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Where Angels Fear To Tread! Part One
An action-romance. Written by Allan Jon Kretzmar, JD 2
UNEXPECTED ANGEL Heaven between her legs On a motorbike She enforces the karma Of the afterlife This lady has style She will redeem you with her smile With a toss of her hair She captures my gaze No need for words I understand her ways So in tune with the truth She will always find the proof Her leather boots have stiletto heels That have punctured their way into my heart The rings that she wears Are symbols that she plays a part She controls our destiny A new marauder for you and me I see her on the horizon She is coming for you To help you through the night A witness to everything that you do There is nothing that she does not know Look inside, are you friend or foe
----Chris Steven Young
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The Danube River 1942 The German submarine carrying the Golden Calf sunk in the waters of the Danube River. Hitler was furious, and his rages lasted for days. Only his closest confidants knew why he was so angry. The generals were unsure. Hitler knew the significance of the loss. He had the Golden Calf in his hands, and by losing the calf the dark powers he was able to unleash on the world would now surely wane.
The balance of power indeed did tilt. The battle of Stalingrad was about to begin. Despite Hitler’s constant cajoling, and the dredging of the river, the submarine was never located. The quagmire at Stalingrad turned the tide of war against the Third Reich.
Two confidants in long leather black overcoats leave the Fuhrer’s bunker.
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“There is nothing we can do now. The calf will remain undetected for who knows how long.”
“That is so,” the other responded, “victory has been snatched from our hands. Watch and see.”
“Now I fear you are right. The tide will now turn against us.”
Recently the submarine was located in the river by a small fishing boat. The submarine had drifted from its place of rest, and as a dare, the fisherman decided to dive and see what they can find. After a few diving excursions, the Golden Calf statue was located, and shielded from view. The fisherman were unsure of what the significance of their find was, other than that it must have been worth a great deal of money in gold value alone. They thought it might have been one of the looted art treasures.
“There is a Middle Eastern prince that I know will be very interested in this,” the first diver said.
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“Agreed then, we shall see what we can reach for it. What else did you find down there?”
“Not much, some papers, and some uniforms. What should we do with those?”
“Burn them, we don’t need them! This golden statue should bring in a lot of money for us.”
Iraq: “Old Mesopotamia” The underground storage bunker had been used to store a variety of armaments that the Saddam regime intended to spirit away. In the course of discovery and exploration, a dugout was discovered. Varieties of long-range missiles were detected, but none with the payloads that would have threatened biological warfare.
“Sergeant! What are our orders?”
“We have to blow up the storage. The weapons are unstable and can explode at any moment. Get on with it!” 6
The storage facility was sealed, and the munitions exploded with a gigantic explosion that could be heard from miles away. But the igniting of the munitions did something else. It blew a hole into a fortified wall deep below the surface, and churned the sand. It the course of this, a small black metal case was sent close to the surface.
Amish and his brother were playing in the area when they heard the explosion.
“I am sure that there are things we can find and use,” he told his brother, “let us return after dark when the Americans are looking elsewhere. There may be military stuff we can resell.”
His brother nodded eagerly. That night, after 10 PM, the brothers found after sifting through the sand the small black metal box, and brought it home.
Their father prized the locket off the front of it, and inside was an oxidized object, wrapped in tattered fabric. Mahmoud rubbed the object with
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the fabric of his shirt, and a dull luster reappeared. The object turned out to be a goblet, probably made of some metal, with some pieces of colored stones embedded in it.
“Look! Saddam eat and drank well while we suffered.” Mahmoud looked at his boys, “You will get extra rations tonight of goat meat, and I will double you allowances. You have done well for the family. I am sure we can sell this for a pretty penny,” he said, rubbing the goblet further.
The more he rubbed, the brighter it shone. Soon with his constant rubbing, a beautiful gold color emerged, and the rubies and emeralds that decorated the goblet sparkled in the candlelight.
The goblet had lain undetected for five hundred years.
The following day there was a raid on Mahmoud’s house by the Americans looking for insurgents, and the statue was located in the search.
A young marine decided that this goblet would make a great conversation piece -- something that he brought back to Indiana from his stint
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in Iraq – but his transport struck a mine. Among the charred wreckage and remains, the goblet was discovered. The Humvee had been totally destroyed, but the goblet survived intact. It was discovered when the troops examined the wreckage.
The goblet was eventually sent to Washington DC, then sent to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to the Army Chaplain familiar with artifacts and heirlooms.
The CIA had discovered this goblet among items that were returned with the bodies to the United States, and thought its discovery significant enough to request that it be further identified. The Chaplain consulted on a whim his King James Illustrated Bible. An goblet similar the one discovered showed up under a discussion of artifacts that had special historical significance!
The CIA was also picking up a lot of email activity with regard to a sudden interest among some shadowy characters regarding golden artifacts, one of which was a calf. There was also heightened interest in a gold goblet. It was thought that it was best to find out why there such interest all of a sudden
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in these items, especially among groups known to be hostile to the United States. If there was a threat coming to the fore, it was best to be proactive. 911 had taught the CIA an important lesson in the need to watch for signs, and interpret them before they metastasized into a cancerous threat, with very dire consequences.
The Chaplain had a very high security clearance, and knew that it might be necessary to call in some very special help at this juncture. He had a friend who spoke highly of a pair of paranormal investigators that were operating in Southern California, and he thought that the time had come to solicit their help, provided that he could get for them the security clearances needed. A few phone calls were placed. He believed that the goblet was of an earlier vintage than Saddam, and if he was right in his conclusions, he believed that its significance would be significant.
He ordered a battery of photographs be taken to document and authenticate the piece, and under heavy security the goblet was sent to a store in London, which was in fact a front for the CIA. The goblet was placed in the store under high security, and the storeowner was going to let it be known in select channels that this goblet had been located.
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The CIA wanted to find out who might be interested in such a goblet, and why. Only a few days after the goblet was sent to the store and placed in a huge safe, the store was blown up. From surveillance cameras, it was detected that a man with a silver pony tail, dark glasses, and a long black leather coat had been seen leaving the store with a package under his arm. The goblet was gone.
Whomever wanted it, knew of its existence even before any announcement was made about its location. The CIA suspected an internal leak existed, but less than five people knew of its discovery, including the President of the United States.
The Chaplain then placed a call to Zara Jane in California. He did not know that she was an Angel, but he was sure that her paranormal investigative gifts may well come to be prized in this case. He heard that she was also teamed up with an ex-trial lawyer, and thought their blend of talents may come in handy. Just in case. So he placed a non-traceable secure-line call to Paradise Paranormal Investigations, Inc., and reached Zara Jane. It was 3:33 PM.
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Beverly Hills, California Zara Jane was about to step out the door when the Chaplain’s call came through on her cell. The voice was muffled. “I am sorry,” she said juggling everything she was carrying in her hands, “can I call you back when I am in the car?”
The man spoke, identified himself, and said, “I am on a secured nontraceable line. I have to talk to you now.”
She nodded, “OK, I understand, then if I can’t call you back let me get my phone plugged into the car, and we can talk while I drive to my appointment.” On the drive, she listened with ever-increasing interest.
That evening, as she was preparing dinner with Jake in the kitchen, she told him about her conversation with the CIA Chaplain earlier that day.
“Can you cut the celery smaller, honey?” she asked, “so we can throw it into the salad. I have roasted the walnuts and put some honey over them. The pasta should be ready in five.” 12
“OK, so what happened? Talk, woman!”
“Well, partner, we may have our next case. But it looks like we have to start with a meeting in London!”
“You’re kidding?” he chopped and chewed on a stick of celery, dipped in a light Roquefort cheese dressing. “I have to check my schedule – you know how busy I am with meetings next week!”
She slapped him good naturedly on the shoulder, “Yes you have to meet with the pool man, then you have to meet with the gardener to change his scheduled time.”
“My Angel, I will have you know that I have much more pressing matters that require my attention than those to which you alluded to.”
She walked up to him, and hugged him.
