Love's Joy

by Emil Toth

  Many days into the trip Jacob recognized some signs and knew they would be in Homar the next day. He saw an excellent campsite and they headed toward it. The men pulled the dugouts ashore, collected firewood, built a fire and relaxed while the women tended to the meal. They ate and selected which male and female would tend the fire in shifts and watch for predators.

  Elgar had made the most recent trip to Sumati two years ago with Kaathi, Gene, Janos and a dozen other people. The trip was concerned with the exchange of ideas and commerce as well as having Chief Victor ratify the peace treaty. This trip would be another monumental one and he had insisted he be part of the group to persuade the leaders of the villages to ratify the treaty. He had taken over the responsibility as the Elder of Kahali eight years ago, upon the death of Caleb. His mentor had traveled to Nubilon and Homar on a previous trip over a decade ago and related many stories about the villages and its people to him. He was eager for this adventure to be successful. This trip, if it fulfilled its promise, would be a huge step toward insuring peace among the neighboring and far flung villages. He wished he had thought of suggesting it and not Kaathi. He shrugged his shoulders. What did it matter? My name shall be in the stories telling of this adventure and how it changed the history of our villages.

  “You look deep in thought Elgar. Thinking of home?”

  “A little, Jacob,” Elgar admitted. “I was thinking how much this trip is going to impact each village and the future, if we are successful. I hope we are as successful on this trip as we were on the one to Sumati. Nothing like this has been attempted since the Age of Destruction.”

  “If it happens,” said Jacob, “it is going to change a lot of people’s lives. I feel better about why I am on this adventure than any I have been on. We are a day away from Homar. Sumati was a good sounding board to see how other tribes would react to the peace treaty. Even so it never insures complete success, especially with the mutants.”

  A silence came upon the men. Each was thinking of how much their trip would impact the world around them. Jacob’s thoughts drifted back to the first time he and Kaathi had traveled to Homar. They were committed to bring back a young man she communicated with telepathically and turned out to be the prince. He was still remembering the journey, as he fell asleep.

  The next afternoon the travelers pulled ashore in Homar. A throng awaited them on the bank of the river. Jacob knew their arrival in any of the villages would be similar. The dangers involved in any trip discouraged travel, consequently people arriving from a nearby village was always a big event and the whole population congregated in welcome. Everyone was eager to see adventurers and find out the nature of their expedition. The moment Jacob saw King Edmund, he was stunned by how much the king had aged. Edmund’s military heads fared much better. The king made the introductions for his family and military heads, and Elgar made them for the Kahali group. People who were not dignitaries stepped forward and renewed old acquaintances.

  The select group walked to the palace, where the king’s favorite servant, Edgar, had arranged for the sumptuous meal and drinks. Jacob made sure he was seated next to Kaathi. They sat across from the king. Elgar sat on Kaathi’s other side.

  Edmund ended his chat with Kaathi and found Jacob’s eyes. “I must say I was startled to be introduced to yet another of your wives some years ago. It is nice to see some of our traditions have set well with you. It is nice to see her again. I find Ashlee stunningly beautiful.”

  “I do as well.”

  “For her to have escaped is astonishing,” remarked Edmund. “I find it fascinating you have surrounded yourself with a marvelous collection of strong, distinguished women. I congratulate you.”

  Jacob smiled. “I have been blessed and extremely fortunate, as have you.”

  “Indeed,” exclaimed the king. “I have been fortunate to be married to some beautiful and wise women.” He looked at Monika on his left and Angela on his right. “If you will permit me my dears? In my old age I feel I can say this without anyone getting upset. I must let Ashlee know she is the loveliest woman on the face of the earth.”

  Angela smiled at Ashlee seated next to Jacob saying, “I agree.”

  “How kind of you Edmund. I humbly accept your compliment.”

  Angela took the opportunity to ask Jacob, “How is Scarlet?”

  “She is well,” answered Jacob. “She did not make the journey because she is with child.”

