Blind God's Bluff A Billy Fox Novel - By Richard Lee Byers Page 0,96

told you,” the Pharaoh said, “that can’t save you. In our mysteries, the spells that recapitulate the primal myths are the most potent of all.”

“Yeah?” I panted, sweat dripping off my face and plopping on the felt. “Well, guess what? This isn’t ancient Egypt. It’s America. And we don’t have myths. We have movies. We put them on DVD’s. And then they have alternate endings.”

He frowned. “I’m afraid the poison is making you delirious. If so, you’re nearly out of time.”

“In my version of the movie, Re sees through his bitch daughter’s lies, and he doesn’t give in to the pain. He gets up and slaps her around until she gives him the antidote. In other words, I’m going to win this God damn game, and when I do, it will break your hex.”

As I said the last word, I poured mojo into the Thunderbird until it glowed like it was white hot. Like I was trying to brand reality with it and make what I’d just said true.

I don’t think the Pharaoh could really see my personal sign. But he sensed the blaze of power somehow, and flinched back slightly in his wheelchair.

But only slightly. Then he smiled and exhaled smoke. “That was… creative. But, like the invocation of your Ka, insufficient.”

“Look at your damn cards. Play the game or forfeit.”

He played. With a lot more nerve and cunning than before, while the venom chewed me up inside. My eyes kept blurring, and my guts cramped. When the chills hit me, my teeth chattered. I played basic poker because I didn’t trust my judgment for anything fancier. I used the chip lead like a sledgehammer because I was afraid it was the only advantage I had left.

At some point, I glanced around and noticed Wotan laughing at all my struggling and pain. Considering that it was the Pharaoh who’d busted him, that struck me as stupid. He should have hated the mummy worse than me. But apparently me being an upstart human bugged him even more.

I thought about flipping him off. Then the cramps hit again, harder, and I twisted so I wouldn’t throw up on the table.

Somehow, that tipped me off balance. I fell out of the chair and overturned it, too. I ended up retching while lying on my stomach. You get a good view of your puke when it’s landing just a few inches away. Some of it splashes back into your face.

“Davis,” the Pharaoh said, “please assist the gentleman.”

The chauffeur trotted over and tried to lift me to my feet. I feebly pushed his hands away, grabbed the edge of the table, and dragged myself up.

I let him pick up the chair, though. I was pretty sure that if I tried to do that, I’d fall down again.

“You can end this,” the Pharaoh said.

I tried to work up some spit and then swallow away the hot, foul taste in my mouth. “I’m working on it.”

“You can end it right now. I promise to be the best master any apprentice wizard could hope to find. I promise to rule Tampa with kindness and generosity.”

“Says the guy who was willing to murder all of Queen’s babies just to win a game.”

He sighed. “If that’s your final word, on your own head be it. You realize, at this point I can simply play conservatively and wait for you to die.”

He probably could have, too. Except that I hung on for a few more minutes. Until the clock struck four, and the blinds jumped again.

They’d been big enough to matter before. Now they were finally so big that you just couldn’t sit out more than one or two hands in a row. Your stack would shrink to nothing if you did.

I didn’t plan to sit out any of them. I meant to shove all in every time pre-flop, without even looking at my cards. Because I knew that with five more to come, any starting hand, no matter how shitty, can beat any other. And I was out of time.

I got away with it once. The second time, the Pharaoh peeked at his down cards and smiled. He had something good, and so, of course, he called.

I looked at what I had in the hole. Eight-three off-suit, about as rotten a starting hand as there is. I don’t know how I could have suddenly felt sicker than I did already, but it sure seemed like it.

But then my luck kicked in. A three came out as part of a