“Careful, my Angel, I have a sharp blade here!”
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“Ooh. How exciting! A hint of danger, no less.”
He hugged her, still holding the long cutting knife, when he noticed that she had dyed her hair jet black.
“Oh my God! I just noticed, your hair – you changed the color!”
“Wow, how observant you are! I colored it yesterday. In fact, we have been in the kitchen for two hours already and you never noticed!”
“Oops. Don’t hate me for it. I had a lot on my mind.”
“Anyway, a dossier is on its way to us, and we are supposed to study this on the plane -- on the way to London!”
“British Airways to London? I like British Airways.”
“No, this must be more important,” she smiled, “they are sending us there in a private Gulfstream jet! Hang around with me, baby!”
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“I’m hanging, I’m hanging! Who are we working for?”
“If you tell anyone, they will kill us, well, you actually, not me.”
“That’s that old joke, right?”
“No, not this time. We are working for the United States government – the CIA in fact!”
“You are shitting me!”
“Watch your language – and that is what I am saying. Not bad for our second case, huh?”
She held up a wine glass. “To successful endeavors.”
He clinked glasses, “To very successful endeavors!” and gave her a kiss on the lips, “They don’t know who they have working for them. We could be the secret weapon.”
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“My honey, they would not be calling us if they were not in some kind of trouble, believe me. This is bigger than the government can handle, and they need our help.”
“Goody, goody, I can scarcely wait!”
LONDON, ENGLAND
The next day, they were taken to a private section of the airport, transported there in a long black limousine. On the way, Zara Jane and Jake flipped through their file folders. The volumous folders contained a variety of photographs, communiqués, and emails that had been intercepted and translated. There was heightened interest by shadowy figures in some golden artifacts that the CIA was worrying enough had sufficient significance to garner further attention and investigation. It might be nothing, but the volume equaled and surpassed the emails that were traced before the 911 attacks. Jake and Zara Jane were both dressed in business attire. He wore a grey pin-striped suit and lizard-skin Gucci shoes. She was wearing a Chanel black business suit with black stockings, black pointed shoes, and a form-fitting crisp white shirt,
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over which she wore a black suit jacket, her hair in a signature ponytail. She pored some coffee, then she looked up.
“Hmm,” she said finally, resting her eyes.
“What?” he said, “My love, I still have to get used to you with black hair. Please give me two days notice before you change your hair color completely! Just so that I can prepare for the mental and emotional adjustment this engenders.”
“Yeah, right! Anyway, this is not making sense. The apparent interest is in both gold artifacts. The goblet and the calf. They reference both in the emails. Strange.”
The Gulfstream jet was still sitting on the tarmac with its engines running when their limousine pulled up. There was an almost palpable sense of urgency here. Whatever was happening, was happening fast.
The wood paneled plane was sumptuous. On the side of the plane was stenciled, “Strategic Global Alliances, Inc.” Probably a defense contractor,
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Jake thought, or a CIA cover company. He settled back into the rich creamcolored leather seats, and accepted a blanket from the man in a navy blue business suit. Zara Jane kicked off her shoes, leaned back, and took a blanket too. The sun was about to set.
“I am Roger Graves with the American Consulate in London. I will be accompanying you on your voyage tonight. Let me know if there is anything I can get you.”
They looked around, they were the only passengers. The door closed, and the jet thundered down the runway. Soon their were airborne, and enroute to their as yet undetermined destination.
When they were in flight, Mr. Graves was pleased to present his two plane companions with lobster and white wine, followed by a selection of cheeses and crackers. It was a great meal, and Jake enjoyed the service as well.
“I think we should fly SGA Airlines again, if only for the quality of the cuisine. I loved the lobster with the drawn butter and lemon juice. Yum!” Jake joked as Mr. Graves cleared their plates, but their host did not crack a smile.
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“And the service, of course!” Jake added. Still no response from Mr. Graves. I wonder if he is actually alive, Jake thought.
The rest of the flight was uneventful, and when they arrived in London, it was a cold and dark day. It was raining heavily, and thankfully the waiting Consular car was nearby. Zara Jane and Jake stepped into the car, and their luggage was placed in the trunk by the ever attentive Mr. Graves.
Mr. Graves sat on the passenger side of the car, and turned to his travelers, “We will drop you off at the Hotel. It is a five-star, you will like it! Then I have been asked to come and pick you up again in two hours. Hope that is OK with you both. Just that time is of the essence. I hope you understand.”
Jake looked at Zara Jane, who shrugged, “We are in your hands, as it were.”
A quick shower, time to change, and their car was waiting again. Their second adventure was about to unfold. Paradise Paranormal Investigations,
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Inc. was open for business. But they did not know what that business was going to be, yet, or where it would take them.
The rain and the sleet was unrelenting as their car made its way to a grey building. Mr. Graves issued them badges, and they slung their ID’s over their attire.
They drove to an unimposing office building without any identifiable markings. They were led through a labyrinth of corridors. Finally sat down in front of a room full of people. The Chaplain who had originally contacted Zara Jane was there.
“Hi, I am Chaplain Hank Kennerly, and we spoke over the phone.” He extended his hand in welcome. “Zara Jane, Jake, wonderful to meet you. Sorry for the rush, but the matters at hand are pressing.” After a round of names, introductions, and handshakes, he turned on the overhead projector. “Let’s get down to it, shall we?”
What followed was a run-down of a variety of art dealers and shady characters that seemed particularly interested in both the calf, and the goblet.
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All the indicators were there that the golden artifacts were being tracked from the Middle East, and that money was no object in securing their retrieval.
After some minutes, the lights were turned back on again, and they looked at Zara Jane, “What do you think?”
“It is hard to say yet without some real research. I have a feeling that there is a very powerful energy that is being sought through the combination of the artifacts. The energy is neither positive, nor negative, in and of itself – I think that is important for me to mention that.” She paused, to make sure her message was being absorbed. “This means that whomever gets the artifacts together and combines their usage can make both very positive and well as very negative usage of the energies that will be unleashed.”
The men in the room looked at each other in dismay. “We found out that the Golden Calf had been used by Hitler and the Germans during the Second World War! That was negative, no?”
Zara Jane nodded, “Yes indeed, but remember that he only had at his disposal the Golden Calf, and gentlemen, and lady,” she looked at the people
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in the room, “Imagine now if the powers of the Calf, and the powers of the goblet, could be combined!”
The look on the faces around the room told their story.
“We had the goblet in our hands!”
“What happened to it?”
“We were trying to smoke out who might be terrorists in the future, we put the goblet in a safe house in London. That was blown up and the Goblet taken.”
A picture of the silver-haired man was projected on the screen.
“Gustavo!” Zara Jane yelled out unexpectedly.
“No, his name is Carmen Castaneda, a particularly offensive character - a South American hit man that lives in Bogotá, we identified him.”
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“His name is immaterial in this lifetime. He is Gustavo, and he is in fact an Angel that fell from Heaven. He was one of the Archangels, known by many names, but Gustavo is the name that was transferred onto him this time around, as it were. I would recognize him anywhere. Moreover, all I can tell you is that if he is involved, he is playing for a massive bounty. No amount of money can buy him off, and there is nothing that can stop him. If he took the Holy Grail, you can pretty much rest assured that he is after the Calf as well, and if he is after both, there must be some massive payoff that gets him involved.”
There was consternation in the room.
The Chaplain was the first to speak, “Are you sure?” You think Carmen, or Gustavo, is one of God’s fallen Angels?
“All the way I am sure. If he is involved, no bullet can kill him either. He cannot be stopped, not can he be deviated from his purpose. I can only tell you that there are very demonic forces at play here!”
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She started to rub her suit jacket, then unbuttoned her wrist button, and folded her left suit jacket arm up, “Look,” she said, pointing to her skin, “I am getting goose-bumps. Confirmation! I am right.”
The room was quiet. Jake finally blurted out, “Wow, scientific confirmation! Good thing that you called in Paradise Paranormal Investigations, no?”
