reluctantly handed over the cat, which I held at armâs length in front of me like a baby with a dirty diaper. Tiddlywinks began growling at me, so I rushed to put him down near the canvas portal before he tore my eyeballs out. After sniffing the canvas and retreating a few steps, he settled down and began licking his butt without a care in the world. Plumped with cheap cat food and content to live his life in a near-coma state, Tiddlywinks barely had a pulse; with any luck, heâd stay put.
Mrs. Marsh and I stood together behind a bush and waited, our eyes fixed on the garbage can.
Come out, little imp. Get the nice kitty cat.
After a few seconds, I thought I spied some movement behind the garbage can, then a clammy chill ran up my arms. I looked down as Mrs. Marsh yelped, only to see the wispy trail of an imp dart out from between my legs.
âMotherfucker!â I yelled. Tricked again. For a briefmoment, I pitied the people on
Paranormal Patrol
. I ran after the imp, rounding the corner of the house with as much speed as I could manage wearing flip-flops. Tiddlywinks was in a compromising position, with one leg up in the air, paused midlick. His ears were cocked in my direction as I ran toward him at top speed. Then I realized the imp was stopping in front of the cat. He wasnât going to bail; he took the bait.
I slid across the damp grass. To avoid running into the imp and the cat, I half fell, half lunged near them in an awkward dive. I tried to pull an action-movie stunt roll. Big mistake. My upper arm hit the edge of the cement patio. As I cried out in pain, the caduceus flew from my hand and landed somewhere in the shadows. Smooth move.
I curled up into a ball on my side. When I glanced toward my feet, I was surprised to find Tiddlywinks still there, ears flattened and the hair on his back standing on end. The imp was circling the cat like prey. Only a couple of feet tall and mostly transparent, he was tubby, with rolls on his arms and legs like a pudgy baby. He had a bulbous nose and floppy ears, one of them torn, as Mrs. Marsh had noted.
Ignoring the pain in my arm, I reached for the canvas entrapment portal, grabbed the edge of it, and slung it over the imp. And the cat. I couldnât help it; he was in the way.
Without time to find the caduceus, Iâd have to release the kindled Heka without a filter. The danger of electrical shock wasnât in the pull as much as the release. As long as I had the caduceus to even things out, the release was relatively painless. Without it, I risked burning myself up from the inside out.
I quickly tapped into the current from Mrs. Marshâs house. Too fast. The raw surge of electricity mixed erratically with my inner Heka; my body stiffened and began shaking.
Ever been shocked with electrical current? I mean,
really
shocked, as in a jolt up the arm, canât let go, canât breathe, life flashing before your eyes kind of shock? Not something most people would want to willingly do. You have to be a little crazy to practice hard-core magick: Itâs not for the weak. The only thing in my favor was the high electric resistance that Heka-rich bodies tend to possess. Current flows differently in me.
But not so differently that I was indestructible.
At this point, all I could do was release the Heka, but it wouldnât be pretty. I gathered all my willpower, flung myself up and over toward the imp, and muttered the entrapment spell as my hand came down on the canvas and released the energy.
My teeth clattered as the kindled charge left my body, hit the canvas, and exploded into a small fire.
âShit!â
A muffled howl came from underneath the burning canvas as Tiddlywinks shot out and sped off toward the front yard. Before the entrapment portal could burn away, I said one more spell and banished the imp back into the Ãthyr.
âTiddlywinks!â Mrs. Marsh yelled as she ran after her cat.
I leapt over to the canvas, removed one
Mrs. Marsh and I stood together behind a bush and waited, our eyes fixed on the garbage can.
Come out, little imp. Get the nice kitty cat.
After a few seconds, I thought I spied some movement behind the garbage can, then a clammy chill ran up my arms. I looked down as Mrs. Marsh yelped, only to see the wispy trail of an imp dart out from between my legs.
âMotherfucker!â I yelled. Tricked again. For a briefmoment, I pitied the people on
Paranormal Patrol
. I ran after the imp, rounding the corner of the house with as much speed as I could manage wearing flip-flops. Tiddlywinks was in a compromising position, with one leg up in the air, paused midlick. His ears were cocked in my direction as I ran toward him at top speed. Then I realized the imp was stopping in front of the cat. He wasnât going to bail; he took the bait.
I slid across the damp grass. To avoid running into the imp and the cat, I half fell, half lunged near them in an awkward dive. I tried to pull an action-movie stunt roll. Big mistake. My upper arm hit the edge of the cement patio. As I cried out in pain, the caduceus flew from my hand and landed somewhere in the shadows. Smooth move.
I curled up into a ball on my side. When I glanced toward my feet, I was surprised to find Tiddlywinks still there, ears flattened and the hair on his back standing on end. The imp was circling the cat like prey. Only a couple of feet tall and mostly transparent, he was tubby, with rolls on his arms and legs like a pudgy baby. He had a bulbous nose and floppy ears, one of them torn, as Mrs. Marsh had noted.
Ignoring the pain in my arm, I reached for the canvas entrapment portal, grabbed the edge of it, and slung it over the imp. And the cat. I couldnât help it; he was in the way.
Without time to find the caduceus, Iâd have to release the kindled Heka without a filter. The danger of electrical shock wasnât in the pull as much as the release. As long as I had the caduceus to even things out, the release was relatively painless. Without it, I risked burning myself up from the inside out.
I quickly tapped into the current from Mrs. Marshâs house. Too fast. The raw surge of electricity mixed erratically with my inner Heka; my body stiffened and began shaking.
Ever been shocked with electrical current? I mean,
really
shocked, as in a jolt up the arm, canât let go, canât breathe, life flashing before your eyes kind of shock? Not something most people would want to willingly do. You have to be a little crazy to practice hard-core magick: Itâs not for the weak. The only thing in my favor was the high electric resistance that Heka-rich bodies tend to possess. Current flows differently in me.
But not so differently that I was indestructible.
At this point, all I could do was release the Heka, but it wouldnât be pretty. I gathered all my willpower, flung myself up and over toward the imp, and muttered the entrapment spell as my hand came down on the canvas and released the energy.
My teeth clattered as the kindled charge left my body, hit the canvas, and exploded into a small fire.
âShit!â
A muffled howl came from underneath the burning canvas as Tiddlywinks shot out and sped off toward the front yard. Before the entrapment portal could burn away, I said one more spell and banished the imp back into the Ãthyr.
âTiddlywinks!â Mrs. Marsh yelled as she ran after her cat.
I leapt over to the canvas, removed one
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