"You were right to put those two together, Cat," said Scurry as he, Lex and Cat watched the viewer. "Roloft will temper the shock that Shoren is sure to face."
"And Shoren's love of learning is sure to spark Roloft as well," said Lex.
"I hope so," said Cat, "So many of the young ones built their whole futures around fighting the Shadowlords. When Thordon was healed of its evils, they didn't know what to do. The ones with families and lands did all right. But crewmen like Roloft seemed kind of lost with no more adventures to go on."
"Well, he doesn't look lost now," observed Lex, "If that elf is anywhere near as inquisitive as others I have known, he'll waste no time in getting to know more about that box with the pictures."
"I'd like to get a closer look at that box myself," muttered Scurry.
Cat smiled and said, "Give them the afternoon to get settled and acquainted. Tonight, I want dinner served on deck so our young friend can meet the whole crew. You can talk to him about his box then." She tossed a cloth over the viewer and Scurry's concentration was broken. "There will be plenty of time for discovery later."
Scurry had gotten much better at catching on than he used to be. So even though he had only heard the last sentence she had said, he knew he had been dismissed to go on about his duties. He excused himself and promised to see them at dinner. Then he left the captain's quarters and walked across the deck to the stairs that led down to his cabin.
Cat and Lex watched him through the door that he had left open. They knew that his mind was already racing through the layers of information he stored in his own private world of thought. By dinner time, someone would be sent to dig him out from under the mounds of books and tomes on magic and interplanal histories that he was sure to be buried under by then.
Throby had one table set up for the highest ranking crew members and the other tables placed in rows beyond it. That way if Cat wished to address the crew, she could do so easily. Rank among the crew was much as it had been when Cat played the part of a pirate. There was an inner circle of the most trustworthy and brave crewmen. Below them was a group who could be trusted to run the whole ship if need be. Then lowest on the ladder was the common folk of the crew. What race each fellow was had nothing to do with the rank he earned. On the healing of Thordon, all folk were equal in Cat's eyes. There were all sorts of kin and kind aboard and they all knew that honor was the attribute their captain admired most.
As the crew gathered for dinner that evening, everyone welcomed the sights and smells that filled the deck of Hope's Wind. Every table was set out with trays of baked yams and roasted varna root. There were plates heaping with cooked meats and what looked to Shoren like baked ham.
There were bowls full of fruit slices and baskets of hot breads. There were heaps of fresh green salads on trays in the center of each table. All around the deck were casks of the sweet water of Mythrindell. It wasn't that often that Throby got to welcome someone to his world. He wanted to make a good impression.
Shoren also wanted to make a good impression. Roloft had sat with him all afternoon in his cabin and instructed him on the kin and kind he would meet at dinner. He taught him how to tell a gnome from a halfling and he taught him the proper way to greet each race and what to never say to a troll. You would have thought dinner was some formal affair by all the effort being put into it. But as it is with all good things, the effort paid off.
If Shoren was shocked by any of the folk on the crew, he hid it well. He handled conversation with the charm his mother would have wished for. Shoren was introduced to every member of the ship's compliment. And no matter how unimportant they seemed to be, he treated them with respect and courtesy. Scurry waited only as long as he had to before he cornered Shoren to talk about all the things he liked to study.
"It’s funny," said Shoren, "It’s like I can never learn enough. When I learned how to play Mom's flute, I had to learn how to play all the instruments that we had in the house. And even when I was learning to walk, I remember thinking how badly I wanted to be able to run and dance. That's why I saved up and bought my computer. I can use it any time to read up on any subject." Shoren suddenly felt as if everyone had stopped and was staring at him. Cat was the one who saved him.
She leaned over and confided in him," They are surprised that you say you can read at so young an age. To be able to read means that you have had time and money to devote to just learning. To read is a luxury that most kin of Thordon could not afford until they were much older than you."
"You mean they cannot read," said Shoren. It was the first shock he had shown all evening.
"Yes," said Lex, "All these men can read. But some of them did not learn until after they joined the crew. When you talk of reading as if it means nothing to you, it strikes them odd."
"If I gave the impression that I take reading lightly, I am sorry. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't read." He turned to the crew and said, "Where I come from, reading is such a treasure that even youngers are taught. It is truly rare to find anyone in my land that does not read."
The crew watched and listened as Shoren explained more about schools and colleges and how some folk do nothing but study all their lives.
