Chapter 9 - The Secret of the Book
Gregory knelt down and pried up a loose piece of pine flooring.
From the dark space beneath, he pulled out a heavy, leather-bound book wrapped in oilskin.
It was thick, secured with a heavy iron padlock that matched the key around Lyra's neck.
Lyra took the key, her hands steady despite her age, and inserted it into the lock.
It turned with a heavy, satisfying click.
She opened the book.
Inside were pages and pages of neat, precise handwriting—her father’s handwriting.
But as she flipped through the names and numbers, she noticed something strange.
There was a section written in a code.
Symbols, numbers, and dates that made no sense.
“What is this?” Lyra asked, pointing to the code.
Gregory leaned in, frowning. “I don't know. Roman never showed me the inside of the book. He said it was his insurance policy.”
Lyra stared at the symbols.
She remembered her father sitting her on his knee, teaching her riddles when she was very small.
“The wolf always hides his bone where the moon doesn't shine, little star,” he had told her once.
She closed her eyes, remembering his voice.
“It’s a map,” Lyra said, opening her eyes. “It’s not just names. It’s the location of the club’s vault. The one containing the original deeds to the land, and the evidence that can destroy Silas’s backers.”
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“If Silas gets this, he wins forever,” Gregory said. “If we get it first, we can strip him of his power.”
But before they could analyze it further, the sound of tires crunching on gravel broke the silence of the woods.
