Alcatraz vs. the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson Read Free Book Online

Alcatraz.”
    “Aydee Ecks," she said energetically. "Is it true you have the Breaking Talent?"
    "The one and only,” I said. "It's not everything it's cracked up to be."
    “No," Bastille added, " everything else is what it cracks up.”
    "What's your Talent?" I asked Aydee, shooting a dry look at Bastille.
    "I'm really bad at math!" she proclaimed.
    By now I was getting used to Smedry Talents. I'd met family members who were magically bad at dancing, others who were great at looking ugly in the morning. Being bad at math . . . well, that just seemed to fit right in. "Congratulations," I said. "That sounds useful.”
    Aydee beamed.
    Kaz came traipsing back a few moments later, his pack slung on his shoulder. "Yup," he said, “we’re here. The capital city is just a short hike down that direction, but there’s a full Librarian blockade set up around the place.”
    "Great," I said.
    The others looked to me, expecting me to take the lead. Partially because of my lineage, but also because I’d organized this trip. It was still odd to be in charge, but I’d taken the lead a number of times now. Though it had originally bothered me, I was getting used to it. (Kind of how listening to really loud music a lot will slowly make your hearing worse.)
    "All right," I said, kneeling down. “Let’s go over our resources. Bastille, what do you have?”
    "Sword," she said, patting the sheath at her side. “Dagger. Warrior's Lenses. Glassweave outfit." Her militaristic trousers and jacket were made of a special kind of defensive glass; they could take a pounding and leave her unharmed.
    She pulled her stylish sunglasses out of her pocket and put them on. They'd enhance her physical abilities.
    "Kaz?"
    "I've got a pair of Warrior's Lenses too," he said. He patted his pack. "I've got my sling to throw rocks, and some standard gear. Rope, a couple of throwing knives, a grappling hook, flares, and snacks."
    "Snacks?"
    "Pop taught me never to rescue a near-doomed allied kingdom on an empty stomach."
    "Wise man, my grandfather," I said. “Aydee, what do you have?"
    “A bubbly, infectious personality!" she said. “And a cute flower in my hair."
    "Excellent." I fished around in my pocket. "I've got my standard Oculator's Lenses,” I said, "along with my Translator's Lenses and one Truthfinder's Lens." The former had been given to me by my father; the latter I'd discovered in the tomb of Alcatraz the First. Neither were very powerful in battle, but they could be useful in other ways.
    As I fished in the pockets of my jacket, I was shocked to discover something else. A pouch that hadn’t been there before, at least not in the morning when I'd gotten dressed. I pulled it out, frowning, then undid the laces at the top.
    Inside were two pairs of Lenses. They glowed powerfully to my eyes, as I was wearing my Oculator's Lenses.
    I took the new Lenses out. One had a baby blue tint to them. I'd used these before; they were called Courier’s Lenses. The other Lenses had a green-and-purple tint.
    “Wow," Bastille said, snatching the second pair from my hand, holding them up. "Alcatraz, where did you get these ?"
    "I have no idea," I said, looking inside the pouch. There appeared to be a little note tucked into it. “What are they?”
    "Bestower's Lenses," she said, sounding just a bit awed. "They're very powerful."
    I got the note out, unfolding it. You called me once with a set of Courier's Lenses when you weren’t supposed to be able to, the note said. Give it a try again.
    It was signed Grandpa Smedry.
    I hesitated, then pulled off my Oculator's Lenses and put on the Courier's Lenses. They were supposed to be able to work over only short distances, but I was discovering that there were a lot of things about Lenses and silimatic glass that didn’t work the way everyone said they did.
    I concentrated, doing something I'd only recently learned to do, giving extra power to the Lenses. Static fuzzed in my ears. And then, an image of Grandpa