Love's Joy

by Emil Toth

  She halted and grew emotional. Tears brimmed her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued, “He demeaned me. In many ways, I became hopeless. My life was filled with terror, desperation and stress.”

  Her face turned ugly as she confessed, “I was thankful I never conceived. I cannot imagine having a child grow up in a toxic, unloving atmosphere. The last beating and humiliation was the tipping point. I could not go on any longer. I honestly could not. The only way out of my living hell was for me to take my life. I almost succeeded… Why did you get involved?”

  “In Kahali, I am a healer in addition to being the High Priest. I saw you suffering and I did what I am supposed to do.”

  Netti nodded slowly. “By doing what you did, you have put yourself and Kahali at risk.”

  “It is not the first time I have intervened in someone’s life, and I am sure it will not be the last. The truth is what you attempted to do is going to inspire the chief council to take steps to heal your people.” The mystic paused to smile. “You my dear can feel good about being part of the revolution in Nubilon.”

  Netti peered curiously at the mystic. “A strange thing to say after I committed to take my life. Are you certain of what you are saying?”

  Kaathi smiled again.

  Netti eyes left the delicate looking woman, having the strength of a warrior. She stared off into space, dwelling on what the mystic had told her. Netti reflected before she spoke, “How do you know these things?” She waited a moment. When she realized no answer was forthcoming, she continued, “If what you say is true, my suffering is going to bring about good… It makes me feel better.” It was Netti’s turn to smile. “It does, and astonishingly, my smile is proof.”

  “Whenever a smile appears on my patient, it tells me he or she is on the way to recovery.”

  “I have years of terrible memories haunting me to bury.”

  “I will share something with you. Memories are part of your past. The beautiful thing about life is each new day is a new beginning. If you think of all the things you can look forward to experiencing in life, your old memories will soon be pushed out by all the wonderful new ones. I will be by your side to help you celebrate them.”

  Netti mulled her remarks around. “I have not had any good things happen since I was a little girl. It is hard to imagine what they might be.”

  “Well, I can see you are young enough to bear children.”

  “I was with my husband for nine years, and I remain barren.”

  “You are not barren, Netti. All you need is a loving man in your life for you to bear a child.”

  “Are you certain?”

  Kaathi smiled in answer.

  “It cannot happen. I am married.”

  “You are bound by Nubilon conventions and laws. We have left there and you are free of those restrictions.”

  “How can you make such a statement, especially since you are a High Priest?”

  “My dear we are talking about human conventions and creations. They are always subject to change. Love is never subject to change. Accept a loving man and dispense with traditions, laws and conventions. It is my recommendation. You have rejected your man and now you might want to consider rejecting the clothing you wear and wear something which comforts you.”

  Netti thought over what she said. Altering her attire would be easy. She shook her head. “You are nothing like anyone I have ever met. You shatter foundations men make and seem unafraid you have done it.”

  “Netti, I will reveal a secret to you. The moment you are centered in love and in Creator there is no need to fear anything or anyone.”

  “Wait, you used the word Creator. I have no understanding of the word.”

  “I have come to realize Creator is exactly what the name implies. Creator is in a process of creating everything you see in the universe and everything you do not see. Actually, Creator’s process is love in action or motion.”

  Netti liked what she heard and pondered Kaathi’s words. She reached out and touched the mystic’s arm. “Can you tell me why we went astray and have these irrational religious beliefs?”

  Kaathi released a sigh. “In the past, one or several men in your village, possibly while in a specific emotional state misinterpreted your writings and prevented women from their rightful place in your society. Misunderstanding often comes about as we are engrossed in an emotional state of mind.”

  “It seems so insane to treat women the way our men do.”

  “Belief is a culprit and a curse in your culture’s religion. Belief is also a blessing to other people, presenting them with countless ways to initiate an experience with Creator. Free will gives us the chance to choose the way and means. I have chosen to make people aware of my preference, which is the path of love and devotion. It is simple and helps you love everyone.”

  “It seems so senseless to cause oneself or others harm.”

