Part 7 (1/2)

”He's quite capable, though,” Grandpa Smedry said. He's a language specialist who focuses on Hushlander dialects.”

”So,” I said, holding up a finger. ”Let me get this straight. Our strike team consists of a loony old man, and anthropologist, a grad student, and two kids.”

Grandpa Smedry and Sing nodded happily. Bastille, leaning against the library wall a short distance away, gave me a flat stare. ”You see what I have to work with?”

I nodded, beginning to understand where she might have gotten such a grumpy att.i.tude.

”Oh, don't be like that,” Grandpa Smedry said. He walked over, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me aside. ”Here, lad, I've got some things I want to give you.”

Grandpa Smedry pulled open his tuxedo jacket and removed two pairs of spectacles. ”You'll recognize these,” he said, holding up a yellow-tinted pair. ”I used them back when I first picked you up from the house. They're fairly easy Lenses to wield if you can already do readings like you did on the library building, you should be able to use these.”

I accepted the gla.s.ses, then covertly tried them on. At first, nothing changed but then I thought I saw something. Footsteps, in various colors, fading slowly on the ground around me.

”Tracks,” I said with surprise, watching as Sing wandered over to another gutter, leaving a trail of blue footprints on the concrete behind him.

”Indeed, lad,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”The better you know a person, the longer the footprints will remain visible. Once we get inside, we'll split up you and I are the only Oculators in the group, and so we're the only ones who will be able to sense where the sands are. But the inside of a library can be deceptively large. Sometimes the stacks form mazes, and it's easy to get lost. If you lose your way, you can use these Tracker's Lenses to retrace our footprints. Also, you can probably track me down, if necessary.”

I glanced down. Grandpa Smedry's footprints glowed a blazing white, like little bursts of flame on the ground. I could easily see the trail of white back to Grandpa Smedry's black car, still parked across the street.

”Thanks,” I said, still feeling a little apprehensive as I removed and pocket the Tracker's Lenses.

”You'll do fine, lad,” Grandpa Smedry said, picking up a second pair of gla.s.ses. ”Remember, this is your your inheritance we're searching for. You lost it, and you'll have to get it back. I can't hold your hand forever.” inheritance we're searching for. You lost it, and you'll have to get it back. I can't hold your hand forever.”

I felt like noting that I had seen very little hand-holding in this adventure so far. I didn't really know what was going on, didn't quite trust my sanity anymore, and wasn't even convinced that I wanted my inheritance back. Grandpa Smedry, however, didn't give me an opportunity to complain. He held up the second pair of gla.s.ses they had mostly clear Lenses, with a little dot of red at the center of each one.

”These,” he said, handing the Lenses to me, ”are one of the most powerful pairs of Oculatory Lenses I possess. However, they're also one of the easiest to use, which is why I'm loaning them to you.”

I eyed the gla.s.ses. ”What do they do?”

”You can use them for many purposes,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”Once you switch them on you just have to concentrate a bit to do that they'll begin gathering the light around you, then direct it out in concentrated beams.”

”You mean, like a laser?” I asked.

”Yes,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”These are very very dangerous, Alcatraz. I don't carry many offensive Lenses, but I've found these too useful to leave behind. However, let me warn you if there really is a Dark Oculator in there, he'll be able to sense when you activate these. Only use the Firebringer's Lenses in an emergency!” dangerous, Alcatraz. I don't carry many offensive Lenses, but I've found these too useful to leave behind. However, let me warn you if there really is a Dark Oculator in there, he'll be able to sense when you activate these. Only use the Firebringer's Lenses in an emergency!”

Don't get too worried this isn't the sort of story in which emergencies occur. Yes, it is highly unlikely that you will ever see those Firebringer's Lenses activated. So don't get your hopes up.

I accepted the Firebringer's Lenses from my grandfather and they immediately started glowing.

”Cavorting Cards!” Grandpa Smedry yelped, dodging to the side as the Lenses blasted a pair of intensely hot beams into the ground just in front of my feet. I hopped backward in shock, nearly dropping the Lenses in surprise.

Grandpa Smedry grabbed the Lenses from behind, deactivating them. The scent of melted tar rose in the air, and I blinked, my vision marked by two bright afterimages of light.