Zara Jane looked at Jake with a quizzical look, and then smiled, “This was not what you were expecting, right? What did you think you were dealing with?”
A large man with a ruddy face, and many medals, responded, “I am the military attaché, Hank Connelly, and we thought a terrorist group was planning on securing these items so that they could raise money for their terrorist plot. We thought we could find out who they were and flush them out. All the emails are emanating from the Middle East. But it looks like now the power lies in the objects themselves.”
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“Exactly!” Zara Jane responded, “Gustavo is one of the craftiest out there, he is an Angel after all, and was in fact a ‘chosen’ Angel before his descent into disfavor. This means that his powers are significant. He is wily and unpredictable, as well as merciless to the extreme.”
Chaplain Kennerly interjected, “But why, and why now? Why is he making his appearance now? Wasn’t he dormant for years? I mean has any Angel, fallen or not, been out there in the media in recent years? I think not.” He shook his head, “And why does he need the Calf and the Goblet?”
Zara Jane thought a moment, and then her yellow-brown eyes flashed, “I don’t know the answer yet. It is either to give him additional powers, although he already has significant amounts at his disposal, or he is thinking of giving them to someone else, and whom that might be I also don’t know yet. Jake and I will do what we can. What do you want to do next?”
The military man then asked for a few minutes, conferred with the people in the room, and Zara Jane and Jake were asked to step outside. There appeared to be a heated conversation.
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“You sure about the Gustavo stuff?” Jake asked her.
“Sweetie, why would they call us unless this was some powerful stuff that they are dealing with, no? I think this is bigger than they know how to deal with. I am their only hope as an Angel, although they just think we can do paranormal investigations. Anyway, there are no missiles or weapons that they can launch against this Gustavo guy that would have a snowball’s hope!”
“The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up on end.”
“Good,” she said, “nice fashion statement!”
“Are you ever serious?”
“Always. I think we are dealing with Angels turning to Devils, and back again. Gustavo is a formidable enemy. This is the classic battle of good against evil. If he figures out we are on his trail, all hell will literally break loose!” She stopped, “Oh look, they want us back inside again!”
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They were ushered into the room, and the mood was somber. The military man spoke, “The President of the United States is here on an official visit and will be meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace tomorrow afternoon. We would like you to meet with them. Brief them with what you think is going on. We have all agreed on this course of action.”
Zara Jane and Jake were stunned. He continued, “I can tell you we are having a hard time believing your analysis, but I told the group if there is even a ten percent chance that you are right, that is a possibility greater than we wish to entertain.”
Buckingham Place England: The Following Afternoon
The Palace was opulent and spacious, and Zara Jane and Jake sat nervously awaiting the arrival of the Queen and England and The President of the United States. “Now, I am supposed to curtsey, and you bow for the Queen, Jake, and we both can shake the hand of the President, right?”
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Jake nodded, “Yes, the protocol is pretty established over hundreds of years.”
“Yes, I remember,” she laughed, “Henry the Eighth was interested in me, lucky for me I got away, right. He was only too happy to hold my hand.”
“You are joking! I know you are.”
“Think what you like.” They were interrupted when the door opened, and Jake jumped up, holding out his hand to greet the Queen of England.
“Jake,” Zara Jane scolded him, “Bow!” Then the President of the United States entered the room, and she curtseyed! “Zara Jane!” Jake retorted, she held a delicate hand up to her mouth, and they both laughed.
Introductions were finally made, and decorum was abandoned and handshakes followed. The Queen even smiled, holding out a gloved hand to both Zara Jane and Jake. The President had a strong handshake.
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“Let’s us all be seated,” said the President, and the aides were dismissed, but not before tea and crumpets with clotted cream were served.
Jake was impressed with how tall the President was, and how gently persuasive he was in the meeting. He wanted to make sure that all were at ease, “I invited the Queen to listen into our conversation as I believe that we will, if what you say is true, have to make a concerted and comprehensive plan to counter whatever it is that we may be facing.”
He appeared to be picking his words carefully, with deliberate and careful emphasis. He conveyed a sense of restrained power and intellect, and Zara Jane was impressed. She felt that she could find in him a interested and believing man. He was sitting back, relaxed, with one leg resting over the other. He had unbuttoned his suit jacket. He folded his hands in his waist.
“I believe,” she started, “that we face a peril unparalleled.” She picked her words carefully. The Queen leaned in closer to get a better listen, and she continued.
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“I was called in on this case because I have some special powers,” she started slowly, “one’s that can counteract those against which may be leveled at us. The artifacts that have been lost and sought to be recovered are the Golden Calf from the days of Moses, and the Holy Grail, the wine goblet supposedly used at the last supper with Jesus and his desciples.” She stopped to let this message sink in.
“The man seeking their retrieval is not a man – Gustavo was an Angel before his fall – and he is apparently seeking the objects. He has not been seen of heard from in centuries. Now he is back in play, as it were, it means that the stakes are about as high as they could possibly be.”
The President weighed the message, then leaned forward, “Let me see if I understand you, just for clarification. You are saying, and I remember this from Sunday Church sermons,” he smiled, “that Gustavo has been freed to find these objects? I mean is that what you are saying?”
Jake looked at Zara Jane. He was not sure what to do, so he nodded, and responded, “It appears that the Golden Calf had been in the hands of Hitler until he lost it, and the Holy Grail was apparently sought and found by
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the Knights Templar during the Middle Ages to give them powers in their crusades to make religious travelers safe.”
“The combination,” Jake looked at Zara Jane for confirmation, “we think may allow negative powers to be combined? Right, Zara Jane?”
“Yes.”
The President held Jake in his stare, then turned to Zara Jane.
“Let me reiterate our position, if I may,” she smiled at Jake, “he loves it when I use legal words. Sorry, private joke!” The President and the Queen looked at her with intensity, “The most important thing to remember is that power in and of itself is not negative or positive. Gustavo was an Angel, an Archangel, before his fall. His powers were white before they became black, as it were. Same here, the powers emanating from the golden objects are neither positive, not negative, their use and application makes them negative. With the Calf, the understanding was that the Golden Calf was smelted by Aaron from gold that the Israelites took from Egypt. There is even a modern day interpretation that there was not just one calf, but there may in fact have
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been two. The lore was that when Moses saw the Golden Calf he became so enraged, that he threw down the tablets upon which God’s law had been written and they shattered. He then smelted the Golden Calf, ground it into powder, scattered it into the waters, and forced the Israelites to drink it! However, if there were indeed two calves of gold that Aaron smelted, then one of them survived. This one we are chasing.”
“How does the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar fit into this,” the Queen enquired.
“Well, the Holy Grail was the cup that it is said Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, and thus of course said to possess miraculous and wonderful powers, its legend interwoven with myth all through the ages. The myth that gained the greatest traction and belief was attributed to the Knight’s Templar when they were at the peak of their influence in the 12th and 13th centuries. The monks of Montserrat in Spain are said to have possessed it for a while, but that it was obtained during the Crusades after the fall of Napoleon III. There is even one legend that says it made its way in the 19th Century to the United States, and was kept under great secrecy in a small abbey. Supposedly, the emerald in the goblet has already been substituted with a piece of green
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cut glass. These are the mysteries of the blessed cup, or goblet, but the one continuing golden thread that runs through the myth as it were, is that it’s powers while available to all, can only be utilized by one who has prepared themselves spiritually, for it is a symbol of God’s good grace.”
“And the Knights?” the Queen asked.
“Oh,” Zara Jane laughed, “they were the fighting units of the Crusades, and their folklore is weaved in with the Grail as well. They were the advance units, they had a far-flung list of duties, from maintaining the financial structures of the Church, to import and export and the managing of vineyards. They created banking, essentially safeguarding a pilgrim’s possessions when they journeyed to the Holy Land. They were officially disbanded in 1312, although rumor persists that they went underground -- along with their massive financial resources -- that is in fact where the name “Temple’ comes from.”
