Page 28 of King's Reckoning
Rowan studied the monument more carefully, noting the names inscribed on its surface. Most were conventional military ranks and units, but one caught her eye—a designation she didn't recognize,followed by a small symbol that matched one from her mother's journal.
"Here," she said, pointing. "This isn't a military unit. It's a code." She pressed her palm against the symbol, and a soft click resonated from inside the monument.
A small compartment opened at the base, revealing not a box like they expected, but a leather-bound journal, its edges worn with age. Rowan carefully lifted it out, recognizing the handwriting on the first page.
"Flash," King said softly, looking over her shoulder. "This is his journal."
Rowan flipped through the pages, finding diagrams similar to those in her mother's notes, but with additional information—maps of tunnel systems, coordinates of locations they hadn't yet explored, and most importantly, detailed observations about artifacts found beneath the club's territory.
"He was documenting everything," she said. "And he knew someone was after this information." She pointed to an entry dated just weeks before his death:They're watching us now. B's people getting closer. E says we need to split up what we found, hide it where only the right people can find it.
"E is Elena," King said. "Your mother was working with Flash all along."
"And B must be Blackwood," Reed added. "He's been after this for decades."
The sound of approaching vehicles broke the pre-dawn silence. Reed tensed, moving to a position where he could see the park entrance.
"Two SUVs," he reported. "Blacked out, no markings. Professional."
"Blackwood's team," King said. "We need to move. Now."
Rowan carefully tucked Flash's journal into her jacket. "They're following us somehow. Tracking our movements."
Reed's expression was grim. "Or someone's feeding them information."
The implication hung in the air as they retreated through the park, using the monuments for cover. They reached their bikes without incident, but Rowan couldn't shake the feeling that they were being allowed to escape—that Blackwood's people could have intercepted them but chose not to.
"Why didn't they engage?" she asked as they prepared to leave. "They had to know we were here."
"Maybe they already found what they were looking for," King suggested.
"Or maybe," Reed said, his voice low, "they wanted us to find Flash's journal. To lead them to something bigger."
The ride back to the clubhouse was tense, each of them lost in thought. Rowan kept one hand pressed against her jacket, feeling the journal's outline against her ribs. Whatever secrets it contained, Flash had thought them worth dying for.Worth hiding from people who would kill to possess them.
“Ryder sends his support,” Tiffany said, checking her phone as everyone reconvened at the clubhouse. “He's home with the kids tonight but says to call if we need extra hands.'” Though he remained committed to the club, Ryder had found a balance that allowed him to prioritize his growing family while still being there when it truly mattered
Barbara and Abby were waiting with news of their own.
"The box you recovered from the church," Barbara said, excitement filling her voice. "I've been analyzing its composition. It's not just an artifact. It's a container designed to preserve something specific."
"The box itself isn't what matters," Abby added. "It's what Flash and Elena put inside it. Historical records, evidence of something that predates all known settlements in this region."
Rowan placed Flash's journal on the table. "And this might tell us exactly what that evidence is."
They gathered around as she carefully opened the journal to its later entries. Flash's handwriting grew more urgent in these pages, his normally methodical notes becoming hurried, almost frantic.
E confirmed it today. The tunnels beneath the clubhouse connect to a larger system—chambers that cannot be natural formations. The artifacts we found show evidence of metallurgical techniquesthat shouldn't have existed in this region for thousands of years. Someone was here before. Someone advanced. And powerful interests don't want that information made public.
"That's why they're after The Archive," Rowan said. "Not just for what it is, but for what it proves."
"History being rewritten." Barbara nodded. "Archaeological evidence that challenges established timelines. That kind of discovery could overturn centuries of academic consensus. And certain interests would find that...inconvenient."
"Inconvenient enough to kill for?" Reed asked.
"People have killed for far less," King said quietly.
Abby reached for the journal with trembling hands. "By the time Flash and Elena understood what they'd found, who was tracking them, it was already too late to put it back."
