Love's Joy

by Emil Toth

  Kaathi’s father hugged and kissed her and told her to be careful. Millie, Kaathi’s mother, whose hair was graying, held her daughter for a long time. She released her saying, “I know I say this to you every time you go away. I am your mother and you are still my baby. Be careful, none of us know much about the people of Nubilon. I shall pray for you every day. Remember I love you.”

  “Bless you for your kind thoughts, Mother. Danger and risk lies everywhere for the fearful. I am not one of them. I do appreciate your prayers and I love you.”

  “Goodbye my child.”

  Kaathi was the last to step into the dugout. Jacob pushed the canoe off the shore and the travelers were on their adventure. Jacob waved and felt strange to be left behind. He had been by the mystic’s side on every trip she made in the past. Every trip he made with Kaathi, she had always promised his wife, Keri, he would not shed one drop of blood. He knew Pauli and Sandor’s wives did not have a personal meeting with her and would never have had the chance to receive the promise. He watched them paddle away and mentally prayed for the travelers’ safety.

  Many men followed the dugout with their eyes on Sharika. It was understandable. She had caught the fancy of dozens of men since her arrival a year ago. Sharika was slightly shorter than most Kahali women. What set her apart from other women was her physical presence. Her musculature surpassed most men in Kahali and her carriage was graceful. She was in complete command of her physical assets. A person had to look closely to detect her ancestral background. Her eyes were piercing and revealed her no nonsense approach to life. Her ribbed abdominal muscles were the envy of every man in the village and her quickness was spoken of during conversations in the village square.

  Back in the dugout, Sharika watched Janos’ image grow smaller and smaller and vanish. Oh my, how he has made my life interesting and pleasurable. If it were anyone except Kaathi wanting me to go back to Homar, I would decline. Thank Creator, Janos promised me he would wait for my return. I cannot imagine why Kaathi was so adamant I come with her to Homar. There was nothing appealing to me the first time I was there. At least I will have the opportunity to see Nubilon and Ashlee’s reaction to seeing her home village.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The canoe made its way up the river. Ashley’s eyes clouded with tears, as she watched Zar, Jacob, Keri and Scarlet waving to her on the shore. Doubt flickered in her mind and she had to face it yet again. Family was paramount in her life, mainly due to the fact she lost hers and had lived among the mutants as a slave. Being accepted by Jacob’s family, she grew content with life. She had come to another crossroad, when Kaathi asked her to come with her on this trip. The opportunity to see her home village was enticing, although not enough to pull her away from her new family. Her loyalty to the mystic and her mystical experience with Kaathi were the deciding points of why she elected to go on the trip. She wanted dearly to keep having spiritual experiences; being near Kaathi would help her continue having the experiences.

  The images on the shore disappeared and her thoughts gradually shifted to what little she could remember about her life in Nubilon. The only people, other than her mother and father, she recalled were her Aunt Yara and her Uncle Ravi. She had difficulty putting a face to Ravi, although she recalled there was something unique about him. She had no problem remembering Yara. Her aunt always showered her with hugs and kisses. She did not have children of her own, and it contributed immensely to her show of affection.

  She had no trouble recalling her mother and father’s faces. Her mother’s golden hair was what she remembered the most. Oddly, the next was her voice, possibly due to how often she was singing to her and in the home. Her mother shared many stories and went to great length to explain everything she did in their home. She saw her mother’s face in her mind and marveled at her beauty. While in captivity, the only faces she could compare hers too were the faces of the mutants she associated with terror and abuse. In the quiet darkness of night, she had recalled her mother’s face and hoped she looked like her.

  Memories of her father centered on his handsome full-bearded face and strength. She knew he provided the meat and shared in caring for the acre of planted vegetables for their meals which her mother cooked. The only thing in common with the two cultures was the cooking smells. The mutants used a variety of spices to enhance the taste of their meals as had her mother.

  The faces of her Aunt Yara and Uncle Ravi popped into her mind, and she wondered if they were alive. She was twenty-nine and they were likely around their fiftieth year, which was the average length of life. She prayed they were still living. There was much she wanted to ask them.

  Pauli did not have the luxury of looking back at his family for very long. He sat in the foremost position of the canoe and had to watch for trouble on the water. He and Sandor had practiced paddling against the river current for the past ten days and he was thankful they had. His body was better accustomed to the strain.

  Pauli had missed out on the journey to Sumati. The birth of his son had prevented him from going. This journey would have to do. What made it extremely pleasing was having Ashlee a member of the group. The moment he first saw her, he knew she was the most stunningly beautiful woman on the face of Mother Earth. The Creator could not have created a woman more perfect in face or form. He recalled an old story not often told of a woman named, Helen, whose face launched a thousand ships. He was certain Ashlee would not have to bow to Helen. It was hard to keep his eyes off of her. He was both thankful and disappointed she was behind him in the dugout. Although she was his best friend’s wife, it did not preclude him from taking pleasure in looking at her. She had a time honored, wholesome beauty about her, while Jacob’s other wife, Scarlet, exuded sensuality. Jacob’s first wife, Keri, was like his wife, she did not have any such distinctive qualities.