As the evening wore on, Cat stood and said, "Friends, I believe this has been the perfect evening and we should all thank Throby and his crew for one of the finest meals to ever be set on a table." Everyone slapped their fingertips on the edges of the table and cheered in agreement. "I think we all know how easy it would be to sit here and talk all night. But this is a ship and it will need to be sailed in the morning. So I think we should all call it a night."
Now have you ever noticed that you are never tired until someone tells you that you are tired? Well, that is just what happened at that dinner table. Everyone started stacking and clearing away the empty trays and plates and by the time the tables had been stowed away, everyone was yawning and rubbing at sleepy eyes.
Shoren slept as soundly as he ever had. When the new morning stirred his dreams into waking, he thought for a moment that all that had happened might have been a dream brought on by years of bedtime stories and a fight with his father. But as his eyes opened, any doubt of the realness of Thordon was whisked away. He sat up, reached down and got his journal from the floor, fluffed his pillows and leaned back against them.
JOURNAL ENTRY: Last night was a most interesting and enlightening time. I had the opportunity to meet and dine with the entire crew of Hope's Wind. I was most impressed by the variety and wonder of the races I met. The inner circle of the crew are a delightful bunch. Cat and Lex are captain and first mate. But second only to them is a funny little fellow named Scurry. He is human by race but back home he would probably be called a nerd. He strikes me as someone who is happiest with his nose in a book or slaving over some invention he's working on.
After Scurry, comes a barbarian named Dungeon. Dad had told me a story about the first time he fought for a place on Cat's crew. And I knew him the moment I first saw him. The next ranking man is a draekin named Trench. He serves as lookout and navigation.
Draekin are half dragons and half man. His body is like that of a man but he has the head, tail, claws, and wings of an emerald dragon. Once you get past the idea of a man with wings and a tail, you see that there is great beauty in the beings of this world.
Tramua was one being I never thought I would meet. She's a fog giant and easily the tallest creature I expect I will ever see. At over twenty feet tall, I wondered where on the ship she stayed. I learned that more often than not, she stayed along-side the ship and rested on deck when she needed to sleep.
Thul is the next of the crew. And Thul is proof that all who are part of this crew are equal. Thul is a hobgoblin by race. And honestly, hobgoblins are ugly creatures. But once you have sat and talked with him, you can't see his features for the sweetness of his spirit and the laughter in his heart.
I had the opportunity to talk with a most delightful gnome named Chafe who is the maintenance and repair expert on board. And finishing out the group is a fellow named Mutt. Now when I saw Mutt, he looked almost like he and I could be related. And I assumed that he was also a halfelf. But I soon learned that some races of shape shifters look like halfelves when in a relaxed state. Watching him change from creature to creature was most entertaining. Among the rest of the crew were men, elves, trolls, and even a lizard man.
I think the most interesting looking of the crew were the diabolus named Ethos and a shargugh called Green. Diabolus are creatures that look like a bright purple mix of man and billy goat. And when I first met Green, he reminded me a little of something that belonged deep in the woods. Shargughs are short little fellows that dress themselves all in soft leathers and wood colored tunics.
No doubt, Green got his name from the color of his hair. The whole of his head is covered in green hair that grows down past his waist and is so thick that it is all but impossible to tell where his hair ended and his beard began. He is never without a dagger that hangs in a jeweled sheath at his waist and one ring on each hand. The rings and dagger are magically connected and serve to protect as if the little man was wearing full armor.
I sit here and think about how I will fill my day. But then I realize that I never planned for yesterday and it was certainly full. As sure as I plan out what I will do, something will happen.
He closed the journal and sat back against his pillows. He had packed for a cruise and this was sort of a cruise. He was glad that he had invested in that solar battery charger for all of his computer stuff. But he didn't feel like doing anything on the computer. He felt like doing something physical. His darts, he could practice throwing his darts if he could find something to use as a target.
There was a knock at the door and he called from the bed, "Csreen," which if he had said it right meant `come in' in elven. The door opened and Roloft walked in with breakfast and set it near Shoren.
He sat down next to the tray and said, "I'm impressed, your elven is improving. But you need to tighten up on it just a little. It should be; csrien. It’s not a big difference. elves will still know what you mean."
Shoren made a mental note on the instruction and looked at the tray. It looked like any breakfast he might have seen on earth. There were two bowls of a hot cereal and a plate that held cooked meat patties and brownish sweet cheese. There were also two glasses of what he figured to be juice. The flavors were different. But the food was good and filled them both.
"Shoren," said Roloft as he gulped down the last of his juice, "you never unpacked your other bag yesterday. What's in it?"
