by Laura R Cole
CHAPTER 26
Jezebel spent the morning playing with the remainder of her hellhounds, delighting in the aura of fear it caused in the servants at her country hide-away. One of them, at the beginning of her little venture, had made the mistake of commenting on them. He had found himself as live bait as she taught the pack to hunt. She found it most amusing now, the way the servants acted as if there was nothing unusual going on here. They even refused to look at the hounds as they brought down the meat to feed them; instead they just placed the food in the dishes as if simply disposing of it.
The book had recommended that she retrace the beasts' runes once a week. Although she had at first thought that this task would be tedious and unnecessary, she found that she enjoyed it, and sometimes did it even more often than really called for. The ones she had sent after Gryffon and the slut, of course, had to have a crash course. It almost made her sad now to think about how much power had been lost because of the speed of the training. Ah well, it can't be helped now. Hopefully the last one is already on its way back with evidence of having just killed the slut and dragging along behind it that useless traitor.
She climbed into the carriage and barked orders for the driver to bring her to her suite at the palace. She had a luncheon with her father that she wanted to get over with quickly. He had politely offered her his expertise on the current political situation, and she had found herself unable to turn him down gracefully. However, she was not looking forward to this little interview and hoped that he wouldn't stay long.
The King had requested a private meeting with her later, as the appointed speaker for the Council, which she wanted to have time to prepare for. She needed to speak with Devon beforehand in order to be ready to impress him with her knowledge, and be armed with anything she could to use to manipulate him. Jezebel already planned to demand answers from the King, ready with the defense that as his Councilors they must know what his intimate plans were so that they could best advise him. She also planned to get to know more about him, to assess his weaknesses and determine whether or not she could sway him towards her goals or if he may need more prodding. She had also done a little more research into the ancient arts from the book she had been given and had found a little trick she meant to try on him to use the power to influence him. And spending time in the presence of such a perfect specimen of a man won't be a trial of patience either.
When she arrived back at the suite, she was piqued to learn that her father was already there, and was currently taking tea in her conference area. She made her way back to her bedroom first, however, and applied a fresh coat of make-up before strolling into the room.
“I love the new decorating, Councilor” he commented as she entered, without prelude but with her proper title which pleased her, “I never was one for pampering up a room myself, and have to make do with boring old walls.”
Jezebel glanced around, and smiled at his compliment. “Why thank you. Now, what can I do for you?”
He turned his attention back to her, swiveling around on the couch so he was facing her once more. “Ah, but the question really is, what can I do for you? After all, I am here to guide you, both as your father and as a more experienced politician. Is there anything you'd like to ask me questions about? You seem as though you are already quite well informed on most subjects, so really I feel as though I am here more as a formality. But even so, if I can help you with anything, please don't hesitate to ask.”
She found it annoying that he had found it necessary to offer her assistance with her new position. It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that she was more than prepared to take over the job, but since he was here anyway, she may as well see what she could get out of him. Oddly, she felt her anger disappearing as he talked. “Alright,” she conceded, “Is it true that we're going to war with Treymayne?”
He gave her a quizzical look, as if assessing how much she already knew, before he answered. “The Council had been pushing the former King towards this end, yes, though in light of the change in leadership, the time frame has been pushed back considerably. That, of course, will be your job to feel out the new King and see what can be done to speed along the process. Some preparations have already been made with the attitudes of the general populace, which you can view in my report here,” he placed a large folder that had been sitting on the couch next to him up onto the desk. She looked at it, raising an eyebrow. “I thought it best for the well-being of the country to have our new Councilors informed. So, unlike some of my peers who guard their knowledge with their lives, I am sharing with you everything that I learned so that you can make a better decision. Use it well.”
She asked him a few other questions, but mostly got answers indicating that many of the issues had more details that she would find contained in the report. They both concluded that perhaps they should end the meeting for now, giving Jezebel a chance to review the report, and then have another meeting where he could explain anything that wasn't making sense to her. She originally had been livid over the idea of her father having anything to do with her as a Councilor, but she had found it melting away as she talked to him. He actually had some very good ideas that she would have to make into her own, and then bring to the King as if they were hers to begin with. The visit had pacified her earlier frustration at him, and Jezebel now saw that her father would indeed be a real asset.
Jezebel showed her father out and glanced hungrily at the report, eager to open it and delve into its contents. The clock showed that the time was approaching for her audience with the King, however, and she still wanted to speak to Devon first. With regret, she locked the package in the desk drawer and called for Devon, drilling him on everything he had found out thus far. It turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, except that apparently Jonathan was connected to several powerful men. Devon conjectured could mean that he was actually much higher in the Order than they originally had thought. This was news that Jezebel did not relish hearing.
Jezebel found herself discouraged as she made her way through the winding passageways of the palace to the King's audience chamber. She gave her name and position to the guard who stood at the door, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had been briefed on her new station and was already familiar with her by sight. He told her that the King would take his audience with her shortly, if she would care to have a seat. The seats in the waiting area were plush and comfortable, and she took one with finesse, her skirts billowing out around her.
