Blind God's Bluff A Billy Fox Novel - By Richard Lee Byers Page 0,84
the door, I saw that he once again had a deck of cards scattered across the table, along with an assortment of drugstore reading glasses. The irises were mostly distinct from the whites of his eyes, and the pupils were pretty round, though still not the same size.
I could tell he was relieved that I’d turned up, which meant he still couldn’t see well enough to play poker. But he was getting there. I needed to wrap up the game while he still needed me.
But I’d suspected it might well end tonight anyway. One reason poker tournaments don’t last forever is that the blinds get bigger as you go along. That means you reach a point where you can’t afford to sit and wait for premium cards. My opponents and I were going to have to play more starting hands and get aggressive.
Timon sniffed, pulling in my scent, and the wet sound yanked me back from thinking about the game to the here and now. I hoped that wallowing in some of my nastier memories from the past couple days had left me smelling scared.
“I’m here,” I said sullenly, trying not to seem too much like a beaten, broken man. He was more likely to buy my act if I appeared to be trying to walk and talk like my same old insolent self, but the damage showed through underneath.
“Please sit,” he said, waving to the chair across the table. I hesitated like a dog that’s scared its master will hit it, then did as ordered. I tried not to wince at a whiff of sour BO.
“I didn’t necessarily expect you to be out and about early today,” he continued. “But when the afternoon was well underway, I sent Gaspar to check on you. And then, when he reported you missing, I had to hope our little lesson in respect hadn’t rattled you so much that you’d run away.”
I sighed. “That wouldn’t have been very smart, would it?”
Timon smiled. “No, it wouldn’t.”
“I was just walking. I needed to clear my head, and I… I didn’t trust myself to drive.”
“You really shouldn’t have left, but never mind. I understand you were upset.”
“I need to know that stuff isn’t going to happen anymore. Not if I do what you say.”
“You have my word. I didn’t enjoy doing it this time.” Maybe, but his little smirk said otherwise. “Embrace the role that fate has assigned to you, and I won’t ever have to do it again.”
“I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Good. And there’s no need to sound so depressed about it. You’re going to have a wonderful life.”
“Yeah, well… when I was trying to get my head together, I tried to see the up side. And I admit, Monte Carlo was pretty amazing. To go to a place like that whenever I want, to go anywhere and do anything I want… you were right. I do want to learn.”
Timon smiled a yellow-toothed smile. “Splendid! I can’t promise to teach you to do everything I can do as well as I can do it. You’d have to be born to it. But I guarantee that at a bare minimum, you’ll learn to bend dreams to your own purposes whenever I welcome you in.”
“Can I start right away?”
He hesitated. “If we’re going to work on your magic, perhaps we should stay focused on the waking world for now. That’s what might help you at the table.”
“I know, but… last night, I saw a lot of the stick. I feel like now I need a little more carrot. It might settle me down. Which will definitely help me at the table.”
“Well, all right. I suppose a few minutes won’t hurt. Have you ever been hypnotized?”
“No.” I hoped I wouldn’t end up quacking like a duck.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Timon and I worked on my magic for quite a while. After we got back from dreamland, he tried to teach me how to float a card up off the tabletop with my mind. He probably thought that if I could do that, I could use my mojo to elevate the cut or deal seconds, too.
As it turned out, I could make a card wobble a little, but that was all. I remembered how I hadn’t been able to make the fire-escape ladder drop, either. Obviously, for me, this particular kind of magic wasn’t going to come easily.
Although Timon didn’t let me work at it as hard or as long as I could have. He and I were caught in the same