The Last Daughter Of Ashwood

Chapter 7 – The First Secret

The journal felt heavier than it looked.

Lyra carefully lifted it from the hidden compartment beneath the floorboards. The leather was worn smooth with age, and a faint scent of lavender lingered on its faded blue wrapping.

Her mother's scent.

She held the journal against her chest for a long moment, fighting back another wave of tears. Part of her wanted to leave it closed forever. If she never opened it, she could pretend that Elara would return and explain everything herself.

But another part of her knew that her mother had hidden it for a reason.

Taking a slow breath, Lyra untied the blue cloth and opened the cover.

The first page contained only a single sentence.

If you are reading this, then I could not protect you any longer.

Her heart sank.

With trembling hands, she turned the page.

My dearest Lyra,

There are truths I wished I could have told you when you were older. I wanted your childhood to be filled with laughter instead of fear, with stories instead of secrets. If fate has placed this journal in your hands, then the day I feared has finally arrived.

Tears blurred the ink.

Lyra wiped her eyes and continued reading.

First, know this above all else: do not blame yourself for what happened. Nothing that occurred was your fault.

A knock at the front door startled her.

She quickly closed the journal.

"Lyra?" Captain Rowan's voice came from outside. "May I come in?"

Lyra hesitated before opening the door.

The captain stood on the porch carrying a small basket.

"I thought you might not have eaten."

Inside were fresh bread, dried apples, and a bowl of warm stew.

"I wasn't hungry," Lyra admitted.

"I figured."

Rowan placed the basket on the table and looked around the quiet cottage.

"It feels strange without her."

Lyra nodded.

"Everyone keeps saying she's gone."

"And what do you believe?"

Lyra glanced toward the bedroom where the journal lay hidden.

"I think... she's still out there."

Captain Rowan smiled faintly.

"Then don't let anyone take that hope away from you."

Before leaving, Rowan rested a hand on Lyra's shoulder.

"You don't have to face this alone."

When the door closed, silence returned.

Lyra hurried back to the bedroom and opened the journal once more.

The next page contained no writing.

Instead, someone had drawn a detailed map.

It showed Ashwood, the Whispering Woods, winding rivers, distant mountains, and places Lyra had never heard of.

One location had been marked with a blue flower.

Beneath it were the words:

Moonfall Ruins.

"What are the Moonfall Ruins?" Lyra whispered.

She turned another page.

If you must leave Ashwood, seek the ruins first. Someone there still remembers me.

Her pulse quickened.

Another loose sheet slipped from between the pages and drifted onto the floor.

It was a charcoal sketch of three people.

A younger Elara stood smiling beside a tall man wearing a long cloak. Between them was a little girl with messy brown hair, holding both of their hands.

Lyra stared at the drawing.

She recognized herself immediately.

But the man...

She had never seen him before.

There was no name.

No explanation.

Only the image of a family she had never known.

A chill ran through her.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

As if answering her question, the silver pendant hanging around her neck began to glow.

The blue crystal pulsed once.

Then again.

Outside the cottage window, a small red fox quietly emerged from the trees.

It wasn't an ordinary fox.

Its fur shimmered like autumn leaves touched by sunlight, and its bright silver eyes were fixed on Lyra.

The fox tilted its head before turning toward the forest path.

Then it looked back at her, almost as if it were waiting.

Waiting for her to follow.