first lesson in the Silent Art: your clothes are all wrong. Your pants are too tight, they won’t let you move freely. Your shoes would be good for indoor work; but for the street, you need a good pair of boots that can conceal a knife. Your jacket has too many insignia—”
“Too many what?”
“Those things.” Lodrán tapped several patches. “They give enemies a way to recognize you. You need to be plain, to blend into a crowd. Blue is not a good color, either. You need black or dark grey, so you can be a shadow among shadows. A jacket with an inner pocket is useful, too.”
“Yeah. That makes sense.”
“Most of what I’ll have time to teach you will be things that, as you say, make sense. And we’re here. Let me do the talking at first.”
• • •
“So that’s the way things are,” said Lodrán, standing with Freddy in the office in the back of the shop. “I think you said this once: a fool who wishes to improve himself is no fool after all .”
Chelinn folded his arms and glared at his friend. “A foul thing, using a man’s own words against him.” He smirked. “Very well. He can live, and learn from you, as long as he stays out of the way and does not try stealing from noted Robinson any further.”
“Yeah,” said Freddy. “I’m not that stupid.”
“And a wise man understands his limits.” Chelinn grinned. “Do we need to divide our ‘Number Threes’ with you?”
“Nah. I already ate.” But Freddy stared at the pile of fries, and Lodrán slid a fourth of them to his new student. Chuck brought out a large soda bottle, with four cups made of a strange white substance, and poured for everyone after Lodrán tried and made his cup foam over. Lodrán offered half of his large cheeseburger to Freddy, who waved it away with some reluctance.
“Anyway,” said Chuck, “while you were out, I was telling Chelinn that we need to get stuff packed up for the con. It starts Saturday morning, but we’ll be spending tomorrow night setting up our booth. I’ve already got you guys vendor passes, which will get us into the auditorium the back way so we won’t have to deal with lines—”
“You’re going to that convention Sunday afternoon?” Freddy asked, wide-eyed.
“Well, it runs from Saturday morning through Thursday, but yeah. We’ll be there Sunday.”
“Shit. I heard some assholes say they’re gonna bomb it Sunday afternoon!”
“ What? ” The others started speaking all at once.
“Wait! Wait!” Freddy waved his arms. “One at a time!”
Chelinn looked around. “Freddy. Are we in danger now?” He seemed to swell and darken.
“No, no.” Freddy shrank back, as far as he could. “They’re gonna bomb the auditorium. Not this place.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“My uncle owns a bar called the American Eagle. The rednecks like to go there. I work there keeping the place cleaned up. It was last night, must’a been after last call, because I was sweeping the floor and wiping down empty tables. I heard four of ‘em at a table, talkin’ about how one of ‘em had a job at Engwald Auditorium. They said they could bring the bomb in Friday night while all the nerds were settin’ up and not payin’ attention. One of them said they could leave a rental car in the parking lot with a Koran in it, and the cops would blame it on the Muslims.”
“You’ve said several words that I don’t know the meaning of,” said Chelinn. “But that word bomb seems to be most important. What does that mean?”
Freddy gaped. “Are you for real?”
“They’re foreign,” said Chuck, looking grim. “It’s an explosive device, Chelinn. Same principle as a gun, just a lot bigger and not channeled. If it’s big enough, and in the right place, it could bring down the entire building.”
“Killing everyone inside, or near enough,” said Chelinn, turning back to Freddy. “I have many questions, but the one I think is most urgent is why ? From what Chuck has said, the
“Too many what?”
“Those things.” Lodrán tapped several patches. “They give enemies a way to recognize you. You need to be plain, to blend into a crowd. Blue is not a good color, either. You need black or dark grey, so you can be a shadow among shadows. A jacket with an inner pocket is useful, too.”
“Yeah. That makes sense.”
“Most of what I’ll have time to teach you will be things that, as you say, make sense. And we’re here. Let me do the talking at first.”
• • •
“So that’s the way things are,” said Lodrán, standing with Freddy in the office in the back of the shop. “I think you said this once: a fool who wishes to improve himself is no fool after all .”
Chelinn folded his arms and glared at his friend. “A foul thing, using a man’s own words against him.” He smirked. “Very well. He can live, and learn from you, as long as he stays out of the way and does not try stealing from noted Robinson any further.”
“Yeah,” said Freddy. “I’m not that stupid.”
“And a wise man understands his limits.” Chelinn grinned. “Do we need to divide our ‘Number Threes’ with you?”
“Nah. I already ate.” But Freddy stared at the pile of fries, and Lodrán slid a fourth of them to his new student. Chuck brought out a large soda bottle, with four cups made of a strange white substance, and poured for everyone after Lodrán tried and made his cup foam over. Lodrán offered half of his large cheeseburger to Freddy, who waved it away with some reluctance.
“Anyway,” said Chuck, “while you were out, I was telling Chelinn that we need to get stuff packed up for the con. It starts Saturday morning, but we’ll be spending tomorrow night setting up our booth. I’ve already got you guys vendor passes, which will get us into the auditorium the back way so we won’t have to deal with lines—”
“You’re going to that convention Sunday afternoon?” Freddy asked, wide-eyed.
“Well, it runs from Saturday morning through Thursday, but yeah. We’ll be there Sunday.”
“Shit. I heard some assholes say they’re gonna bomb it Sunday afternoon!”
“ What? ” The others started speaking all at once.
“Wait! Wait!” Freddy waved his arms. “One at a time!”
Chelinn looked around. “Freddy. Are we in danger now?” He seemed to swell and darken.
“No, no.” Freddy shrank back, as far as he could. “They’re gonna bomb the auditorium. Not this place.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“My uncle owns a bar called the American Eagle. The rednecks like to go there. I work there keeping the place cleaned up. It was last night, must’a been after last call, because I was sweeping the floor and wiping down empty tables. I heard four of ‘em at a table, talkin’ about how one of ‘em had a job at Engwald Auditorium. They said they could bring the bomb in Friday night while all the nerds were settin’ up and not payin’ attention. One of them said they could leave a rental car in the parking lot with a Koran in it, and the cops would blame it on the Muslims.”
“You’ve said several words that I don’t know the meaning of,” said Chelinn. “But that word bomb seems to be most important. What does that mean?”
Freddy gaped. “Are you for real?”
“They’re foreign,” said Chuck, looking grim. “It’s an explosive device, Chelinn. Same principle as a gun, just a lot bigger and not channeled. If it’s big enough, and in the right place, it could bring down the entire building.”
“Killing everyone inside, or near enough,” said Chelinn, turning back to Freddy. “I have many questions, but the one I think is most urgent is why ? From what Chuck has said, the
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