Dead Man's Hand

by Steven Meehan

  With every passing second I was truly beginning to learn just how little I actually knew about forging. Until a couple hours ago, I hadn’t even known it had a name. I had to try to find a way to convince Alexis to not only spare my life but also to teach me what he knew. I finally started to look around and was only able to see a handful of houses. None of which were terribly close to each other, but more importantly, I saw no sign of Alexis. He isn’t in the cab, did he move to the front of the truck?

  Either way there was no use trying to search for anything in this blackness Alexis would come to me in his own time. Instead, I refocused on the other issue. What did I do wrong? Normally when I tried to transmute something I just had to focus on what my intended result was, but that hadn’t worked. Was working with something as sparse as air so different? I was not trying to change something into something else, well not really. I was trying to take the air, something I couldn’t see, and manipulate it. When I thought about it I realized that I sounded a lot like a blind man trying to perform surgery.

  So this time, instead of focusing on my goal, I focused on my starting point, a single molecule of air. From there layering on another piece of air, and then another piece of air, and another, until I held a small marble of air in my hand, at least in my mind I held one. I was just about to power that transformation when I received a fairly strong shove, which naturally broke my concentration, as Alexis said, “Hey boy…”

  As I opened my eyes I whipped my head around and saw Alexis looming over me. I was a little aggravated at the interruption so I interrupted him, “Would you please not call me boy. I do have a name you know.”

  With a shake of his head Alexis responded, “Not yet you don’t. Boy.” His tone brooked no argument so I didn’t start one. Instead I listened to him, “Like I told you earlier, I’m going to leave you in the truck, is that clear?”

  I knew that I should have just said, “yes, sir.” That was what I should have said, but I didn’t. I guess it was because he had interrupted me before I could finish my test. I was still ignorant as to how he had managed to do what he had done to me and I was unable to restrain my curiosity. “You use air, don’t you?”

  “Excuse me?” Alexis asked, apparently puzzled by the change of topic.

  This is what I really wanted to talk about at the moment so I took his question as permission to continue. “In order to protect yourself and when you restrained me, you were using the air?”

  While Alexis hid his reaction fairly well I had just finished playing poker with some pretty good talent and there was no comparison between the two. I was right. Leaning down to me he whispered, “How did you come to that conclusion?” I simply stared into his eyes and refused to back down. When he saw that I wasn’t fooled by his poker face it melted into a look of astonishment.

  Cracking a smile for the first time since winning the tournament I responded as straightly as I could, “You didn’t answer my question Alexis.”

  Nodding his head Alexis replied with a voice that was as inflated as he could manage. “You’re right, I didn’t answer your question. At least not directly. And that’s more than I’m willing to give you at the moment. You’re still staying here while I go in and retrieve Dempsey.”

  “Whatever you say, only,” I hesitated for a second before rushing on. “Could you take this harness off of me?” The astonishment instantly dried up and his glare regained its full affect, but I refused to back down from it. I knew that, eventually, the glare would crack me so I offered a compromise of sorts, “If I’m not here when you get back I’ll willingly let you execute me.” What am I thinking making that kind of an offer?

  I guess that his lie detecting eyes saw the truth in my words because he slowly began to nod his head. “I’ll hold you to that promise, boy.”

  With that he turned around and walked back towards the cab. When I stood up to watch Alexis as he walked towards Dempsey’s home I found that he was already gone. It was as if he had just disappeared. Now that was truly impressive. Questions ran through my mind as I wondered where he was and how he would get in and out of Dempsey’s home. But the thoughts vanished from my mind as I lowered myself back onto the truck’s bed and realized that I had been standing up, the harness had been taken away.

  I was certain that Alexis would spare me and eventually reveal all of his secrets. I didn’t care if I had to beg for the information, I would learn everything that he knew. With a smile on my lips I turned my attention back to creating a marble of air. Over the next few minutes I had successfully made two marbles and was working on my third when I heard Alexis speak. “You better get into the cab so our friend can have the entire bed to himself.”

  I leapt out of truck and Alexis immediately laid Dempsey down before taking the necessary steps to secure him into the bed. Next he moved towards the hood as I climbed into the passenger seat. Alexis was doing something to the road in front of the truck but I had no idea what it was. But before I could climb out to ask he was standing up and walking back to the driver’s side door. Without saying a word, Alexis climbed into the cab, made a series of fluid motions, and his seat belt flew across his body clicking in just a fraction of a second before the truck roared to life.

  In contrast with the frenzied pace upon his arrival, Alexis now merely withdrew his foot from the brake, allowing the truck to slowly and gently creep its way forward. Puzzled I looked over at him but was greeted by one of his fingers, which was pointing out the front window. Instead of asking him anything, I silently looked out the windshield and was startled when I saw that a good chunk of the car’s front was missing. Despite missing almost a third of its engine I could still hear the truck’s roar and, by all the visible evidence, it was still functional. Only the sheer awe of what I was seeing kept me from asking the first logical question. What in the world is going on here? As I saw the vanished section slowly creep towards me I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “What did you do?”

  “Show me how clever you can be, try and figure it out on your own.”

