Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson Read Free Book Online

before I was convinced."
    I grew excited, imagin ing the Lens summoning the spir its of the dead to fight at my side. Or, instead, perhaps it w ould make people explode in a wave of red smoke if I focused it on them. Red smoke rocks.
    "So what does it do?"
    "It allows you to see when someone is telling the truth."
    That wasn't exactly what I'd been expecting.
    "Yes," Grandpa Smedry said. “ A Truthfinder's Lens. I never thought I'd hold one myself. Quite remarkable!"
    "I . . . don't suppose it makes people explode when they tell lies?"
    “ Afraid not, lad."
    "No red smoke?”
    "No red smoke."
    I sighed and tucked the Lens away anyway. It did seem useful, though after discovering it hidden in the tomb, I'd really been hoping for some kind of weapon.
    "Don't look so glum, lad," Grandpa Smedry said. "I don't think you understand the gem you hold in your pocket. That Lens could prove extremely useful to you over the next few days. Keep it close."
    I nodded. "I don't suppose you have another pair of Firebringer's Lenses you could loan me?"
    He chuckled. "Didn't do enough damage with the last pair, eh? I don't have any more of those, but . . . here, let me see." He fished around inside his tuxedo jacket again. “Ah!” he said, whipping out a pair of Lenses. They glowed with a modest light and had a violet tint.
    That's right, violet. I wondered if the people who forge Oculatory Lenses try to make us all look like pansies, or if that was just accidental.
    "What are they?" I asked.
    "Disguiser's Lenses," Grandpa Smedry said. "Put them on, focus on the image of someone in your head, and the L enses will disguise you to look like that person."
    It seemed pretty cool. I took the Lenses apprecia tively. "Can they make me look like other things? Like, say, a rock?"
    "I guess," Grandpa Smedry said. "Though that rock wo uld have to be wearing glasses. The Lenses appear in any disguise you use."
    That made them less powerful, but I figured I'd come up with a way to use them. "Thanks," I said.
    "I might have some other offensive Lenses I can dig up later when I get back to the keep " Grandpa Smedry said." I suspect that we'll deliberate here for another two or three hours before adjourning until the vote this evening. It's about ten right now; let's meet back at Keep Smedry in three hours to share information, all right?"
    "All right."
    Grandpa Smedry winked at me. "See you this afternoon, then. If you break anything important, be sure to blame it on Draulin! It'll be good for her."
    I nodded, and we parted ways.

CHAPTER 5
    It 's time f or m e to talk about someone other than myself. Please don't be too heartbroken; once in a while, we need to discuss somebody who is not quite as charming, intelligent, or impressive as I am.
    That's right, it's time to talk about you.
    Occasionally, while infiltrating the Hushlands, I run across enterprising young people who want to resist Librarian control of their country. You ask me what you can do to fight. Well, I have three answers for you.
    First, make sure you b u y lots and lots and lots of copies of my books. There are plenty of uses for them (I'll discuss this in a bit) and for every one you bu y, we donate money to the Alcatraz Smedry Wildlife Fund for Buying Alcatraz Smedry Cool Stuff.
    The second thing you can do isn't quite as awesome, but it's still good. You can read .
    Librarians control their world via information. Grandpa Smedry says that information is a far better weapon than any sword or Oculatory Lens, and I'm beginning to think he might be right. (Though the kitten chain saw I discussed in book two is a close second.)
    The best way to fight the Librarians is to read a lot of books. Everything you can get your hands on. Then do the third thing I'm going to tell you about.
    B u y lots of copies of my books.
    Oh, wait. Did I already mention that? Well, then, there are four things you can do. But this intro is already too long. I'll tell you about the last one later. Know, however,