Loadstar 184/184.d81/t.toys 2

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   TOYS AND OTHER WEAPONS, Part 2


            Lessons

    Burton stopped at the gate and
turned towards Stuart, "You noticed
something wrong with the courtyard
this morning?"

    "Yes," Stuart answered quickly
guessing this was a test. "The gate
has been opened most of the night.
The dew hasn't been disturbed, and
yet as cool as the air was when we
arrived, it must have started forming
shortly after sundown."

    Burton smiled, "You are a good
detective, but what about the
screams?"

    Stuart's eyes glared towards
Victor, "I'm guessing he was playing
some cruel joke on the ignorant
outsider."

    Burton continued to smile and
comforted his student. "It wasn't
meant as a joke. We didn't do it for
amusement. We did it to keep you
safe. We didn't know if you would
feel secure enough to stay
voluntarily after you had eaten. Some
great unseen predator that required
such elaborate precautions would make
anyone think twice about leaving the
safety of the house."

    "And the light was to help Victor
make his way across the compound,"
Stuart noted. "What if I had looked
between the shutters?"

    "Then you would have seen nothing
but light," Burton pointed towards
the gateposts as he spoke. "The
lights are here pointing towards the
house. They blind someone who looks
out from the house."

    "So the light was to blind me as
I looked out. You've built all this
just to fool visitors?" Stuart
asked.

    Burton chuckled, then turned and
began walking. Without looking back
he continued his conversation. "We
built this compound to have a place
to bring people who enter this valley
from the outside. It was decided long
ago that when strangers entered we
needed to spend some time with them
and learn why they are here, find out
if they are dangerous, check out
their ideals, their values."

    Stuart cautiously asked, "And if
they didn't pass your tests?"

    Burton hesitated, then turned
towards Stuart and replied, "As your
grandfather said, we can do great
evil." Looking ahead again he added,
"But you are the first to enter here,
and you passed our test." I hope all
who enter do. We have lived in peace
here for hundreds of years. We hope
that by the time the outside has the
population and industry to find us,
they will also have formed a society
that values peace and will join with
us rather than fight against us."

    "So if these thieves with their
cannons ever came here you would wipe
them out?" Stuart reasoned.

    Burton gave a disappointed glance
at the young Stuart and answered, "We
might." His gaze softened, "If they
could get through the tunnels or over
the mountains with such armament, we
would expect them to be as well armed
and innovative as ourselves. A clash
of two such armies might destroy both
or at least leave our land ruined. I
think it would be better to reach
some alliance. Still, we don't need
to worry about your army just yet.
Although they show some promise,
currently they take the easiest paths
and prey on the ignorant. They lack
the determination and ingenuity to
get here."

    Stuart bristled at the suggestion
that his village was easy to conquer,
"We have warriors ready to die to
save our village. If we were faced
with knives and swords we would have
done battle rather than give in to
such thieves."

    "I meant to insult them, not
you," Burton responded. "I'm not
judging your village's decision. You
did not know your enemy or their
weapons and had little to bargain
with that they couldn't have taken.
However, you should have sought help
after the first encounter rather than
wait until they grew stronger. The
help I will give you may be too late
now. Why did you wait so long before
seeking help?"

    Stuart looked to the ground, "No
other village knew of them. We
thought we just happened to be in the
way as they passed through and hoped
they were gone."

    "Even if they hadn't come back it
would be wise to learn more about
this weapon," Burton returned. "If
there was one army with it you might
suspect you would eventually see
another. Did the other villages join
with you against this army?"

    "Other villages have offered to
help," Stuart noted. "We decided that
even if we had outnumbered them we
could not win against such weapons."

    "Actually you can," Burton
replied. If you knew the weapon you
would realize that it isn't the
cannon you have to defeat just your
fear of it. Even if they have more
cannons when they return, you only
have to wait until they fire the
first time then rush in before they
can reload," Burton noted.

    "And how will we get close enough
to do that?" asked Stuart.

    Stuart stopped and stared as
Burton suddenly reached behind his
pack and threw a large blanket out
between them. As the blanket reached
the ground he was shocked to find the
sorcerer had disappeared. He turned
towards Victor who was trying not to
reveal his amusement. Victor pointed
back towards the blanket and said,
"Look."

    Stuart stared and then jumped
back slightly as the grass started to
raise up towards him. Suddenly he
understood. The inside of Burton's
cloak blended with the grass along
their path and in the brief time the
blanket blocked his view Burton had
reversed his cloak and squatted into
the grass. With the cloak over him he
was invisible until he moved to give
himself away.

    "Your first gifts from us,"
Burton said as he reached into his
pack and handed Stuart several small
squares of cloth. Each was colored to
fit different landscapes or match
differing shades of tree bark. "I
assume you can come up with enough
cloth and dye to make what you need,"
Burton remarked. "You'll need to make
the colors match your own landscape
of course and it won't fool them
long. Once you realize what is
happening you can adjust your gaze to
pick up on shadows that betray your
adversary."

    Stuart knew now how the stranger
had appeared in an open area where he
thought no one could have hidden. He
realized with enough men hidden at
the edge of their croplands he could
overtake the weapons.

    Seeing the excitement in the
young man's eyes Burton quickly
cautioned, "You aren't ready to fight
them yet. Not everyone gives up as
quickly as your village. I'm sure
they've fought plenty of battles. You
can bet they fight better than most.
They can spend all their time
training. They don't have flocks or
fields to tend. They don't have
houses or fortresses to build."

    "So what is this lesson?" Stuart
asked.

    Burton smiled and answered, "This
lesson was about deception and how to
use it against an enemy. Later, I
will show you how to recognize it
when your enemy attempts to use it
against you."

    Stuart walked on in silence. His
excitement was contained for now, but
he was anxious to learn more. The
terrain, however, required them to
walk in a single line and the
conversation ceased.

    The three were moving among the
scattered trees at the beginning of
the forest. It was nearing midday and
Burton led the two younger men
quickly into the denser woods. An
hour passed without further lessons
or conversations until they entered a
small clearing. "Here we eat," Burton
announced and sat his pack on a large
rock.

    Burton and Victor took food and
water from their packs and laid it
out on the rock and motioned Stuart
to join them. "We brought plenty so
you can save your provisions for the
trip home," Victor explained. As he
ate Stuart expected his teacher to
begin talking again, but all sat in
silence. Then as Stuart waited for
the journey to continue, Burton
handed him an apple.

    "Hold it out on your palm at
arm's length," Burton said as he
twisted the top of his staff. Stuart
held the fruit out and Burton removed
a top section of his staff to reveal
a hollow tube. Burton held the tube
out and Stuart watched as the end
suddenly popped and smoked. An
instant later the apple in his hand
also popped and his head was covered
with bits of apple.

     "Why...," Stuart began but then
his thoughts changed. "How did you do
that?"

     "First tell me how you think I
did that," Burton answered.

     Stuart wiped the apple from his
head as he thought out his reply.
"Well, the tube is a small cannon.
You f