Yawning, I stretched my aching arms and felt crisp sheets beneath me. Sheets? Bed? I sat up in fright and looked around frantically. The room was dark, lit only by a candle on the table. This was definitely not Ronchet's home. Had I been kidnapped? At that thought, blood drained from my face.
There were four bunk beds, making the room look like a barracks. I was still assessing the place when the door creaked open and five guys walked in, the first a short stocky guy followed by Ronchet and the three guys with whom I'd fought in the alley.
My hands automatically flew to the place where the rapier should have been, but they grabbed at thin air. A sense of betrayal filled me as I glared at Ronchet with unforgiving eyes.
The short fellow sat down on the table and beckoned to me to sit with him.
"Jamie." His voice sounded like a command. I turned my murderous glare on him. "Keep your calm; we mean you no harm. At least, not yet."
"What do you mean by that?" my defiant voice retorted.
"You have passed the fighting tests. I am inviting you to join us, the D-Nine."
"What's the D-Nine?"
"It is a secret organization seeking to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the crown."
"What?"
Ronchet leaned forward and gently placed his hand on mine. I whipped mine back. "Jamie, have you seen this place? Have you seen what our sovereigns are doing to us? Poverty is rampant, crime prolific-it's almost impossible to survive. We're seeking a new form of government, and we want you-"
"No!" I cried, leaping to my feet. "Absolutely not!"
"Jamie-"
"I said no!"
"Jamie, if you don't comply, we have orders to kill you!"
It felt like all the breath rushed out of me. The edges of my vision darkened as my eyes darted from side to side, seeking a way of escape.
"We can use good people like you, Jamie," Ronchet said persuasively. "You're smart, you know how to fight-and you're perfect for undercover work."
"No," I repeated, and this time my voice came out in a breathless croak. Then Annabeth's face flashed into my mind, and I knew I had only one choice. "No," I repeated in stronger tones. "Never. I will support the Queen until the day I die."
"So be it," Ronchet said, looking around at the others. I tensed, waiting for the attack to come. One of the three guys nodded, and Ronchet turned back to me. "Jamie," he said with a smile, "I'm pleased to inform you that D-Nine is in fact a shadowy organization which supports the crown. That is all you need to know. Now that we know you are truly loyal, all we need is your answer. Are you joining us or not?"
Time seemed to pause as they waited for an answer. I eyed Ronchet suspiciously, but he seemed to be sincere this time, so I pondered the offer. I concluded that joining this organisation might be an avenue to help find out more about the identity of the body I resided in. "So long as you don't make me do anything against my conscience, I will join you."
"Good. That is all I need to know." The short thug threw a card onto the table and, without waiting for any response, rose to leave. When he passed Ronchet, he said, "She belongs to you now."
Everyone left, leaving only Ronchet behind.
My pent up anger and annoyance finally broke through as my patience and self-control crumbled. Without warning I threw a punch at his expressionless face. "Argh!" I grabbed my fist and started hopping around, fervently hoping that I hadn't sustained a boxer fracture. Ronchet, on the other hand, stood there without even flinching or defending himself. Quite the contrary-he was smiling faintly at me, as if I had particularly pleased him somehow.
"Do you care to explain?" I grimaced as I forced the words through gritted teeth.
"I am waiting for you to simmer down." His words were counterproductive, fanning the flames of my fury. Struggling to control my anger, I sat down.
Drawing long breaths, my anger began to dissipate and I reverted to my calm and composed self.
"Are you ready to listen?"
I nodded curtly without looking up at him.
Ronchet took the place that the short guy had occupied. He reached across the table and took my hand. I withdrew it, glaring. "Can you remember the card game you played? It was called D-Nine. The picture cards were made up of Dragon, Phoenix, and Tiger, while the numbered card ranged from one to nine. Thus the name Dragon Nine, shortened to D-Nine."
"Yes, I do have a deck from your friend. If you remember," I reminded him, injecting as much ice as I could into my voice. "Can you move to the important point and not beat around the bush?"
"The organization was set up to protect the crown. We do what the soldiers can't do. We assassinate opposing political powers and gather information for the crown. Of course, this is done in a guerrilla manner," Ronchet continued, ignoring my antagonism.
My eyes widened as I took in this shocking information. He took this as an opportunity to take my hand again, and this time wouldn't let me withdraw it. His fingers were soft and warm and dry and, quite frankly, annoying; they were also faintly comforting. Surely he wouldn't do this if he was planning to kill me? That was more annoying still.
"The organization is led by the trinity, codenamed the Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Tiger. Dragon will pass orders through the Phoenix who will pass them to the Tiger until they reach the General Codename One. In this way, no one will know who the Dragon is." Ronchet paused to ensure that I'd absorbed this information before he carried on. "Other than the trinity, there is One to Nine. One is the highest, while under him there is Two to Nine. Each number marks a rank. You are a Nine, the rookie rank. Because you fit our cause so well, if you do exceptionally over the next couple of weeks, you'll be automatically made an Eight."
"What are you?"
"I am a Seven, also known as the squad leader. You are now under my charge."
"What about the short guy?"
Ronchet burst out laughing. "You better not bring out that word in front of him. He is a Six, captain of a company."
"What will he do if I say no?"
"You will die here. No one can leave alive after hearing about D-Nine. Jamie," he added, leaning forward and squeezing my hand more tightly. "Don't say no. Even if you run to the city guard, nothing will happen. We have people in the ranks. Once you join, you can never escape."
I swallowed hard.

