by Jill Jaynes
Valentine leaned forward in his chair. “During my research of Moonlight Cove, I noticed a couple, Erica and Brett, they will be wonderful for each other.”
“Valentine.” Venus pinched the bridge with her nose, slightly shaking her head. “I want to show you something. I learned this at a seminar given by a human resource consultant.”
Valentine tilted his head to one side, “You took a class?”
“Yes, I wanted to gain more insight into humans but found some of the techniques can be applied here.” She paused before speaking again. “Normally enthusiasm for one’s job is an asset. For you, right now, there is too much potential for unintended events.”
“Yes, I did not intend that particular outcome.”
“I have a demonstration of what I am trying to get across.” She lifted a pitcher of water and poured some water into a crystal glass to the halfway point. “Valentine, tell me what you see.”
“I see a lovely glass. Lead crystal would be my guess. See how soft the light molds around it and…”
“Describe the amount of water you see,” she said.
“Well, it is half full or you could say it is half empty,” he said.
“Wrong to both answers,” she said. “What we have is twice as much glass as we need.”
“But, a smaller glass would not be as magnificent as this one. Even the empty space above the water is beautiful in the way it captures the light. Now notice the shift as the glass and water come into contact. The whole of it, the glass, the water, and light are an elaborate display of the parts achieving more significance than each alone,” he said.
A red flush crept up from Venus’s neck to her face. She was taking deep breaths through flared nostrils. “Valentine, that is not the point.”
He loved how the shade made her violet eyes stand out, deciding they looked as pure as amethyst. Then he wondered why it only happened occasionally. “Do you think we need an even bigger glass?” he asked. “If twice as big is this impressive, then a larger glass…”
Venus sat straight up in her chair. “You will take vacation; you will do nothing.”
Valentine swallowed hard. “Vacation, uh, do nothing?”
Venus leaned forward, her hands still folded in front of her. “Think of this time as a sabbatical. Observe humans and compare that against what you have learned.”
Valentine rubbed his chin. “Um, observe, yes.”
Venus stood and walked around her desk towards Valentine. The interview was clearly over. He rose and followed her as she continued to her office door. “Good, now enjoy your vacation,” she said, the sweep of her arm indicating that he should exit. “I’ll keep you informed on your last assignment as soon as we learn more.”
Valentine stepped out of Venus’s office and heard the door close behind him with a solid click.
Chapter 3
Angelo entered Venus’s office. “I sent you the update on Is Brea before Valentine arrived.”
Venus tapped her fingers on the desk as she stared off into the corner of her office.
Angelo waited a moment, then asked, “Have you seen the report from this morning?”
Venus turned her attention toward Angel. “Yes, I finished it before Valentine arrived.”
Angelo cleared his throat. “May I ask you a question?”
“I already know your concern so please sit down.” Venus pointed to the chair in front of her desk.
He took the indicated chair. “Do you think it’s a good idea to have Valentine in Moonlight Cove?” Angelo rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s a small town as well.”
“For now, yes. The preliminary data on Is Brea told us nothing, but this update gives us a place to start.” Venus turned her computer screen around so Angelo could see it. “This is from a webcam near the center of the village. There are a few more in different locations but this one is the most clear.”
Angelo scooted forward, leaning his arms on Venus’s desk to get a closer look at the image on the screen. “It looks like a good replica of the Anikythera Mechanism.”
“Originally, we called it the Vehementem. Before, what happened in Is Brea, I would have agreed with you, a good replica. I thought the only remaining device was destroyed more than two thousand years ago,” Venus said.
Angelo sat back in his chair. “I’m not sure how an ancient astronomical instrument could cause what happened there.”
“Think of it as a portable megalithic monument. True, your ancestors tracked the heavens with devices like this, big and small, but they also served a magical purpose in the right hands.” Venus turned the computer screen back so it faced her.
“What magical principle could a box of gears possess?” Angelo asked.
“What sort of magic did a structure of stone have?”
Nodding, Angelo crossed his arms. “I see your point.”
Venus leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands on the desk. “The Vehementem amplifies human emotion, love, jealousy, greed and envy. It has caused a lot of problems in human history.”
“Just by turning gears?” Angelo asked.
“And blood. Some human magic used blood,” Venus answered.
Color drained from Angelo’s face. “How much blood?”
“A stone shrine, quite a bit, but the Vehementem is compact. A drop is all it needs.”
Angelo began to rise, “Should I retrieve Valentine before he leaves for Moonlight Cove?”
“No.”
Angelo remained standing, “Umm, does Valentine know?”
“No, and I intend to keep it that way, for now.” Venus leaned back and tapped her chin with her finger. “That Valentine was in Is Brea was no coincidence. His methods are not conventional. Whoever did this was depending on that as cover, and it worked until we found this photo.”
Angelo nodded towards the computer screen. “A glaring error on their part.”
“Or unfamiliarity with human technology,” Venus said.
“What are you getting at?”
“The Vehementem use was deliberate. That it produced love on a grand scale was an accident. Whoever is using the device is still trying to learn how it works.” Venus touched her computer screen to open a file, “Valentine’s vacation to a small town is a convenient situation.”