She paused, sipped some tea, then continued. “There is a 400-year gap from their Templar’s disbanding in the 14th Century to references of their resurgence in the 18th. There is much speculation still that the early occupation by the Knight’s of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem led to their
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discovery of the Holy Grail there, and they may have been in possession of the surviving Golden Calf then as well. The mystery of the Templers and the Holy Grail are intertwined throughout history. There is even a belief that they practiced witchcraft, and some said that they even worshipped the Golden Calf. But I think that just may be just rumor given the fact that they had well established rituals already.”
“So the Calf and the Grail are meshed only in folklore?” The Queen asked.
The President stood up, “Do you mind if I take off my jacket, it is getting awfully hot in here!” The Queen nodded, and removing her pink gloves. “So the powers are not negative,” the President pondered, “just the hands into which they fall changes its application?”
Zara Jane nodded. Jake followed suit.
“Then it is decided! We have to track and retrieve both objects and put those in the dominion and control of the United States of America!” He paused, “If the Queen agrees?”
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The Queen looked up at the President, and then at Zara Jane and Jake, “We have probably the foremost expert in Middle Eastern affairs at the British Museum. He is a man of advancing age, but,” she said conspiratorially, “there is even rumor that he is a Druid! If we are to fight this battle, don’t you think you should have all the powers at your disposal?”
The President nodded, “Yes, you will have all the resources that you need from our side. If what you say is true, we cannot allow these objects to fall into the wrong hands. We need to make sure we get them, I mean, that you get them back for us.”
The Queen got up slowly, and then went over to her desk in the spacious room. She picked up the phone, made a quick call, and then returned to her guests. “I set up a meeting with Professor Roger Arcana at the British Museum. You will find him in the Egyptian section. Great exhibit, by the way, take it in while you are here.”
The President held out a piece of paper, “This is my private cell phone, one that I carry with me at all times. Whatever you need from my
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government is at your disposal. Money is no object, as you can imagine, just see what you can do to secure these items. It looks like more is riding upon their retrieval than we even expected.”
“Or suspected,” said the Queen, “so nice to meet you, Jake.” Then she turned out to Zara Jane, “What an Angel you are, my dear.”
“Yes, I am,” Zara Jane said shyly. She then put her arm in Jake’s. “By the way,” she said coyly, “Happy birthday, Mister President!”
“Why, thank you, my wife and I are going to celebrate the occasion at an official dinner tonight here at the Palace. You know what I want for my birthday presents, don’t you?”
“Let me guess, some golden artifacts?”
Jake and Zara Jane were quietly ushered out of the Palace, and into the waiting limousine.
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As they were driving back to their hotel, Zara Jane turned to Jake, and said, “Did you get the same impression that I did, Jake?”
“What was that?”
“The President really wants to get the objects back for the United States. I mean Jake, why just the United States? This belongs to the World.”
Jake looked at her with some alarm, and leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, and when he was an inch from her face, whispered with vehemence, “This limo is bugged! Don’t say anything more about that. Not
now!”
He leaned back, and winked, “If it is in the hands of the United States, then it is for the world, my dear.” He slowly brought his right index finger up to his lips, indicating silence. Zara Jane’s eyes flashed like yellow-brown diamonds, then the spark subdued itself. There were still some aspects of
realpolitik that she still needed to learn.
“Hey! Guess what?”
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“What?”
“It seems the Queen is into Druids, fancy that!”
“Who knew?”
“Exactly! Who knew.” There was a lot about the supernatural that Jake needed to find out about.
“Can you believe we met the President?”
“And the Queen?”
Mr. Graves opened the small black smoked-glass window of the limousine. “Well, how did it go?”
“Like a house on fire! There is something to be said for tea and scones with the Queen. I loved that clotted cream and that butter. Yum!” He paused, “The pres is a pretty cool dude, too!”
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Zara Jane looked at Jake as if he had gone mad. He patted her on the thigh, and smiled at her. Then he winked, ever so slightly.
“I am driving you to the British Museum tomorrow afternoon. Oh, I was supposed to give you these,” he reached a hand through the window. Jake examined two black American Express Black cards, with their names imprinted on the metal.
“Nice!” he yelped, “I always wanted one of these,” he said, handing hers to Zara Jane.
Mr. Graves nodded, “Limitless! You lucky pups. They must really like you up there. Don’t go buy a jet though!”
“We got the President’s cell phone number, too!” Zara Jane blurted out.
“No shit? He must really like you! I don’t even have it!”
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“Yes shit! We did!”
Jake seethed under his breath, “What did I tell you?”
“We are at your Hotel. See you tomorrow at two. Sharp! Try out those black Amex cards!”
“We may also try the President’s cell phone as well. Just to make sure it works!” Zara Jane winked.
Jake turned to Zara Jane as they got out of the limousine, “You are incorrigible!”
“Unstoppable too!” She laughed, and strode out ahead of him with her long legs, out of the rain. She looked over her shoulder, “Lighten up, Jake!”
Jake muttered to himself as he stepped into an ankle-deep puddle, “Fuck! That’s all I needed. My suit is ruined.”
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He caught up with her in the lobby. He was dripping rainwater from his wet pants.
“You are leaking,” she laughed hysterically.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You!” she pointed to the water trail, “Gustavo can follow you now easily. Watch out!”
“Very funny,” he growled, “You have a strange sense of humor.”
“Well,” she howled, “I picked you, didn’t I?”
Harrods of London
Zara Jane and Jake had heard of Harrods of London, but both could not have foreseen the array of clothing that awaited him, and the cosmetics that awaited her.
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“I wonder if we are supposed to test these Amex cards?” Jake asked her.
“They are metal, let’s see if we can dent them.”
“You mean do some damage?”
“Yes. Business-related of course.”
“But of course.”
They had barely enough time to make their way back to the Hotel, shower, when the room phone buzzed.
“Limousine downstairs!” Jake announced, “That Mr. Graves is appropriately named. He gives me the creeps.”
“Why?”
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“Dunno. Just his manner. Always taking mental notes. Like he is sizing me up all the time, I can’t place my finger on it.”
They were ready, so they went downstairs. The weather was miserable.
“Hi there,” Mr. Graves welcomed them into the limousine, holding open the door for Zara Jane, and then closing it just when Jake approached.
“Thanks a lot,” Jake said angrily.
He opened the door himself, then slid next to Zara Jane in the plush seat. He looked at her still angered, “Did you see what he just did?”
“He is testing you. Don’t be a baby.”
“He has the hots for you,” Jake muttered.
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“That’s what I mean about you being a baby! Get over it!”
The British Museum boats the world’s largest collection of Egyptian artifacts, however Professor Arcana seemed to be older than the artifacts themselves. They were ushered into his office. Books weighed down the shelves, and there were a few places where the books had won. Dust hung think and heavy everywhere, and they were not sure if the Professor was even in the room, until a voice rose from behind a mound of papers on the desk.
Professor Arcana had a jovial face, and was taller than they could first surmise. He had a ruddy complexion, and held out a wizened welcoming hand, “Sit, sit! Can I get you some tea? Elizabeth and I go back years and years?” They shook hands, carefully.
“The Queen?”
“Elizabeth. Oops, yes, Her Royal Highness. Did not expect her call yesterday afternoon. She said there were a couple of American travelers that I needed to meet. What’s all this about? I ordered us tea and scones.”
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“Gustavo!” said Zara Jane.
“Oh dear, I thought we were done with him! What else?”
“He is after the Golden Calf!” Jake volunteered.
“Oh, no!”
“And the Goblet, the Holy Grail!” Zara Jane indicated.
“Oh, dear! How do you know this?”
“He has the Goblet it seems already. I suspect the Calf is next on his list. Why?”
“You said you wanted tea?” The Professor stopped as there was a knock at the door, and a portly woman appeared with a tray upon which were places cups of hot tea and scones with clotted cream, and dollops of orange preserves.
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“Wow, tea is the drink of choice here?”