Only a few moments passed before the guard informed her that the King was now ready. Absently she wondered how he had been advised of his readiness, as she had seen no messenger. She stood to make her way into the hall and the guard opened the door and announced her. She curtsied to the King, who sat on the throne placed above her on the dais. He motioned for her to enter and take a seat by the chair which sat to his right, and she moved forward, doing her best to move flowingly and gracefully. She lifted her skirts out away from her so that she could sit beside him, and gave him another bow with her head. He sat staring at her, his piercing eyes seeming to cut through to her soul. She fought back a shudder, in awe of his beauty despite herself. “My Liege,” she greeted him, waiting for him to start the conversation in a polite gesture of subservience.
He studied her for a long moment before starting in his strange tone. “So you are my speaker of the Council,” he stated. Jezebel nodded, holding her tongue as no question had actually been posed to her yet. “And what kind of plans does my new Council have to use me as a puppet for?” he asked shrewdly.
Jezebel was not about to be caught off-guard and answered, “Only those plans which we believe will benefit both you and us and the country as a whole, Your Excellency, and certainly not to use you to meet these ends, but simply plan to share with you our vast combined knowledge in hopes that we may sway you to our cause.” She reached for the power tentatively, but withdrew the touch almost immediat
ely as she felt him instinctively do the same. She was speechless at the amount he was able to command.
He gave her a warning glance and said, “Do not play games with me, woman. I am the King here and will do all that is necessary to protect that position. I will tolerate no disobedience from you, or anyone else, and will treat anyone committing treason against me to the highest possible punishment. I am well aware of the Council's attempts to bind the King to their bidding, and have no intention of letting them control me in such a way. Do we understand one another?” Jezebel chose not to disabuse him of the notion that she was working with the rest of the Council, and simply nodded submissively, allowing the King to assume that his threats had taken hold, and would keep her from trying to use him. After all, you didn't need someone's awareness or permission to use them to your ends, and in this case Jezebel wisely decided that telling him how wrong he was would not do her any good.
His next words floored her, however, and she lost all interest in controlling him for the moment. “You know,” he started languidly, “speaking of bindings, your father has quite a grip on you.” He paused, giving her a hard look as she stared at him dumbly. “His smell is all over you,” he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “He has you so wound in control spells that soon you won't be able to spit without him giving you permission.”
He waved a hand at her, and she felt as though something snapped inside her head. A horrible anger washed over her; as if her subconscious had known what was being done to her, but could do nothing, and now freed, it could vent its rage. She gripped the edge of her chair until her knuckles turned white, and could feel the power building within her, threatening to break free.
“Calm yourself,” the King commanded and immediately her rage disappeared, leaving her in a tranquil state, and she intertwined her fingers in her lap, looking up at the King and patiently awaiting his next words. He looked down at her and smiled. “That's better. Now let's have a little chat. Obviously you've just discovered that your father decided that rather than go the traditional method of deception and blackmail to control one of the Council members to his own use, that he'd just take you over, violating the bonds of blood that you share. Someone must have prepared a spell for him with your blood as your father is not strong enough by himself to have done such a thing, and no doubt you have been receiving enchanted letters and documents regularly to strengthen his hold. Hmm?” He loosened his grip on her emotions, allowing her to take control once more, and she fought down the anger of that betrayal while struggling for control.
She threw up hasty shielding so that no one could take her over again. “Who does he think he is?” she snarled angrily, her wrath at her father making her overlook the King's own brief control. She loosened her fingers, which were gripping her palms so hard that the nails were starting to draw blood.
“Well,” the King answered, much to Jezebel's annoyance taking pleasure in her ordeal, “he soon will find out that taking over control of one of MY Council members, especially one with which I have taken a personal interest in, is not a smart move on his part. The intrigues of the court cannot be helped, but magical subversion is not above punishment.” Jezebel felt anger being replaced by morbid pleasure at his words, and she smiled evilly at him to continue. “You see, my dear, I have heard quite a lot about you through a mutual friend of ours, and I find that you have sparked my interest. Unfortunately, that friend had a rather poisonous habit that seems to have caught up with him. That puts me in the position of dealing with you myself, which after much consideration, I believe will be beneficial to both of us.”
Jezebel sat further up in her chair, she had come to this meeting in the hopes of controlling him herself, but after witnessing his power she knew that this would not be possible - at least not through magical means. But the idea of working intimately with the King, and the possibilities that such a partnership could lead to was acceptable, and she wondered what had caught his eye. It would require a bit more subtle handling on her part to keep him under the illusion that he continued to be the one in charge once she properly established herself, but the challenge excited her. “Who was this friend?” she asked curiously, her mind whirling with possibilities of someone it could have been.
He looked at her and smiled. “Why Jonathan, of course, hadn't you guessed?”
Jezebel closed her mouth, which had dropped open of its own accord, and she choked out, “Jonathan? I'd hardly consider that little worm a friend-” she cut herself short, suddenly realizing the significance of this and remembering Devon's earlier words about Jonathan's position within the Order. “Does that mean you are the one he called, 'Master'?” she whispered incredulously.
The King simply smiled at her. Well, she thought to herself, this puts a whole new spin on things now doesn't it. A smile slowly spread over her lips as well, mirroring that of the King.