Page 40 of Ruthless Prince
“But he told you,” Amy pointedout.
“Like I said, he was drunk. I don’t think he cared. Besides, the society can’t touch him for spilling the beans to me. He’sdead.”
There was an ominous silence as we continued our shuffle through the tunnels; a constriction in the atmosphere, as if everyone had suddenly stoppedbreathing.
“Relax,” Rich said with a chuckle. “They didn’t kill him. He died in a boating accident a few years back. I know it was an accident because I was there when ithappened.”
There was a heavy sighing sound as the group collectively breathedagain.
“Oh, yeah. One other thing he told me,” Rich went on. “Apparently the society has a council of fifteen leaders, but they’re not therealleaders. They all answer to one supreme ruler. None of them know who he is. He’s never actually seen by any of them, and he doesn’t attend societygatherings.”
“Wait,what?”
“None of the members know who they answer to,” he said. “Not even the highest council members. All they know is that the main leader goes by the nicknameQ.”
“That’s weird as hell,” Amymuttered.
The masked men—who had remained silent this whole time—switched off their flashlights and directed us into another passage. This one looked familiar to me. It was wider and cleaner with high-arched sandstone ceilings and pillars, and red candles flickered in wrought iron sconces on the walls, bathing intricately-carved friezes and statues in a warmglow.
“Holy shit.” Simone soundedbreathless.
We kept walking until we reached two large marble statues. A familiar stone door stood between them. I’d completely forgotten about the carved scroll above it, but now that it was in front of me again, the memory of it returned as clear asday.
“Novus ordo orbis,” I whispered, already knowing what the gold lettering said before I got close enough to read it. “Anyone know what thatmeans?”
“New world order, I think,” Amysaid.
The masked men opened the door and motioned for us to step through in single file. I entered the foyer behind David, casting a curious gaze around thespace.
The more I saw, the more I started to remember, but at the same time, I still couldn’t recall anything specific from the evening I spent down here all those months ago. Every time I tried to remember the things I saw and heard, my mind conjured up a brief flashing image—a face, a statue, a symbol—and then the memory split and fractured into a million tinypieces.
On my left, a table sat with a neat arrangement of black and gold Venetian masks. I reached out to take one, but one of the masked men shook his head and pushed my hand away. “Not tonight. They want to see yourfaces.”
He motioned for me and the others to keep going forward. Ahead of us lay several arched entryways. The halls were all pitch-black except one, which was lit by a single candle. A crimson carpet runner lay on the floor, leading off into thedarkness.
We tentatively made our way down that hall. Halfway down, there was a large open doorway leading into a high-ceilinged room filled with plants, tinkling water features, marble statues, fountains and urns. Fairy lights had been strung around the room, lending an ethereal quality to thespace.
“I’m guessing that’s the Enchanted Forest,” David muttered sarcastically as we passedit.
The rest of us laughed softly. Truthfully, though, Iwasenchanted by the sight of the room. Not just that… this whole place. It was imbued with a hedonistic vibe which made excitement thrum in my chest, and as we headed deeper into the hall, I was struck by a warm, pleasant sensation of submersion, like I was sinking into some sort of exquisiteunderworld.
“Wait here.” A masked man held up one glovedhand.
The group halted and lingered nervously outside another wide door. This one was shut, but we could hear sounds floating out from the room beyond. Rhythmic drumbeats, faint murmurs, some chuckles, a few words here andthere.
The masked man knocked three times, and everything fell silent. I shivered as anxious energy coursed throughme.
A masculine voice finally boomed out of the room. “Bring in theinitiates!”
“I’m guessing we’re the initiates?” Davidmurmured.
Rich nodded. “Yup.”
The door finally opened, and I took three small steps forward, eyes wide as saucers. We were at the edge of the largest and most extraordinary room I’d ever seen. Circular with a black domed ceiling dotted with tiny gilt stars, it looked like something out of adream.
Tiered stone seats lined the room, and tall granite vessels held brightly-burning torches at the bottom of the steps leading up to them. The place almost looked like an ancient amphitheater, except it was allunderground.
In the middle of the room, there was a large round stage with fifteen backless seats arranged in a wide circle. Off to one side of that was a smaller rectangular dais with fifteen chairs I could only describe as miniature thrones, covered with bas-relief scenes from Roman or Greciantimes.
