Tainted (The Soul Chronicles Book 1)

by Morgan L. Busse

  Tainted

  Other books by Morgan L. Busse

  Follower of the Word Series

  Daughter of Light

  Son of Truth

  Heir of Hope

  The Soul Chronicles Series

  Tainted

  Tainted

  The Soul Chronicles Series

  Book One

  Morgan L. Busse

  Tainted by Morgan L. Busse

  Published by Enclave Publishing

  24 W. Camelback Rd. A-635

  Phoenix, AZ 85013

  www.enclavepublishing.com

  ISBN (paper) 978-1-62184067-1

  Tainted

  Copyright © 2016 by Morgan L. Busse

  All rights reserved

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the publisher.

  Published in the United States by Enclave Publishing, an imprint of Gilead Publishing, Wheaton, Illinois.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Designer: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design

  Printed in the United States of America

  To my sisters Jenny and Dani,

  I love you both dearly! *

  1

  Today I make history.

  Kat ran trembling fingers across the top of the cream-colored letter and took a deep breath, savoring the moment, calming the quiver in her stomach. The margins of the parchment were smudged from frequent perusal, though the letter itself contained very few words, and she had each one memorized.

  To Miss Kathryn Bloodmayne:

  We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Tower Academy of Science. Please report for classes on the first of September at eight o’clock in the morning.

  Sincerely,

  The Tower Academy

  Not only accepted, but one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy, the most prestigious school in all of World City.

  Warmth filled her entire being, and a smile spread across her face. In a nearby corner, Cricket let out a mechanical chirp. She glanced at the gilded cage where the clockwork bird preened its metallic feathers, pausing to bob its head in her direction, emerald eyes twinkling.

  Kat smiled and brushed the letter again. Never before the arrival of this letter had her future felt so full of possibility. She could pursue physics—develop the next great airship or locomotive. Or perhaps she would excel in biology. She did find the way life worked fascinating. Mechanical in some ways, and yet so much more. Or it could be research or chemistry. Maybe she would become an inventor, like her mother, and conceive and build whimsical devices like Cricket.

  She tapped her finger along the linen tablecloth and sighed. If only Mother were here to see this day. She would be proud of her daughter. Unlike . . .

  The chime of the clock in the hall broke Kat’s reverie. A matronly woman in a dark, conservative dress bustled into the formal dining room, carrying a plate of steaming sausages and one of sliced fresh bread. She set them down next to a small metal contraption with gears along the side, then took a slice of bread and popped it in the metal box, twisted the gears, and the box began to hum.

  Smoothing her pristine skirt, Ms. Stuart frowned at Kat. “Kathryn, have you eaten anything?”

  Kat glanced away from the box—another invention of her mother’s— and down at her empty plate. “I’m not sure I can. My middle feels like a thousand butterflies are dancing around inside.”

  Ms. Stuart snorted. “And won’t the naysayers dance when you faint on your first day.” She straightened the bright yellow chrysanthemums in the vase that stood in the middle of the table. “They already insist we women are too weak for such study.”

  She had a point. Kat set her letter aside.

  Ms. Stuart picked up the teapot on the other side of the vase. Unlike the other tableware, it was a simple white ceramic pot Kat had given Ms. Stuart for her birthday when Kat was seven. “Tea?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Ms. Stuart poured the tea, its earthy aroma filling the air. Then she moved around the table to the place opposite Kat’s, where another setting of white china cast a sterile gleam in the morning sunshine. She held the teapot over the cup, paused, and then set it back on the table, unpoured.

  Kathryn glanced at the plate across from her, and the elation from minutes ago evaporated. Her shoulders drooped. Empty. Always empty. She couldn’t remember the last time Father had joined her for breakfast, or for any meal. Today she had hoped that it would be different. That he would be here to share one last meal with her before she left for the academy. She swallowed and looked away. Apparently not.

  Ms. Stuart stared at the empty seat, then at Kat. “Would you like me to join you this morning?”

  Kat gave herself a shake. No. She would not let Father ruin today. Today was hers, and hers alone, and if that meant enjoying her breakfast with the housekeeper, so be it. She smiled. “Yes, please do.”

  Ms. Stuart sat down in the other chair and placed her napkin on her lap. The gears stopped on the metal box, signaling the bread was done. Kat pulled the golden toast out with her fork.

  “Would you like butter or jam?”

  Kat shook her head and held the toast up, still impaled on the fork, contemplating it. With the way she was feeling, she would be lucky to eat the toast dry. Still, she had no intention of fainting on her first day of school. She nibbled on the edge.

  As Kat took a sip of her tea, letting the hot liquid force the small bite of toast down to her tumbling stomach, Ms. Stuart placed two sausages on her own plate and picked up her knife. “You will do well, Kathryn. You are intelligent, resourceful, and accomplished. I can think of few others who are as suited to the task before you.”

