Page 41 of Ruthless Prince
I gulped at the sight of the people filling the seats around the room. There were hundreds of them, all dressed in black cloaks and robes. Every face was hidden by a Venetianmask.
As our little group waited on the edge, each of us pulsing with a mixture of fear and wonderment, fifteen of the cloaked figures stepped down from the tiered seats and made their way to the carved thrones on thedais.
“Step forward,” one of them said, beckoning usover.
In single file, we made our way to the circular stage. Each of us took a seat. I stared at my lap, uncomfortable with all the people staring down at us. Their masks were terrifying with their beaked noses, overly-arched brows, and predatorymouths.
One of the people on the thrones rose and approached the bigger stage. He—or she—silently paced around our seats for a long, nerve-wracking moment before finally speakingup.
“Welcome to our ceremonial chamber.” It was a man with a deep booming voice. Something about it was familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. “I apologize for the manner in which you were brought here. The same thing happened to all of us in years past. Just a little bit ofhazing.”
The robed figures around the room responded with laughter. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. What they’d done was hardly a ‘little bit ofhazing’.
“Some of you may have heard whispers of our organization over the years,” the man continued. “And most of you have probably heard general rumors or conspiracy theories regarding the existence of secret societies in the upper echelons of our great country. When you picture such things, I know what you see. You see clandestine rituals, secret handshakes, and imperious statesmen… shadowy, furtive, always in control. You see people disappearing for threatening to reveal secrets. Am Icorrect?”
I nodded slowly. The others didtoo.
The man clasped his hands in front of him. “You aren’t far off. We are the Order, and in the years since our inception, we have been protected by a vast network of the country’s most rich, powerful and innovative people. Menandwomen. We have never discriminated by sex in our membership, but we are extremely selective in other ways.” He paused and stepped around the circle again. “Our tentacles stretch far and deep, and it would be most unwise for any of you to test that. Those who have sought to infiltrate our society in the past have vanished without a trace, and those who have attempted to reveal our ways quickly learned the true meaning ofretribution.”
I gulped at the not-so-subtlethreat.
The man noticed my alarmed expression and chuckled briefly before continuing with his speech. “Each year we choose fifteen bright young people for potential membership. These men and women come from networks we believe to be useful to our society, or they have demonstrated a rare and great talent or intellect which we also deem useful for our future. Are you following this sofar?”
We all nodded again. At the same time, a lightbulb seemed to switch on in my head. I recognized the man’s voice now. It was ChuckThorne.
I wasn’t particularly surprised by this revelation. The Thornes were one of the wealthiest families in the country, so it made sense that one of them was a high-ranking member in an elite secretsociety.
Now that I was thinking about it, I actually had a very foggy memory of seeing Chuck in this place when I sneaked in months ago. I couldn’t remember what I saw him doing, but I knew it washim.
He clapped his hands, making us all jump in our seats. “As you have probably already surmised, you are here because you have been chosen as this year’s pledges for membership in theOrder.”
There was another round ofnods.
“Participation requires absolute loyalty, a lifelong vow of secrecy, and complete commitment to the services of our purposes. In return, the secrets of the Order will be bestowed upon you in due time, along with access to all the wealth, influence, and goodwill of the current members, which we can assure you is far beyond the scope of any other secret society, family, orindividual.”
A buzz went around the room as the robed members nodded and muttered theiragreement.
“Prior to your initiation, you will be tested,” Chuck went on. “You will face these trials with an iron will, or else you will not make it through. Upon your final initiation into the Order, you will be rewarded with your greatest desire, whatever it maybe.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy’s cheeks flush. She was probably imagining all the things she could achieve with her genius abilities once she received access to massive amounts ofmoney.
“You may choose to refuse membership,” Chuck said. “Be warned, however: if you refuse and speak of this evening to anyone, you will be punished severely. Do not take this warninglightly.”
He stepped down from the stage and headed back to the smaller dais. Another member handed him a large goldengoblet.
“If you accept,” Chuck said, stepping back up to us. “You must state your full birth name and your desire to do so. Then you must drink from thechalice.”
He stepped up to David and held out the goblet. “Accept orreject?”
David nervously bit at his bottom lip as he looked up at Chuck. Then he cleared his throat and spoke. “I, David Gordon Grant, accept.” He sipped from the proffered goblet before pulling back and wiping hislips.
The next few minutes flashed by like a dream. Everyone chose to accept. I was the last one Chuckapproached.
“Accept or reject?” he said, staring down at me. He was so close that I could see his dark eyes glittering in the eyeholes of the mask as orange torchlight flickered over hisface.
I averted my gaze and looked out at the sea of masked faces in front of me as I mulled thingsover.
Dr. Monroe wanted me to make new friends and spend more time socializing, and this could be perfect for that. Joining a secret society meant instant friends, bonded for life. Almost like a secondfamily.
