Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“No, we’re long past that. The disguise is as much for utility as it is
for concealment. You’ll see what I mean. But first, you might want to
cover your ears. It’s about to get very loud.”
Sophie could only cover her left ear, thanks to her sling, so she
tilted her head to press her right ear into her shoulder—and it was a
good thing she did, because when all five of the hands on the tower
rotated forward, low-pitched bells boomed through the air, loud
enough to send pine needles raining around them.
BOOOOOOOOOOONG!
BOOOOOOOOOOONG!
BOOOOOOOOOOONG!
BOOOOOOOOOOONG!
BOOOOOOOOOOONG!
“Is that the time?” Sophie asked when the clearing had fallen silent
again—or as silent as it could be. The roar of the water and the whir of
the cogs and a thrumming pulse from the tower—all ticking, no
tocking—were still a steady hum in her ears.
“To be quite honest, I don’t know what the tower is tracking,” Mr.
Forkle admitted. “I asked Tinker about it once, and she asked me what
I wanted it to be and never gave me the real answer—which is
something you should prepare yourself for. Tinker considers questions
to be far more valuable than answers, so it’s rare to get an actual
explanation.”
Dex snorted. “Huh, I wonder what that’s like.”
“I know,” Sophie agreed. “We’re so used to everyone telling us
everything we want to know the second we want to know it—how will
we ever handle that kind of vagueness and mystery?”