  Ms. Stuart’s words warmed her, soothing the butterflies in her middle. “At least I won’t be the only young lady.” Kat picked up the toast and took another bite along the edge. Marianne would be there. And a handful of other young women, but she didn’t know them yet. She took another bite, then decided that was enough. Tea would just have to do.

  “Still, you will need to be careful. You are entering a world known only to men until now. And there are people who are not happy about that.”

  Kat frowned. “You think there will be opposition at the school?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know is that people hate change. And letting women attend the academy is a big change.”

  Kat tapped her finger along the white tablecloth, her mind wandering to visions of the academy. Would there be a crowd this morning in front of the school? Probably. If nothing else, reporters from the Herald would be there.

  “It’s hard to believe how fast time has flown.” Ms. Stuart placed her teacup down on her saucer and looked at Kat. “You’re a full-grown woman now.”

  Kat glanced down. A corset squeezed her small figure into a more curved one. She wore a blouse beneath and a long dark skirt, complete with button up boots. Her rich, dark hair was pulled back in a simple chignon.

  Ms. Stuart sighed. “It is sad to think you won’t be here anymore.”

  Kat looked up sharply. “I’ll come back and visit.”

  “Yes, but it
won’t be the same.”

  Her mouth grew dry and she placed her silverware down. “You don’t think Father will let you go, do you?”

  Ms. Stuart smiled and shook her head. “No, I will still be here. But it will be quiet with you gone.”

  Kat looked away. Outside the dining room window hundreds of smokestacks filled the horizon, washing the blue sky away in a haze of gray. Faintly, she could hear the early morning bustle of World City. Carts rolling along the streets, bakers calling out their goods, horns blasting as factories opened their doors. “You can’t leave. If you’re not here, then there will be no one left for me to return to.”

  “That’s not true, Kathryn.”

  “Yes, it is. Who will greet me at the door? Father? Father is never home. He hasn’t been home in years.” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. Dr. Alexander Bloodmayne, recently dubbed the ‘greatest scientist of this age’ by the Herald, never had time for familial relationships. At least not with his only child.

  “Perhaps that will change now.”

  “Why?” Kat turned and leaned forward, her tea forgotten. “Because I’m finally following in his footsteps?” A cold lump formed in her chest, beating with hard, heavy beats. Her breath came faster, and her fingers tensed across the table. Blood rushed through her head like the whooshing of water through narrow pipes. “I’m not doing this for him!”

  Ms. Stuart’s gaze darted from her face to her hands. “Kathryn,” she said in a warning tone.

  Kat barely heard her over the blood coursing through her body. The cold lump beat faster. “I’m doing this for myself. And someday I’ll—”

  “Kathryn!”

  Ms. Stuart’s sharp voice snapped the coldness inside her. Kat sat up and gasped. She stared down at her fingers. She had almost lost control.

  “It’s happening again, isn’t it?” Ms. Stuart said quietly.

  Kat swallowed. “I don’t know why.” Tears prickled her eyes. “Nothing has happened in years. I haven’t lost control since . . . And then suddenly . . .” She made a fist and pressed it against the top edge of her corset, right above her heart. “I feel like it’s taking over.”

  “How long ago did it start?”

  Kat shook her head. “A couple of weeks. Nothing happened, but I felt it there again, inside of me, waiting.”

  Ms. Stuart pulled her lips into a grim line. “And you never told me?”

  “I hoped it was nothing. But now . . .”

  “Kathryn, you can’t let it out.”

  “I know. But I don’t want to live like this. I can’t live like this! Always wondering when I’m going to snap and do something awful!”

  Her breath came fast again, and along with it came the cold lump. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, slowing it with each breath. She then moved to her body, visualizing her heart, her lungs, her fingers, willing each part to calm down.

  A hand covered hers.

  Kat took a deep breath.

  “You will find an answer, Kathryn. But until then, no one must know what you can do. And you need to keep it under control.”

  “I know.” She shivered and pulled her hand out from beneath Ms. Stuart’s. After each incident, it felt like something had died in her, like a piece of her soul had been ripped out. Even now she could feel another part of herself shrivel up and die, and she hadn’t even fully triggered the power. What happened when every part of her died? Would she even be human?

  Ms. Stuart let out a long breath. “I know you don’t like this, but maybe there is a chance your father could help you.”

  Kat looked up, horrified. “No! Never! Please, you can’t tell him. Father would only make me a guinea pig in his research.” She rubbed her arms and trembled. “You know he would. He only cares about his discoveries and doesn’t care about who or what he hurts.” She had seen his laboratory and the experiments he conducted there. “No, I will figure this out on my own.”

  “But what if it gets worse, Kathryn? What if someone is injured?”

  “I will leave.” She had decided that a couple of weeks ago and had already hidden away a small cache of bills.

  “Promise me you will see me first.”

  Kat glanced up.