  “Oh, how wonderful. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. The child will be the second for her. Our first was a girl. We named her Kaath, in honor of Kaathi.”

  “You must be pleased, Kaathi.”

  “She is a treasure to visit her. How are the Relationship Sessions going?”

  “Excellent, even though there are dozens of men still not attending the sessions. All in all, I would say the transformation, from our old traditional ways is coming along well.”

  “I am happy for you and your people.”

  The servants kept busy keeping the wine cups filled. Having eaten, the men rose and gathered in groups to talk. Andre, Kaleez, Carver and Jacob were in one such group.

  Andre smiled at Jacob. “I can understand how Ashlee fell for you. Hell, you saved her life by killing the nasty mutant. I remember a time when I got a lot of crap from you over Renee. It is my turn to give you a ration of crap. You snake. You stole Scarlet from us. How was it different from what I was trying to get away with, when I wanted to take Renee away from her folks?”

  Jacob smiled sheepishly. “I will tell you. Renee did not want anything to do with you until you changed. I was always a decent chap and it is why Scarlet wanted to be with me.”

  “Decent?” guffawed Andre. “I am sure you have killed your fair share of men and lusted after a few women.”

  Jacob’s voice feigned severity. “My wives think I am a sterling man.”

  “You are not sterling.” Kaleez told him in his booming voice. Everyone nearby looked at him. “You are tarnished like the rest of us.”

  The men laughed loudly.

  “I will make a toast to you Jacob,” announced Andre, “Here is to your ability to sweet talk women into becoming your wives.”

  The men laughed and eagerly drank to the toast.

  Across the room Sharika, Prince Zach and his wife Princess Gita were standing, sipping wine and catching up on each other’s lives.

  Sharika was looking at the group of young royalty one of whom was Zach and Gita’s son. “Your son is a handsome boy. He has your nose Zach and your chin. He does have Gita’s beautiful eyes. Have you spoiled him?”

  “Of course. Despite it, he is well behaved. For a five year old he is already a fine shot with bow and arrow. We had a bow made for him fashioned after your design.”

  Gita touched Sharika’s arm. “Zach has told me a great deal about you, all of it is favorable. Are you married?”

  “I am. Janos and I have been married fourteen years. He is caring for our two sons and one daughter back home. Their ages are ten, nine and seven. They are my source of joy and happiness.”

  “I am glad you found the right man and are content.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Why is he not here?” asked Gita.

  “Since Jacob and I are here, he had to remain in Kahali. One Warrior Hunter must always be in the village.”

  Nearby Kaathi inquired about Edmund’s health.

  “As good as can be for a man of fifty-two. I have weathered a few illnesses and I have noticed I do not have the stamina I once had.”

  “If you would allow us women to do it, we could lay hands on you, sending you energy and pray for you.”

  It did not take Edmund long to decide. “I would welcome it the moment it seems proper to do so.”

  The king caught Elgar’s eye. “Elgar, I cannot imagine you have made this trip without a purpose. Why have you come?”

  “Actually the trip is a peace keeping mission. We hope to discuss the treaty and its terms at your co
nvenience. If necessary, we are open to changes and we would like you to ratify it, and we can move on to the Wanderer mutants with it. The people we hope will agree are the Wanderers, Nubilons, Ebijis, Huns and you. The Kahali, and Sumati people have already agreed to it.”

  “Sounds intriguing. Let us talk about it tomorrow after the morning meal,” proposed Edmund.

  “Excellent,” replied Elgar.

  Everyone was conversing and drinking. The king thought it a good time to do the healing mentioned by Kaathi. He motioned to Kaathi and retired to his bedroom, with Kaathi, Ashlee, Sharika and Kacy in tow.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Lie on your bed and relax. If you have a prayer you like, repeat it until we are done. Are you comfortable with us setting our hands on you?”

  “Yes.”

