Unleashed Fury (BloodRunes: Book 1)

by Laura R Cole

  *

  The thud of the door echoed dully in Jezebel's head and she sneered at the girl behind it, certain the little minx knew how much of a headache she had and how much it hurt her to have the door slammed so loudly. She shoved the rest of the food as far away as possible, and brought the covers up over her head. The light hurt her eyes, and her heartbeat seemed to pound in her head. The faint smell of food that now permeated the room was starting to make her nauseous.

  She didn't think she'd had that much wine last night, but apparently she had been more apprehensive about the ceremony than she had realized. Her memories of last night were hazy as well, which bothered her to no end. She hated feeling out of control, and was not impressed by the large gap in her memory.

  She had arrived at the meeting spot and been led down into a basement. From there, she had been taken through a labyrinth of passageways, eventually opening into an underground temple. She had first been interviewed in a small side chamber by a mysterious man who she presumed was someone high-ranking in the Order. He had refused to reveal himself to her, despite her relentless questioning. He wore a black cloak complete with a mask which had served to disguise any recognizable features. Though the night was still a blur, Jezebel felt that she had spent a fair amount of time with this first man. Frustratingly, she could not recall what most of the conversation had been about, though she did remember surprising herself by unintentionally giving truthful answers to many of his queries. Having slipped up like that made her uneasy.

  Once she had proceeded in front of the rest of the witnesses in the main temple, the initiation had gone much as Devon had described. By then, she was slightly more clear-headed, and able to recite the lie she had invented without mishap. She had then been forced to listen to the droning narration of all that was expected of a member of the Order, and finally asked the question that Devon said they would require her to answer.

  As far as Jezebel could tell, the Order had believed her story wholeheartedly, and it delighted her that they had been so surprised and pleased by her immediate denouncement of the King. The witnesses had all been masked as well, and Jezebel realized that she was going to have to take her infiltration more seriously than she had previously thought. Perhaps Devon was correct in his advice, she thought sourly.

  Since she couldn't ascertain any of the identities, she had no idea what type of people she was dealing with. She could safely assume that they must be noble, as no lower class would have enough intelligence about them to form such a society, but which family they were connected to could potentially tell her volumes. If only I had been able to find even the tiniest clue as to whom they were! She drew a calming breath. It wouldn't do to get so worked up. Relax. I'll just have to be a little more careful until I know exactly who I'm dealing with. She made a mental note to start Devon on the project of digging up any information as to who was involved with the Order.

  She also remembered that they had indeed tried to magically bind her to their bidding. Although anticipated, it still angered her. What do they think gives them the right to try and force their way into my head? She found the very idea abhorrent; their inferior minds touching hers. But see, I have nothing to worry about...I knew I would be more powerful than them, and I was. I even fooled them into the belief that their coercion of my loyalty was complete so that I didn't have to bother with a lie as to why it didn't work.

  She also remembered a rather amusing detail with clarity. During the recitation of the rules, they had said that all those in the Order must follow the rules, and that being said, all rules were subject to change. Jezebel had the feeling that once she had established herself, many of its members would be easy to manipulate and turn to her own motivations rather than those of the society as a whole.

  Jezebel laughed out loud at the thought, and immediately regretted it as pain shot through her head. She took a couple of deep breaths and waited for the pain to subside. Yes, the Order deserves some care to be taken in dealing with it, but even so it will work to my advantage once I have properly untangled all the knots. The thought of the power possibly available made Jezebel feel light-headed and she once again had to close her eyes and breathe deeply in order to stop herself from having to rush to the washroom. Damn wine, she swore, I'm cutting it out of my diet entirely.