  The other newcomer, Sharika, sat in front of Ashley and he found her immensely interesting. She was one of the few women learning about sensing the interval between thought and action and the best at detecting it. He had heard from Jacob of her accuracy with the bow. For his mentor to praise anyone meant she had extraordinary skills. It was good to know, for on any trip another archer was always beneficial. He did have a chance to take a long look at Sharika before they stepped into the dugout. She wore a top revealing her midriff and he was able to see the muscle structure of her back, which impressed him as much as her muscled abdomen. While her arms were smaller than his, they were well defined. He had been told one story of her having to combat baboons from Jacob and knew most of her scars were received from them.

  He took a deep breath and concentrated on his paddling and kept his eyes looking up river for any debris coming down stream.

  His thoughts settled on his lifelong friend and mentor, Jacob. He had always liked and admired Jacob. Since Batu’s banishment speech and his involvement with Kaathi, he had changed. He became a champion of women and treated all of them with respect and consideration. He wondered if the change was what prompted Scarlet and Ashlee to fall in love with him. The whole thing was strange. He had difficulty getting a grasp on how more than one woman could fall for the same man and not scratch the other woman’s eyes out. He wondered if Kaathi approved of Jacob having three wives? She had to have given him her blessing otherwise they would not be friends. He hoped this trip would give him a better insight to whom she was.

  Sandor could not believe his good fortune to be going to distant lands. He loved adventure and felt he was one of the luckiest men on Mother Earth to be making this trip. He knew Homar was on friendly terms with Kahali, thanks to Kaathi’s persuasive abilities. He would have given anything to be present, when she and King Edmund went off to talk. Edmund had been angry and wanted to kill everyone in Kahali. He did not care how many of his warriors were lost in the battle. He had heard she got the king’s attention when she thought he might die if he did not come with her. Whatever she told Edmund, its impact saved thousands of lives.

  He never imagined the mysti
c would select both him and Sandor for this adventure. Kaathi had always been a puzzle to him, and this trip would give him a chance to see her in action on the adventure and hopefully shed new light on her personality. This journey would provide him with the opportunity to witness the healer’s abilities. He knew she had many spiritual experiences and had expanded the content of the Relationship Sessions and introduced the Spiritual Awakening Services, after accepting the position as High Priest.

  Sandor’s wife wanted a child and had already lost two. She was twenty-seven and would soon be too old to safely bear a child. He wanted a son and was not sure how he would feel, if he had a daughter. He would not know what to say or do with a girl. Perhaps being able to influence the sex of the baby was something he could discuss with Kaathi. He knew the sex of crocodiles was influenced by the temperature of the nest. Perhaps something similar was true for humans.

  The one thing he knew without fail it was great to be on the adventure with Pauli. Pauli missed out on the last trip Kaathi had taken, as had he. To be on an adventure was one of his lifelong dreams and it was being realized.

  He smiled. Life was good.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sharika felt comfortable with the men and asked if she could help paddle. It was the third day paddling for the men and they welcomed the help to ease their burden. Before Sharika grabbed a paddle, Kaathi rubbed salve on her hands to protect and strengthen them and put leather covers on her palms. Sharika remained in the seat behind Pauli and welcomed the chance to keep her muscles toned. She felt more comfortable doing her share and it gave her mind something to concentrate on other than fleeting thoughts. She remembered Kaathi saying concentrating on physical actions was a way to meditate.

  Sharika noticed how out of shape she was at the end of the day. At times she allowed her mind to wander and recall people and events in her new home, Kahali, and her old home, Hun Nation. She found herself comparing Janos with the other men in her life and found all of them falling short. She had feelings for the others but Janos had captured her heart.

  Sharika smiled to herself and was aware she had missed a couple of strokes with her paddle. It was clear Janos made her forget where she was and what she was doing. It was also clear she had fallen in love with the lovable scalawag.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The heat and humidity were intense for the past four days and took a toll on the travelers, especially the paddlers. A good amount of daylight was left, when Pauli pointed to a spot. “The place on the right looks like a good spot to spend the night.”

  “It is too early to stop,” Sharika pointed out.

  “The heat is getting to me, and I need to rest.”

  Sandor, in the stern of the canoe, welcomed Pauli’s suggestion and set his paddle in the water to turn for the spot, while Sharika and Pauli paddled to it.

  Sharika felt uneasy about the docking sight. She exited the dugout, and her unease continued. She stole a glance at Kaathi to see if she was uneasy and detected nothing. The others got out and they pulled the canoe far onto the riverbank. The clearing was large enough for the campsite. It did little to comfort Sharika. “This place is unsettling me. I do not want to stay.”

  “I have a pulled muscle,” remarked Pauli, “and I cannot continue. It needs rest. This is as good a place as any.”

  “No, it is not.”

  Her comment fell on deaf ears. Sharika was thankful Sandor wanted her to accompany him to gather firewood. She did not want to be close to Pauli. Ashlee and Pauli partnered and went in another direction to gather wood. Kaathi and Caleb remained at the campsite.

  Sharika’s unease grew the further they were from the campsite. She and Sandor found some wood and were about to gather it. She bent down to collect it and the hair on her arms stood up.

