it down, the boy said. Not until the solution is used up.

The comment was unnecessary. Paulo no longer had either the strength or desire to walk even to the door.

I've missed the meeting, he thought. But at this point, nothing mattered. The less he thought about, the better.

FIFTEEN MINUTES, GENE SAID. THAT'S ALL IT TAKES, and without even realizing what's happening, you die.

They were back at the old trailer. It was the afternoon of the next day, and the entire scene was bathed in pink. Nothing like the desert of the previous daygolden, peaceful, nausea, vomiting.

They hadn't been able to eat or sleep for twenty-four hoursthey threw up everything they tried to eat. But now that strange sensation was passing.

It's good that your horizon had been expanded. And that you were thinking about angels. An angel appeared.

Paulo thought it would be better to have said Your soul had grown. Besides, the guy who had appeared wasn't an angelhe had an old truck, and he spoke English.

Let's get going, said Gene, asking Paulo to start the car. He took the passenger seat, with no show of ceremony. And Chris, grumbling in Portuguese, climbed into the back.

Gene began to give instructionstake that road there, go for a few miles, drive fast so that the car gets cool inside, turn off the air-conditioning so the motor doesn't overheat. Several times they drove off the narrow dirt road into the desert. But Gene knew what he was doing. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes they had.

What happened yesterday? Chris asked for the hundredth time. She knew that Gene wanted her to ask. He might already have seen his guardian angel, but he acted like any other young man his age.

Sunstroke, he finally explained. Haven't either of you ever seen a film about the desert?

Of course they had. Thirsty men, dragging themselves across the sand in search of a drop of water.

We didn't feel thirsty at all. The two canteens were filled with water.

That's not what I'm talking about, the American interrupted. I mean your clothing.

The clothing! The Arabs with their long robes, and several hoodsone on top of the other. Of course, how stupid we were! Paulo had already heard about that, and he'd already walked across three other deserts...and he had never felt the desire to take his clothes off. But here, that morning, after the frustration of the lake that they seemed never to reach.... How could I have had such a stupid idea? he thought.

When you took off your clothes, the water in your bodies began to evaporate immediately. You can't even perspire, because the climate is so dry. In fifteen minutes, you were both already dehydrated. No thirst or anythingjust a slight feeling of disorientation.

And the exhaustion?

That exhaustion is death arriving.

I sure didn't know it was death arriving, Chris said to herself. If someday she had to choose an easy way to leave the world behind, she would come back and take off her clothing in the middle of the desert.

Most people who die in the desert die with water in their canteen. The dehydration is so rapid that we feel as if we've drunk an entire bottle of whiskey, or taken an overdose of some tranquilizer. He suggested that, starting now, they drink water periodicallyeven if they weren't thirstybecause their bodies needed the water.

But an angel did appear, Gene said.

Before Paulo could say what he was thinking, Gene ordered him to stop at the foot of a cliff.

Let's get out here and go the rest of the way on foot.

They began to walk along a narrow path that led to the top of the cliff. Before they had gone far, Gene realized he had forgotten the flashlight from the car. He went back, picked it up, and sat on the hood of the car for some time, staring out at the desert.

Chris is right; solitude does strange things to people. He's behaving strangely, Paulo thought as he watched the youth down below.

But, a few seconds later, Gene had climbed the narrow path again, and they pushed on.

In forty minutes, with no great difficulty, they had reached the top. There was some sparse vegetation there, and Gene asked that they sit down facing north. His attitude, usually expansive, had changedhe seemed more distant, and looked as if he were concentrating hard.

You've both come here in search of angels, he said, sitting down at their side.

That's what I came for, Paulo said. And I know that you have spoken with one.

Forget about my angel. Many people in this desert have already seen or conversed with their angel. So have a lot of people in cities, or at sea, or in the mountains.

There was a tone of impatience in his voice.

Think about your guardian angels, he continued. Because my angel is here, and I can see him. This is my holy place.

Both Paulo and Chris thought back to their first night in the desert. And they imagined their angels once again, with their raiment and their wings.

You must always have a holy place. Mine once was a small apartment, and at another time, a square in the middle of Los Angeles. Now it's here. A sacred hymn opens a gate to heaven, and heaven appears.

They both looked around at Gene's holy place: the rocks, the hard ground, the desert plants.

Perhaps snakes and coyotes passed through here at night, too.

Gene appeared to be in a trance.

It was here that I was first able to see my angel, although I knew that the angel was everywhere, and that the angel's face is the face of the desert I live in, or of the city where I lived for eighteen years.

I was able to talk with my angel because I had faith that the angel existed. And because I loved my angel.

Neither Chris nor Paulo dared ask what they had talked about.

Gene went on, Everyone can make contact with four different kinds of entities in the invisible world: the elementals, the disembodied spirits, the saints, and the angels.

The elementals are the vibrations of things in naturefire, earth, water, and airand we make contact with them using rituals. These are pure forceslike earthquakes, lightning, or volcanoes.

Because we need to understand them as 'beings,' they traditionally appear in the form of dwarfs,

fairies, or salamanders. But all one can do is use the power of the elementalswe never learn anything from them.