  There was a serious look on the other woman’s face. “You are like a daughter to me, Kathryn. I would do anything to help you. “

  “You would help me leave?”

  Ms. Stuart nodded. “If it were best for you and for everyone else, then yes.”

  “And you wouldn’t tell my father?”

  Ms. Stuart’s face paled. “Yes. But let’s not dwell on that choice right now. Instead, let us focus on your first day at the academy. That is your future.”

  Ms. Stuart was right. Focus on today, not on tomorrow. Today she started her career as a scientist. Maybe she would find an answer to who she was, what she was.

  Kat pushed her chair back and stood. “You’re right.” She glanced at the clock. A quarter till seven. “And I don’t want to be late.”

  “One thing, Kathryn, before you leave.”

  Kat looked back.

  “Be careful. Guard your emotions. Do not let them rule you. The moment you let them rule you, they will destroy you, along with everyone else.”

  Ms. Stuart’s words sent a chill through her heart.

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “You are strong, Kathryn. Just like your mother. And you’re not alone, remember that.”

  Kat grabbed her letter and nodded. But as she dashed past her mother’s mechanical bird and out into the hall, she felt alone. Very alone.

  2

  Kat’s carriage rolled up in front of the Tower Academy and came to a halt just behind one of the new phaetons. Wisps of steam fluttered above the horseless carriage from the engine in front of the vehicle. Kat leaned over the side of her open carriage, craning her neck to see past the horses, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner. Mother would have loved the phaetons with their glossy metal bodies and steam powered engines. Maybe that’s why Father had not invested in one.

  The phaeton shuddered, and the last of the steam disappeared into the pale blue sky above. A young man climbed out: tall, with ash blond hair and high cheekbones. New student, perhaps? Round goggles covered his eyes, and he wore leather gloves over his hands. He went around the phaeton and disappeared.

  Kat sat back and turned her attention to the academy itself while she waited for Reginald to come around the carriage and open the door.

  Three stories of brick and paned windows loomed over the street. Tall, iron gates completed the square enclosing the academy grounds. On either side of the courtyard were more brick buildings, each one housing laboratories, libraries, dormitories, and offices for the scientists who worked for the Tower.

  Behind the academy, the Tower’s namesake jabbed the sky a good fifty feet above an eight-story laboratory building. The Tower could be seen from almost every part of the city and stood as a monument to the scientific pursuits of World City.

  Reginald opened the door and stepped to the side. “Miss?”

  “Thank you, Reginald.” Kat emerged from the carriage and looked up toward the top of the Tower. Somewhere amongst those windows was her father’s office. Home, more like it. He lived at the Tower night and day, working for the World City council, creating new weapons for the war with Austrium or finding ways to expand the scientific horizon.

  A band began to play just beyond the gates, drawing her attention. The academy had hired a band? For the first day of school?

  Kat approached the open gates, her book bag secure across her body. A few young ladies stood just inside the gates, dressed as she was, book satchels clutched in white-knuckled hands. Probably her new classmates. But why weren’t they going inside?

  She reached the gates and stopped a couple of feet away from the cl
uster of girls. Now she knew why.

  Fifty feet beyond the gates, a crowd gathered in front of the wide staircase that led up to the front doors of the academy. Green banners hung above the double doors at the top of the stairs like bright colored ribbons waving in the wind.

  Kat held onto the shoulder strap of her bag and stared at the people gathered. There had to be at least a hundred, certainly more than the handful of reporters she had expected from the Herald. And no clear path to the doors ahead.

  “Do you need anything else, miss?”

  Kat looked back. Reginald stood behind her, stiff, his features carefully neutral. Unlike Ms. Stuart, Reginald believed in utmost propriety in station, even in unconventional households like the Bloodmaynes’.

  “No, Reginald. Please take my chest up to my room.”

  He gave her a small bow. “Yes, miss.”

  “And let Ms. Stuart know I will be fine.”

  Reginald straightened. “I will.”

  Another carriage came rumbling up behind as Reginald headed back to his own transport. He paused to soothe the horses as the phaeton took off in a cloud of steam and sound, soon disappearing around the corner at the end of the block.

  Kat turned and watched the crowd, taking note of the knot of young men standing near the fence, dressed in dark blue shirts and trousers with book bags slung over their shoulders and hands in their pockets. They appeared as uneasy as the women students and made no move to blaze a path.

  Where were the professors? Or academy staff? Wasn’t there someone here to greet them? Two uniformed men stood to the left of the crowd and another near the stairs. Perhaps they would help. At any rate, none of the other ladies seemed to know what to do. Maybe if she started across, the crowd would let her through.

  “Kat!”

  Kat looked over to find a young woman hurrying her direction from down the street. Her carrot-colored hair appeared bright orange in the sunlight, and her mauve skirt whipped around her ankles. She waved and grinned.

  Kat laughed. “Marianne!”