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house.
    Once we were on our way, Bess opened the packet that
she had received from Pierre. She pulled out a letter and handed me
a small book.
    There was a crest stamped on the front of the black
leather book; that of a pyramid with a lightning bolt through the
center and vines of ivy surrounding the pyramid. The same crest was
on the first page. As I went through page by page, I ascertained
that the book was all about Levitas.
    “Listen to this,” Bess said, “Levitas is a secret
society that was created to be a safe haven for gentlemen; a place
they can go to discuss topics that some might consider
treasonous.”
    The treasonous part I could well believe. I went
back to looking over the book, and when I was halfway through, I
read something that interested me. It said that their meetings were
always held at nine strikes of the clock. There were handshakes
listed, each with a different meaning; then I came upon a drawing.
It was a chalice with what appeared to be some kind of crest on the
side. I showed it to Leo, Bess, and Mariah.
    “It says in the letter that the
artifacts are the sacred pieces of the Holy Order. They hold an
unknown power, but only the sun can wield their power. It is why the artifacts are
never kept in the same place. For safety.”
    Besides the chalice, there was a sword, a dagger, a
ring with a raised stone, a small book much like the one I was
reading, and an odd shaped box with symbols all over it.
    “Is this the black box?” I showed the drawing to
Bess.
    Bess nodded. “Pierre said that Levitas was after Ma
belle, and Jeremiah said to retrieve the box and give it to Ma
belle.”
    As I turned the page, I sucked in a quick breath.
Bess leaned over and looked at the page. She mumbled a curse.
    There was a sketch on the page of the final
artifact; a ring in the shape of a coiled snake.
    “Could it be the same one you have?” I asked Bess,
since she had taken such a ring from the hand of her attacker two
years ago.
    She slowly shook her head. “The eyes are different.
See how these are raised like gemstones, mine are smooth gold.”
    So those men who had attacked Bess and murdered Ben
worked for Levitas did they. At least we now had a general idea of
who was responsible. One thing was plain; Ma belle was the
connecting component.
    We reached the Inn, and I pulled my eyes away from
the book. The building was a two story brick structure with a
small, wooden sign hanging over the door, but I knew that the
outside belied the ambience to be found within its walls. We had
spent many evenings in that hostelry while on missions. Leo left
the carriage to go purchase my cognac.
    “Does the letter say anything else?” I asked as I
closed the book.
    Bess stared at the letter for a moment and then
refolded it. “A name only. Nicholas Mansfield. He must be in some
way connected to Levitas. He may be their leader.”
    “So, we find this Nicholas Mansfield, and we find
Levitas.”
    “Or Ma belle,” Bess said. I gave her the book, and
she slipped both back into the packet.
    Bess and Mariah started chatting about dress
fashions, so I stared out my carriage window in time to see Leo
reaching the front door of the Inn. It suddenly swung open, and he
nearly collided with a young woman as she was stepping out. She
smiled, and something within me stirred, like a sudden wind. I
leaned closer to the window to gain a better view.
    She looked to be near my age. By the expensive cut
to her clothing and the tilt to her chin, I would guess her to be a
lady of breeding. What, then, was she doing at an Inn alone? She
walked toward a black carriage across the yard, lifting her navy
skirt and revealing a pair of small boot-clad feet. The door to the
Inn flew open again, and my eyes shifted to it as a young man
stormed out of the building, charging toward the young woman’s
carriage. My head struck the glass of the window as I craned my
neck to watch. He grabbed her arm as she was climbing into her
carriage. I could hear