Chapter 52: Her Name Is Luna
1256 Words
Lucy's POV
I screamed.
The fork in my hand clattered to the floor, echoing through the grand dining hall like a sword strike.
For a moment, all I could see was that night—her tiny body wrapped in blankets, her cries replaying in my head. My arms are empty. My heart shattered.
“My baby girl,” I had whispered that night. “Forgive me.”
“Mom?” Elena’s voice snapped me back. She sat across from me, her fork paused mid-air, concern etched across her face. “Are you okay?”
I blinked at her, my throat dry, my palms getting sweaty. “Yes, darling. I’m fine. Just… a bit tired.”
She tilted her head, clearly not convinced. Before she could say more, Ryker leaned forward, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.
“Elena,” he said softly, “why don’t you start your training early today? Your uncle, Eli, should be downstairs already waiting for you. We'll see you at lunch.”
Her brows lifted. “Hmmm”
“Well, okay."
Ryker nodded. “That’s my girl.”
Elena grinned and rose to her feet. “I’ll see you later, mum.” She kissed my cheek and whispered, “Please be okay.”
My sweet girl.
When she left the room, I dropped my fork again and buried my face in my hands.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” I said. “I kept seeing her. That night. The wind. The crying. Ryker… I keep wondering if I had just waited one more minute. If I had just held her a little longer…”
He stood and walked over to me, his hand sliding around my shoulder. I leaned into his warmth, but it didn’t fill the hole I felt in my chest.
“She’s still out there, Ryker. Our baby. Her twin. Elena has a sister and doesn’t even know it. And if she ever finds out—”
“She won’t hate you,” Ryker cut in gently. “You did what you had to do.”
I shook my head. “That’s what I tell myself every day. But it doesn’t make the ache go away. I feel worse every time.”
Ryker sighed, then turned toward the door just as a guard, holding a sealed envelope, entered.
“Sire, I have a letter—”
“Later,” Ryker said, waving him off.
“But sir—"
“I said not now,” he snapped
The guard bowed and left without another word.
Ryker turned back to me. “We’re going to find her, Lucy. Whoever she is. Wherever she is. We’ll get answers.”
I nodded slowly, wiping my eyes. “We have to. But how?”
He looked thoughtful. “There’s someone who might help. The Crow Master. If anyone knows about new faces in this territory, it’s him.”
He gave a signal to another guard, who bowed and disappeared.
Within minutes, the Crow Master appeared. He wore a hoodie, always acting mysteriously and smelling of ash and old parchment. His voice was rough, like dry leaves.
“You summoned me, my King?” he croaked.
Ryker nodded. “I want a list of everyone who’s entered the pack in the last moon cycle. Names. Histories. Anything and everything you’ve got.”
The Crow Master pulled a scroll from within his robe and began reading off names.
“Tarius… Warris of the northern trade… two apprentices from Dawnreach…”
The list was endless. I began to lose hope
"A young healer named Luna…”
I sat up.
“Wait. Stop there,” I said quickly. “Healer?” That must be her.
“Tell us more about her”
The Crow Master’s hood tilted. “She arrived yesterday. Said she’d studied under Elder Nyra before the elder passed. Her records are… foggy. No birth parents. No origin papers. Even my crows couldn’t dig much.”
“Where is she now?” Ryker asked.
“She’s still in town for all I know.”
We dismissed the Crow Master, but my thoughts wouldn’t settle. I turned to Ryker.
“She must be the one,” I whispered. “I can feel it. We have to find her.”
He nodded, eyes dark with determination. “Then we search, we'll ask around.”
We spent the day weaving through the village, looking into huts, watching every unfamiliar face. But nothing. No one named Luna.
“Maybe she’s already gone,” Ryker muttered as the sun began to set.
Defeated, we returned to the castle and entered the throne room. I sank into my seat, my legs heavy with exhaustion. Ryker sat beside me and reached for my hand.
“That reminds me,” he said, “we have a new palace healer. He was just appointed today.”
“Who?”
“I haven't had a chance to meet her yet, but she came by today," he replied
"Wait, did you say healer?”
The doors creaked open before he could answer.
A girl entered, holding a leather pouch tied around her waist. Her steps were graceful, almost like she was counting her steps. She had long hair, the color of the night and eyes that shimmered like sparkles under torchlight.
“My name is Luna,” she said with a slight bow. “I was summoned? I'm the new healer.”
My heartbeat stuttered, and my vision blurred as I stood slowly. I remembered her saying she was the new healer from the garden. How could I be so blind?
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Luna tilted her head. “Well, uh, I grew up learning under one of the elders, Elder Nyra. She taught me healing. I… I don’t have parents. The elders say I was gifted by the Moon herself,” she chuckled.
My knees buckled slightly, and I sat back down, grabbing Ryker’s hand. It was the only thing anchoring me to this reality.
“Well, honey, she does have what we’re looking for,” Ryker said quietly.
“No,” I said sharply, turning to Luna. “You can’t work here.”
Luna blinked. “ I-I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”
“You need to leave. Immediately.”
She hesitated, then gave a slight nod. She picked up her pouch and quietly walked out of the throne room, not saying another word.
As soon as she was gone, Ryker stood. “Lucy—what are you doing?”
“I don’t know!” I cried. “I panicked. Ryker, it’s her. I feel it so much in my bones.”
He reached for me, but just then, the guard from earlier returned, more persistent this time.
“Sire,” he said urgently, “the letter… It’s marked with the blood seal.”
Ryker snatched it from his hand and tore it open. His eyes scanned the page, then narrowed.
He read aloud:
“A war you cannot win is coming. Give us the princess, or death will come to your gates. Starting with hers.”
Silence spread through the throne room.
A deep, terrifying silence.
Ryker crushed the letter in his fist, his jaw clenched.
“Where is Elena?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Our eyes met—and I saw it. That same fear I was feeling. It was raw—real.
Karma had finally caught up to us. The past was coming to hunt us.
- Writer
