The Thickety spellbound chapter 9

Today was the day of the annual trip to the Temple of the Clen. The altar was stocked with animals and sacrifices, and it gave off a rotten smell. The portraits of Timoth Clen were painted in flowers and red dye. The priest was murmuring words of potent power in the old language. And there in the center, a massive statue of the Clen slaying armies of witches. They seemed horrified, just like the clen wanted the Children to be in his temple.
Paula sighed when the priest gave his old speech about how clen “cast out the army of witches, and Kinde folk who threatened the land.” All the other classmates were awestruck, but Paula and Vanessa knew better.
It was on a trip they had seen the truth. They had sneaked down a forbidden corridor, and saw what proof there was to support the clen’s claims to greatness.
None.
All the miracles, all the feats done, they were false.
He was using a complicated metal device to hold himself up, so it looked like he was flying in the air, and the witches were paid to fake their magic.
All the beasts he slayed were tamed, and he treated them horribly. Paula watched through a corridor as he beat a Gra’dak to submission. The poor thing’s mouths were whining.
That moment stayed in the two’s heads for a while, and it was the first thing they thought about when watching a reenactment of the Clen talking to the masses. That the village and its leader were nothing but a pack of lies
…
The next day was even worse. Master Graves told the class that in memoriam of the week the clen founded De’noran, (which was coming soon! he said.) they were going to put on a special play made specifically for the clen. There would be songs, a dance routine, and at the end, there would be a feast for the hungry parents.
Paula’s father would not join, as he always did. He was smarter than the rest of the parents, who swallowed each lie the clen told them. However, this time, the play was mandatory. He would have to see the stupidity of his fellow men up front.
Since there was no excuse left for him to not go see the play, he told Paula to ruin the play in whatever way she could.
“ They can force you to join them, but they can’t make you lie. Mess up everything. Do things your style, instead of what they say.” He said these words with a vivid grin.
And Paula then asked the question to Vincent Cosgrave out of sheer innocence.
“ Dad, what really happened during the day the Children flocked to De,Noran?”