Why is he saying all this? Paulo thought. Has he forgotten that I'm a master of magic, too?

Gene continued his explanation, The disembodied spirits are those that wander between one life and another, and we make contact with them by means of a medium. Some are great mastersbut all that they teach us we can learn on earth, because that's where they learned what they know. Better, then, to let them wander in the direction of their next step, to look out at the horizon, and to take from here the same wisdom as they did.

Paulo must know all about this, Chris thought. He's probably talking to me.

YES, GENE WAS SPEAKING TO CHRISIT WAS BECAUSE she was here that he was here. There was nothing he could teach Paulo, twenty years older than he and more experienced, and who,

on his own, would surely find the way to talk with his angel. Paulo was one of J.'s disciplesand the things Gene had heard about J.! At their first meeting, Gene had tried in various ways to get the Brazilian to talk, but the woman had made it impossible. He was unable to learn anything about the techniques, the processes, or the rituals used by J.

That first meeting had been deeply disappointing for him. He thought that the Brazilian might be using J.'s name without the master's knowledge. Orwho knows?perhaps J. had made a mistake for the first time in his selection of a disciple. And if that were the case, the entire Tradition would soon know about it. But that night of their meeting, he had dreamed of his guardian angel.

And his angel had asked that he initiate the woman into the path of magic. Just initiate her: Her husband would do the rest.

In the dream, he argued that he had already taught her about the second mind, and had asked that she look out at the horizon. The angel said that Gene should pay attention to the man, but that he should take care of the woman. And then the angel disappeared.

Gene was trained to be disciplined. So he was now doing what the angel had commandedand he hoped that it was being observed up above.

After the disembodied spirits, he continued, the saints appear. These are the true masters.

They lived among us at one time, and are now closer to the light. The great teachings of the saints are their lives here on earth. Contained in them are all we need to know, and all we have to do is imitate them.

How do we invoke the saints? Chris asked.

Through prayer, Paulo answered, cutting Gene off.

He wasn't jealousalthough it was clear to him that the American wanted to impress Chris. He respects the Tradition. He's going to use my wife as a means of reaching me. But why is he being so basic, talking about things that I already know so well? he thought.

We invoke the saints through constant prayer, Paulo continued. And when they are near,

everything changes. Miracles happen.

Gene couldn't help but notice the Brazilian's hostile, almost aggressive tone of voice. But he wasn't going to say anything about his dream of the angel, because he didn't owe this man anything.

Finally, Gene said, there are the angels.

Perhaps Paulo didn't know about this part, even though he seemed to know many other things.

Gene paused for a few moments. He sat there silently praying, and remembered his angel, and hoped that he was hearing every word. And he asked that his angel help him to be clear,

becausemy God!it was so difficult to explain.

Angels are love in motion. They never rest, they struggle to grow, and they are beyond good and evil. Love that consumes all, that destroys all, that forgives all. Angels are made of that love, and are at the same time its messengers.

The love of the exterminating angel, who one day will take away our soul, and of the guardian angel, who brings our soul back. Love in motion.

Love at war, Chris said.

There is no love in peace. Whoever seeks peace is lost.

What does a boy like this know about love? He lives alone in the desert, and has never been in love, Chris thought. Meanwhile, no matter how hard she tried, she could think of not one moment when love had ever brought her peace. It was always accompanied by agony, intense joy, and deep sadness.

Gene turned to them. Let's be silent for a while, so that our angels can hear the love that exists beyond our silence.

Chris was still thinking about love. Yes, the boy seemed to be right, although she could swear that all of his knowledge was theoretical. Love comes to rest only when we are close to death.

How strange. How strange was everything that she was experiencing, especially the sensation that her soul had grown.

She had never asked Paulo to teach her anythingshe believed in God, and that was sufficient.

She respected her husband's search, butperhaps because she was so close to him, or because she knew that he had the same defects as other menshe had never taken an interest in it.

But she didn't know Gene. He had said: Try to look at the horizon. Pay attention to your second mind. And she had done so. Now, with her soul that had grown, she was discovering how good it was, and how much time she had wasted before.

Why do we need to speak with our angels? Chris asked, breaking the silence.

To discover through them, replied Gene.

Gene wasn't bothered by the comment. If she had asked the question of Paulo, he would have been angry.

They said an Our Father and a Hail Mary. Then the American said that they could go back down.

That's it? Paulo asked, disappointed.

I wanted to bring you here so my angel could see that I had done as my angel asked, Gene answered. I have nothing else to teach you. If you want to learn more, seek out the Valkyries.

THEY MADE THE RETURN TRIP IN AWKWARD SILENCE, interrupted only when Gene had to indicate which turn should be taken. No one was interested in conversationPaulo, because he thought that Gene had tricked him; Chris, because Paulo might be irritated at her comments,

feeling that she was spoiling everything; and Gene, because he knew that the Brazilians were disappointed, and because of this, would not talk about J. and his techniques.

You are wrong about one thing, Paulo said when they arrived at the trailer. It was not an angel that we met up with yesterday. It was a guy driving a truck.

For a fraction of a second, Chris thought there would be no responsethe hostility between the two men was growing stronger and stronger. The American turned and began to walk in the direction of his home, but suddenly he stopped.

