He looks at me like he didn’t understand what I said. I haven’t spoken Hellion in a while. Maybe I’ve gotten rusty.
I say, “Do you know where Helheim is?” while dragging the knife across his cheek. The sight of his black blood wakes him up fast.
“Yes. Of course. Only the lowest damned souls and the worst troops go there. Which are you?” he says. I smack him with the pommel again.
“I’m prepared to beat the brains or the attitude out of you. Which do you think will go first?”
He holds up his hands in front of his face.
“Okay. Okay. I’ll tell you where it is.”
“No. You’re going to take me there.”
He looks up at me.
“It’s days from here.”
“Not for me. And now not for you.”
I put the blade under his chin and stand him up. Move him toward a shadow against the side of the tent and pull him in.
We come out by the garage where I hid the bike.
He looks around. Touches his head, wondering if he’s even drunker than he thought.
“How did you do that?”
With the knife against his throat, I pull him into the garage and push the hood off my face. Say a few hoodoo words, and the glamour winks off. I’m me again.
“I did it because I’m Sandman Slim and I’m two seconds from turning you into a bologna sandwich.”
He lurches back, more surprised than afraid. I grab him.
“What’s it going to be, General? Helheim or I can leave your carcass here for a vendor to cut up and put on the spits in the market.”
He says, “I’m telling you. It’s days from here.”
“I’m guessing there’s light there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Light. Enough light to throw shadows in the crevices in ice and mountains.”
“Sure. Lots of shadows.”
“Then it won’t take days. Turn around and lean your back against the front of the bike.”
I hand him two short lengths of rope.
“Tie each leg to the front forks.”
“What are you going to do?”
I punch him in the solar plexus. It doubles him over and motivates him to stay down and tie himself to the bike.
“What’s happening is this. I’m going to try something because I’m on a tight schedule. What you’re going to do is think real hard about Helheim and I’m going to click my heels together and we’ll be there in no time flat.”
He finishes tying his legs and stands up.