"I don't know, I never looked in it," answered Shoren, "Mom said it was some stuff that she was going to drop off somewhere."
"Do you mind if I look," asked Roloft?
"Go ahead," answered Shoren as he climbed out of bed and carried the tray to the table and started going through the backpack he had left there. He wasn't really paying any attention to the bag or the elf until he heard a long low whistle and caught a glimmer of light out the corner of his eye. He looked up just in time to see Roloft pull the last tip of an ebony handled sword out of the bag.
"What on earth is that doing in there," he said in little more than a whisper?
"This isn't from earth," said Roloft, "This is from Thordon." He looked at the blade and said, "I've seen this before. It belonged to a bard and fighter named Stephan." He looked at Shoren, "How did you get it?"
"It belongs to my dad. He used to tell me stories of how some king gave it to him." Shoren reached for the sword and was surprised to see how natural it felt in his hand. As he stood there and held the blade, he mumbled, "What else is in there?"
The two peered into the bag and then back at each other. First a long bow of exquisite workmanship was pulled out. Then two quivers of arrows and a finely jeweled dagger rested on the table. There was the flute that Shoren had learned to play as a child, and a magical lute called the song giver. A sling and pouch of small steel balls finished out the weaponry. And the last thing they drew from the bag was a shirt and breeches finely woven out of metal. Roloft mumbled something about elven mail and Shoren was just about to ask him what elven mail was when a knock at the door startled them both.
"May I come in," asked Lex? Shoren was still so shaken that he couldn't manage to say anything. So he waved the sword and Lex walked in the room. "I see your folks sent you with gear," said Lex, "That's good. I expected to have to outfit you from what we have on board." He looked at the sword in Shoren's hand, "Do you know how to use that?"
"Only what I've seen in the," he paused and said, "I mean, I've seen swords used but I never have fought with one."
"What about the bow and the sling," asked Lex?
"Oh yeah," answered Shoren, "I lettered in archery and Mom used to fuss at me all the time when I was little for shooting birds and squirrels with a sling and pebbles. But why did they send this stuff with me? I thought that the evils were all gone from Thordon."
"Just because there is no evil, that does not mean there is no danger," said Roloft. "Creatures still have to eat. And some of the creatures on Thordon are rather fond of the taste of halfelf flesh. But don't worry, Lex is the best with a sword that I have ever seen. We'll be safe."
"I'm supposed to be on vacation. Are we going to go somewhere near the creatures that would eat us," asked Shoren?
Lex smiled and said, "It isn't our intent to. But Thordon is still a wild place and you should always be prepared. I'm sure that's why your folks sent you that armor."
Shoren looked over at where the armor lay on the table. "That armor won't fit me. It might fit Roloft, but it is way too small for me."
"It will fit you, Shoren," said Roloft, "It will fit anyone. It’s magic."
Shoren started to say something but Lex spoke before he could. "That was Stephan's armor. And that means that it is dragonslayer. Not only will it fit you, but it will bond with your skin and become part of you when you put it on."
"Bond with my skin?"
"Yes. So take everything off before you put it on," said Lex. "And make sure to put it on before you leave the ship tomorrow."
"Where are we going tomorrow," asked Shoren?
"Cat promised Shawnreann that we would show you Thordon," said Lex, "We both figured the best place to start would be to introduce you to Adia Lightsong."
"Adia Lightsong," Shoren thought a moment, "she was a voadkin, right?"
"Is a voadkin," corrected Lex, "But don't be surprised if she appears human when you first meet her. Voadkin often look human when first meeting human strangers."
"Excuse me, Sir, but will the entire crew be going to Vranellwood," asked Roloft?
"No, but I was planning on you coming along. Unless you'd rather not," said Lex.
"Oh, Sir," said Roloft, "how could any elf pass up the chance to visit the greatest elven wood in all of Thordon?"
It may have been phrased as a question, but Roloft wasn't waiting for any answers. He started in about what weapons and armor he would use and he barely noticed when Lex let himself out and closed the door behind him.
After listening to Roloft ramble on for a while, Shoren changed the subject and said, "Does Lex really think we could run into trouble?" Roloft looked up and watched Shoren as he stared down at the sword now lying on the table before him.
"Don't worry, Lex will," Roloft started to say.