I want to tell you a story my father told me, he said. A master and his disciple were walking together in the desert. The master was teaching his charge that he could always trust in God,

since he was aware of everything.

Night fell, and they decided to pitch camp. The master raised the tent, and the disciple was given the assignment of tethering the horses to a rock. But, as he stood by the rock, he thought to himself: The master is testing me. He said that God is aware of everything, and then asked me to tie up the horses. He wants to see whether or not I believe in God.

Instead of tethering the animals, he said a long prayer, and left the fate of the horses in God's hands.

Next day, when they awoke, the horses were gone. Disappointed, the disciple complained to the master, saying that he no longer believed in him, since God had not taken care of everything,

and had forgotten to watch over the horses.

'You are wrong,' the master answered. 'God wanted to take care of the horses. But in order to do so, he needed to make use of your hands to tether them to the stone.'

THE YOUNG MAN LIT A SMALL GAS LANTERN THAT WAS hanging outside the trailer. The light dimmed the brilliance of the stars somewhat.

When we begin to think about our angels, they begin to manifest themselves. Their presence becomes closer and closer, more real. But, at the beginning, angels show themselves as they have done throughout our life: through others.

Your angel used that man. He must have been caused to leave his home earlysomething must have changed in his routine, altering everything so that he could be there just at the moment that you needed him. That is a miracle. Do not try to regard it as a common event.

Paulo said nothing.

Look, Gene explained. When we were climbing the mountain, I forgot the flashlight, Gene went on. You probably noticed that I was back at the car for quite a while. Whenever I forget something on leaving the house, I feel that my guardian angel is in action, causing me to lose a few secondsand this short time interval may signify important things. It may allow me to avoid an accident, or cause me to run into someone I need to see.

So, after I get what I've forgotten, I always sit down and count to twenty. That way, the angel has time to take action. An angel uses many instruments.

Gene asked Paulo to wait where he was for a few moments. He entered the trailer, and returned with a map. The last time I saw the Valkyries, it was here.

He pointed to a place on the map. Chris realized that the animosity between the two seemed to have lessened.

Take care of her, Gene said. It's a good thing that she came with you.

I think so, Paulo said. Thank you for everything.

And they said good-bye.

WHAT A FOOL I'VE BEEN, PAULO SAID, PUNCHING THE steering wheel as they drove away.

What do you mean, a fool? I thought you were jealous!

But Paulo was laughing, in a good mood.

Four processes! And he only said three! It's through the fourth process that you converse with your angel!

He looked at Chris, and his eyes were gleaming with the joy of discovery.

The fourth process: channeling!

ALMOST TEN DAYS IN THE DESERT. THEY STOPPED AT ONE place where the ground had opened in a series of wounds, as if prehistoric rivers had run through there, dozens of them,

leaving long, deep arroyos that were becoming larger through the action of the sun.

In those parts, not even the scorpions could survive, much less snakes, coyotes, or the ever-present tumbleweed. The desert was full of such places, known as badlands.

The two entered into one of the immense wounds. The earthen walls were high, and all that could be seen was a tortuous path, with no beginning or end.

They were no longer irresponsible adventurers, feeling that nothing could harm them. The desert had its laws, and killed those who did not respect them. They had learned what the laws werethe sound of the rattlesnake, the hours that it was safe to be out there, the precautions.

Before entering the badlands, they had left a note in the car saying where they were going. Even if it were only for half an hour, and it appeared to be unnecessary, ridiculous, a car might stop,

and someone would see the note and know what direction they had taken. They had to facilitate the instruments of their guardian angels.

They were looking for the Valkyries. Not there, at the end of the worldbecause nothing living could survive for long in those badlands. Therewell, this was just training. For Chris.

But they knew that the Valkyries were nearby, because they saw the signs. They lived in the desert, never staying for long in one placebut they left signs.

Paulo and Chris had found some clues. At the beginning, they had stopped at one small town after another, asking about the Valkyries, and no one had ever heard of them. The directions Gene had given them were of no usethey had probably long ago passed by the spot on the map he had shown them. But one day, in a bar, they met a boy who remembered having read something about them. He described the way the Valkyries dressed, and the signs they left.

They began to ask others about women who were dressed that way. Some responded with obvious disapproval, saying the Valkyries had passed by a month ago, a week ago, three days ago.

Finally, they had reached a place that seemed to be just a day's travel from where the Valkyries should be.

THE SUN WAS ALREADY NEAR THE HORIZONOR THEY would not have risked being out in the desert. The earthen walls cast shadows. It was the perfect place.

Chris couldn't stand to repeat the whole thing yet again. But she had toshe hadn't yet achieved any meaningful results.

Sit there. With your back to the sun.

She did as Paulo said. And then, automatically, she began to relax. She sat cross-legged, with her eyes closedbut she could feel the entire desert surrounding her. Her soul had been swelling during these days in the desert, and she knew that her world had expanded. It was more vast than it had been two weeks earlier.

Concentrate on your second mind, he said.