“Are you sending resources to Moonlight Cove?”
“Resources? No, too conspicuous. I’d rather not reveal our hand just yet. I have something else in mind.”
Angelo tilted his head: “What does that mean?”
Venus ran her finger across the computer screen. “I see that a Cupid is driving Valentine.”
Angelo raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Marcella, there and back. I don’t see how that could be useful.”
“Let’s see,” Venus looked into Angelo’s eyes. “Arrange for Marcella to meet with me before she retrieves Valentine.”
Angelo twirled his pen in his fingers before placing it behind his ear. “I need to point something out. As a friend.”
Venus leaned back in her chair and put her hands on the armrest. “As a friend I’ll listen.”
Angelo gave her a quick nod then leaned forward, “Can you remain objective with Valentine in the current circumstances?”
“Don’t be silly…”
Angelo held up his hand, “You request his reports from the field to be delivered to you as soon as they are submitted.”
Venus smiled. “It’s just business. His methods end up being unique. I’m trying to see if there is anything that can be applied in other areas.”
Angelo bit his lower lip before speaking. “I’m not sure how to say this so I’ll just state it. You do look forward to meetings with Valentine, and allow him to extend those meetings beyond the time you schedule.”
Venus rubbed her hands back and forth on the chair’s armrest. “Again, just business. I’m clearing up some points that aren’t fully developed in the reports.”
Angelo laced his fingers together and rested his hands on her desk. “And you always seem distra
cted after he leaves.”
Venus glanced down at the desk. “I’m assimilating new information.”
Angelo rested his hand over his heart. “Tell me you weren’t distracted when I walked in.”
Venus looked up from the desk’s surface and said nothing.
Angelo held her gaze. “You need to come to terms with your feelings for Valentine.”
Venus pressed her lips together. “All right, I understand your concern but it’s not going to happen.”
Angelo tilted his head to one side and waited.
Venus shifted her gaze again to the far corner of her office. “I want predictability in my life. Nice, calm predictability. That is not one of Valentine’s qualities.”
Angelo remained silent.
Venus tapped her computer screen and opened her schedule. “After you call Marcella, get my car ready. I’m clearing my schedule and going to Moonlight Cove to check the situation.”
Angelo smiled, “Of course.”
Chapter 4
Marcella should have returned by now according to Valentine’s estimate. He sat on a marble bench near the pond in the courtyard where he could watch for her to drive up. This also gave him extra time to think over what Venus had said.
The meeting hadn’t gone well. Is Brea had become another obstacle, this one of his own making. Maybe her flirting was a game. He had a passion for Venus, the kind of feeling that grows into love. He didn’t enjoy the thought he was being trifled with. The next time spent with her, this would end or go onto something more resolute.
The immediate problem was the information he needed from the library. That was off limits. Though if he had the information, being confined to observing, what could he do with it? There must be something else.
Valentine heard a sigh. He looked around his surroundings when he heard it again. Bending so he could see beneath the bench he saw a Cherub sitting among a few blades of grass. It was hugging its knees that were drawn up to its chin as it stared off across the surface of the pond.
“Hello. Am I disturbing you?” Valentine asked.
The Cherub jumped, almost standing at attention. “No sir, I’ll leave so you can have the bench to yourself.”
“This bench is certainly big enough for both of us. Please call me Valentine.”
The Cherub’s wings moved too fast to see as he darted over and up to settle on the end of the bench. He was a little bigger than the blades of grass he was sitting in. His small form was powerfully built and the muscles of his arms bulged as he smoothed his tightly-curled hair back. “My name is Sahayak.”
Valentine noticed the Cherub’s stooped posture. “Sahayak, are you troubled?”
“You wouldn’t understand. Nobody understands.” The Cherub pulled a flower petal as it drifted by on the air and wiped his eyes.
“I will try, Sahayak. That I can do.”
Sahayak threw his hands above his head. “Everybody thinks Cherubs are too small to be on projects, but if I don’t get experience I’ll never grow and be useful.”
Valentine rubbed his hand on his chest. He knew that feeling and he pushed it aside. “I am on vacation but I have a side project I need some discreet help with.”
“A project?” Sahayak asked, his voice hopeful, his posture upright and his wings fluttered a little that caused a soft purring sound.
“Not a full project, only some research in the library,” Valentine said.
The small Cherub’s eyes widened. “A real project,” he said.
“Very part time,” Valentine added.
Sahayak bounced on his toes before shooting up into the air above the trees. When he came back down he hovered right in front of Valentine’s face. “Tell me, tell me,” he said.
“All right,” Valentine began. “I need some information from Venus’s library.”
“Yes, yes, what is it?”
“Confirmation on an early summer storm that is to arrive by nightfall in the area of Moonlight Cove.” Valentine opened his hand.
Sahayak landed on Valentine’s hand. “I can do that.”
Valentine smiled, “Remember, you must be discreet.”
The Sahayak smiled back. “That’ll be easy, nobody pays attention to Cherubs.” He then flew away faster than Valentine’s eyes could follow.
