Atomic Mage by Garrett Carter (short books for teens txt) 📕

He couldn't sit by and allow that particular business to continue but what would happen to this kingdom if he ended the slave trade here if he stepped in.

Cade wasn't a ruler, the very idea of taking charge of so many undisciplined people made his stomach roll and his head start to hurt.

He was sure were plenty of people that system had chewed up and spat out but what if anything could they do to help him get rid of the slavers and their ilk.

Besides the plan to rid the kingdom of Dejot of the slave trade he still didn't have a driving focus for his life here besides providing for his new family.

Added to that lack of focus with his power and healing, he was pretty much unkillable and if his newfound youth was any indication he would live for a very long time.

"All I want to be is a good person, will this world let me be who I want to be if my power is known widely. Or will they hate me for what I can do or they can use me for, discarding me when they are done?"

Cade shook his head at the unpleasant thoughts, why allow anyone that much leeway with his life?

It was his for a second time, his place in this world he would carve out with the main driving goal being the safety of those that were his and in turn, they would take care of him.

He knew once they reached what he considered civilization there would be crooks, thieves, and all manner of bad people.

He shivered in disgust at the worst of them, the politicians, slimy self-serving bitches. He had met a few of the lower-level ones while he served.

Their smiles never quite reached their eyes, their words never quite matched their actions. He was suddenly double glad for his ability to delve into anyone's mind at that moment.

Grinning to himself like a fool at the idea of having those who loved him unequivocally once again, and the ability to tell that with a literal thought he made a decision.

He would strive to ensure those he cared for and those that were reliant on him would be safe and happy and all the other assholes could eat shit and die.

Deciding to come back from his power trip, hubris had brought many a man or woman low, forgetting that would only end in tears.

"No underestimating anyone or anything Cade, we have lost too much to let it happen again," he said soberly as he looked on at the river they were traveling down.

His melancholy left him as he looked once again at the amazing women that had chosen him as he lounged next to his softly snoring mates.

Deciding he had enough moping and creating problems where there were none, he put his mind to getting them upstream as swiftly as he was able.

As the barges speed increased a spray of water lightly misted the group, he thought of a solution but shied from implementing it for several minutes.

Could he build his houseboat on the go, with two whole days of travel left to them even at their increased speed what could he do to pass the time?

His mates slept on he smiled at his little snake as she absorbed his past life, hopefully finding it to her liking as Mina had.

If her full day of being secreted away in his mind was any indication they would both be out for hours if not till tomorrow.

A little home renovation would allow them to sleep on a bed and him to cook in a real kitchen.

That was one thing he missed surprisingly. He had enjoyed cooking almost every night he could for his family.

Making up his mind on the issue he reached out to a large tree along the left bank and attempted to pull it out of the ground.

He watched with wide eyes as the tree was forcibly yanked out of the ground, roots and all, to smash through the surrounding growth.

It pinballed around other large trees and smashed and toppled others in its path to keep the distance he had grabbed it from.

Cade grimaced and sucked a long breath in through his teeth at the carnage the tree in his grip was causing.

He quickly pulled the severely damaged tree over the water as it leveled one last sapling.

"Gonna have to be careful about that from now on," he said with a grimace at the football field-sized swath of forest he had leveled with his little experiment.

"Well waste not want not."

Retrieving all the damaged trees he could find he swiftly brought them over the water to stack up in an orderly pile that stood fifty feet tall and twenty feet wide.

Smiling at his new building materials, Cade set to work stripping branches and bark, he then cut the bare trunks into manageable sized boards.

Small thunks as the boards and pillars of wood landed on the deck of the barge sounded around him as he began to build the frame of his new home around him and his mates.

"If the boats a rockin don't come a-knockin," he said with a laugh, as he expanded the ten by twenty-foot barge to a roomier thirty by fifty using his power over the atoms of the trees and barge to fix the damage and weld the pieces into a seamless wood floor.

With his foundation made he smiled to himself as he began to construct the innards of his and his mate's new home.