Chris sensed an inhibited tone in his voice. He could not act toward her in the same way as he did with other disciplesafter all, she knew his faults and weaknesses. But Paulo made a supreme effort to act as a master would, and she respected him for that.

She concentrated on her second mind. She allowed all thoughts to come to mindand, as always, they were absurd thoughts for someone who was in the middle of the desert. For the past three days, whenever she had tried the exercise, she realized that her automatic thinking was very much concerned with whom she should invite to her birthday celebrationthree months from now.

But Paulo had asked that she not be concerned about that. That she allow her concerns to flow freely.

Let's start from the beginning again, he said.

I'm thinking about my party.

Don't fight your thoughts. They are stronger than you are, Paulo said for the thousandth time.

If you want to rid yourself of them, accept them. Think about what they want you to think about until they grow tired.

She went over her list of invitations. She rejected some. She substituted others. This was the first step: Pay attention to the second mind until it grew tired.

Now, the birthday celebration disappeared more quickly than before. But she was still composing the list. It was unbelievable how a subject like that could demand her attention for so many days, occupy hours when she could be thinking of more interesting things.

Think until you are tired. Then, when you are tired, open the channel.

Paulo walked away from his wife and leaned against the wall. Gene was an expert, and took very seriously the business of not being able to teach anything to the disciple of another master.

But, through Chris, he had given Paulo all of the clues that he needed.

The fourth way of communicating with the invisible world was channeling.

Channeling! How many times had he seen people in their cars in the midst of a traffic snarl,

talking to themselves, without realizing that they were performing one of the most sophisticated of the magical processes! But, because of its extreme simplicity, all one need do is sit in a quiet place and be attentive to the thoughts that emerge from the bottom of one's mind.

Channeling has generally been considered a superficial practice. Nothing of the kind! Since the beginnings of humanity, people have known that, if they wanted to enter into contact with God,

they had to make room in their soul. They had to allow their spiritual energy to manifest itself,

and to create a bridge between the visible and the invisible.

How can one create such a bridge? Various mystical processes address the importance of not being. Relax, allow the mind to become empty, and surprise yourself with the great treasure that begins to flow from your soul. The word inspiration means exactly that: the bringing in of air, allowing oneself to drink from an unknown source.

Channeling required no loss of awareness during the contact with the spirits; it was a more natural process for a person to use in order to plunge into the unknown. It allowed for contact with the Holy Spirit, with the soul of the world, with the enlightened masters. No ritual was needed, no incorporation, nothing. Every human being knew, subconsciously, that there was a bridge available to the invisible, a bridge one could cross without fear.

And everyone tried to do so, even without being aware of it. Everyone surprised themselves,

saying things they had never thought before, giving advice of the I don't know why I'm saying this type, doing certain things that didn't appear to make sense.

And everyone liked to spend time observing nature's miraclesa thunderstorm, a sunsetready to enter into contact with the universal wisdom, think about things that were truly important.

But at such times, the invisible wall would appear: the second mind.

The second mind was there, barring the entrance, with its repetitive ideas, its unimportant problems, its melodies, its financial problems, its unresolved passions.

He stood and approached Chris.

Be patient, and listen to everything your second mind has to say. Don't respond. Don't argue. It will get tired.

Once again, Chris went over the invitation list, even though she had already lost interest in it.

When she finished, she put a period to it.

And she opened her eyes.

There she was, in that wound in the earth. She felt the still air that surrounded her.

Open the channel. Begin to speak.

Speak!

She had always been fearful of speaking out, of seeming ridiculous, stupid. Fearful of learning what others thought of what she said, because they always seemed more capable, more intelligent. Always seemed to have an answer for everything.

But now she was here, and she had to have the courage even to say things that made no sense,

that were absurd. Paulo had explained that this was one way of channeling: speak. Conquer your second mind, and allow the universe to do what it wanted with it.

She began to move her head back and forth, wanting to do all that, and suddenly she wanted to make strange noises. And she did so. It wasn't ridiculous. She was free to do as she pleased.

She had no idea where these things came frombut they were coming from within, from the bottom of her soul, and manifesting themselves. From time to time, her second mind returned with its concerns, and Chris tried to organize them, but that's the way it had to beno logic, no censure, but rather the joy of a warrior entering into an unknown world. She needed to speak the pure language of the heart.

Paulo listened in silence, and Chris felt his presence. She was totally aware, but free. She could not concern herself with what he was thinkingshe had to continue to speak, making the gestures that came to her, singing the strange melodies. Yes, everything must make some kind of sense, because she had never heard these sounds before, these melodies, these words and movements. It was difficult, and she had the fear that she was fantasizing things, wanting to appear to be more in contact with the Invisible than she really was. But she overcame her fear of the ridiculous, and went on.

Today, something different was happening. She was no longer doing what she did out of obligation, as in the first days. She was enjoying herself. And she began to feel secure. A wave of security washed back and forth, and Chris tried desperately to go with it.

In order to keep the wave close to her, she had to speak. Say anything that came to mind.

I see the earth. Her voice was hesitant, calm, even though her second mind made an appearance from time to time, saying that Paulo must be finding all of this ridiculous. We are in a safe place, we can stay here tonight, lie here and look up at the stars and talk of angels. There are no scorpions, no snakes, no coyotes.

