A few hours later I guided the horses off I-12 and travelled south along LA-445. The woods were a patchy mess where fire had ravaged dozens or hundreds of acres, then abruptly yielded to dense, thriving woodland. The local elementary school had burned, as had the volunteer fire department, some church I didn’t recall ever seeing, and dozens of homes that used to be nestled in these southern woods.

I kept my spark as dim as possible, slowing the disc of mana and pushing back the cloud of motes that fed it. Every minute or so I would ping the area, causing my spark to flare briefly and reveal any lifeforms around me. Jogging alongside the horses, I built cardio as we pushed hard for Ponchatoula.

As we passed through a stretch of unburned woods, Sassy came bounding up with the biggest red squirrel I’d ever seen hanging from her beak. It was nearly a yard in length from nose to tail, with a thick patch of silver fur running along its back. [1] Red squirrels were rare in Louisiana because aggressive Grey squirrels would out-compete them for territory. I sent congratulations over our bond, praising Sassy for her catch. Extracting the Violet heart-stone from the creature, I tossed it back to Sassy who devoured it in two snaps.

I was fully healed by this point, my encounter with Jack the Troll nothing more than an unpleasant memory and the encounter with Reverend Baxter a brief annoyance.

My hair was thick and long once more, tied back with a piece of twine. The knot on my collarbone had shrank to nothing, leaving behind no evidence that I had ever shattered it. My teeth were fully regrown - and I couldn’t keep my tongue from running over them, marvelling that they were really there. Knees haven’t uttered a single complaint, fingers are no longer stiff. My belly has diminished into something resembling a dad-bod, muscles padded under a soft layer of fluff. I’ve gone from a size 38, um… size 40, to a size 34ish in the matter of just a few days. Even the deviated septum blocking my right nostril has realigned, giving me a breathing experience I haven’t had in decades.

I wonder if my gall-bladder grew back? My belly shows no scars from the operation, so… maybe? I feel frigging awesome, like I’m 25 and not pushing 60. Even the age spots on my hands have faded.

Cycling the mana in my bloodstream, I could feel it being consumed by my exertion. Breathe in hundreds of motes, cycle them around the body, exhale a few less hundred. It wasn’t a perfect conversion and in the long run was a zero-sum game because I was absorbing far less than I was burning through. Eventually my blood would be depleted of mana. We covered at least five miles at a fast jog, leaving me sweaty but not winded at all. I’m pretty sure I could run all day - or at least until my mana ran out. I felt like Captain-friggin-America. “On your left,” I muttered with a grin.

Captain America. America. There’s a can of worms to open later. I’m pretty sure the entire country has gone to shit. I know for a fact that I’m not the only overpowered individual around - I’m just the luckiest so far. So what do we do long term? Short term is easy - Winter is Coming. But long term? Democracy? You can sit around and debate for months and not worry about being overrun by a hostile force. That’s great for a peaceful society, but I doubt things will be peaceful for quite a while.

I’ll have to think on this.

The sound of axes reached my ears before my ping located the auric blobs of people, the rhythmic rise and fall of manual labour echoing through the woods to bounce off my eardrums. I slowed and mounted Sparky, grabbing a handful of nails and freeing up Mister Hatchet.

Several large trees had fallen, blocking the road. Shirtless men were gathered around them, chopping away with axes. As I approached, I spotted two head-sparks, one violet and one red, along with heart-stones of various colours.

Red-spark noticed us first and dropped the branch she was carrying, letting out a piercing two-finger whistle. The woods fell silent as everyone stopped their work to regard me. They were all unmasked. I pulled up a dozen yards away, pinging the woods for hidden archers and touched the brim of my hat.

“Looks like I might need to go around,” I said, pulling up my mask.

Violet-spark stepped up. He was a younger man, maybe 30, dressed in coveralls and a coolie hat of all things. He sized us up, giving Sassy particular attention before speaking.

“You’re welcome to pass in peace. If you need food or water we have some at the church.” He said, gesturing behind him and giving a nod to one of the teenagers that were helping haul branches. “But your, um, cat, is quite concerning.”

“She’s a good girl,” I said, sending praise down the bond.

“Sa’ssy G’grrl!” Sassy chirped, causing the small crowd to flinch.

“I’m Gideon Moffett,” Violet-spark said, wiping sweat from his brow with a blue and white handkerchief. “If you have any wounds that need healing, I can help. If you have any news, we would love to hear it - even the radios don’t work anymore.”

The auras of the group, maybe twenty that had gathered now, ranged from bright orange to light yellow. Most were curious, a little fearful of the stranger, but nothing that overly concerned me. No dark orange suspicion or dark red hatred.

Emotions overwhelmed me for a moment, causing me to choke back a small sob. This is what I had been hoping for - people coming together and rebuilding. Gaging the position of the sun in the sky, I had maybe another couple of hours left. That would put me in the middle of Ponchatoula at nightfall.

