ZenithRising by Marilyn Campbell Page B

in case you need cash, there is a
supply of currency in the jewelry cabinet.” He handed Noah the key to the
bungalow then turned to Maggie. “Oh yes, about your name. The mid-twenties were
hardly an era of Victorian morals but pretending you are his wife will avoid a
lot of unnecessary explanations. If asked who sent you, say ‘Teddy Roosevelt’.
And now I must be on my way. I hope you have a pleasant and successful stay.”
    “Hold on,” Noah said, grasping Reynard’s arm before he could
get out the door. “Say for just a moment we accept everything you said, what
are we supposed to do now? How do we get back?”
    The bellhop’s expression tensed and his gaze darted upward.
“They know I am here.” His speech picked up to auctioneer speed. “There must be
something you have to take care of. Or fix. Usually the pair has an idea what
it is before they are transported. You had better figure that part out quickly
because you will not be able to get back unless you do whatever you are here to
accomplish.
    “Even when you do, the reverse transport can only take place
if you are on the same spot on the beach at the moment of zenith of the moon.
The bad news is each mission comes with a deadline and I was not told what
yours is. It could be as short as a week or as long as a year from now.
Unfortunately, after the deadline the portal closes and it will not matter what
you do. You will be here, in this time, to stay. I really must go.”
    Noah tried to stop him again but he was gone. Literally. He
and the horse-drawn carriage had vanished in the blink of an eye.
    He turned slowly around then went through the one-bedroom
cottage, opening doors, drawers, checking behind curtains, the backs of
pictures and the bottoms of lamps.
    Maggie watched him get more agitated as the seconds ticked
by. “What are you doing?”
    “Looking for a hidden camera or recording device. This has
got to be an elaborate practical joke of some kind.”
    “Noah, we just saw him and a horse and carriage
disappear into thin air. That would be awfully hard to create.”
    “Maybe not. A lot can be done with special effects. Maybe a
magician is involved.”
    “Didn’t you say you believed ‘anything’s possible’?” She got
a smirk for her reminder and he continued his search. Maggie bit her lip as he
continued crawling along, looking under every piece of furniture. “Noah? You
know that talent you insist I have?”
    He looked up at her and his expression changed from annoyed
to curious. “Are you picking up something?”
    “Maybe. And maybe before too. Back on the beach. When we
reached the end of the cleared sand. I didn’t say anything because you were
kissing me…”
    He rose and grasped her hands. “What happened?”
    “I felt tingling, or maybe it was more of a shimmering,
different from what I felt on the trail this morning. It started at my feet and
moved up my body.”
    “Do you think you experienced an energy shift?”
    She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know it if I did. It was
just…weird and then it went away. But there’s something else. When Reynard was
telling us where, or rather when we are, I was filled with an absolute
certainty that he was telling the truth. I’ve always been pretty good at
telling if someone was lying. I just never thought of it as a gift. What he
told us sounds crazy. I don’t understand how someone could be transported
through time, except in a novel or a movie. And yet, I don’t have a doubt in my
mind we’ve been moved back in time.”
    “Well, I don’t see anything here that suggests we’re being
punked. But before we cross over the impossible line with both feet, let’s go
to the lobby and see if we can find some hard evidence there.”
    It took a while to review their clothing options. The female
underwear alone was enough to keep them from dressing quickly. There were no
bras or panties as Maggie was accustomed to but there were silk bodice pieces
that laced up on the side and