Fledgling God: Book 1

02 Death Experience

After several minutes of thinking and pacing, I decided to look into the hallway again and see if anything was happening. When I did, I almost jumped out of my skin with surprise.

Shaggy and The Villain were on the other side of my door. How were they finding me so fast? Did I have some type of tracking device on me? I was totally in the buff, so that seemed really unlikely.

Just to be sure I did a quick self-scan—nothing I could detect.

They seemed to be hanging around waiting for something—the door was still locked and latched so maybe I had a few minutes to try something. It seemed like hiding wasn't an option; I needed to go on the offensive.

Using my talent on people, or anything alive, is a lot more difficult than manipulating regular things—a person's natural energy gets in the way. I'd found a way around that, but it took time to work.

Instead of dropping a full enchantment on them, I'd start with a tiny, seed-like hex and let it grow using their own energy. I still couldn't do anything big, but there are parts of the body where a tiny disruption can make a huge difference.

I began by imagining a tiny little man in front of me. He was super small, barely the size of a speck of dust. I needed him to do lots of work, so I dressed him up with a pair of overalls, a miner's helmet, and a pick axe. He needed to fly, so I gave him a tiny jet pack, as well as a GPS so he knew where to go. Last, and most important, I placed a glowing green ring on his finger that he could use to make an exact duplicate of himself.

With that, I dubbed him Bob One, and gave him a bit of power to wake up. He blinked, stretched, swung his pickaxe a few times and then flew through the air going, "Wheeeeeeee!"

What can I say? If I had a jetpack I'd probably fly around going, "Wheeeeeeee," too.

Bob One quickly settled down, ready for work. The first thing I did was have him trigger his magic ring and make a Bob Two. Then both of them triggered their green rings to make Bobs Three and Four.

The leaders of my work crew were ready to go. I loaded in the coordinates on their GPS, wished them lots of luck, and sent them on their way.

The four Bobs flashed me a thumbs up, triggered the light on their miner's helmet, engaged their jetpacks, and Wheeed their way toward the top of the door. For normal-sized people there was no way through, but when you are a tiny speck even a crack in the door frame seems like a super highway to the outside.

Bob One made it out to the hall, over to Shaggy, and into his right ear. On his own, Bob One couldn't do much damage, but once inside he began using his magic duplicator ring and soon there was two, then four, then eight determined little workmen. Some of the Bobs started hammering into the ear canal while the rest continued making reinforcements.

The other Bob leaders had flown into Shaggy and The Villain's other ears, and the same process was going on there. At some point my two assailants were going to have a nasty surprise—all I had to do was wait.

I was feeling pretty good about what I had done when Things One and Two showed up. That must have been what the two sidekicks were waiting for. Thing One took something out of his pocket and held it up to my door. For a long moment nothing happened. I'd already started on new Bobs for the two Things when the entire door lit up and I felt power, like an electric shock, shoot up my hands and arms. I jerked my hands away and jumped back as the door glowed. All the light slid to the locks. One by one they disengaged, and the door opened.

That was not good—not good at all.

Shaggy and The Villain entered first, followed by the Things.