“What do you know about Ponchatoula?” I asked. It was about 12 miles away, surely they sent someone to the city. “I’ve spent the last few days travelling.”

“Everything’s burnt to ashes,” Gideon said, resting his axe on his shoulder. “And there are things roaming around. Some would call them monsters, like your cat.”

I let loose a heavy sigh. I wasn’t going to chance pushing through the ruins of the city after dark.

“My daughter is there,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to chance travelling at night.”

“You’re welcome to stay tonight in the men’s dormitory,” Gideon said before pausing, hesitant. I could tell that he wanted something. He spoke a moment later. “I can see that you have a gift. Would you be able to help us clear the road? If the horses can drag the logs, that would be a huge help.”

Dropping the nails back into the satchel, I secured Mister Hatchet to the saddle and dropped to the ground. I could read the honesty in these people. Gideon at least. His words sounded true and I thought back to Sarah and her talent - he wanted to help his people. “I may be able to assist,” I said.

Sticking out my hand, I offered it to Gideon. “I’m Emmett Carter. I’d be happy to receive your hospitality.”

The teen that scurried off to the church returned, bringing a large plastic bottle of water. I could see where it was dripping, sweating through tiny holes in the plastic. She handed it off to Gideon, who offered it to me.

Gideon gave me a genuine smile, relief and happiness coalescing into a breathy sigh. Clasping my hand he said,“What news do you have, Mister Carter?”

“How about I try to clear out these trees before the sun sets and we can talk this evening?” I replied, taking a sip from the water bottle. It tasted of chemicals. “Then maybe we can share some information over a hot meal?”

He nodded. “Of course!” Turning back to the girl who brought the water, he gave her instructions before returning his attention to me. “This is Mercy Cresswell,” he said, indicating the red-spark standing next to him. Mercy was a young woman in her late 20s with straw blonde hair tucked under a bright yellow scarf. “As you can see, she also has a gift.”

“I can see that,” I said, dipping my head to her. “What is your gift?”

She looked at Gideon for permission and continued when he gave her a nod. “I can make things colder.” Closing her eyes, she turned her attention inwards. I could see her spark glow briefly before a cool breeze swirled around us, bringing relief from the muggy heat.

“That’s very useful,” I said, smiling at her behind my mask. Ugh. I’m pretty sure I’m immune to the virus, but what about the others. They’re not wearing masks. Fuck it. I pulled down my mask and gave her a genuine smile.

I feel naked without my mask.

“I can also freeze stuff!” She gushed, flaring her spark again to produce a small ball of ice in her palm. It was the size of an ice cube, but impressive nonetheless.

“I would love to talk with you more about your gift tonight,” I said. “Maybe we can share some tips?”

She looked at Gideon, then smiled at me and nodded.

“And as I said earlier, I can heal injuries,” Gideon said. “There were many who were injured after the …apocalypse… who needed medical attention. With the help of God, I was able to restore them to health.”

I considered revealing everything to Gideon. In just the few minutes that I had known him he seemed like the most genuine person I had met since the world ended. My monkey-brain screeched at me, warning not to give too much away. I ignored the unreliable bastard. I’m not going to hide who I am, and if that causes problems, I’d rather deal with them now.

“I can also heal,” I said, levitating the water bottle with a psychic pseudopod. Gideon and the others tensed up as I manoeuvred it around in the air. “And I can move things with thought. I’ve also established a mental bond with my horses and Sassy. We all share a sort of communal space in my mind. I can hear their thoughts.”

“Those are incredible gifts,” Gideon said, his aura flashing light green with envy before returning to curious bright orange. “You have been blessed indeed.”

“Gideon,” I said, preparing myself for the inevitable. “I mean you and your people no harm and I will move on without any problems, but I want you to know the truth about the ‘gifts’ I have received.”

A small frown creased his face. “Speak the truth, only God can judge you.”

“I also consume the dead.”

The areas around me flashed to dark orange suspicion and fearful yellows.

“What do you mean?” He asked, his face drawing into a hard mask.

“It’s easier to show you,” I said, commanding Sassy to fetch some small woodland creature. “Do you have any fresh meat? Or possibly an entire corpse?”

“We’ve buried all the dead,” He said, eyes wide.

“I mean an animal,” I said.

The relief on his face was apparent, and his aura was changed from suspicious dark orange to a curious bright orange. “Sure, we’ve done some hunting. Hold on a minute.” He instructed one of the other young people gathered and they ran back towards the church.

We stood in awkward silence until Sassy returned with some sort of armadillo [2] wrapped in her whiskers and dropped it at my feet. It was covered in stubby spikes, resembling a porcupine. Around the same time, the young man returned from the church with the corpse of a large rabbit. [3]

“Perfect,” I said, preparing myself.