***

To tell the truth, I didn't really mind joining D-Nine ... although I daresay they would have been considerably nicer about it if they'd known I was the princess (or inhabiting her body) and the one they were supposedly trying to protect. I mean, what kind of idiots didn't even know what their own princess looked like?
I supposed that same anonymity may have been my greatest safeguard. After all, the only times people had really, honestly tried to kill me were when they knew who I was.
There was another advantage to being unknown; I could learn the truth of Princess Sarabeth. Fanatically pro-royalty though they might be, Ronchet and the others knew a lot more about the princess than I did. Oh, I knew some of it: I knew how to get around the palace; I knew some of the maids and guards; I had spoken face-to-face with the Queen. What I didn't know was what the common people thought about me.
So when I joined D-Nine, I naturally enough expected a rundown on the organization, their goals, their members, and so on.
I should have known better. They were a secret organization, after all.
"You've come at a good time," Ronchet told me, as he took me home. "We've been looking for a woman-and one whose face no one knows, at that."
"You're looking for a woman," I replied dubiously. "Lucky me. Do I get any training?"
"You don't need training," Ronchet assured me. "You're a woman. Use your charms."
"Right," I said. To myself, I thought: what have I gotten myself into?

***

"Wow, you can look like a real lady if you try," Ronchet commended, as I strutted out of the room.
"Thank you." I gave an exaggerated curtsy, throwing in a fake smile. The past few days had been spent in all sorts of training, from swordsmanship to the proper behaviour of a lady of the court. I began to integrate more into this world and began to wonder if I would ever get to return to being Dr. James for good.
"You are welcomed, Lady Gwenilin." Ronchet returned an equally exaggerated bow.
My first mission as a Nine was a simple one: infiltrate and steal some information from the Archduke's nephew, Count Dalormedes.
I sat in the well-decorated carriage, Ronchet across from me. "Once inside, you will be on your own." He took out a short dagger from his boot and passed it to me. I strapped it onto my right thigh.
Uncomfortable silence accompanied us throughout the journey towards the fort. Anxiety on my part prevented any small talk between us. My instructions kept replaying in my mind.
The carriage pulled to a stop at the entrance to the main building where the ball was hosted. Before exiting, Ronchet added, "If you don't feel comfortable, you can withdraw any time. I will deal with the captain."
"Thanks. You can be sweet sometimes." I tapped his chin. That certainly made Ronchet uncomfortable. I had to suppress a giggle. "I am good," I assured him. "Even you got fooled." I gave him a victorious smile. Bracing myself for whatever awaited me, I exited the carriage and walked toward the doorway and the music.

*****