The planet set aside certain places for itself. It tells us to go away. In those places, without the millions of life forms that walk on its surface, the earth is able to be alone. She also needs her solitude, for she needs to understand herself.

Why am I saying that? He's going to think I'm showing off. I'm aware!

Paulo looked around. The dry bed of the river seemed gentle, smooth. But it inspired a terror of total solitude, of the complete absence of life.

Say a prayer, Chris went on. Her second mind was no longer able to make her feel ridiculous.

But suddenly, she felt fear. Fear of not knowing which prayer, of not knowing how to continue.

And when she felt the fear, her second mind returnedand the ridicule, the shame, the concern about Paulo returned with it. After all, he was the Magushe knew more than she, and must think all of this was phony.

She took a deep breath. She concentrated on the present, on the earth where nothing grew, on the sun that was already hidden. Bit by bit, the wave of security came backlike a miracle.

Say a prayer, she repeated.

And it is going to echo clearly against the sky when I come along making my noise She sat there in silence for a while, sensing that she had given her all, and that the channeling had ended. Then she turned to him.

I went very far today. It's never happened that way.

Paulo caressed her face and kissed her. She didn't know whether he was doing that out of pity or pride.

Let's go, he said. Let's respect the earth's desire.

Maybe he is saying that to give me a stimulus, to get me to try to continue channeling, she thought. But she was certainsomething had happened. She hadn't invented all that.

The prayer? she asked, fearful of his answer.

It's an ancient indigenous chant. From the Ojibway shamans.

She was proud of her husband's knowledge, even though he said it didn't count for much.

How can these things happen?

Paulo remembered J., discussing in his book the secrets of alchemy: The clouds are rivers that already know the sea. But he wasn't inclined to explain. He was feeling tense, irritable, and didn't know exactly why he was staying on in the desert; after all, he already knew how to converse with his guardian angel.

DID YOU SEE THE FILM PSYCHO? PAULO ASKED CHRIS when they arrived back at the car.

Chris nodded her head.

The lead actress dies in the bathroom early on in the film. In the desert, I learned how one converses with the angels by the third day. Meanwhile, I promised myself that I would spend forty days here, and now I can't change my mind.

Well, there's still the Valkyries.

The Valkyries! I can live without them!

He's afraid that he won't succeed in finding them, Chris thought.

I already know how to converse with the angels, and that's what's important. Paulo's tone of voice was hostile.

I've been thinking about that, Chris answered. You already know, but you don't want to try.

That's my problem, Paulo said to himself as he started the car. I need some strong emotions. I need a challenge.

He looked over at Chris. She was busy reading The Desert Survival Manual they had bought in one of the towns they had passed through. They drove off through yet another of the immense desert flats that seemed to have no end.

It's not just a problem of spiritual search, he continued thinking, as he alternated between looking at Chris and watching the road. He loved his wife, but he was getting fed up with marriage. He needed some strong passion in his love, in his work, in almost everything he did in his life. And that went against one of nature's most important laws: Every movement needs to pause at times.

He knew that if he continued the way he was, nothing in his life would last for very long. He was beginning to understand what J. had meant when he said that people wind up killing what they love most.

TWO DAYS LATER, THEY REACHED GRINGO PASS, A PLACE with only one motel, a mini-market, and the U.S. customs building. The Mexican border was only a few yards from the center of town, and the two took snapshots of each other with one foot in each country.

At the mini-market, they asked about the Valkyries, and the woman who owned the luncheonette said she had seen that bunch of lesbians that morning, but that they had moved on.

Did they cross into Mexico? Paulo asked.

No, no. They took the road to Tucson.

They went back to the motel, and sat down on the verandah. The car was parked directly in front of them.

Look how dirty the car's become, Paulo said after a few minutes. I think I'll wash it.

The owner of the motel wouldn't like to find out people are using water for washing their car.

We're in the desert, remember?

Paulo didn't answer. He stood up, took a roll of paper towels from the car, and began to wipe away at the dust. Chris remained seated.

He's upset. He can't sit still, she thought. I've got something serious to tell you, she said.

You've done your work very well, don't worry, he answered, as he used up one paper towel after another.

That's just what I wanted to talk to you about, Chris insisted. I didn't come here to do work.

I came because I thought our marriage was beginning to fall apart.

She feels the same way I do, he thought. But he continued with his cleaning.

I've always respected your spiritual search, but I have mine, too, Chris said. And I'm going to go on with it. I want you to understand that. I'm going to continue attending mass.

I go to church, too.

But what you're doing here is different, you know? You chose this way of communicating with God, and I've chosen a different one.

I know that. I don't want to change.

But meanwhileshe took a deep breath, not knowing what his response would bemeanwhile, something is happening to me. I want to speak to my angel, too.

She stood and went over to him. She began to gather the paper towels scattered on the ground.

Do me a favor, she said, looking directly into her husband's eyes. Don't leave me in the middle of the road.

THERE WAS A SMALL DINER NEXT TO THE GAS STATION.

They sat near the window. It was early in the morning, and the world was still quiet. Outside was the desert, the immense, packed surface...and silence.

