by Laura R Cole
*
Jezebel laughed giddily to herself, ignoring the confused look the girl gave her. Joining the Order had been ridiculously easy for all their talk of great pains to protect their anonymity. A silly little hand signal and an oath of secrecy, and she was in. Devon had not been able to gather much more detail from the man they had spoken with the other night - apparently he had not been a very important figure within the society - but the name and signal were all she had needed to make contact.
It was fortunate for her that the name she had been given was that of Francis, with whom she already did business. It had been easy to contrive a reason to go see him, and she'd end up with a newly decorated room too. He had refused to give her any other information except a time and place for a ceremony she was to attend, and this irritated her, but she shrugged it off. She could find out the rest as she went.
The carriage jerked roughly into motion, but Jezebel hardly noticed she was so lost in her thoughts. There must be a lot of different levels of the Order, which I suppose is how they think they keep their secrets. You can hardly tell what you don't know. That would explain the lack of knowledge gleaned from last night's entertainment. So really, all I have to do is work myself up in rank and I'll be able to tell the lesser ones what to do. And if I tell them to do something for me rather than the Order, who would be the wiser? Such a convenient little arrangement. I will be powerful behind the scenes as well as in the open – no doubt I can manipulate their plans to include my rise in power. That, combined with the support they will have to give me as my brothers and sisters, will guarantee me a Council seat and perhaps even more.
She paused a moment in reflection. This was a project on a much greater scale than she had ever attempted before. She would have to make sure that she kept track of it all. There certainly are circles within circles of information layered throughout its intrigues, but I'm sure I can unravel its mysteries and use them to my advantage.
Already hundreds of possibilities were popping into her head at a rate she found difficult to keep up with. She poked her head out the carriage window to urge the driver faster so she could mull over the ideas at leisure in the comfort of her own home. Or perhaps she’d have a guest; she felt like a little gossip after all the excitement. It could be her first test for herself, keeping the secret of her newfound “friends” while entertaining herself by giving the person just enough information to entice them with curiosity while never actually telling them anything. As she settled back against the cushioned seat once more she let her mind wander, a smile permanently affixed to her face and completely oblivious to the rest of the world.