Of Gears and Humanity

| 23.1

[ELENA]

I followed the shadows within the castle's halls as the skies darkened outside. The disbelief I felt over Marleth consumed me, but how could I be so mad? She was innocent, confused as I was. We were all lied to. The truth of it had been twisted into an old child's tale to keep us in line.

The bad children see the Gate and never return again.

Everyone believed it. Ran when their mothers or fathers yelled and cursed them for bad behavior. No one wanted to go to the Gate. The dangers of the story were too strong.

But I went. Carmine and I walked to that Gate and while I may have seen the horrors within the forest, I also saw the truth. The largest lie hid by my father. A treaty with the Attributions? For safety? I couldn't accept it. And I wanted to change it. Turning down the steps, I knew I needed to find my father. If I could talk to him and get him to understand that no matter how long the treaty had been around, no matter the agreement the Attributions made with the first King of Homestead, it was wrong.

To surrender a child's life before he can even speak—why?

As I took in a deep breath, I stopped at the lowest level of the castle. The workers within the halls scurried past me, apologizing as they bumped my shoulders. I looked at them, at each man and woman who walked past, and eyed their hands; they were carrying containers from the kitchen, and each smelled of freshly baked bread.

Following my nose, I turned towards the kitchen instead. What had my father requested from everyone? Was this our preparation for war?

Before I entered through the open archway, I knocked on the wall at my side. The first kitchen maid looked up, and it was as if she wasn't sure if she should smile or bow. So I took initiative.

Smiling, I cupped my hands in front of me and stepped inside. "Evening," I said, looking at the woman and her long braided hair. As she dipped forward, paying me her respects with a bow, I returned the gesture before I asked my question. "What is going on?"

"Your father, Princess," she said, motioning at the jars at her side. Other servants surrounded the counter. A man wrapped small loaves of bread with towels, while the woman beside him secured cheese inside the jar.

The woman at the start gave me a weak smile as she played with her braid. "He's requested we make care packages for each of the civilians within Homestead."

"Care packages?" My brow knitted together. "Is something going to happen?"

"The war, Princess." The man wrapping the bread bowed to me as he spoke. "With the war coming, we must prepare."

A war? Yes, there was an Attribution in the forest. And yes, the machine had done damage to the trees. But it had been hours of silence from the Gate. If the Attributions wished to attack us, they would've done it already. Wasn't that how it happened before?

Or was I lied to about that, too?

"Princess." The first woman approached and placed her hand on mine. "Your father is a good King and only wishes to make sure his people are safe and well for when it begins. So, we're packing food—" She pointed back at each of the jars. "—and when they're ready, a group will come to hand them out to everyone in their homes."

"This will create panic." I circled the table, eyeing the minimal amounts of food placed in small jars. Over half of the families living in Homestead were more than just two people; there were children, families of five or six. One jar wouldn't be enough for them.

I looked back at the servant. "Do you understand the fear this will cause? This won't be enough for each household. When it's out, they'll... they'll—"