Shoren cut him off in mid-sentence, "Oh I was going to ask him to teach me how to use a sword,"
"Well I can do that," said Roloft. "You don't live as a pirate and not know how to fight." He thought back to the trashing that he had gotten the first time he fought with a sword and how patient his teacher had been after that first day. He looked for the words and settled for a humble truth, "I'm not great. But I could at least show you the basics and then when you talk to Lex, you'd be ready."
Shoren jumped at the offer, "That sounds like a plan. When can we start?"
"Let me go get my sword and I'll meet you on deck," said Roloft.
After Roloft left, Shoren decided to try on the armor that he had found in the bag. He pulled off his shirt and held the shimmering metal shirt in his hands. He had expected it to feel cold. But as it slipped down over his shoulders and onto his body, he wasn't sure if it was the cold or the magic that sent a shiver through him.
The lads met on deck and chose a spot nearest the port side about mid-ship. The two moved some ropes and barrels out of the way and began to stretch. Then, they talked about how to hold the sword and when a sword is the best weapon to use. Some of the crew would watch and snicker as if the two were youngers at play.
Roloft started out showing his pupil how to stand and move so that he never lost his balance. Then he showed him ten basic positions to hold the sword and how each position is used for defense and attacks. They spent the whole of the morning practicing and training. By the time Cat walked up the stairs with fruit, stuffed rolls and a water skin, Roloft was pleased with his protégé’s accomplishment.
"You learn quickly," said Cat as she handed the skin to Shoren. He drank down a long draught and handed it to Roloft.
"I have a patient teacher," said Shoren, "After lunch, I'd like to put some of this teaching to practical use. Are you up to sparing," he asked as he looked at Roloft?
"I believe Roloft has duties that need his attention this afternoon," said Cat, "But I am available for a while if you would like."
"Yes," said the elf who was more tired than he would have liked to admit. "There are many things that the captain can teach you that I have not yet mastered."
"Great," said Shoren as he swallowed down a piece of twotemellon. "The more help the better." He started to rush through lunch so that he could begin.
But Cat told him that one thing to always remember, "The easiest way to end up in a stomach is to rush into battle while you are filling your own. Give your body time to settle and rest after you eat if you can. Otherwise, you'll get halfway into a good fight and lose to the cramps in your own belly."
Shoren listened and the three of them sat and enjoyed lunch together. After a few minutes of light conversation, Cat stood and began to stretch. Roloft excused himself and offered to take the empty tray and skin back to the kitchen. Shoren drank down the last of the water and smiled as he watched his new friend hurry away. Then Shoren's attention turned to his hostess.
Cat took a long stride and then bent her knees to stretch so deep that she was almost sitting on her left boot with her right boot out in front. In a single movement, that seemed to Shoren to be more fluid than water, she turned and rested onto her right boot with the left one now outstretched. She stood and unsheathed a most beautiful sword. Then, with swift sureness, she swung and jabbed it in the air. If all that wasn't enough to shake poor Shoren up, she then tossed the sword into her left hand and did all the stretches and swings again.
She turned to Shoren and asked, "Are you ready?"
"I'm gonna get killed," he said. Cat smiled and promised to start gently.
As Shoren's confidence grew, so did the difficulty of Cat's attacks against him. Every once in a while, she would stop and correct his grip or show him a better way to respond to certain moves. But then she would begin as if their fight was real. It didn't take long before nearly every off duty hand was on deck and rooting for one or the other of the combatants.
"Don't let her whip ya, lad," would come from one.
And "Block higher," would come from another.
While some would call out things like, "That's the way to show him, Captain."
During the course of the afternoon, everyone added their own bit of advice for the boy they had already grown to admire. He learned how trolls swing axes with more strength than they actually have. He learned from Green, how to make the cleanest of jabs so that your opponent doesn't realize he's been hit until it is too late. And he learned the best way to keep a dragon from swallowing you whole. By the time the bell rang for dinner, Shoren had put in a full day’s work. After dinner, Shoren was still pumped and excited from his day. So when Scurry knocked on his cabin door, he welcomed the company. The wizard wanted to talk about the computer and see for himself how the history of a world could be held in such a small box. Shoren loaded in a disk and typed SWORDS. Immediately the screen filled with pictures and text and Scurry read every word. Then, he got Shoren to show him how to the change subject to magic and read some more.
When he finished reading this time, he sat back with an odd look on his face and said, "Why is it that your computer knows so little about magic? Is it kept secret or do you call it something else on your world?"
Shoren smiled and said, "Much of what you call magic, we call technology. And it’s no secret. Youngers know how to control electricity before they can talk. And almost everyone has a computer like this one. We even have little machines called cell phones that you can use to talk with folk on the other side of the world."
