leather jacket. It was made in the same design as the ring that Paulo wore on the ring finger of his left hand.
That’s why he was resting his chin on his left hand.
She had already seen many rings in the Traditionof the Moon—of every color, metal and carved—always in the form of a serpent, the symbol of wisdom. But never had she seen one like the one her husband wore. J. had given Paulo that ring in 1982, when they were in Norway, saying that he was thereby completing “the Tradition of the Moon, a cycle that was interrupted by fear.” And now, in the middle of the desert—a woman with a brooch of the same design.
“What do you want?” the redhead asked.
Paulo stood up, and the two stared at each other, face-to-face. Chris’s heart was beating wildly—she was certain that it wasn’t jealousy.
“What do you want?” she asked again.
To speak with my angel. And something else.”
She seized Paulo’s hand and ran her fingers over his ring. Softening a bit, she seemed to become more feminine.
“If you bought that ring at the same place I did, you must know how it’s made,” she said, her eyes fixed on the serpents. “If not, then sell it to me. It’s a beautiful piece.”
It was simply a silver ring carved into two serpents. Each had two heads, and the design was quite simple.
Paulo said nothing.
“You don’t know how to converse with angels, and this ring isn’t yours,” said the Valkyrie.
“I do know. Through channeling.”
“Right,” said the woman. “That’s all that’s required.”
“I told you that there was something else I wanted.”
“What is it?”
“Gene saw his angel. I want to see mine. I want to speak to my angel, face-to-face.”
“Gene?” The woman’s eyes searched the past, trying to recall who Gene was, where he lived.
“Yes, now I remember,” she said. “He lives in the desert. Because that’s where he met his angel.”
“No. He is studying to become a master.”
“This business of seeing your angel is just a myth. It’s enough to converse with them.”
Paulo stepped closer to the Valkyrie.
Chris knew the trick her husband was using: He called it “destabilization.” Normally, two people converse at arm’s length. When one of them approaches the other too closely, the other’s thinking becomes disorganized.
“I want to see my angel.” He was quite close to the woman, and he was staring at her.
“What for?” The Valkyrie appeared to be intimidated. The trick was working.
“Because I’m desperately in need of help. I have won important things for myself, but I am going to destroy them, because I tell myself that they have lost their meaning. I know it’s not true. I know they are still important, and that if I destroy them, I’ll be destroying myself, as well.”
He maintained a neutral tone of voice, showing no emotion.
“When I learned that channeling was all that was needed in order to speak with my angel, I lost interest. It was no longer a challenge, but rather something I knew very well. I realized that my path to magic was about to end; the unknown was becoming too familiar to me.”
Chris was shocked: Why was he making this confession in such a public place, in front of people whom he had never seen before?
“In order to continue along my path, I need something more,” he finished. “I need mountains that are taller and taller.”
The Valkyrie said nothing for a moment.
“If I teach you how to see your angel,” she said, “your desire to seek out taller and taller mountains may disappear. And that’s not always a good thing.”
“No, that will never disappear,” Paulo replied. “What will vanish is the idea that the mountains I’ve conquered are too small. I will be able to keep alive my love for what I’ve accomplished. That’s what my master was trying to say to me.”
Maybe he’s talking about our marriage, too,
Chris thought.
The Valkyrie held out her hand to Paulo.
“My name is M.,” she
That’s why he was resting his chin on his left hand.
She had already seen many rings in the Traditionof the Moon—of every color, metal and carved—always in the form of a serpent, the symbol of wisdom. But never had she seen one like the one her husband wore. J. had given Paulo that ring in 1982, when they were in Norway, saying that he was thereby completing “the Tradition of the Moon, a cycle that was interrupted by fear.” And now, in the middle of the desert—a woman with a brooch of the same design.
“What do you want?” the redhead asked.
Paulo stood up, and the two stared at each other, face-to-face. Chris’s heart was beating wildly—she was certain that it wasn’t jealousy.
“What do you want?” she asked again.
To speak with my angel. And something else.”
She seized Paulo’s hand and ran her fingers over his ring. Softening a bit, she seemed to become more feminine.
“If you bought that ring at the same place I did, you must know how it’s made,” she said, her eyes fixed on the serpents. “If not, then sell it to me. It’s a beautiful piece.”
It was simply a silver ring carved into two serpents. Each had two heads, and the design was quite simple.
Paulo said nothing.
“You don’t know how to converse with angels, and this ring isn’t yours,” said the Valkyrie.
“I do know. Through channeling.”
“Right,” said the woman. “That’s all that’s required.”
“I told you that there was something else I wanted.”
“What is it?”
“Gene saw his angel. I want to see mine. I want to speak to my angel, face-to-face.”
“Gene?” The woman’s eyes searched the past, trying to recall who Gene was, where he lived.
“Yes, now I remember,” she said. “He lives in the desert. Because that’s where he met his angel.”
“No. He is studying to become a master.”
“This business of seeing your angel is just a myth. It’s enough to converse with them.”
Paulo stepped closer to the Valkyrie.
Chris knew the trick her husband was using: He called it “destabilization.” Normally, two people converse at arm’s length. When one of them approaches the other too closely, the other’s thinking becomes disorganized.
“I want to see my angel.” He was quite close to the woman, and he was staring at her.
“What for?” The Valkyrie appeared to be intimidated. The trick was working.
“Because I’m desperately in need of help. I have won important things for myself, but I am going to destroy them, because I tell myself that they have lost their meaning. I know it’s not true. I know they are still important, and that if I destroy them, I’ll be destroying myself, as well.”
He maintained a neutral tone of voice, showing no emotion.
“When I learned that channeling was all that was needed in order to speak with my angel, I lost interest. It was no longer a challenge, but rather something I knew very well. I realized that my path to magic was about to end; the unknown was becoming too familiar to me.”
Chris was shocked: Why was he making this confession in such a public place, in front of people whom he had never seen before?
“In order to continue along my path, I need something more,” he finished. “I need mountains that are taller and taller.”
The Valkyrie said nothing for a moment.
“If I teach you how to see your angel,” she said, “your desire to seek out taller and taller mountains may disappear. And that’s not always a good thing.”
“No, that will never disappear,” Paulo replied. “What will vanish is the idea that the mountains I’ve conquered are too small. I will be able to keep alive my love for what I’ve accomplished. That’s what my master was trying to say to me.”
Maybe he’s talking about our marriage, too,
Chris thought.
The Valkyrie held out her hand to Paulo.
“My name is M.,” she
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