  Kaathi took a position by his head, Ashlee at his feet and Kacy and Sharika were on either side of him. They gently rested their hands on him, each saying silent prayers asking for Creator’s energy to move through them blessing them and pass it on to the king and blessing him. A short while later Edmund felt the energy coursing through him and silently thanked the women and Creator for the blessing.

  His thoughts strayed to how tired he had been of late. Perhaps it is time I relinquished my position to Zach. All I need is the assurance Zach will not have to face a devastating situation like another military uprising or a raid from the mutants. A peace treaty is exactly what we need.

  His mind drifted and he noticed he was very relaxed. He concentrated on the energy they were sending him. It made him relax deeper and he fell asleep.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  The next morning the king assembled his military heads, queens and children together for the morning meal. The king saw everyone was finished eating and he stood. The room quieted. “Edgar please thank the cooks for doing a splendid job. We have gathered here to discuss an important peace proposal from our Kahali friends. I shall allow Elgar to tell you what it is.”

  Edmund sat and Elgar rose. “Thank you, Edmund. Our council has already approved it and have received approval from Chief Victor of Sumati. Allow me to go over the tenents of the treaty.”

  Elgar went over the proposal slowly and finished by stating, “Those are the general tenents and they are open to discussion, revision and addition.”

  “What if a village does not ratify and raids us?”

  “A good question. We should add if any nation does not agree, and they take any aggressive action upon a nation agreeing to the treaty all of those nations shall rise up and take action upon the aggressor. The agreeing villages shall contribute one half of their able bodied men to this peace keeping force.

  “The aggressor can send a delegate to the offended village to explain the action, in case the aggression was made by renegades from their tribe. If it is the case the renegades should be killed or cast out of the village with no weapons.”

  “I agree with the new proposal.”

  Kaleez stood. “Was Kaathi the brainchild of this treaty?”

  Elgar answered, “She was. Had it not been for the Relationship Sessions, we would not have attempted to propose the treaty.”

  Kaathi jumped into the discussion. “We realize half of the villages have not had the advantages of having the sessions. We hope to propose they allow us to send a delegation to their villages to introduce the Relationship Sessions and later the Spiritual Awakening Sessions.

  “Our understanding is the mutants have not made a raid for a few years. Ashlee has told us their population has decreased during the years she was held captive and we believe they are hesitant to lose good men in battle. Evette and Gene are originally from Ebiji, the home of the giants, and they informed us the last skirmish they had with anyone was when they were children. While we are not altogether certain, we are hopeful the Nubilons have muted their aggression since they took the lives of our two apprentice Warrior Hunters.”

  Edmund ran his hand over his beard. “Thank you, Kaathi. With this additional information we can make a more informative decision. Are there any questions from my family or leaders?”

  “I have one.” Kaleez’s voice rumbled even in the large room. “I think half of the able bodied men from each village should be part of the combative force is excellent. However, I think we need to go further and add another tenent. What if there is an invading army outside of the collective villages. How big a force can we count on?”

  Elgar nodded. “A good question and one we did not anticipate. I will let Jacob answer the question.”

  “I must say we never thought about such a contingency. If the force is a large one I would say each village needs to pledge eighty percent of their able bodied men. What are your thoughts Kaleez?”

  “I agree with you, Jacob. In dealing with any invading foe, the show of unified front and force is strategic. It must be shown the opposition shall be dealt with swiftly and surely.”

  “I agree,” said Andre. “The larger the force the greater the misgiving of entering into battle.”

  “I concur,” said Jacob.

  The king looked over the crowd. “Is there anyone else who wants to contribute their thoughts on the new tenents or the whole treaty?”

  No one spoke.

  “Is there anyone who opposes this treaty?”

  No one responded.

  “Consider the treaty ratified, and I wish you good fortune with the rest of the villages you visit.”

  Elgar heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Edmund.”

  “I believe this is a good reason to have the festival we did not have upon your arrival.” Edmund turned to his trusted servant. “Edgar would you immediately tell the horn blower to announce the festival and have a table in the square for us?”

  “Indeed I shall.”