Grabbing the armadillo up in my psychic tentacles, I drained everything, leaving nothing but the tiny orange core that I pocketed. Snatching up the rabbit, I selectively drained it, leaving behind nothing but skin, meat and a tiny red core. Motes swarmed around my aura, slowly infusing my bloodstream where they rushed around, impatient to join the cloud in my head. “That’s what I mean,” I concluded, handing the flash rabbit over to Gideon. “That’s a rabbit skin with just the meat and a core inside. Perfect for a stew.”

Gideon accepted the rabbit and handed it off to the young man who brought it. “Well, that doesn’t seem as bad as I imagined,” he laughed.

“It’s not,” I grinned. “I just wanted to be honest with you.”

“And I appreciate that,” He said, dipping his head. “Will you help us clear the road?”

“Sure.” I said. “Let me try something. If it doesn’t work, we’ll hitch the horses to the logs and drag them out of the way.”

We had dodged dozens of fallen trees in the last couple of days, but I had never stopped to try clearing my path because it was faster to just go around. Laying hands on one of the enormous oaks blocking the road, I tried to absorb it. It resisted. The tree was still a living thing, slowly dying, but still clinging to life.

Spinning up the accretion disc around my mana stone, I pulled in the cloud of motes and sacrificed the rainbow of colours to the disc, watching the multicoloured flecks fall into the disc and spin into fractal patterns. Golden motes fell from the disc and fed the hungry core in my skull. It flared to life, enhancing my aura. I pushed it forcefully into the oak.

It was still alive, struggling to reach the sun. Not sentient, but filled with a sense of hunger and a lust for sunlight. A strange sort of pain flowed through the connection. I could sense where it was injured, maybe even push some mana into the areas to speed healing if I wanted. But there was no way I could lift a multi-ton tree back into place. It was dying, and nothing would change that.

Concentrating my aura near the exposed roots, I focused on converting a thin slice of living wood into mana. Nothing happened. I could sense the mana locked in still living cells, cells that would take weeks or months to die, cells that refused to release their green motes.

If I was going to heal the tree, I’d try feeding it some golden motes from my core like I did with Anna back at the Plainview church. The problem with that was that I let Anna’s body guide the healing. Those amber motes were converted and used to heal, and the tree would almost certainly try the same thing.

So what about the other colours?

I’d seen different coloured cores do different things, but I hadn’t given much thought to solving their mystery yet. Sassy has an Indigo heart stone, she can teleport. Flash rabbits have a Yellow heart stone, and emit light. Mike had a Red spirit stone and so does Mercy. One person could control fire, the other creates ice. Sarah and Jenny have Yellow spirit stones, but one has telekineses and the other controls animals. Guideon has a Green spark, and is a healer. Nothing really makes sense yet.

I pulled a thread of red motes from my core and directed them along my aura and into the tree. If Red produces fire and ice, maybe they will interact with the Green? The last thing I want is an explosion of fire or ice, I just want a nice clean cut right through the tree. Pushing the motes slowly through my aura, I watched as they interacted with the tree’s mana and transformed. A second later, the massive trunk separated from the roots and fell two feet to the ground with a thud.

Guidon let out a low whistle of appreciation. “You think the horses will be able to drag that to the side of the road?” He asked.

“Not done yet,” I said, eyeballing the tree. “I think I may be able to do something better.”

Closing my eyes, I focused on the tree with my auric vision. Stretching out a psychic hand, I forced my aura into it, suffusing the entire thing with my domain of influence. Running more threads of red mana through my aura, I placed them in a wobbly lattice through the trunk, approximating ten foot 2x4s and 4x4s.

Then, I pushed them through with the intent to cut, to force the fibres of the wood apart. The clatter of freshly lumbered wood filled my ears as I opened my eyes.

“Green lumber!” One of the men exclaimed, examining the results of my attempt.

I grinned at Gideon. “How’s that?”

He closed his mouth, then clapped me hard on the back. “That’s perfect! Only a dozen more to go.”

I chuckled and walked up to the next tree. Chores are never done.

1. Silver-Back Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Argenti). Mostly Harmless. Possesses sharp claws and fangs. Intelligent, clever rodents which group together in territorial ’scurries’ of several dozen family members. They will steal shiny things to hoard in their family ‘kingdom’. These kingdoms resemble an enormous hornet nest with construction similar to wattle-and-daub, composed of sticks, mud, and dung. See Also: Prosperity Bailey’s Guide to Easy Treasure.

2. Spiked nine banded armadillo (Dasypus Novemcinctus Spiculum). Harmless. Will flee given any opportunity. Possesses extremely sharp claws. Nocternal insectivore.

3. Flash Rabbit (Lepus sylvaticus micare). Harmless. Recognisable by the gold tufts on the ears. Emits a bright flash when startled, blinding predators. This was small creature was instrumental to the introduction of magic.

Copyright © 2020, Conteur. All Rights Reserved.

117:3