  “But, the car is disintegrating.”

  He was apparently disappointed in my answer because, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shaking his head. “The truck is not disintegrating. Tell you what, if this is too hard,” he used his hand and gestured to the rapidly vanishing hood. “Then tell me how you think I managed to pull Dempsey out of his heavily guarded home without raising an alarm.”

  “How did you get into the house in the first place?”

  “That’s another good question, boy.” But he simply turned his head and fixed me with a new stare. This one didn’t carry the disgust or hatred that had been so constant earlier, instead it held a teacher’s quality to it. He was hoping I would make the connections. As such, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when he added. “You tell me.”

  I tried to imitate his calmness but my confusion was keeping me from concentrating. “It doesn’t make sense. You have to be touching something in order to forge it.”

  “And…?”

  “So how to do you manage to forge something that isn’t within your grasp?” I asked as I pushed my back into the seat, desperately trying to keep the oncoming nothingness from getting to me.

  “I had the same question back when my master started my training.” I could sense the smirk on his face as he spoke.

  I immediately latched onto one thing he had said, “Master?”

  “Yes, my master. And if that word doesn’t work for you substitute ‘teacher’ in its place and you’re mostly there.”

  Though that certainly got my attention, I stopped struggling and stared at the side of his head and dumbly asked, “You’re going to be my teacher?” I was a little slow, but I soon caught up with the meaning behind his words. “Wait a second. Teacher implies that you’re going to keep me alive.”

  Through a smirk he calmly answered my statement, “No, I haven’t decided your fate one way or the other. But the chance of your surviving the night certainly is growing.”


  Grumbling under my breath I turned my attention back to the disappearing vehicle, and with a start, realized that my legs had already crossed the plane. Unable to fully keep control of my nerves I looked back over to Alexis and pleaded, “Seriously what’s happening to me, Alexis?”

  All that he was willing to say was, “Wait a few seconds and you’ll find out.”

  So sitting there, as scared as I was, there was nothing I could do to avoid Alexis’ twisted humor. As I was being driven through the plane I kept trying to inch back to delay the inevitable. Just before my face went through the invisible barrier, I cursed my inability to push myself through the back of the cab, and then I was being swallowed into the maw of the unknown.

  Chapter 21

  As my limbs had disappeared, apparently nothing disastrous happened as I hadn’t felt anything to accompany the disappearance. When my eyes finally crossed the plane I had to do a double take. While Alexis looked at me, I was too busy looking from side to side trying to figure out what had happened. I had been expecting to find a vast void of nothingness, but instead I found myself, well the front half of the truck actually, no longer on the street where we had been. Now we were in a cavern. This made no sense. “Where are we? What was that? Was that teleportation?”

  With a chuckle Alexis replied. “We are in a safe house of mine. And only by the strictest of definitions was that teleportation. We are almost fourteen hundred miles away from Dempsey’s home.” Alexis used his thumb to gesture at the still missing back of his truck.

  “But how… how did you do that?” I asked unable to hide my curiosity and astonishment.

  “All in good time.” He replied but, after a half moment he added, “Provided you get the chance.”

  His attempt at a jibe pulled me out of my awe. Annoyed, I looked over, stared into his eyes, and calmly retorted. “You can make all the jokes you want to Alexis. I already know that you’re going to spare my life, and I’m fairly sure that you’re going to take me on as your student…” I paused just long enough to flash him a smile before adding a little jab of my own. “Well you’ll probably call me your apprentice.”

  “A little cocky aren’t you?” Annoyance laced his voice.

  “Not really.” I replied confidently. “If you hadn’t already made up your mind you would have laughed off my request to release me. But instead, you decided to trust me.” As I said that the old saying, ‘trust, but verify’ popped into my head, as did another possibility. “I suppose you could have just lengthened my bonds, enough to give me the illusion of freedom, but…”

  With a clinical eye focused upon me Alexis asked, “So if I trust you, why wouldn’t I have just given you the answers to your questions?”

  “Because,” I replied with an ever growing smile as I lifted one of my two brand new marbles of air. When he saw what I was holding he started to smile,, “Students learn better when they’re forced to figure out a problem on their own, or at least that’s what teachers or, as you call them, ‘masters’ claim.”

  With a smile on his face he added, “Say that’s true, why did I give you a straight answer concerning how we got here.”

  “You did, and you didn’t.” He was trying to trip me up, but that wasn’t going to happen. “You gave me a straight answer about the end effect, not about how you managed it. And I’d guess that’s simply because this is too complicated to experiment with.” I shook the marble for emphasis, “It’s not like it’s a marble of air.”

  With a smile of his own, he pulled the now fully visible truck to a stop. “Good for you boy. You’ve got quite the head for reasoning on your shoulders. It’ll be a pleasure to teach you the craft.”

  “Can I get a hint at least?”

  With a laugh he said, “Not now. The first thing you have to do is think about the possible theories, and yes there are multiple ways to do what I just did, and I’m only a master of the one that I know.” The warm smile began to take on a wicked gleam as he added, “But in the meantime, we have someone to terrify.” Alexis got out of the truck and I followed suit. Alexis lifted Dempsey from the bed as if he were a baby and hung the limp body in thin air.