Scurry looked confused. "If everyone does magic," said Scurry, "How to wizards support themselves?"
"Well," Shoren thought a minute, "I guess that engineers are the closest things to wizards that we have. The way they get paid is they figure out how to make machines that allows everyone to use magic easily. Then workers follow their plans and build the machines and that's how they get paid. Then stores sell the machines and that's how they get paid."
"Who buys the machines," asked Scurry?
"Everybody."
"Even the engineers and workers?"
It was Shoren's turn to look odd, "Well, yeah of course."
"On Thordon, no one buys something that they know how to make for themselves."
Shoren smiled slightly and said, "On earth, no one makes their own stuff. Almost everyone works for someone else so they can buy the stuff they need for themselves."
Scurry turned off the computer and shook his head. "I still don't understand how that could work. But I would like to read more on your computer. Do you think I'll be able to read some more about your world tomorrow?" Shoren promised the wizard that he would show him more on the computer. He also told him that he wanted to record information about Thordon onto his computer. The two agreed to work the next day on what kinds of things should be recorded and then they parted for the night. Scurry hadn't even gotten back to his cabin by the time Shoren was in his bed and fast asleep.
JOURNAL ENTRY: There is no denying it, I am sore. I learned to fight with a sword yesterday and I am paying for it today. I've got to do some stretching before I go on deck today. If I don't, every crew man will laugh because I'm so young and so out of shape. I also got to talk with Scurry last night. I always thought Mom and Dad were kind of strange because they always did everything themselves instead of just buying what they needed. Scurry made me realize that they weren't all that strange.
Shoren closed the journal and got out of bed. He slipped the journal into his backpack and bent down to stretch his back and legs. He got up and gathered fresh clothing and a towel and headed for the deck. Halfway down the hall, he met with Roloft who was heading for the kitchens for breakfast. Shoren explained that he wanted to take a swim before he ate and promised to meet the elf later.
Shoren found the captain and learned how long it would be before they set the sails and if these waters were safe to swim in. Knowing that he had a few minutes, he hung his towel over the side of the ship and stripped down to shorts. He then realized that he still had the dragonslayer armor on. Cat assured him that water would not hurt the armor and so over the side he went.
The water was warm and pleasant. He swam around for a couple of minutes and then floated on his back to relax. Swimming was the closest thing to a bath he had had since he arrived on Thordon. And it had been so refreshing that he wondered why he hadn't taken the time to do it before. He thought about bathing and realized that if no one had bathed, they would smell worse than they do. There must be some way for the crewmen to bathe that he hadn't noticed before.
"Shoren," a voice called, "Shoren, we're about to get underway."
"I'm coming," he answered and proceeded to climb up the ladder that the voice had let over the side. "I'm sorry," he said as he got on deck, "I lost track of time."
“Well," said Cat, "Most of the crew take their baths after dark so they have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the water."
Shoren smiled, apologized again, and grabbed his towel and clothes. He headed off toward his cabin and got ready for his day. Cat had called after him that they would be coming into port in a couple of hours and that he needed to get packed up. He verified that he did know how to ride a horse and that he would be ready on time.
After getting dressed, Shoren headed for the kitchens. He asked Throby if he could make his own breakfast that day. The halfling was a little taken back and wanted to know if his cooking had not been to the lad's liking. Shoren explained that he wanted to make something special that he didn't think Throby had ever seen. The next half hour was spent with Shoren showing Throby how to make pizza.
"It looks as if it would not taste very good," said Throby, "But looks can be deceiving. This is delicious. I wish you had showed me this earlier, we could have all had it for the morning meal." Shoren explained that pizza was usually not considered breakfast food.
"Most people eat pizza for lunch or dinner. You can put anything on it and make it taste like a whole different thing." Throby asked what kinds of things were usually put on pizzas and Shoren explained, "Smoked meats and sausages are very popular. And lots of folk like different kinds of vegetables on theirs. On my world, mushrooms, onions, and different kinds of peppers are the favorites. I have some recipes on my computer of other foods of my world. I could show you some of them if you would like."
Throby was so excited about the idea of seeing the recipes that he took off his apron, grabbed up the rest of the pizza and toddled off toward Shoren's cabin. He was halfway out the door before Shoren realized that he'd better get up and go along if he was going to get any more food that morning.