Chris missed Borrego Springs, Gringo Pass, and Indio. In those places, the desert had a face:

mountains, valleys, stories of pioneers and conquistadors.

Here, though, the immense emptiness was all there was to see. And the sun. The sun that before long would color the world yellow, raise the temperature to 115 in the shade, and make life impossible.

The man behind the counter took their order. He was Chinese, and spoke with a strong accenthe could not have been here for very long. Chris imagined how many times the world had turned to bring the Chinese man to this luncheonette in the middle of the American desert.

They asked for coffee, bacon, and toast, and sat there in silence.

Chris looked at the man's eyesthey appeared to gaze to the horizon, the eyes of one whose soul had grown.

But no, he was not engaged in a holy exercise, or trying to develop his spiritual side. His was the gaze of boredom. He wasn't seeing anythingnot the desert, not the road, and not even the two customers who had come in so early in the morning. He limited himself to the motions requiredput the coffee in the coffeemaker, fry the eggs, say, Can I help you? or Thank you.

The meaning of his life appeared to have been left behind, or to have disappeared in the immensity of the treeless desert.

The coffee came. They began to sip it, in no hurry. They had nowhere to go.

Paulo looked at the car outside. It had done no good at all to have cleaned it two days before. It was covered with dust once again.

They heard a sound in the distance. In a few minutes, the first truck of the day would drive past.

The man behind the counter might put his boredom and eggs and bacon aside, and go outside to try to find something, wanting to be a part of the world that was on the move, the world that passed by his diner. It was the only thing he could do; watch from a distance as the world went by. He probably no longer even dreamed of leaving the luncheonette behind and hitching a ride on one of the trucks to somewhere else. He was addicted to silence and emptiness.

The sound grew louder, but it didn't seem to be that of a truck engine. For a moment, Paulo's heart was filled with hope. But it was only a hope, nothing more. He tried not to think about it.

The sound came closer and closer, and Chris turned to see what was happening outside.

Paulo stared at his coffee, afraid she might perceive his anxiety.

The windows of the restaurant rattled slightly with the noise. The counterman tried to ignore ithe knew the sound, and he didn't like it.

But Chris was fascinated. The horizon lit up with metallic reflections of the sun. The thundering engines seemed to shake the plants, the asphalt, the roof, and the windows of the restaurant.

With a roar, the Valkyries swept into the gas station. And the straight road, the flat desert, the tumbleweed, the Chinese man, and the two Brazilians in search of their angels, all felt their presence.

THE WOMEN, ON THEIR POWERFUL MOTORCYCLES, SPUN one way and then the other,

dangerously close to one another, their machines shimmering in the hot air, their gloved hands toying skillfully with danger. They shouted out, as if to awaken the desert, to say they were alive and happy because it was morning.

Fear gripped Paulo's heart. Maybe they wouldn't stop there, maybe they were only trying to remind the counterman that life, joy, and skill still existed.

All at once, the rumbling stopped.

The Valkyries dismounted, shaking the desert from their bodies. They pounded the dust from their black leathers, and removed the colorful bandannas that they wore over their faces like bandits to keep the desert out of their lungs.

Then they entered the luncheonette.

Eight women.

They asked for nothing. The counterman seemed to know what they wantedhe was already placing eggs, bacon, and bread on the hot grill. Even with all the commotion, he continued to appear to be the obedient servant.

Why is the radio turned off? asked one of them.

The counterman turned it on.

Louder! said another.

Like a robot, he turned the radio to its loudest setting. The forgotten diner was suddenly transformed into a Manhattan disco. Some of the women kept time with the music by clapping their hands, while others carried on shouted conversations amidst the clamor.

But Chris, watching, saw that one of them moved not at allthe oldest of them, the one with long, curly red hair. She didn't enter into the conversation or the clapping of hands. She took no interest in the breakfast being prepared.

Intently, she stared at Paulo. And Paulo, resting his chin on his left hand, met the woman's gaze.

Chris felt a stab in her heart. Why is he sitting like that? Something very strange was happening.

Perhaps the fact that she had been looking out at the horizon for so many daysor had been training so hard at the channelingwas changing the way she saw what went on around her. She had been having premonitions, and now they were manifesting.

She pretended not to notice that the two were eyeing each other. But her heart was giving her some inexplicable signalsand she couldn't tell whether they were good signals or bad.

Gene was right, Paulo thought. It is easy to make contact with them.

Slowly, the other Valkyries were beginning to perceive what was happening. First, they looked at the eldest, and then, following her gaze, turned to the table where Paulo and Chris were seated. Their conversation was silenced, and they no longer swayed in time to the music.

Turn it off, the eldest said to the counterman.

As always, he obeyed. Now the only sound that could be heard was the sizzling of the eggs and bacon on the grill.

As her friends watched, the red-haired woman walked to the couple's table and simply stood there, looking at them. Then, without preamble, she spoke.

Where did you get that ring? she asked Paulo.

At the same shop where you bought your brooch, he answered.

It was only then that Chris saw the metal brooch pinned to the leather jacket. It was made in the same design as the ring that Paulo wore on the ring finger of his left hand.

That's why he was resting his chin on his left hand.