  She was about to say to Sandor they should leave and look somewhere else, when the sky exploded. She saw the object fall from above and crush Sandor to the ground. The few pieces of wood tumbled from his arms. The object on Sandor was a huge python. The huge snake’s first coil had Sandor’s right arm pinned against his body preventing him from getting to his long blade. He screamed for help. She was startled to see how quickly the python had wrapped itself around Sandor twice before she reacted. She knew with each scream the python would squeeze tighter and his breath would be shallower.

  She was ten steps from him. She ran to him pulling her long knife from its sheath on the way.

  Sandor eyes were on her and were crazed with fear.

  She had never seen anyone exhibit such fear.

  Even if Sandor could have gotten to his knife the snake’s head was behind him. He and the snake were on the ground and his free arm was pinned to the ground. Without worrying about whether she would hit Sandor, she brought her long knife down on the python’s body just behind its head. Despite the snake’s massive muscles the blade drove its way through its flesh and into the ground beyond.

  She used the knife to shove the head aside. She dropped her weapon and grabbed the snake where its head was severed from its body and pulled at it to unwrap its body from Sandor. Despite the head being severed it took all her strength to remove the rest of the python from Sandor.

  She dropped to her knees. Her arms shook with effort and fear. Sandor took a huge breath and managed to get to his knees and grabbed Sharika and hugged her. They remained locked in the embrace until they stopped shaking.

  Their eyes were fixated on the dead python’s head. Its mouth was still moving as if it wanted to swallow Sandor.

  “My God, thank you Sharika. If we had gone our own way I would be dead. I owe my life to you.”

  “It could have been me it chose to eat. You would have done the same for me.”

  He leaned toward her and gave her another hug.

  The rest of the group heard Sandor’s scream and came running. They saw the dead snake and assumed it was Sandor who saved Sharika.

  Sandor shook his head. “I screamed. The damn snake had me in its clutches. Were it not for Sharika, I would be in the Land of No Shadows with my ancestors. She rushed to my aid and killed the monster.”

  The jaws of the dead snake were still moving, seeking to swallow its prey. Sandor watched it and shivered. The terrifying experience still dominated his body.

  Pauli looked at Sharika and realized why she did not want to camp at this sight. “I apologize for ignoring you.”

  Sharika narrowed her eyes. “Thankfully, you are safe.”

  Her sarcastic tone hurt Pauli. He diverted his eyes from her.

  Paul and Sandor drug the carcass of the python to the river and dumped it. Sharika stuck her long blade in the snake’s mouth and dropped it in the river.

  The group had eaten, stoked the fire and was tucked into the trees for safety. Pauli, Sandor and Caleb were close to each other and talked in soft monotones. Sharika, Ashlee and Kaathi were in another tree clustered together.

  Sharika could still make out Kaathi’s eyes. “You are supposed to be the intuitive one. Why did you not say something in my support? And you Ashlee, why did you not say something?”

  Kaathi’s eyes were smiling as she spoke, “Ashlee sensed what you sensed and quizzed me with her eyes. I did not want her to say anything and I chose to not speak as well.”

  “Why?”

  “I sensed what was to occur needed to take place. It will enhance your standing in our village.”

  “I do not need it.”

  “I know. Regardless, your courage will be talked about by Caleb and will affect many decisions.”

  “What decisions?”

  “Let us leave the future unfold and enjoy the surprises.”

  “You can be a frustrating woman, Kaathi.”

  “So I have been told.”

  “Does it bother you?”

  “Not in the least.”

  In the tree holding the men, Pauli whispered to Sandor, “I hope you know I or Caleb would have saved you.”

  He shook his head. “Yes, but it was Shari
ka – a woman saved me. Never in a million years would I have guessed it. After the initial shock, she charged to my rescue and slashed its head off. From the angle of the cut I am sure its head was not sticking out far from its body. She was sure handed and strong as hell. I shall sing her praises to anyone willing to listen back home.”

  Caleb patted him on the shoulder. “This was your lucky day, and you will not be the only one praising her.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next day was hot and unremarkable. The team of paddlers took a longer midday break from the intense heat. Upon making camp, Sandor suggested Sharika join him to eat her evening meal with him away from the group. They walked to the riverbank and sat down.

  Sandor rested his hand atop hers. “I want to thank you again, and I thought I owed it to you to tell you a little about myself.”

  Sharika rewarded him with her brightest smile. “How nice.”

  “Pauli, Jacob and I grew up near each other. Jacob was the oldest and I the youngest. Jacob always was the best at everything he did and caught the eye of the then current Warrior Hunter. He was asked to be his apprentice at an early age. When his mentor died, I was hoping he would ask me to be his apprentice. It did not happen. He selected Pauli who was more his age. It did not matter I was a better shot with the bow. Jacob was looking for loyalty more than skills. It is hard to describe how happy I was when every councilperson could select a second apprentice and I was chosen by Jacob.”

  “Do you have visions of ascending to the position of Warrior Hunter?”

  “No. It would mean my friends would be dead. It is too high a price to pay for the position.”

  “Tell me about your wife.”