* * *
Marcella finally arrived driving an SUV, having taken twice as long to return as Valentine had expected. When he got into the vehicle he noticed a suitcase on the back seat.
“Going somewhere?” Valentine asked.
Marcella was rubbing the back of her neck as she drove, “Apparently, on vacation.”
“Are you going to that city you mentioned earlier, Los Angeles?”
Marcella brought her hand to her throat as if trying to loosen a tie that was not there any longer. “No.”
Marcella had been more talkative earlier; maybe she had something on her mind. Well, more conversation would bring her out of it, Valentine thought.
“So, where are you going?” Valentine asked.
Marcella grasped the steering wheel with both hands. There was a crackling sound as her knuckles popped. “Moonlight Cove.”
“Yes, but where are you going after you drop me off?” Valentine asked.
Marcella kept her eyes forward with a momentary look to the rear view mirror, which she then adjusted. “Moonlight Cove.”
“It does have its charms but I thought the city to the south was more to your liking,” Valentine said.
“Actually, Venus suggested it.” Marcella reached to adjust the mirror again.
This was a new complication, Valentine thought. Also, for a Cupid, a town the size of Moonlight Cove would not have enough leisure activity. He could understand her displeasure.
“I apologize,” Valentine said.
Marcella looked at him. “I could have said no, but there’s more.”
Valentine was silent. They both glanced at each other.
“Look, I’m not a baby sitter so don’t think that,” she said.
“I am listening,” Valentine said.
“Actually, I’m your apprentice,” she said. Marcella again reached to loosen the tie that wasn’t there. She then switched to running her fingers through her spiky white hair.
This qualified as a complication and a surprise, Valentine thought. He had never had the responsibility to train another. He decided to start by being honest.
“This could be a short apprenticeship,” Valentine said.
Marcella sat up straight in her seat. “Don’t make up your mind just yet.”
“No, it’s not that…” Valentine began.
Marcella gripped the steering wheel tighter. This time the crackling sound came from the hard plastic giving under the strain. “I can do this, I will apply myself. Like I said, I could have said no.” Her voice had a lower steady tone now. “You’re running projects in a way no one expects, but you’re getting it done.”
“I was thinking about Venus and what she could decide about my last case,” Valentine said. Though being assigned an apprentice, he might be around a bit longer, he thought.
Marcella bit her lip, “Oh, that.” Then she smiled: “Wait: you’ll accept me as your apprentice?” She pumped her fist into the air.
“Yes, Marcella. Shouldn’t you have pressed the Transition button by now?”
“Right.” Marcella hit the button, and the interior of the SUV filled with a purple light as the energy orb shot forward. “So, what are we going to do in Moonlight Cove?”
“Besides vacation, Venus has instructed me to only observe humans.” Valentine said.
Marcella’s shoulders drooped a little, “Observe?”
“Observe is a verb, you know.” Valentine smiled.
“Ok,” she said.
“Verbs convey action,” Valentine said.
“Yes,” Marcella said.
“So, we will actively observe,” Valentine said.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Marcella said.
> “I will explain.” Valentine said as the SUV pierced the expanding translucent purple sphere that would hurtle them back to Moonlight Cove.
--- # # # ---
A.G. Reid developed a love for romance books while serving in the military. The stories reminded him of a part of the world he had temporarily left behind. He now lives in Southern California with his wife and their one-hundred-pound puppy, Cinnamon, writing stories about love.
You can find him at www.WhatIsLove.zone.
Or email him at [email protected].
Maggie’s Mystery Man
by Barbara DeLong
Chapter One
“Well, that’s just—seagull poop.”
Maggie Henderson closed QuickBooks and shut her laptop with a sharp bang. She forced her stomach to settle its pitch and roll. She’d recalculated her weekly newspaper’s financials a half-dozen times. Reviewed assets and, thanks to her late uncle, a long list of liabilities. She laughed. What assets? The plus column was absurdly short. At least she had the rent money due in five days.
The aged printer belched out a sample copy of the tabloid-sized next edition of the Moonlight Cove Gazette, the last one for the month of June. Was that rude sound a commentary on the quality of the output? Probably. Not much news in this small, coastal burg right at the moment. But the touristy town held promise for July and August. What she needed were big stories that sold lots of newspapers.
Maggie swiveled in her squealing chair and looked around the front office with its stacks of newspapers and magazines that probably housed a slew of silverfish. She’d get Noah, her intern, to sort and clear all this out soon. How ironic that she had a slight allergy to paper products. The smell of processed wood pulp had her constantly on the verge of a sneeze.
Maggie gazed out the office windows to the trendy shops and restaurants across at the marina. A familiar tall silhouette strolled out onto the sidewalk from the jetty. She jumped up from her chair and parted the slatted blinds. Yes. Mystery Man. He was renting a room at the Moonlight B&B at the seaward end of the long, rocky spit of land. He wore a baseball cap pulled low on his forehead, glasses, plain beige shirt and faded blue jeans. He walked head down, hands in pockets. The investigative reporter in her flared to life. She wanted to know the five W’s of Mystery Man. Who was he, really? What was he doing here? Where was he from? When was he leaving? Why was he so, well, mysterious?