“Want some medicine in yours, Jake?” he asked, pulling out a glass bottle from his pocket.
“What is that?” Zara Jane asked.
“Magical elixir!” He said with a smile. She shook her head, but Jake nodded. Enthusiastically the Professor poured the liquid into his and Jake’s cups. “Try it!” He unsteadily handed the rattling cup and saucer over, “I may not have poured enough medicinal elixir, if you follow.”
Jake took one sip, then coughed and spluttered, “Wow, what is that?”
“Oh, an old family recipe,” he said, replacing a cork on the bottle, and popping the bottle back into his pocket. “Guaranteed to cure every ache, and every pain, I might add!”
Zara Jane gave a disapproving look at the men in the room, then continued, “What is Gustavo doing, do you think?”
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“Well,” the Professor took a large gulp of tea, “many, many possible reasons. Remember that the Knight’s Templar formed a secret organization to protect and serve humanity against what were perceived to be the threats of the time, and protect the pilgrims on their way to worship. Later the organization then, still rooted in secrecy, maintained it’s original purpose, but the stakes are higher now, if what you are telling me is true. You are going to need some help, and some possible, may I say it, spells?”
“Just no more of that elixir,” Jake blurted out, “I can still feel where that sip burnt a hole in the back of my throat.”
The Professor laughed, and searched around for a book in his cabinet. “It is here,” he blew dust off a book, causing Zara Jane to cough. “Oh, no, it would be in my safe, of that I am sure.”
He turned and walked over to the bookshelf, and then removed a book from the clutter. Then more books fell, until a brick wall was revealed. He tugged at a door, and a safe door appeared. He inserted an old key, and the door opened to reveal a mess of papers and booklets. “Ah, here,” he handed
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Jake a leather bound booklet, “You need to get up to speed with some of the metal powers that you will need, and fast too, my boy! This book will help you – give me your hand.”
Jake held his hand out, but pulled it back in pain when the Professor shoved a pin into his palm, extracting it quickly. “What the hell?” Jake asked.
“Easy, my boy! I need to ‘key’ this book to your DNA.” The pin was inserted into the spine of the book, then extracted. Zara Jane had a wicked smile, and turned to Jake, “Don’t be a baby, remember?”
“We need to make sure,” the Professor fanned the pages of the book, filled with graphs and writing, “since this is a Druid’s handbook, that no-one else can use it! No price tag or value can be attached to this!” he handed the book gently to Jake, “It can even bring love into your life!”
“I found true love already!” Jake patted Zara Jane on the thigh affectionately.
“I am an . . .” Zara Jane started to speak.
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“I know who, or should I say what you are! I may be old, but you cannot fool an old Druid. I have been advising the Queen for the past fifty years, and her father and mother before that!” He turned to Jake, “You must be a very special man for her to have done what she had to do to be with you!”
“I know,” he said.
“He does, I promise.” she replied, and held Jake’s hand, which he took appreciatively.
The Professor held up his hands, “OK, then skip the love section. Actually,” he thought for a moment, “you could try the incantation for ‘Heightened Love’ on page 137. But, oh goodness, watch out for the effects. Love will bloom like a rose in June! Anyway, where were we?”
“Gustavo!” Zara Jane reminded him.
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“Oh goodness, he is relentless an adversary. If he has the Golden Goblet, he will be double his powers, and with the Golden Calf, he can pass them along to others, making them truly dangerous in the process. I mean that, he can grant humans powers previously unbeknownst to us, and this will literally cause men to go stark raving mad! Oh, my dear me.”
“What do I do with this handbook,” Jake asked, beginning to read the chapter headings, “Wow, ‘Manifesting Material Success,’ page 56; ‘Remote Object Viewing’ page 82; then ‘Reading Thoughts’ on page 120; ‘Turning Object into Gold,’ page 263. Wow, I am truly honored!”
“Watch, he will be like a child with a new toy!” Zara Jane snickered, “Tell him what he needs to do, why you put his blood into the spine of the book.”
“Oh. yes, yes,” the Professor agreed readily, “My boy, what’s written here?” he pointed to the book he held in his hands, “Open it!” Jake opened the book, revealing the text and diagrams. “Now, hand it to Zara Jane!”
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As Jake handed her the book, slowly the letters receded from the page, finally when she held the book, there was no writing that was visible at all. She flipped through the book, and all of the pages were blank! “You see Jake, this knowledge cannot fall into the wrong hands. The book is now linked to you, for life! Not a bad gift, eh?”
“Follow the advice of your Angel, my boy! She knows! She knows things you cannot even dream of!” The Professor then extracted the pin from the spine of the book, “Signed, sealed, and delivered, my boy!” he voice boomed.
There was a knock on the door. Mr. Graves opened the door. “We have to go!” He handed Jake and Zara Jane a train ticket, “Castaneda has been spotted on a bullet through France. The President wants you both on that train!”
Jake put his ticket in the moleskin book, and placed it in his jacket pocket. It fitted perfectly, Zara Jane placing hers in her purse. She held out a delicately manicured hand with French-tipped white nails to the Professor, who placed a gentle kiss, “Such a pleasure!” He shook hands with Jake, and
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before they knew it they were back in the black limousine, thundering down the road on their way out of London.
“Why the sudden haste?” Jake asked.
“You ever tried to catch up with a bullet train before?”
“No,” Jake shook his head.
“Well, we are driving to the airfield, a helicopter is waiting for you. We will put you on the station ahead of him at Nice.”
“What about our clothes?”
“Already packed! The packages we took the liberty of shipping to Beverly Hills,” Mr. Graves smiled, “Hope that is OK!”
Jake shrugged, and prodded Zara Jane with his elbow, “See what I mean? He gives me the creeps!”
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“Sush!”
“Don’t sush me,” he said, “I am serious, he went through our stuff!”
The Train to Nice, France
The man in the long leather black leather coat peered out of the train window. His gray hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his dark glasses shielded his eyes from view. They startled people that saw them, they were the color of cold gray steel, and were as emotionless. He had a long scar along one cheek, a not so gentle reminder of his fall, and the battle when he was cut by a blade. He had a score that he longed to settle, and now he felt his chance was at hand. All the slights, all the snubs. His fate sealed. His passage back as an Angel blocked for eternity. But he was a ‘reader’ of people, and their emotions, and knew that when the multitudes are lost, they are looking for something to believe in, someone to take them away from their misery, supplication and despair.
He could use these emotions, channel them into a dark force, and swell a tide of resentment. He touched his scar, and knew that he survived so that
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he would have a chance to fight another day. Now that day would soon be on hand.
He sat reading a book in the bar carriage on the train which hurtled down the tracks. It was cold and damp outside, and the snow on the branches bent them to breaking point. Interesting analogy, he thought, multitudes had been strained to their breaking point. This emotion he could garner, and unleash. He had the goblet, and he was on track to find the Calf. The combination would allow him to achieve powers unspeakable, and unleash a revenge for his years spent as an outcast from the Angel community. Revenge would be, if not sweet, at least satisfying.
The train began to reduce speed, and shuddered to a stop at the Nice station. The station conductor announced the arrival of the train in French, and among the throng, a couple boarded the train. He was dressed in a black suit, a black fedora hat on his head. She wore a black veil under her hat, and a long black dress. The carried two suitcases, and found their compartment, and closed the door. They settled in quickly, wishing to avoid detection, they took care to make sure that their faces were not seen.
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“I don’t have a good feeling, Jake, about any of this. Why is he on the train?”
“Hell if I know,” he shook his head, “let me read to use here about ‘Heightened Love’ on page 134.”
“Funny!” She then mimicked the Professor’s distinctive voice, “Skip the love part, my boy!”
“Never,” he said drawing her close, “Never. You are closer to me than my own breath.”
“Yes,” she kissed him, “peppermint breath too. Yum!”
“He is meeting someone on the train, Jake, I bet you anything you like!”
“OK, I bet you your Amex card that he is not meeting anyone on the train. I think he is traveling on the train precisely because it won’t be expected of him to do this. He can fly so why does he need to travel by train?”
