The Northern Passage

"On the morning the Clockwork Pilgrim arrived, I wept before noon. He came out of the snow like a funeral statue walking upright. His mare moved silently—no steam, no hooves crunching."

The children ran to him first—the fools. He knelt. You must understand—a machine kneeling is a terrifying thing. It means it knows respect.

"They call themselves the Decoders. Children who grew up listening to the static, claiming they can hear voices from before the Fall. The Pilgrim sits with them for hours, recording their translations."

Anna is their leader. She gave him a flower. He pressed it in his journal. I've never seen gears move so gently.