Chapter 28: An Unholy Alliance

The storm had just passed the next morning. Ominous clouds still clung to the sky, casting an eerie gloom into Eldridge Falls. Seated at the kitchen table, Emma stared blankly at the diary in front of her, while her mind tumbled over thoughts of prophecies and shadowy figures. Nathaniel's face taut with concern, he paced the room. Neither of them slept much after what happened that night in the square. A loud knock at the door ripped through the uneasy silence. Emma and Nathaniel looked at each other, wired from Elias's sudden appearance and that weird warning carved into the tree. "I'll get it," Nathaniel said, heading for the door. Emma scrambled to her feet, her heart racing, and was hot on his heels. He opened the door to a towering figure in a long dark coat, drenched from the rain, his dark hair plastered back. Yet, there was something magnetically about him that stole Emma's breath. Sorry to intrude," he said, voice silky sure. "But I think you'll want to hear me out." "Who are you?" Nathaniel said, pushing his body between Emma and the stranger. The man flashed a dazzlingly charming smile and held out his hand. "My name is Victor Devereaux, archaeologist. I've come a long way to help you. Emma's brow furrowed, and her suspicions flared instantly. "Help us with what? "With the prophecy," Victor returned, his hand dropping as Nathaniel didn't take it. "I have spent years poring over ancient texts and tracking down every lead, and it all points to this town. Eldridge Falls is at the centre of something so much bigger than you realize." Emma crossed her arms over her chest. "And how exactly do you know about the prophecy? Victor's eyes danced with mirth and intrigue. "Let's just say I have my ways. Now, if you'd let me in, I can explain it all." Nathaniel was nowhere near buying anything this man had to say, but before he could utter a no, Emma spoke up. "Come in. We need answers." Nathaniel shot her a warning glance, but she ignored him. They needed to know more, and Victor seemed to know something that could help them. Victor stepped inside, shaking the rain from his coat. "Nice place," he said casually, his eyes darting around. "But I imagine it's been feeling a bit less cosy lately, given… everything." "You said you know about the prophecy," Emma pressed. "What do you know? Victor swung toward him, his face set in a determined look. "It's real; every word. The diary you found? Just the tip of the iceberg. Somewhere in town is an ancient artefact, something rather potent. A prophecy says that once this is found, it will save or destroy Eldridge Falls. And if rumours are anything to go by, well, I would say someone else is after it." It was like a punch to her gut. "Who?" Victor's face faltered, his gaze drifting toward the window. "A rival group, let's just say they aren't quite interested in saving the town. They want to use it for their own good. They think it will give them power over certain things. forces." Nathaniel snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "And we're supposed to believe you're just here to help us out of the goodness of your heart?" Victor's smile returned, but this time it was calculating. "No, of course not. I want the artefact, too. But I am not after power. I want to protect it, keep it out of the wrong hands. That's why I came to you." Emma's eyes narrowed further. "Why us?" He returned with a voice near, "The Harper family is integral to all of this. Generations of procreating the bloodline weave it into prophecy. If anyone in any way can find the artefact and halt what is to come, it needs to be you.". A cold shiver ran down Emma's spine as she found herself connected to this much deeper than she had ever thought. And now this stranger is telling her that somehow she was supposed to play a part in it. "How do we know we can trust you?" Nathaniel still sounded sceptical. "No, you don't," Victor said matter-of-factly. "But I have spent my whole life in pursuit of answers, and about this prophecy, I know more than any other. You like it or not, we're in this together." Emma turned to Nathaniel, who looked as if he wanted to throw Victor out the window. They needed his help; however, Emma couldn't shake off the feeling that Victor knew more than he was letting on. "We'll work with you," Emma said finally. "But if you lie to us, or if you're holding anything back" "You'll run me out of town?" Victor repeated his brow lifting. "Don't worry, Emma. I have no desire to lie to you. I think you'll find I'm one of the few people around here who's telling the truth." Over the days, Victor became increasingly quite the resource. He knew more about the secret society and the prophecy than any one person Emma met who spoke of ancient rituals, of hidden symbols, of forgotten histories. Yet with all that knowledge, there was just something about him that put Emma off. He was just too smooth, too charming. He would sometimes stare at her as if he saw in her something more than she did in herself. That unnerved her. One evening, when working together in the library studying old texts, Victor threw himself back in his chair, eyes fixed on Emma. "You're not asking the right questions, you know." Emma frowned and glared up from the book she was studying. "What do you mean? "You're so focused on the prophecy, on the artefact, that you're missing the bigger picture. The real question is why you? Why your family? Why are you so important to all of this?" "I've been wondering the same thing," Emma said. "But I haven't found any answers." Victor smiled, but there was something predatory in his eyes. "That's because you're not looking in the right places." But before he could ask what on earth he was saying, the door to the library swung open and Nathaniel strode in, his face dark with frustration. "We've got a problem." "What is it?" Emma asked, standing up. "Elias is gone," Nathaniel said quickly. "No one's seen him since last night. And there's been word that the rival group Victor mentioned they've been spotted on the outskirts of town." It was then that Emma exclaimed in a forlorn voice, "You think they took him?" Nathaniel's face was solemn as he nodded. "It is possible. And if they do have him, then they will use him to get to us." Victor stood up, unmoved yet awake. "We have to move fast. If they're already here, we don't have a lot of time." It weighed on her, and too much was happening too fast. Lines were increasingly blurred as to who was an enemy and who was an ally. She looked for Victor, who gave her an assuring smile. "We'll get through this," he said. "But we need to find that artefact before they do." It wasn't until well into the night, while Emma and Nathaniel were preparing for their journey ahead to find Elias, that one thing at the back of her mind kept on gnawing at her. She felt Victor was hiding something from her. Just as they were finishing up, preparing to leave, she found Victor standing by the window, staring out into the darkness of Eldridge Falls' streets. "Nate," Emma whispered, tugging him back. "I do not trust him.". Nathaniel looked across at Victor. "Neither do I. But we don't have a choice now, do we?" Emma chewed her lip, her heart hammering away. "I think he knows more than he's saying. What if…what if he's playing both ends against the middle?" Nathaniel's face darkened. "Then we take care of him. But until then, we need him.". They emerged into thick night air, thick with tension. Narrow streets wound and curved; Emma found herself watching Victor with an almost suspicious eye. She just couldn't rid herself of the nagging feeling he was leading them right into some kind of something they might not be able to return from. As they neared the outskirts of town, Victor suddenly stopped and stared off towards the horizon. "We're close. "To what?" Nathaniel said, the word suspicion lacing his voice. Victor turned to them, his face unreadable. "To the artefact." Emma's stomach twisted. "How do you know?" Victor smiled that same gleam in his eye, predatory. "Because I've been looking for it a lot longer than I told you." And before Emma could do or say anything, a sharp pain, then black.