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“In human form he has some limitations, like I do, but that does not mean he is any less dangerous. He is more dangerous, because he has to compensate for any weaknesses physicality provides him, you understand?” she brushed her long hair in the train mirror. “Things are moving fast, Jake.”
“Faster than a bullet train?”
“In a manner of speaking. Things have become more black and white, Jake, the grays are gone, if you understand what I mean. The camps are being drawn, and in this weakened condition of planetary pain and economic duress, people will follow anyone who promises them a way out to salvation.”
“Angel, or Demon?”
“Precisely, Angel or Demon.”
“He is doubly dangerous.”
“How so?”
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She put the brush down, twirled her long hair in a bun, and held it in place with a couple of long black hairpin needles.
“He can be appear as an Angel first.”
“A Demon that appears first as an Angel. Quite demonic!”
“Told you, come I will help you with your lesson plan. There are some basics that I can teach you from the book you got, but only you can hold it – deal?”
“Let’s start with those ‘Heightening Love’ lessons. That is a subject area that I need to brush up on.”
“I bet you do, you horny human.”
“The Professor really liked you a lot.”
“What’s not to like, huh?”
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“My sentiment completely. Once in a lifetime a man can meet an Angel, and she can transform his life completely.”
“You and I are going to do great things.”
“We both are. Now let’s explore those love lessons, eh?”
Zara Jane and Jake embraced. He hunted to find the light switch then flicked the light off in their compartment.
A SMUGGLER’S MOON
In the reading room, the man known as Castaneda was making notes in a moleskin book of his own. Gustavo was looking through his Astrological Ephemeris, making calculations regarding upcoming planetary configurations.
With only a few short weeks there would be the smuggler’s moon, which will be a full moon in a blackened sky, a perfect opportunity to begin to bring about the misery and destruction that Gustavo imagined. The more
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people in the world found pain, the more readily they will accept my salvation. Then, he smirked, unable to smile completely because of his scar, old scores would be settled – and his revenge will taste sweet. Gustavo felt good, the Golden Goblet and Golden Calf within reach.
He unfolded a map of the world from his booklet, and made a few more notations and calculations. He then took out a red pen, and drew a circle around Israel and the Middle East. He drew in three exclamation points. Yes, he thought, the conflagration would begin in the Middle East, and would create the seeds for a worldwide catastrophe! Gas would be scarcer than clean water, and would skyrocket in price as its scarcity increased exponentially. The worldwide ripple effects would be fast and tumultuous. He would enter the scene promising a means and a method of stabilization and harmony, and it would not be long afterwards that he would turn, and show his true colors. He would people into the streets, demanding change in their governments that would topple like dominos. Only he would have the power to stop the madness, but the price was his unquestioned power and influence, unchallenged. Only he could control the mobs of men, driven insane and demanding blood. Only he could cork the passions, stop the bloodshed.
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He folded that map back into his booklet, satisfied that he was on course, and placed the booklet back into his leather jacket pocket. His time was now finally at hand. There was no-one who could stop him, no power that could match his, and no chance to rally a response in time to thwart his plans. The real Goblet was in his black leather satchel, close at hand. Once in the South of France, he would be on the yacht that was waiting for him, and from there through the Mediterranean Sea and then onto Israel. He had a counterfeit Israeli passport, which would be stamped “Returning Citizen,� even after all the years he spent out of the country. He could speak any human language with fluency, using all of the right inflections. His paperwork also showed that he was on the way to deliver a speech about migrant worker rights at a conference that would be held in Tel Aviv.
The sparks were about to fly.
The following morning, Zara Jane and Jake set about their reconnaissance through the cabins, trying to spot the silver-haired man in the leather jacket. She was wearing huge designer sunglasses, and he wore a soft suede-leather Fedora hat and small sunglasses, and they both acted as if they were a little tipsy. As they bounced along the corridor from side to side, they
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were looking at the passengers carefully. When they arrived at the restaurant car, Zara Jane gripped Jake’s hand with fervor, “There he is, Jake! Remember our plan!”
Jake saw the silver-haired man, and they locked eyes. Jake never felt himself fearful from just a glance of a man before, but this man was different. He was, after all, not a man at all.
Jake staggered when he entered the railcar, then fell over and onto Gustavo’s lap, who exhaled hot and rancid breaths onto his face. Gustavo tried to push Jake off him, but in the ruckus, Jake fell over him, disorienting him long enough for Zara Jane to grab the satchel under Gustavo’s legs, and run through the cabin. Gustavo sensed something was amiss, and pushed Jake with such force that he was propelled across the cabin, collapsing on the table across the way. Gustavo stood up knocking his sunglasses off, revealing the coldest-steel-gray eyes ever revealed to humans. Jake had looked into his eyes by accident, having to avert his gaze.
Gustavo stood towering over Jake, then yelled, “What are you doing? Do you know who I am?” He then noticed that his leather satchel was gone.
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Angered, he walked up to Jake, and struck him across the face. “You are playing with fire!� He picked up Jake, and hurled him through an open railcar window. Jake felt his body fly through the air, unable to stop or comprehend the kind of power that could have lifted him like rag doll, and flung him with such effortless ease. Jake was fortunate. Even in that moment, the train had rounded a curve, and had slowed down, which meant that the speed with which Jake exited the window was not life threatening.
Additionally, the force with which he was flung meant he landed a sufficient distance from the tracks, and the electrical wires and cables. There were bales of hay that had been stacked on the field, and although he landed hard and it winded him, these soft bales of hay cushioned his fall. He lay on a bale for what seemed like an eternity, until his lungs allowed him to tentatively draw back in a breath of air. When he did, it felt as if his rib cage was about to burst, and each breath hurt. He moved one arm, one leg, then the other, and then realized he was intact -- no bones had been broken. Slowly, he peeled himself off the bale, and surveyed his situation. The clouds hung in the sky like white balls of cotton candy, and the rich soil was soft and brown. He was in the middle of a meadow.
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Gustavo then started after the retreating Zara Jane. She was running through compartment after compartment, looking over her shoulder, running as if the Devil himself was behind her. Their plan was not all that well formulated, but she thought the best laid plans were sometimes those that were unscripted. Better “wing it,” she thought. Now that she had the satchel, she wished she could fly. She hoped that Jake was all right, but there was no way to know in that moment what transpired. She heard Gustavo yell that they were playing with fire. Then she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She wanted to get to the front carriage. A pre-arranged plan with the engine room would allow her to gain entry if she needed it – she and Jake had both been given the digital key cards if ever an emergency required them to find the safest place on the train to hide out at.
Jake had his Druid instruction booklet in his pocket, and he opened the book and read about “Sending Mental Messages,’ page 372. The instructions were simplistic. He was required to sit, think of the thought he wished to convey and its recipient, then hurl them via a “thought ball” through the air, imagining them reaching the recipient, in this case the fleeing Zara Jane.
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He wanted to convey to her that he was all right, that he was off the train, and that she needed to do whatever she could to safeguard her safety. He could not do anything from where he was now. He just hoped that he could somehow or other make his way back to the train station. He was lucky to be alive.
When Zara Jane reached the front drivers cabin, she flashed the digital card that she pulled from her pocket. Gustavo was behind her, and she felt his hand grasp her throat, just as the door light flashed from red to green, and the door opened with a swish. She turned, pulled a hairpin from her hair, and shoved the hairpin into his eye as hard and as fast as she could. She was amazed at her accuracy. The pin found its mark, and he recoiled in horror, holding both hands up to his eye, releasing his grip on her neck. His nails were like talons and her neck bled where he had gripped her in rage. The door of the cabin swooshed closed behind her, and the train driver and engineer looked at her in wide-eyed wonder.
She struggled to catch her breath, “There is a man out there,” she wheezed, “and he wants to kill me. He is insane, and he threw my boyfriend,” she was getting Jake’s message, “out of the train several miles back.” She
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collapsed on a chair, holding her hand up to her neck. There was a loud bang at the door, and scraping sound of what sounded like metal on metal.
