Read Online The Clock Winked (The Sagittan Chronicles Book 2) by Ariele Sieling - Free Book Online Page B

Intention .
    “It’s a really boring book about how to build clocks. Inside
it, however, was this.” He slid an old, yellowed piece of paper from between
the pages. It was a book review with no date. The book was called: The Clock
of Legends: When the Bell Rings, the Cake is Burnt by Laertes Misanthrop ,
and the article was written in the Old Language.
    “The book is part of a series, most of which was lost,”
Auvek explained. “I went on Green and looked up as much about it as I could.
The actual text is gone, but there are other books that reference it. It is
basically the life stories and ideologies of Laertes Misanthrop, who was
apparently quite angry at the entire universe. He was raised on the planet
Gwola in the Woerta Clan during the three-thousand-year war between the Woerta
Clan and the Lasta Tribe.”
    “Why were they fighting?” Bronwyn asked.
    “No one knows. The people in the clans can’t remember and no
one bothered to write it down anywhere because they figured it was so obvious
it didn’t need to be written down. In fact, this book is a satire of his entire
culture. A few years after the book was written, however, the two tribes
stopped fighting suddenly and not a single outsider knows why. Laertes moved
here to Sagitta not long after this event, but refused to talk about it.
Instead, he wrote this series of highly cryptic books as a satirical commentary
on the way his people interacted with the Lasta Tribe. This is the only one
that references the clock; the others, as far as we know, are completely
unrelated. And all we have left are a few archaic references and this really
old book review.”
    “So, Laertes didn’t like the Lasta Tribe? Or he didn’t like
his own tribe?”
    “I think he felt a large amount of disdain for both of them.
The whole thing is a bit confusing. I read an abstract. I wanted to see if it
was about our Clock of Legend or if there was some other clock on Gwola.”
    “Where is Gwola?”
    “It’s a planet a very long way from here, near the star
Emmett.”
    “Who named a star Emmett?” Bronwyn laughed.
    Auvek chuckled. “No idea. But he makes a comparison between
the Clock of Legend and his own people, saying that legends and traditions
shouldn’t dictate who we are or how we interact. He suggests that we should
teach our children to make decisions about how to behave and interact socially
every single day, not as social habits. He says the Clock of Legend is just as
ridiculous as anything because no one can predict the end... I got the
impression that he goes on and on and on and irritates other writers quite a
lot.”
    “Interesting. I wonder if we can
find that book somewhere. What’s it called—?” she scanned the article. “ When the Bell Rings, the Cake is Burnt . ”
    “It’s doubtful that it’s here—Simon didn’t find it when I
asked him to look earlier. Unless Uncle Will managed to secure a copy at some
point and then hid it.” Auvek shook his head with a wry grin. “And we know
that’s about as likely as a horned-caterpillar going on a date with a squeamish
Melvian.”
    Bronwyn laughed, looking up from the tattered piece of paper
she held in her hands. “So how is your Uncle?” she asked.
    “Still in jail. Hopefully it’ll do
him some good.” Auvek shrugged. “I need a little more time to finish things up
here, anyway, so hopefully they don’t let him out too soon.” Bronwyn’s laugh
burst from her lungs and filled the room.
    “Now, now, be kind to your unfortunate Uncle Will,” Simon
scolded, appearing with a tray holding a teapot and plate of cookies. “His father
ran the Oliphant Bar and Tavern in Southern Pomegranate City. It’s not his
fault his mother ran off when he was a kid, or that his father believed that
sobriety was one of the seven deadly sins.”
    Auvek rolled his eyes at Simon’s scolding and Bronwyn grinned.
    “Thank you for the tea,” she said to Simon, before turning
to Auvek. “Can I look around upstairs?