“The Connection gave me the ability to speak the language of the Muirdris.”

“Muirdris, I have heard of that word before. It is the word for dragon in an ancient language to which I believe was called Gaelic.”

“I see you have read the history books from the Academy.”

“Actually, it was not from the Academy.” Zach corrected.

“Where did you read it from?”

“I rather not say”

“Oh, ok.”

“Can you tell me a little more about your ability?”

“Sure.”

“I know that you said that you have the ability to speak the language of the Muirdrises, but what does that entail?”

“Well in a scientific perspective, my vocal cords are extremely responsive, giving them the ability to produce a sound wave that will literally knock you off your feet. The problem with that is I can’t control it, any noise I make will be unstable and unsafe, that is where the language of the Muirdris comes into play. The syllables needed to make the correct sounds to speak the language gives stability to the power behind my voice and gives me the control I need to direct the sound.”

“Oh, so what would happen if you were to say something normally?”

“Newton’s third law of motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Basically if you try to push a car, the car will push back at you with the same amount of power as you are applying on the car. But for me I am the person and my voice is the car, If I say something normally I would fly backwards with the same power as my voice. But if I use the Muirdris language the syllables would create a feedback loop then channeling some of that power into kinetic energy that is then propelled in the opposite direction, that would push me forward with that same amount of power as I am applying forward that would push me backwards. So in summary, If I speak normally the force would make me fly backwards, but if I use the language of the Muirdris, the force would push me on both sides of me and I would go nowhere.”

“That makes sense, what would you apply it to?”

“What do you mean?”

“Would you be able to use it for something like echolocation?”

“You know I never really thought about it, I guess I could.”

“Well you never know if you don’t try.”

“On another note, I was wondering why you had me put on this cloak?”

“It is so you can blend in with your surroundings.”

“So it is Camouflage, Ok.”

“No, it is not Camouflage. Camouflage breaks up your outline by using a confusing pattern, think of Zebras, when they are all grouped together, the patterns on them confuse predators enough to make it hard to pinpoint an exact target. The cloaks use a bland color, not only to ward off the interest of someone but to blend into the bland surroundings. It also relies on the person who is trying to spot you for it to work. Here is a saying you should keep in mind, ‘If a person does not expect to see something, they fail to do so’.”

“Can you give an example?”

“Sure, If you are trying to hide from someone the best hiding place is right in plain sight. If the person is scanning the forest for you, hide in their field of view and don’t move a single muscle. The person will scan over you, thinking you are a rock.”

“Ok, now I get it. How long does it take to master the art?”

“Well, to get proficient with the Art of Concealment, it takes practice. For me it took about three years until I was confident with my skill. In my opinion the best way to practice the Art of Concealment is to get another person who wants to learn and go out into the woods and take turns hiding from the other, not only do you get practice with concealment but also detecting a concealed person. Also you never master the Art of Concealment, you are always learning from it.”

“Oh. You should teach a class on this stuff.”

Zach bursts out laughing. Holding his sides and tearing up Zach replies, “I’m sorry for laughing but, me teaching? I would be a horrible teacher, I wouldn't know where to start let alone my level of patients. I would be all over the place.”

“No, No. Just think about it, people like me don’t have the knowledge or skill to get places unnoticed. You have that knowledge and the skill to back it up. I’m not saying to teach as a profession, I’m saying that you should teach this to help others and get some money out of it.”

“I will think abo-”

Zach was cut off as they crested the hill. Zach and Nick looked on in horror as the cart that had passed them earlier was being consumed in flames. The Redcaps were attacking the cart.