This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Author:Mackenzi Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

When I woke the next morning, the fire was ashes and Clémence’s side of the bed was cold. I sat up, covers falling off me, and tried my best to sort out what had actually happened last night and what had been a dream.

Nothing, I realized with a sick lurch. I hadn’t dreamed any of it.

And now I was going to Geneva to fetch Oliver for Geisler’s mad research.

I climbed out of bed and changed into the clothes I had arrived in as I considered my choices, or rather choice, because backing out now was impossible. I had to go to Geneva—Geisler was tearing up bodies in his cellar, so who knew what he would do if I stood in the way of his work?—but I didn’t have a clue what to do once we arrived. The last few days thinking Geisler would help me take care of Oliver had been glorious. The freest I had felt in years. Letting that go after coming so close made me want to climb straight back into bed and refuse to budge.

I stepped out of my bedroom and into the hallway. At the top of the stairs, a small window overlooked the front path leading to the road. Depace’s wagon was parked at the gate, stacked with twice as many coffins as there had been when I’d ridden in it. Depace was leaning against the wheel chatting with Geisler while Clémence, her gray coat thrown over her blue dress, stood on the driver’s seat tugging on the thick ropes that held the coffins in place. At first I thought they were unloading more bodies for Geisler’s laboratory, but it didn’t make sense for them to be doing it in broad daylight and just before Geisler was to leave for Geneva. That and Clémence seemed to be securing the coffins, not unloading them. I watched them until my stomach growled and I went in search of breakfast.

There were scones and coffee in the kitchen, and I took some into the sitting room and settled down to eat in front of the fire. The house felt dead quiet. The constant ticking of the clocks had blended into the silence so I could hardly hear them apart.

I had less of an appetite than I thought, and I mostly picked currants out of the scones instead of actually eating anything. After a few minutes, I heard the front door creak; then Geisler stuck his head into the sitting room. He smiled when he saw me. I nearly threw up.

“Good, you’re awake,” he said. “I’d like to leave within the hour.”

“I’m ready,” I said, then added, “Are we traveling with Depace?”

Geisler laughed. “No, he was just doing me a favor. We’re traveling in a bit more style than that.”

“More style” turned out to be a compact sleigh painted forest green and powered by steam and clockwork. Geisler informed me that it would be faster than a carriage after the blizzard, and would allow us to go off the road if we needed to.

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