cabal
noun
a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still busily seeking, I suppose, to be a pick-thanks with those in power by casting ridicule on those they are caballing to destroy.”
From Janice Meredith by Paul Leicester Ford