She had already seen many rings in the Tradition of the Moonof every color, metal and carvedalways in the form of a serpent, the symbol of wisdom. But never had she seen one like the one her husband wore. J. had given Paulo that ring in 1982, when they were in Norway,

saying that he was thereby completing the Tradition of the Moon, a cycle that was interrupted by fear. And now, in the middle of the deserta woman with a brooch of the same design.

What do you want? the redhead asked.

Paulo stood up, and the two stared at each other, face-to-face. Chris's heart was beating wildlyshe was certain that it wasn't jealousy.

What do you want? she asked again.

To speak with my angel. And something else.

She seized Paulo's hand and ran her fingers over his ring. Softening a bit, she seemed to become more feminine.

If you bought that ring at the same place I did, you must know how it's made, she said, her eyes fixed on the serpents. If not, then sell it to me. It's a beautiful piece.

It was simply a silver ring carved into two serpents. Each had two heads, and the design was quite simple.

Paulo said nothing.

You don't know how to converse with angels, and this ring isn't yours, said the Valkyrie.

I do know. Through channeling.

Right, said the woman. That's all that's required.

I told you that there was something else I wanted.

What is it?

Gene saw his angel. I want to see mine. I want to speak to my angel, face-to-face.

Gene? The woman's eyes searched the past, trying to recall who Gene was, where he lived.

Yes, now I remember, she said. He lives in the desert. Because that's where he met his angel.

No. He is studying to become a master.

This business of seeing your angel is just a myth. It's enough to converse with them.

Paulo stepped closer to the Valkyrie.

Chris knew the trick her husband was using: He called it destabilization. Normally, two people converse at arm's length. When one of them approaches the other too closely, the other's thinking becomes disorganized.

I want to see my angel. He was quite close to the woman, and he was staring at her.

What for? The Valkyrie appeared to be intimidated. The trick was working.

Because I'm desperately in need of help. I have won important things for myself, but I am going to destroy them, because I tell myself that they have lost their meaning. I know it's not true. I know they are still important, and that if I destroy them, I'll be destroying myself, as well.

He maintained a neutral tone of voice, showing no emotion.

When I learned that channeling was all that was needed in order to speak with my angel, I lost interest. It was no longer a challenge, but rather something I knew very well. I realized that my path to magic was about to end; the unknown was becoming too familiar to me.

Chris was shocked: Why was he making this confession in such a public place, in front of people whom he had never seen before?

In order to continue along my path, I need something more, he finished. I need mountains that are taller and taller.

The Valkyrie said nothing for a moment.

If I teach you how to see your angel, she said, your desire to seek out taller and taller mountains may disappear. And that's not always a good thing.

No, that will never disappear, Paulo replied. What will vanish is the idea that the mountains I've conquered are too small. I will be able to keep alive my love for what I've accomplished.

That's what my master was trying to say to me.

Maybe he's talking about our marriage, too, Chris thought.

The Valkyrie held out her hand to Paulo.

My name is M., she said.

My name is S., Paulo answered.

Chris was startled. Paulo had given his magic name! Very few people knew that secret, since the only way to cause a certain kind of evil to a magus is by using his magic name. Only those who were completely trustworthy were allowed to know the name.

Paulo had just met this woman. He couldn't trust her that much.

But you can call me Valhalla, the red-haired woman continued.

That's the name of the Vikings' paradise, Paulo thought, and he told her his given name in return.

The redhead appeared to relax a bit. For the first time, she looked at Chris, seated at the table.

In order to see an angel, three things are needed, said the Valkyrie, turning back to Paulo as if Chris didn't exist.

And, in addition to those three things, courage is needed. A woman's courage, not a man's.

Paulo made it appear that he was paying no attention.

Tomorrow, we will be near Tucson, Valhalla said. Come to see us at noon, if your ring is authentic.

Paulo got the map out of the car, and Valhalla showed him the place where they should meet.

One of the other Valkyries told Valhalla that her breakfast was getting cold. She turned back to her place at the counter and asked the man to turn on the radio again.

For a long time, Paulo and Chris sat over their coffee, watching the Valkyries eat.

Finally, the women got up and began to leave. As Valhalla reached the door, Paulo called out,

What are the three conditions for conversing with one's angel?

Quietly, the redhead replied: Break a pact. Accept forgiveness. And make a bet.

PAULO AND CHRIS LOOKED OUT AT THE CITY BELOW. FOR the first time in almost three weeks, they were in a real hotelroom service, bar, and breakfast in bed.

It was six in the evening, the hour in which they had gotten into the habit of practicing their channeling exercises. But Paulo was fast asleep.

Chris knew that the meeting that morning at the diner had changed everything; if she wanted to talk to her angel, she would have to do it on her own.

They had spoken little during the trip to Tucson. She had asked him only why he had divulged his magic name. Paulo answered that Valhalla had given him hers, and he could do no less.

Perhaps he was telling the truth, perhaps this was what he believed, but Chris wondered. She was a woman, and she saw things that men don't. She thought that Paulo might want to talk to her later that night.