  Surprised by the lack of a struggle, I asked, “Is he still asleep?”

  “Oh, I didn’t want him waking up while we were transporting him so I drugged him.” Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a small vial. As he moved the uncorked vial under Dempsey’s nose he added. “Come over here, I’d rather he see you right away.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked quietly as I got ready for the verbal tirade that Dempsey was sure to release when he awoke.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Alexis answered with nothing but confidence in his voice. When he noticed that I was still hesitant he added, “Remember you’re going to be my apprentice and that means you’re under my protection. And after this little demonstration, he’ll think twice before having anyone go after you. Come on.” With that command, I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve, and moved next to Alexis.

  No sooner was I settled than Dempsey’s head whipped back as the vial finally did its work and brought him back into consciousness. His eyes instantly started to dart back and forth as he tried to understand what was going on. When they landed on Alexis they instantly widened in shock. He fought to control his breathing before managing to speak. “How long do you think you can hold me in my own home?”

  With a shark’s smile Alexis looked into Dempsey’s outraged eyes, “Look around you fool. Do you really think this is your home?” Alexis extended his arms inviting Dempsey to examine the cavern we were in.

  Hesitantly, Dempsey began to take in his surroundings, which was when he noticed me for the first time. But, instead of launching into a tirade, he simply stared at me. But when I refused to back down and continued to meet his icy glare, he started to speak in a father’s tone, “I’m disappointed in you Francis Harrison Bailey.” Eventually, he broke contact as if dismissing my presence as he once more took in the surrounding cavern. He did all of this in the blink of an eye and without losing any of his menace. Eventually, he returned his attention to Alexis before asking. “Fine, then where am I?”

  “About,” Alexis replied, letting his words linger a moment as if calculating, “Fourteen hundred miles away from your home.” Alexis’ tone was flat and emotionless.

  I knew Dempsey would consider this to be impossible, yet the surroundings definitely suggested that impossible things were in fact possible. And so the subtle hint of fear in his eyes made sense as he started to answer, “Fourteen… hundred miles…”

  With a shrug Alexis broke in, “That’s right, though, I know you probably don’t believe me. But let me ask you this, even if we are closer to your home than that. How did you wake up in a cavern after falling asleep in your bedroom?”

  “How…”

  “Dempsey, I did it with the greatest of ease, and in the blink of an eye.” Alexis said emphasizing the comment with a wave of his hand.

  “But that’s not possible!” Dempsey cried out.

  Alexis straightened as he calmly said, “You see, unlike my new friend here, I am a true forger. I have been perfecting and expanding my skills for longer than either of you have been alive.” Alexis stopped speaking for a brief moment, letting his words sink in. I knew he wasn’t lying. “I can do things that you wouldn’t be able to dream of. For example, abducting you right from your bedroom without raising a single alarm.”

  For a moment I thought that Alexis’ words had had their desired effect, because I briefly saw absolute terror upon Dempsey’s face. But then the despicable man must have found some fire left inside and asked a question, though it lacked the absolute fury of a moment ago. “How do I know we still aren’t in my home and that this isn’t just some grand illusion?”

  “That is a possibility, it’s certainly something I’m capable of.” Alexis replied with a shrug. “I suppose you could call out for help.”

  As if on cue Dempsey called out for help
, but his cry was only answered with silence.

  “Though that wouldn’t do you any good.” Alexis continued, as if the scream had never pierced the cavern, “since we’re not in your home. Believe me Bertrand, you’re out of your depth with me.”

  Alexis’ absolute confidence in his own words must have shattered Dempsey’s legendary resolve because the once ruthless lord was now a hollow shell of himself. And from all appearances, Alexis was in no hurry to put the criminal out of his misery as he allowed the silence to stretch out. Judging from the worry lines spreading across Dempsey’s face it was clear that uncertainty was something he was unaccustomed to. As Dempsey’s fear and desperation continued to build, Alexis went on.

  “Now as you’ve begun to realize, you are quite helpless. And as no one even knows you’re missing, you are unlikely to be rescued any time soon. So, if you want to have any hope of a continued existence you’ll answer any and all questions put before you. Do you understand?”

  As Dempsey hung there in silence he raised his head as far as he could, contemplating Alexis’ threat. I couldn’t tell if it was fear keeping him silent or his legendary stubbornness. Eventually, he nodded. “Very good.” Alexis replied with joy in his voice. “Now the first question I want answered is why you wanted me dead? I cannot recall ever interfering in your business, so why the assassination attempts?”

  This time I could tell that Dempsey’s silence was due to his stubborn streak. His mouth clenched tightly as though to keep himself from accidently saying something he didn’t want to. Alexis only let Dempsey play that game for so long before taking action. Even though I never saw Alexis so much as twitch, Dempsey uttered a sudden a cry of pain that raced through the cavern. The pain must have broken Dempsey completely. I noticed a smile starting to spread across my face so I turned my eyes away, hoping they would just think I was a little squeamish.