  A while later Edgar returned to tell the king the table was set and people were congregating in the village center. The group walked to the square and were welcomed with applause by hundreds of locals. The village center quickly filled. Edmund stood atop the table and told his drummers to announce him. The crowd quieted and Edmund called out to his people, “My friends it is my extreme pleasure to announce our friends from Kahali and I have ratified a peace agreement. They hope to have all the tribes, nations and villages surrounding us ratify it as well.”

  The crowd roared their approval.

  “If all of the villages and nations approve the treaty, it will mean we will live out the rest of our lives in peace not fear.”

  The crowd enthusiastically yelled and applauded.

  “This is an auspicious day in our history. Let us celebrate it in song and dance.”

  He stepped down to thunderous applause and shouts.

  Before the military leaders had too much to drink, Jacob asked Kaleez and Andre for identifying landmarks on the river and the plains to the Wanderers’ village. A little later Edmund made his way to the group and pulled Jacob aside and had him walk with him.

  Jacob grabbed Edmund’s arm stopping him. “Before I forget to tell you, Edmund, I am thankful and respectful of whom you have become.”

  “Thank you. It means a lot to me coming from you. Because of the cultural and spiritual revolution taking place in my kingdom, I would like to know what precipitated it in your tribe. I know Kaathi does not like to talk about herself. It is obvious she has had a great influence in your village. I also know your tribe was a patriarchal society for dozens upon dozens of generations. I have heard a little about the woman, Batu, and I am intrigued. Can you give me a brief history of her and Kaathi?”

  “I would be happy to,” Jacob replied, “since I was on the council during the changes and in the middle of it all. The revolution started with Taja, the old Talker Healer. He was Batu’s mentor. Batu was a vocal advocate of women before she became a woman. She was a thorn in the council’s side as well as the High Priest’s. When it came time for her to marry, she challenged her father’s choice and convinced him to choose Thomas, the Story Teller,
a council position. It was a stormy marriage until Batu became ill with a skin disease. Taja talked to her and helped her change her attitude from being self-centered to self-empowered. Less than a year after her recovery her husband was bitten by a snake and died leaving her vulnerable to being expelled from the village because she had no worth. A month later Batu discovered Thomas had impregnated her and gave her worth. Unfortunately, the baby died at birth and she was again vulnerable to ejection. During her expulsion, she gave a scathing speech criticizing the council and High Priest. Taja tried to save her by offering to marry her. She refused. She left the village knowing her death was imminent at the mouths of any number of predators. Taja and I found her and he rescued her by offering her an apprenticeship. She accepted, creating history by becoming the first woman on the council.

  “Two years later Victor arrived from Sumati seeking help from Taja. A disease was making hundreds sick and several of his people had died with no end in sight. Taja sent Batu to help them. He sensed, if she succeeded, it would be a turning point in having the village accept her. She found the source of the problem and came back a heroine to find Kaathi and Taja had become close friends. It took only a short time for Kaathi to win over Batu. The apprentice High Priest’s wife approached Batu and told her she was being abused by her husband. Using this as the impetus, Batu and Taja authored a set of laws giving women rights and protection from men.

  “This inflamed the High Priest and his apprentice. The two of them killed Taja because he helped Batu. She accused the High Priest of murdering Taja. He was furious at her insolence. In his rage, he had a heart attack and died. Before he died he had his apprentice vow to kill Batu and Kaathi. He did kill Batu, spared Kaathi and took his own life.”

  Jacob nodded his head and continued, “Something only a few people know is Kaathi is very human. It was a long while later Kaathi confessed to me she was in love with Batu. Batu’s death must have devastated her. However, it was never apparent. It does not surprise me she fell in love with Batu. Batu had a deep passion to grow spiritually along with other qualities Kaathi admired. I am not sure if there was any man with those distinctive attributes except for Taja, and he was deceased. I believe only a person with such strengths could attract Kaathi. I do know, after Batu’s death, Kaathi put much greater emphasis and attention to her spiritual life.”