Chapter 57: Legacy of Hope

The morning after the battle was silent. Too silent. Emma stood on the edges of Eldridge Falls, her eyes cast to the horizon. Gone was the dark, smothering shadow which had wrapped over the town like a shroud, yet the scars its wake left were deep: buildings crumbled, trees twisted and burnt, and the air thick with what had transpired. But now there was no sound other than silence, a silence not of terror but of hope. Eldrid Falls had won their victory, but they, too, had won some blows. Nathaniel's face flickered across the arch of her mind and his valorous sacrifice ran in an endless loop. But she couldn't fathom it. Emma's chest heaved as her grief and incredulity mounted. "Emma?" the soft voice from behind her called. Emma turned to her, her face white and exhausted, too, but her eyes alight with a resolute light. "We're meeting in the square," she said. "Everyone's coming. We've got to sort out what happens next.". Emma nodded, the weight of the town's expectations settling in upon her shoulders. They were looking to her now; after everything, she was one of the leaders trusted by the townspeople. Strange, and she wasn't sure she was ready, but there was no going back. They strode into the town square, shoulder to shoulder, debris and remains of the battle all around them. Some struggled to pick up debris, comfort one another, and simply stood in silence, taking it all in. Eldridge Falls had seen its darkest moment, and though it had lived to tell the tale, it had come at what cost only time would be able to tell. By the time they reached the square, they were well down in the crowd. Donovan stood on the platform that had been rigged up, clear and shaking because he spoke to the people. "We have lost friends, we have lost neighbours, family," he said, allowing that thought to be digested. "But we are still here. We are still standing." A murmur of assent stirred through the crowd. "It is now time to make them pay for trying to take everything from us in the dark of night," Donovan said. "Now it is up to us to rebuild, to heal, and let Eldridge Falls rise once more." Emma's gaze fell on the sea of faces so well known to her: Julian was upfront, arms crossed, his eyes intent and watchful, ever doubting, ever questioning-but there was a glint in his eye now, one that said respect and just maybe a touch of gratitude. For he too had been through what everyone else had been through, and by the virtue of that, it changed him. Of course, there was Nathaniel. A pang hit her heart as she thought: he wasn't standing with the others and wasn't here to hear Donovan's words of hope. Saving her life, Nathaniel had sustained grave injuries. No one knew whether he would pull through. "I'm not sure everything that's happened will ever be understood," Donovan said, continuing. Softening further, he said, "But what I do know is together we're stronger. Always have been. The legacy of this town- our history- it's nothing to be afraid of. It's something to be proud of." They murmured an assent that was peculiarly different from the crowd, and for the first time since it had been over the battle-Emma felt that spark of hope. The weight was lighter upon her shoulders if just that little. They'd made it through. They would rebuild. And maybe, just maybe, they could make something even stronger from the ashes of what had been. Then she had walked its streets ruined, still but here life stirred, a resilience which would not be crushed. She had passed the old church- what was left of it-and heard voices inside. Curious, she stepped through the broken doorway and found Julian kneeling beside Nathaniel, who lay still on a makeshift cot. "How is he?" she asked, her voice little more than a whisper. Julian looked up then, his face deepening with furrows, the brow furrowed in worry. "He's hanging in, but it's bad, Emma. Real bad." Emma swallowed hard and dropped to her knees beside Nathaniel. His face was pale, ghostly, his breathing shallow. The tendrils of darkness had done their work, but she could make out the slight rise and fall of his chest. He fought, just as he always did. "Come on, Nathaniel," she breathed, shifting a lock of hair off his face. "You've always been stubborn. Don't stop now." Julian stood and paced to the window as if he needed to give them space. The silence hung heavy upon them, thick with unknowing. Emma's mind was racing around the clock, turned over ceaselessly for something-something-anything-to go into use. And yet all she could do was wait, an agony. The night fell, and the town had congregated in the square around the fire pit view that had come to mean cohesion to Emma, where the flames were just another reminder of the light they still dragged within their bellies. And sitting close by Grace and Julian, little did the warmth of the fire manage to drive the chill from her bones. "You think things'll ever get back to normal?" Grace asked, staring into the fire. Emma shook her head, very, very slowly. "I don't know. But maybe that's okay. Maybe we don't have to go back to the way things were. Maybe we're supposed to be something else now." Julian leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Different how? Emma glanced around into the assembled faces, glowing with quiet determinations from the firelight. "We've been through so much," she whispered. "Still standing, though. Stronger for it. Maybe that's the legacy of Eldridge Falls: not the darkness, but the light in one another we found along the way." Grace smiled weakly. "You always knew just what to say to make it all sound so much better. But before Emma could respond, the crowd was rendered mute. All heads turned as one to a figure approaching them slowly. Emma's heart stuttered. It was Nathaniel. He was limping, but he was upright. Alive. The wave of relief that crashed over Emma was crushing. She sprang to her feet and ran for him, flinging her arms around him before she could catch herself. "I thought I thought you- "I'm still here," Nathaniel said hoarse but determined. "Thanks to you." Emma sat back, eyes scouring his face. Pale, and thinner, but something had seeped into his eyes that hadn't been there before. "I'm just glad you're okay," she whispered. It was the murmur of the crowd, then they were all around Nathaniel-reach of hands to clap him on the shoulder, voices grateful and joyful. A pure moment of relief, a signal, perhaps, that they might, after all, move forward. But amidst all the people's joy, Emma's eyes wandered to the dark woods at the edge of town. Something wasn't quite right. The air was dead still, too still. The cold breeze caressed her skin, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. "What is it?" Nathaniel asked again, and this time, his voice was firm as he took in her sudden tension. She caned her head into the darkness, peering. "I don't know," she whispered. "But it's coming. I can feel it.". It was then, at the height of the festivity, that a deafening roar rumbled out from the woods as if it had cut a swath through the atmosphere of the night. The fire in the square suddenly began to dance furiously, almost quenched by the suddenness of the sound. Emma whirled around, gasping, staring in the direction of the sound as her heart thumped. And from those woods, darker yet, a shining pair of eyes glittered brightly in the night presence so ancient, one which had waited and was still out there. The fight was so far from over. Emma's fists clenched as her breath caught in her throat. They might have won this battle but the war was only just beginning.