The two of them were still busy at the computer when the call of "Land," rang out and Hope's Wind came into view of the Plains of Tarabon. Throby was going with the group and leaving his staff on board for the rest of the crew. So he made Shoren promise to let him continue copying recipes after they were done with work and travel for the day.
The work of bringing a fully rigged sailing vessel into port is a site that everyone should see at least once. Every crew man was busy doing something and Shoren added his strength to ropes that had to be pulled and tied off. It was exhilarating and Shoren knew that it would be one of the things he would write about in his journal.
Lex showed Shoren how to best carry all the gear his parents had sent with him. He packed all of his computer equipment, battery charger, and the bag that Lex told him was magic into his backpack and headed up to the dock. Cat, Lex, Shoren, Scurry, Roloft, Throby, Trench, and Dungeon were the ones making the journey inland to the camp of Adia Lightsong.
Horses, and a wagon for Throby had been prearranged and waiting at the dock for them. The adventurers wasted no time in getting on their way. Their journey took them from the Port of Hopes, which is a city built where the border meets Arradomin, north east into the heart of the land. In a few hours’ time, they stopped at Freeone which was little more than a village on the border of Lower Marshdale. Here the group would rest and have two more join their party.
The stables welcomed the group and offered their best grains for the horses. Even though the wars against evil were long past, Lex and Cat were stilled heralded as heroes wherever they went. One of the women joining the group was named Luka.
Luka, Shoren came to learn, was the daughter of one of Cat's old bodyguards named Stinger. She was a dwarven battle rager like her father had been. Now if you have never heard of a battle rager, they are simply dwarves who, when enraged in battle or get extremely upset, grow to near twice their normal height and fight with near twice their normal strength.
Prior to the healing of the world, battle ragers were mighty warriors who fought without fear. But since that time there has been little need for their special talents. Luka had joined the group because she planned to travel on after the party arrived in Vranellwood. She had kin in the mountains beyond Omni-ahman that she planned to visit.
The second person joining the group was a human woman named Pagone'. She was a cleric and the only sister of Dungeon. It wasn't often enough that they got to be in the same part of the world. So when he learned that he would travel near her home, he sent word for her to ride with them so they could spend some time together.
The horses were fed and rested and Throby fed the group and then took off to the local market for some herbs he would need for dinner. Once Throby was back, the journey continued and everything seemed as if the whole of the trip was going to be calm and quiet. They stopped and camped for the night just inside the border of Omni-ahman. And Throby served the closest thing to tacos that he could find the ingredients for.
The meat and seasonings were just right. But the greens that he used were different from the lettuce Shoren was used to. It made a nice flavor and Throby beamed when Shoren told him that they were the best tacos he had ever had.
After dinner, Pagone' said she had a feeling that something wasn't right. So all signs of their camp were cleared away and the company and animals retired to a nearby cave to spend the night. Scurry cast a couple of spells and then looked at the cleric. She agreed that she sensed they would all be safe so everyone bedded down for the night.
In the morning, they rose early. Lex expressed an opinion that if something didn't feel right the night before, then what ever it was might still be around in the light of day. Cat agreed and they ate light on fruit and bread Throby had made on the ship. Everything was quickly gathered and everyone mounted their steeds. Scurry dropped the spells of protection and everyone headed out of the cave.
Neither Luka nor anyone else sensed any danger in the day so it was assumed that the danger must have been some beast out on a hunt. The group traveled on toward the heart of the great forest and Shoren reached into his pack for some gear. He strapped a key pad to his right leg and hooked wires from it to a small camera. The camera attached to glasses frames and he could wear it over one eye so that whatever he saw, the camera saw.
Scurry watched every move the lad made and marveled at the wondrous things such a backward world could have come up with. As he watched Shoren slip a band onto his head and position a microphone near his mouth, Scurry couldn't hold back any more.
"What are those things," he asked?
Shoren explained what each thing was and what he would use them for. He had Scurry put on the camera while he typed different things into the keypad on his leg. Scurry could see how the camera moved to let him see things far away and then very close up. The wizard talked about how much this machine could help archers be accurate in battle and Shoren explained that on his world, cameras were used to help weapons that shoot even farther than arrows could.
Scurry handed the camera back to Shoren and the two of them talked all of the morning about the ways their worlds were the same and how they were different. Roloft rode alongside of Shoren and added in his opinions on the subject. But it didn't take long before he bored with analogies and fell back to ride with the others. At the height of day, they stopped for a quick lunch and rest and then continued on. By the time Throby would think about finding the ingredients for dinner, they would be in the voadkin camp.
No comments:
Post a Comment