Chapter 60: Invisible Danger

The sharp gasp resounded from Emma as she landed on a cold, hard floor thick with dust; she could feel darkness clinging to her like a cloak. Breath was hard to come by as images swam in her brain while trying to make out where they had fallen. "Everyone okay?" The sound of Nathaniel's voice reverberated off the room. "I'm here," Grace called, her voice shaking. "Julian?" "I'm fine, Julian said, though he sounded like he was running a marathon. "Where. Where are we?" Emma sat up, her hands shaking. "Underground," she whispered. "But I don't know how far down." It was as if the light above them was gone; they were near to darkness now. Julian fumbled in his pack for a flash and when its beam cut through the gloom, Emma made out outlines of stone walls surrounding them. It looked like some sort of ancient room, dug into the earth God knew how many years ago. "This place." Nathaniel's voice trailed off as his eyes made a circuit of the room. His face clouded. "There is something about it that feels. wrong." Julian took another step closer to one of the walls, stroking his hand over the weird carvings. "These symbols," he whispered. "They are older than anything we have ever seen. She took a deep breath, attempting to still the juddering of her heart. The air was thick with portent as if something unseen watched them from the shadows. She just couldn't shake this feeling that they had just walked into something a lot more dangerous than they had ever imagined. "We need to get out of here," she said, little more than a whisper. But before anyone could get the words out, the ground shook again at the rumbling low, seeming to come from beneath the earth itself. It sounded like the groaning of the walls was churning all around them, and for a moment Emma thought they were going to collapse. "Move!" Nathaniel yelled, hard yanking on Emma's arm to pull her toward the far wall of the room. Grace and Julian were right on their heels; the sound of running feet racketed up and down the small room. Down the narrow tunnel, they ran, the flashlight in Julian's hand jerking powerful light deeper into the dark. Louder rumbled; Emma could feel her heart pounding against her chest, the shaking of the ground beneath her feet. It finally opened into another chamber, one larger, with a high ceiling and some strange, eerie light that seemed to emanate right from the walls themselves. Emma gasped at the sight before her. In the middle, a huge stone altar with those same ancient symbols they had seen elsewhere surrounded it. But this time, it seemed to Grace, the carvings pulsed to life with unnatural energy, as if the very stones were alive. "What is this place?" Grace asked, her whisper filled with terror and wonder. Julian moved forward, his gaze fixed on the altar, his eyes wide. "It's a ritual site," he whispered. "But not for anything good." Emma's heart quivered. She didn't need Julian to spell it out-she could feel it, the dark energy running through the room, the weight of something old and dangerous lurking just out of sight. "We have to go," Nathaniel said. "Now. None of them could even stir when a voice thundered into that cold menacing chamber, "It's too late." At that, Emma's heart turned cold as ice. Slowly she turned round and peered into the shadows. The voice was unmistakable which she had never heard in years. A figure which Emma had prayed never to see again now stepped out of the darkness. "Clara," Emma breathed, her heart going bottomless. There before them stood the woman who used to be her most dear friend, the one that had betrayed them all, her eyes glowing with some strange unnatural light. Smiling Clara did, but it was a cruel thing-twisted. "I told you we weren't finished," she said, and the malice was dripping from her voice. Nathaniel leapt forward, pushing between them, putting himself between Emma and whatever there was. His body was strung tight. "What are you doing here?" he asked imperiously. "We thought you were gone." Clara smiled, her smile spreading. "I have been so busy," she said, her voice as soft as silk, as smooth as danger. "And now it is time to finish what I began. Emma's head reeled. Clara was the one who back then had preposterously almost destroyed Eldridge Falls. And here she was, more powerful than ever. "You're working with the benefactor, aren't you?" Julian asked, his voice low. Clara laughed, the sound running down Emma's spine. "The benefactor?" she repeated, shaking her head. "No, Julian. I am the benefactor. The thought finally clicked in Emma's head: this woman, who once stood beside her and shared their hopes and dreams, was responsible for everything that happened, manipulations in the town and the dark forces they fought. "All this that happened is because of you," Emma whispered in a low, unheard tone. Clara's eyes now triumphantly shone. "Certainly took you long enough to figure it out." Nathaniel stepped forward. "You will lose, Clara. We won't allow it." The smile fell away and Clara's face went cold. "You still don't get it, do you?" she repeated in that low dangerous tone. "It's about control. And I already have it.". But before either of them could move, the earth shuddered again and a churning darkness began to rise from the altar. Emma's heart pounded in her chest as the energy built and filled the room with a deafening roar. "We have to stop her!" Julian shouted over the din. Nathaniel seized hold of Emma's arm, yanking her toward the altar. "Come on! We have to cut the connection!" But before they could, Clara raised her hand and a wall of force slammed into them, sending them flying across the room. Emma hit the floor hard, her vision blurring as pain shot through her body. Clara laughed, the sound of her voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. "You're too late," she said in an extremely high-pitched voice of triumph. "The new era has begun. Emma struggled to her feet, in agony. She could feel the darkness closing in around them, weighing on her - the weight of Clara's power. But she couldn't give in. Not now. "We won't let you do this," Emma said - her voice shaking - but defiant. Clara's eyes flashed. "You don't have a choice. And this time it did, in an exploding shadow around Clara. Emma's heart was racing; her eyes were fixed on Clara, who had transformed into something more powerful, and more dangerous. "We need to get out of here, " Nathaniel said, reaching for Emma's hand. "Now! But as they whirled to run, the earth split beneath them and a dark chasm yawned open, sucking all hope of retreat. Clara's voice was an icicle-cold goad: "There is no escape to be had." And then, promptly, Emma's mind fled as her pulse thundered in her ears. Trapped, Clara grew stronger by the second invisible menace was back, and so much stronger than before. Standing as she did, Emma was paralyzed; the dark energy danced around them, and her heart sank with one reality that hit her: they were out of time. While Eldridge Falls was yet to see a threat unlike any other, there was already a rising new generation of followers.