Phase Two
409 Words
A cold wind swept through the abandoned chapel.
No one spoke.
The revelation echoed in every mind.
Phoenix was not one person. It was a council of five.
Marcus carefully gathered the letters from the iron box.
"These survived the fire," he said. "There may be more answers here."
Oliver unfolded the first letter.
It was written by Gabriel Stone.
> Edward, if anything happens to me, protect Tracy. Never let the Council discover where she is. If they obtain the Legacy, everything we fought for will be lost.
Oliver frowned.
"The Legacy?"
Tracy looked confused.
"What is that?"
Before anyone could guess, Inspector Reed's phone vibrated.
She answered, listened for a few seconds, and her expression turned grim.
"We have a problem."
"What now?" Oliver asked.
"The hospital just called."
Everyone's attention snapped to her.
"Someone broke into Edward Lancaster's room."
"Is he all right?" Tracy asked.
"They didn't harm him."
Marcus frowned.
"Then what did they want?"
Reed took a slow breath.
"They stole his medical file... and they left something behind."
"What?"
"A white chess piece."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"The White King."
Oliver looked at him.
"You've seen it before?"
Marcus nodded.
"It's the symbol Gabriel mentioned in one of his confidential reports. Every member of the Phoenix Council uses a chess piece as their personal mark."
Oliver counted aloud.
"So there are five members... and five chess pieces."
Tracy suddenly remembered something.
"The black card we found at the warehouse had a silver phoenix."
Marcus nodded.
"And now we have the White King."
He opened another envelope from the iron box.
Inside was a yellowed page covered with hand-drawn sketches of chess pieces.
Each one had a name beneath it:
The White King – The Strategist
The Black Queen – The Manipulator
The Red Bishop – The Financier
The Silver Knight – The Enforcer
The Golden Pawn – The Insider
Oliver stared at the final title.
"The Insider..."
Inspector Reed looked around the room.
"That means one member of the Council has been hiding in plain sight."
Before anyone could respond, Marcus's laptop emitted a sharp alert.
He opened the security feed from Lancaster Holdings.
His face went pale.
"The company's main vault..."
"What about it?" Oliver asked.
Marcus swallowed.
"It's been emptied."
"Everything?"
He nodded.
"The Council just stole every confidential Lancaster file."
Oliver clenched his fists.
"They're no longer covering their tracks."
Inspector Reed looked at the others.
"No."
"They're preparing for war."
- Writer