“Be careful,” she warned, “he has the strength of twenty men.”
“Who is he?” they asked, frightened.
“My husband! He caught me on the train with my lover – the new man in my life!”
The engineer and the train driver opened their eyes in amazement, repeating her story slowly. “Your husband is outside this compartment. He just threw your boyfriend off the train?” She nodded, and they continued. “So that was all that commotion out there. We saw it on our monitors.”
“You have monitors?”
“Yes.”
“Can we see what is happening outside?”
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“Yes!” They adjusted the camera angles, revealing Gustavo pacing outside the engine room door, running his hands through his long gray hair, rubbing his chain, cussing and cursing.
“How far are we from the next station?”
“About two hours and we will be at our destination.”
“Oh, God. I better place a call. Can you give me our exact coordinates,” she asked the men, who were completely taken off guard. “Quickly,” she said, “we don’t have time to waste. Hop to it!”
“Oh, OK,” one said, “here we are here,” he pointed to the computer screen, “which means longitude is -119.185826400; and latitude is 37.278682500,” he said, scribbling the numbers onto a pad.
Zara Jane called a cell phone number, and spoke frantically into the phone, “Mr. President, I apologize about disturbing you . . . this is Zara Jane . . . you said to call you, no matter the time . . . this is a secure line, right? . . .
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yes, this is urgent . . . Jake and I have the real Goblet . . . I am on a train, I will read to you the coordinates where I am . . . can you scramble a plane from anywhere? Even a helicopter? I will be on the roof of the train . . . yes . . . Gustavo is here . . . I have to get away from him . . . no, Jake is not with me . . . he got thrown off the train, I believe he is OK . . . Gustavo, he is outside . . . I am in the railcar engine room . . . no, until he changes form, he cannot fly . . . OK let me give you the coordinates . . . longitude is -119.185826400 . . . and latitude is 37.278682500 . . . thank you so much . . . sorry about disturbing you . . . yes, I just wanted to give you the news . . . thanks for your help.”
The men looked at her with wide-eyed fear. “Who are you?”
“Look, you can deal with me,” she said, pointing to the screen, “or deal with him.” They shook their heads.
“We deal with you! What do you need?”
“How do I get up to the roof?” The men pointed to a ladder, and pointed to the circular metal entry port.
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“Merci,” she thanked the men, and strapped the satchel over her shoulders, and scrambled up the ladder. The top popped open with a hiss, and she looked around her, scanning the horizon. It was some minutes before a spec on the horizon grew larger, revealing itself to be a helicopter bearing down on the train.
Zara Jane clambered onto the roof on the train, and saw the helicopter at about the same time that Gustavo heard the sound, pulled down a window, and peered upwards.
The helicopter had caught up, and Zara Jane was standing on the roof, waving. Jake was leaning out of the open door, holding out his hands, two men on the helicopter were holding him.
He smiled at her, “Honey, here, give me your hands,” he screamed.
Zara Jane struggled to maintain her balance, almost slipping as the train made a change in course. A whistle blew, up ahead a tunnel loomed.
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“C’mon!” Jake yelled, “Now!”
Zara Jane held up her hands, and felt Jake frantically clutch at her, pulling her up and close to him, finally landing her into the helicopter cabin.
Gustavo scrambled onto the train roof, and pulled at Zara Jane’s boot, which came off in his hands. He did not expect this, and as the boot got pulled off, he lost his balance, and tumbled off the train as the helicopter veered upwards.
Jake held Zara Jane close, then noticed that there was blood on her jumpsuit. “Are you OK?”
“Yes, I stabbed him in the eye!” She looked down at her feet, noticing that she had only one cowboy boot on.
Jake struggled until finally he was able to land her into a seat on the helicopter. Jake introduced the crew. Zara Jane was given a pair of black lace-up Air Force combat boots. “You like?” She asked Jake, pointing to her boots.
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“I like?” He nodded.
“Nice,” she looked at her new footwear, “a little edgy, but nice.”
“Now let’s see what gift Gustavo has given to the world!”
They peered inside the black leather satchel. They looked at the gleaming goblet, and high-fived each other.
“One out of two, Jake, one out of two!”
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To be continued . . .
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Allan Jon Kretzmar Š2011. All rights reserved. All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons living or dead, is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal. First printing.
Poetry by Chris Steven Young. Images by Kane!. Follow further adventures at www.unexpectedANGEL.com. Check out the other Mini-books in the series.
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Forbidden/unexpected Angel The Series: Luck, Love . . . and a Twist of Fate! Other book titles
1. unexpected Angel The novella. A modern-urban love story with a supernatural twist. Angels show up in our lives when we least expect them. Jake Morrison is a bright, young and ambitious attorney hell-bent on achieving his vision of success. But his vision is about to become a nightmare. Zara Jane is a real-live Angel, sent from Heaven above to guide Jake through these pivotal changes in Jake’s life. She ends up working at Jake’s firm and dating him, so that she can watch over him. They fall in love. But Jake rejects the message and her love and his life spirals out of control. As an Angel Zara Jane imparts wisdom and insight for his life and world, and expresses her insight on the road that lies ahead, not only for Jake, but also for humankind as a whole. When Jake takes her words to heart his life goes through a metamorphosis, and he finds himself living his life in a manner that he could not have dreamed of before. KINDLE: unexpected ANGEL. Luck, love . . . and a Twist of Fate! (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EET3M8 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/unexpected-ANGEL/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013028821
2. CUPID’S ARROWS A mini-romance mythological fable, where Zara Jane, Angel, creates a love connection between Mahmoud and Genevieve-Marie at the Palace of Versailles. This is part of her job as an Angel, and one of the more satisfying of her tasks. She takes special care and attention in the pursuit of these activities, and explains in a hilarious interchange with the Love Cherubs the state of affairs connected with helping humans find True Love. This caper involves a tinge of Cupid’s Love Potion #5, 2 cherubs, one Angel, and 2 Cupid’s arrows. KINDLE: Cupid's Arrows (Forbiddem/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDIC1W NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Cupids-Arrows/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013095267
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3. WILD HORSE TALE$ A mini-paranormal-action adventure set in Santa Barbara, California. Zara Jane, Angel, and Jake Morrison, erstwhile-lawyer, form Paradise Paranormal Investigations, Inc. This is the first case for their fledgling company, and they are called in to solve the mystery of racehorses that are dying, almost daily. What they uncover are some unexpected twists and turns. KINDLE: WILD HORSE TALE$ (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDICY4 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/WILD-HORSE-TALE/AllanJon-Kretzmar/e/2940013109575
4. WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD A mini-paranormal-action adventure, that takes Zara Jane, Angel, and Jake Morrison, erstwhile-lawyer, on their second caper under their company, Paradise Paranormal Investigations, Inc., on a worldwide dash to stop the Holy Grail and the Golden Calf falling into the wrong hands, in this case, Gustavo, who is not your ordinary villain. He is a fallen Angel himself, with superpowers too. The CIA and the US government call in the two sleuths to provide investigative help. KINDLE: Where Angels Fear To Tread (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EGQYJG NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/WHERE-ANGELS-FEAR-TOTREAD/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013122901
5. set the world on fire! (CONTINUATION OF “WHERE ANGEL’S FEAR TO TREAD!”) A mini-paranormal-action adventure, that takes Zara Jane, Angel, and Jake Morrison, erstwhile-lawyer, continue on their second caper under their company, Paradise Paranormal Investigations, Inc., on a worldwide dash to stop Gustavo in his tracks. Subject matter includes the Holy Grail, the Golden Calf, and the Knights Templar. KINDLE: Set The World On Fire! (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDKPE4 6. ying-yang love
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A mini-romance. Vickie Ying lives in New York, Christian Yang lives in Hong Kong. They are worlds apart, yes each night respectively in their dreams they connect on a deep soul level that is turning their lives upside down. Their dreams are becoming an obsession, and when they dream they begin to see the other with increasing clarity. The chemistry and tension builds as they wonder if they will ever meet in person. Enter an Angel (Zara Jane) who tries to guide them both, but her message is not immediately recognized or followed. Ying-Yang Love (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDMEBG NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ying-Yang-Love/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013122598
7. ONLY LOVE MATTERS: INTERCEPTION A sweet mini-romance. Katherine Potter lives in London, for years entombed waiting for her husband to return after his military mission failed. She is invited by her nephew Drew to Hawaii. Enter an Angel that intercedes on behalf of Frederick, her husband to save her life, and allow her the chance to find love again. KINDLE: Only Love Matters (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNF28 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/ONLY-LOVEMATTERS/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013122734
8. what yA gonna do when the angel comes? A mini-travel-adventure-romance. Jake Morrison, erstwhile lawyer, is convinced by his friend Dr. Robert Powell to try regression analysis to isolate when and where he and Zara Jane, Angel, really met to better explain their attraction. As the regression continues, Jake discovers that the answers come not only from this lifetime, but to ones that took place well hidden in the past. Jake unlocks the doors to open up new vistas of adventure, and understanding. KINDLE: WHAT YA GONNA DO WHEN THE ANGEL COMES? (Forbidden/unexpected ANGEL) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EOTKOE NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/WHAT-YA-GONNA-DOWHEN-THE-ANGELS-COMES/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013122864
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9. WHEN ANGELS COME HOME TO ROOST (Continuation of “What ya gonna do when the angel comes?” A mini-travel-adventure-romance. A continuation of the regression analysis that Jake is undergoing with his friend, Dr. Robert Powell. Jake finds himself married in this past life to Zara Jane, when a violent storm blows their spice ship off course. Will they survive, and what secrets will be revealed? Stranded on an as-yet-uncharted island they meet Hoppy, a genie, who promises them a way out, with a surprising twist.