Chris called the desk clerk and asked where the nearest bookstore was located. There was none nearby, he said; she would have to drive. She thought about it for a few moments, and then got the car keys. They were in a big city; if Paulo awoke, he would think that she had gone exploring.

SHE BECAME LOST IN THE TRAFFIC SEVERAL TIMES, BUT eventually found a huge shopping mall. One of the shops made keys, and she had a copy made of the keys to the car.

She wanted to have one, just to be secure.

In a bookstore, she leafed through a volume until she found what she was looking for:

VALKYRIES: the nymphs at Wotan's palace.

She had no idea who Wotan was, but that wasn't important.

Messengers of the gods, they led heroes to their deathand then to paradise.

Messengers. Like the angels, she thought. Death and paradise. Also like the angels.

They excite combatants with the love that their charm excites in their hearts, and through the example of bravery at the battlefront, mounted on steeds as fast as the clouds and as deafening as a thunderstorm.

They couldn't have chosen a better name, she thought.

At the same time, they symbolize both the inebriation of courage and rest for the warrior, the adventure of love in battle, encounter, and loss.

Right, absolutely. Paulo would want to talk to her.

THEY WENT DOWN TO HAVE DINNER AT THEIR OWN hoteleven though Paulo had tried to insist that they walk a bit, get to know this large city built in the middle of the desert. But Chris said she was tired, wanted to get to bed early, enjoy the comforts.

They made small talk throughout the meal. Paulo was exaggeratedly attentive. Chris knew that her husband was waiting for the right moment. So she made it appear that she was interested in everything he said, and showed enthusiasm when he said that Tucson had the most complete desert museum in the world.

In his enthusiasm, he mentioned that the museum included live coyotes, snakes, and scorpions,

with a great deal of information concerning them. They could spend the entire day there.

She said she'd like very much to see it.

You could go tomorrow morning, Paulo said.

But Valhalla mentioned noontime.

You don't have to be there.

It's a strange hour, she answered. No one spends much time in the desert at high noon. We learned thatin the worst way possible.

Paulo had thought it strange, too. But he didn't want to miss the chance; he was afraid Valhalla might change her mind, despite the ring and everything else.

He changed the subject, and Chris could sense her husband's anxiety. They went back to small talk for a time. They drank an entire bottle of wine, and she was sleepy. Paulo suggested they go right up.

I don't know if you should go tomorrow, he said.

She had already tasted of everythingthe meal, the place, Paulo's anxiety. She was enjoying the chance of confirming for herself that she really knew this man well. But now it was getting late,

and it was time to give him a definite answer.

I'm going with you. No matter what.

He was irritated. He told her that she was jealous, and that she was spoiling his process.

Jealous of whom?

Of the Valkyries. Of Valhalla.

That's crazy.

But this is my quest. I brought you with me because I wanted you at my side. But there are certain things I have to do alone.

I want to go with you, she said.

Magic has never been important to you before. Why now?

Because I began the journey. And I've asked that I not be abandoned in the middle of the road, she answered, putting the matter to rest.

The silence was complete.

Everyone was wearing sunglasses against the blinding sun. Everyoneexcept Chris and Valhalla. Chris had removed hers so that Valhalla would know that she was looking directly into her eyes.

Chris had been bearing up under the woman's gaze for some time.

The minutes passed, and no one spoke. The only word that had been spoken the entire time had been Paulo's hello when they had arrived at the meeting place. His greeting had not been returned. Valhalla simply approached Chris and stood directly before her.

And, since that moment, nothing else had happened.

We must have been doing this for twenty minutes, Chris thought, but she didn't know how much time had actually elapsed. The glare of the sun, the heat, and the silence confused her.

She tried to distract herself a bit. They were at the foot of a mountainwonderful, the desert once again contained mountains! Behind Valhalla, an entrance had been carved into the stone.

Chris tried to imagine what the door led to, and found that she wasn't able to think clearlyjust as on the day they had returned from the salt lake.

No one was perspiringthe dryness of the air was so great that all moisture evaporated immediately, as Gene had said. Chris knew that they were rapidly dehydratingeven though she had drunk as much water as possible, and even though she had prepared for the noonday desert.

And even though she wasn't nude.

The other Valkyries had formed a semicircle; they wore their kerchiefs on their heads, in the manner of gypsies or pirates. Valhalla alone was bareheadedher kerchief encircled her neck.

The sun seemed not to bother her.

She is dismissing me with her eyes, Chris thought.

She knew this could not continue forever. There was a limit. She didn't know what that limit was, nor how or when she would know, but very soon, the sun would begin to be damaging.

Meanwhile, everyone continued immobileand all of this had happened because of her. Because she had insisted on coming along. Messengers of the gods, they lead the heroes to death and to paradise.

She had made a bad mistake, but now it was too late. She had come because her angel had required that she do so; her angel had said that Paulo was going to need her that afternoon.

No, no, it wasn't a mistake. My angel insisted that I be here, she thought.

Her angelshe was conversing with her angel! Nobody knew it, not even Paulo.

She began to feel dizzy, and she was certain she would faint soon. But she was going to see it throughit was no longer just a matter of being at her husband's side, or obeying her angel, or being jealous. Now it was a woman's prideface-to-face with another woman.