen. Even the oldest of the village did not understand the evil which visited Eldridge Falls. The two were still standing as the sound of footsteps reverberated across the square. Clara now turned to see Mrs. Harper, one of the eldest in town, walking towards them with a few elders following behind her. She was carrying something bundled in cloth and a quite serious expression on her face. "What is this?" Clara asked as Mrs. Harper stopped before her. These are for you," Mrs Harper whispered, her hands opening the package to reveal ancient, weathered scrolls and devices. "These were with the first generation of our town that fought this evil before. They passed them down to us, and now we pass them to you." Clara reached out to touch one of the scrolls, the ancient paper rough under her fingers. "What are they? Guides, Mrs. Harper said, "Records of how they fought, how they survived. There's wisdom here. It might help you." Clara exchanged a look with Thomas, who eyed the scrolls warily. "Thank you," Clara said, her voice husky with emotion. She hadn't expected the elders to entrust them with this. "You are the hope of the town now," Mrs. Harper said quietly, "Do not forget that. Muffled and out of the way from prying eyes, they convened in an old barn on the outskirts of town. Not one second was to be squandered. Every moment felt the darkness closing in the noose around their necks. Clara unfolded the scrolls on a makeshift table while Victor, Lucas, and Ella were standing around her, scanning the texts. These symbols, Victor whispered, his finger tracing a sketch on one of the scrolls, are the same ones we saw in that building, which means this society is continuing to use the same rituals. Perhaps it can be reversed, Lucas said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. We must, Clara said, an edge of inflexibility in her voice. Otherwise, they open that doorway, and everything we fight for will be a waste. With that said, the barn doors creaked loudly; a silhouetted figure slid in. Ready to fight, expecting at any moment the ambush of violence; it was only Mr. Black. An unlikely ally he had grown to be, though Clara still didn't entirely trust him; she knew they needed him. "They're making their last move," Mr. Black whispered, "I overheard some of the society's members and overheard them-they are going to do the ritual tonight." Tonight?" Annie's voice gave a crazy jump into a panic. "We're not ready!" "We'll never be ready if we wait," Clara said; she took a second to steady her breathing. "We have to stop them now before they finish it. He stepped closer to her, his face grim. "You have to understand what you're dealing with. It's not just ancient magic, and with your powers, they amplify. They're going to draw you in-make you part of the ritual whether you want it or not." "Then we need to use that against them," Victor replied. His voice didn't even quaver, though this small room seemed to grow tense by the second. "If they're drawing on our powers, perhaps we can disrupt the ritual from the inside." Clara raised an eyebrow at him. "It's a risk. If we can't break the connection in time… "We'll stop them," Thomas said, his eyes ablaze with an inner fire. "We have to." It was chill that evening; the wind whirred through the trees as Clara and the rest struggled their way back to the ritual site. Ahead of them, the old decaying building stood dark in its panes just as well as it had previously. This time, however, they knew exactly what awaited them inside. Clara's heart was racing as she led the group toward the entrance. "Ready?" she whispered, turning to her friends. Thomas nodded, clenching his knife in his hand. Victor grasped his staff with both hands; Lucas and Ella exchanged queasy glances but didn't back off. Mr Black moved soundlessly beside them, his face set. But the atmosphere was heavier as soon as they stepped inside: standing in a circle came those same figures in their robes, chanting in low menacing voices. This time, however, he in black was not alone but surrounded by the members of this secret society, forming in a circle, with hoods on over their faces. Clara felt the twist of some ancient, awful pull in her belly; the room pulsed with the darkness, the air alive with it. The man in black just smiled as he saw them enter. "You're just in time," he said, malice practically dripping from each word. Clara clenched her fists. "We are not going to let you do this. "Oh, but you already are," he said, stepping forward. "Your presence here feeds the ritual. The more you resist, the stronger it gets." A cold dread seeped over Clara, yet wasn't allowed to control her. She knew she had to fight. "Everyone, concentrate!" she shouted. "Don't let him distract you!" The ground suddenly buckled beneath them, groaning walls, and flaring brighter symbols on the floor signalled the height of the ritual. "We have to stop it now!" Thomas yelled above the din of the falling-down building. But before Clara could utter even a word, the man in black let out an outburst of energy throughout the room, sending all of them across the floor. Then the vision in Clara's eyes began to blur as the darkness closed in, and she heard the man laughing.