”Well, well,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”I told told you they were easy to use.” He glanced up at the building. ”We should be too far away for that to have been sensed....” you they were easy to use.” He glanced up at the building. ”We should be too far away for that to have been sensed....”

Great, I thought. As my vision cleared, I could see Bastille rolling her eyes.

Sing waddled over, raising his sungla.s.ses and inspecting the three-foot-wide disk of blackened, half-melted concrete. ”Nice shot,” he noted. ”I think it's dead now.”

I blushed, but Grandpa Smedry just laughed. ”Here,” he said, slipping a small velvet bag around the Firebringer's Lenses. He pulled the drawstring tight at the top. ”This should keep them safe. Now, with these Lenses and your Talent, you should be able to handle pretty much anything the Librarians throw at you!”

I accepted the gla.s.ses back, and fortunately they didn't go off. Now, as I was telling you previously, these Lenses will probably never never get used in this story. You'll be lucky if you ever get to see them fired. Again. get used in this story. You'll be lucky if you ever get to see them fired. Again.

”Grandfather,” I said quietly, eyeing Bastille, then stepping aside again with Grandpa Smedry. ”I'm not sure that I can do this.”

”Nonsense, lad! You're a Smedry!”

”But I didn't even know I was until earlier today,” I said. ”Or... well, I didn't know what being a Smedry meant. I don't think... well, I'm just not ready.”

”What makes you say that?” Grandpa Smedry asked.

”I tried to use my Talent earlier,” I said. ”To stop Bastille from smacking me with her purse. It didn't work. And that wasn't the first time sometimes I just can't make things break. And when I don't don't want them to break, they usually do anyway.” want them to break, they usually do anyway.”

”Your Talent is still wild,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”You haven't practiced it enough. Being a Smedry isn't just about having a Talent, it's about finding out how to use use that Talent. A clever person can make anything turn to his advantage, no matter how much a disadvantage it may seem at first. that Talent. A clever person can make anything turn to his advantage, no matter how much a disadvantage it may seem at first.

”No Smedry Talent is completely controllable. However, if you practice enough, you'll begin to get a grasp on it. Eventually, you'll be able to make things break not just when and where you want, by also how how you want.” you want.”

”I...,” I said, still uncertain.

”This doesn't sound like you, Alcatraz,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”Where's that spark of spirit that stubbornness that you're always tossing about?”

I frowned. ”How do you know what I'm like? You only just met me.”

”Oh? You think I've left you in Librarian hands all this time, never checking in on you?”

Of course he checked on me, I thought. I thought. Bastille mentioned something about that. Bastille mentioned something about that. ”But you don't know me,” I said. ”I mean, you didn't even know what my Talent was.” ”But you don't know me,” I said. ”I mean, you didn't even know what my Talent was.”

”I suspected, lad,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”But I'll admit I usually got to your foster homes after after you'd moved somewhere else. Still, I've been watching over you, in my own way.” you'd moved somewhere else. Still, I've been watching over you, in my own way.”

”If that's the case,” I said, ”then why ”

”Why did I leave you to the foster homes?” Grandpa Smedry asked. ”I'm not that great a parent. A boy needs somebody who can arrive on time to his birthdays and ball games. Besides, there were... reasons for letting you grow up in this world.”

That didn't seem like much of an explanation to me, but Grandpa didn't look like he'd say more. So, I just sighed. ”I just can't help feeling like I won't be much help in this fight. I don't know how to use my Talent, or these Lenses. Maybe I should get a gun or a sword or something.”

Grandpa Smedry smiled. ”Ah lad. This war we're fighting it isn't about guns, or even about swords.”

”What is it about then? Sand?”

”Information,” Grandpa Smedry said. ”That's the real power in this world. That man who held a gun on us earlier he had power over you. Why?”

”Because he was going to shoot me,” I said.

”Because you thought thought he could shoot you,” Grandpa Smedry said, raising a finger. ”But he had no power over me, because I he could shoot you,” Grandpa Smedry said, raising a finger. ”But he had no power over me, because I knew knew that he couldn't hurt me. And when he realized that...” that he couldn't hurt me. And when he realized that...”

”He ran away,” I said slowly.