10. DEVIL’S ADVOCATE (Continuation of “WHEN ANGELS COME HOME TO ROOST”) A mini-travel-adventure-romance. A continuation of the regression analysis that Jake is undergoing with his friend, Dr. Robert Powell. Jake finds himself married in this past life to Zara Jane, still stranded on an as-yet-uncharted island with Hoppy, the genie who has promised them a way off the island. But is this really what Jake wants? Find out the surprising twist as Jake’s mind plays the devil’s advocate. KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HB9URG NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/DEVILS-ADVOCATE/AllanJon-Kretzmar/e/2940013134041
11. ROBBER BARON (PART ONE) Jake is encouraged by his friend Baron to take up the practice of law again and head up the Loss Mitigation Department at the mighty Trust Bank, headquartered in San Francisco. Jake feels that his name and reputation are about to be misused to further some dark motive that he as yet is unaware of, and he has his misgivings. John Wiley is an attorney representing sympathetic clients as the battle-lines start to get drawn in this modern-day “David and Goliath” zero-sum contest. Jake trusts that whatever the motive behind Baron’s offer, it will somehow be revealed in time to him before damage can be done. Jake realizes this is all a puzzle -- this interplay between light and dark forces -- and that he would need almost a clairvoyant’s skill to separate them in time. KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IDOYQK NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/ROBBER-BARON/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013032323
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12. FORBIDDEN ANGEL: THE POETRY COLLECTION Modern-urban poems. BLOG: http://ForbiddenAngelGirlz.blogspot.com KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HILH16 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/FORBIDDEN-ANGEL/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940012990969
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LovEntwined The Series: Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers Other book titles 13. THE KINGMAKER An undocumented historical mini-romance fable set in 15th Century Great Britain. The throne of King Henry is about to be passed on to one of his three sons, but war with France looms. Enter Princess Isabella, an armor-clad messenger, who meets Prince Richard, and guides him in the greatest adventure of his life. THE KINGMAKER (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNGAO 14. GOING IN FOR THE KILL (CONTINUATION OF “THE KINGMAKER” PART ONE) A 15th Century mini-action-romance adventure fable, where Leopold, the French naval commander, seeks revenge and kidnaps Princess Isabella. Now King, Richard faces dark days as he struggles with the loss of his Queen, and decides to extract revenge of his own with unanticipated consequences. KINDLE: GOING IN FOR THE KILL! Part Deux of THE KINGMAKER (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNICK NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/GOING-IN-THE-THE-KILLPart-Deux-of-THE-KINGMAKER/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013109568
15. THE WORLD’S YOUR OYSTER A mini-romance set in Italy. Francesca is a filmmaker and the daughter of a famed director who decides to enter her short film at the Venice Biennial. Enter an Angel who encourages Justin to enter his paintings in the Biennial Art Festival. The bait has been set, and they are destined to meet. KINDLE: THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNL3Q NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Worlds-Your-Oyster/AllanJon-Kretzmar/e/2940013094802
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16. MOMMY’S GONE! A bitter mini-romance. Brad and Mara have been married for fifteen years and have two children, Jamie and Mark. A poignant tale that explores keeping love alive in a marriage that goes through dramatic changes. Mara serves in the Navy, and completes a tour of duty in Iraq. Then Afghanistan follows. . . A story as current as our headlines. KINDLE: MOMMY'S GONE! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNM76 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/MOMMYS-GONE/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013109537
17. FOLLOW THE FIRE! (alternative ending to mommy’s gone!) A bitter-sweet mini-romance. Brad and Mara have been married for fifteen years and have two children, Jamie and Mark. A poignant tale that explores keeping love alive in a marriage that goes through dramatic changes. Mara serves in the Navy, and completes a tour of duty in Iraq. Then Afghanistan follows. . . A story as current as our headlines. This story is the alternative ending to “Mommy’s Gone!) KINDLE: Follow The Fire! (Alternative ending to "Mommy's Gone!) (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNM62 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/FOLLOW-THE-FIREAlternate-ending-to-Mommys-Gone/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013109544
18. (LOVE) ON THE WINGS OF ANGELS A mini-romance. Mary and Pete are destined to find each other, but their ability to meet gets stalled. Enter an eagle that brings about their chance meeting, that in that instant changes both of their lives from that point forward forever. Luck, love, and a twist of fate. KINDLE: (LOVE) ON THE WINGS OF EAGLES! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDNOGA NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/BookAllan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013094963
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19. WHEN LIGHTENING STRIKES TWICE! A mini-romance set in Mumbai, India. Ramish is a lawyer who is travelling on a train and is struck by lightening. In that instant the most beautiful woman in the world, his world, gets revealed to him. Ghita Raj is a Bollywood film star, wondering if she will ever find true love. She seeks answers from her astrologer and palmist, Mister Choksy, who tells her that a chance meeting with a man may be soon. Very soon. KINDLE: WHEN LIGHTENING STRIKES TWICE! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EE61Q4 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/WHEN-LIGHTENINGSTRIKES-TWICE/Allan-Jon-Kretzmar/e/2940013109476
20. COWgirl KATE A mini-romance. Kate is a student in Texas who receives an unexplained and untraceable email and text message on her cellphone to make sure she goes to her grandmother’s funeral. She is told that she needs to make sure she attends, for there is a fated meeting that has to take place there. Kate is given control of the family cattle ranch after her grandmother’s passage, but the email and text message concern affairs of the heart. KINDLE: COWGIRL KATE! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EE621S NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/COWGILR-KATE/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013109438
21. HOLY LAND: BLOOD BROTHERS A mini-romance set in the Holy Land. A metaphorical bridge is being built between Rami, an Israeli soldier, and Ghita, a beautiful young Palestinian girl. They begin to steal moments together, knowing that on both sides such encounters are forbidden. The story moves with dynamic intensity to its conclusion as Rami and Ghita struggle to find freedom to live and love. As topical as today’s headlines. KINDLE: HOLY LAND: BLOOD BROTHERS! (ENTWINED lovENTWINED) | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EDQGB0 NOOK: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Holy-Land/Allan-JonKretzmar/e/2940013109513
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