  “I agree. Beliefs can be useful and harmful.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Caleb was thankful they were flowing with the river. It made his task of rowing easier. Kaathi had offered to help paddle but he refused her offer. He did not want to tax her in any way. She had special gifts and he did not want to dampen them by having her get overtired. He looked at the unused paddles lying in the dugout and immediately missed the male companionship Pauli and Sandor had provided on the trip. Without them helping to row, his body trembled and tired from the exertion of being the only rower. He was cognizant he never would have been able to paddle upstream alone. He was not physically up to the task. Despite Kaathi wrapping his hands in skins and treating them, his hands were a mess. The blisters on his hands had broken open and she had applied a salve to them, wrapped them and they still hurt.

  When Kaathi first suggested the trip, he thought of it as an adventure and looked forward to it. He had always wanted to take a trip to discover what life was like outside his village. If he had not gone on this trip, the next journey might have come about when he was too old to be adventuresome. Had he known two of his best warriors would not survive the trip, he never would have made the trip and not allowed them to make it. The part he was going to hate the most was telling their wives they were dead. It was not a desirable task nor an easy one.

  He abandoned the thoughts of what he needed to do and settled his mind on Kaathi. After days of travel, he had come to see why Jacob was keen on the woman. Talking with Ashlee, and listening to her explain the timing of how they came upon Netti’s attempted suicide, he came to appreciate Kaathi’s gifts significantly more than he did prior to this trip. The trouble he had was the loss of two outstanding men. The first opportunity he had he was going to talk privately with the mystic and question the sanity of the trip.

  Two days passed and Caleb got his chance to talk with Kaathi alone.

  “Are the deaths of Pauli and Sandor troubling you?”

  She did not answer immediately. She looked over to where Ashlee and Netti were sitting on the bank of river. “I intensely miss their physical presence. I loved them a great deal.”

  Her first statement was expected. He waited intent on what else she would say.

  “I have spoken to both of them in the Land of No Shadows and thanked them for their sacrifice. We spoke at length about the effects their deaths were going to have on the Nubilons. They lost a good deal of their anger after my explanation.”

  Caleb interrupted her saying, “I need to hear your explanation, because I am having a rough time accepting their loss and why we had to make this trip.”

  She nodded slightly and started her recitation, “The secondary reason for this trip was to allow Ashlee to find her uncle and see what life was like in her village. The primary reason for this adventure made itself known to me upon our arrival in Nubilon. Zafir needed to witness the beating to death of our men and Netti’s tragic attempted suicide. Zafir needed to see how desperate she had become and how out of control the men of Nubilon are. She was representative of how deplorably women were tre
ated by their men. The death of Zafir’s wife had softened him and witnessing Netti hanging by her neck, tipped the scales for him to spearhead a cultural revolution.”

  Caleb shook his head angrily. “I do not care about what may or may not take place in Nubilon. Answer me this. You took Jacob on your previous trips and you even fought Kaleez in his place. Why?”

  “I needed Jacob with me because he was the best man suited for the journeys.”

  “I heard you promised his wife he would not shed a drop of blood on any of those trips. Did you make the same promise to the wives of Sandor and Pauli?”

  “I did not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because neither of their wives requested it of me.”

  “Would you have made the promise if they did?”

  “No.”

  “Would you have made the trip without them?”

  “Yes. There would have been any number of men willing to experience the adventure.”

  Caleb shook his head. He knew if they had not accepted the invitation there would have been several men eager to volunteer for the adventure.

  “Did you have a premonition of their deaths, and is it why no promises were made?”

  “The answer to both questions is yes.”

  “Why did you not warn them?”

  “I did. I told them there were deaths on two of my adventures and this trip was dangerous.”

  “I find it reprehensible you did not specifically tell them of your premonition.”

  “It was my choice, Caleb, and I fully understand my responsibility.”

  “My concern is for the lives we lost. If you saw the future, why did you allow them to die?”

  “I believe anyone sacrificing their life is a heroic deed. In this case, the sacrifice of our friend’s lives were especially so, due to their chivalry and what is to come from the violence. I have had visions and dreams foreshadowing what is to take place.

  “As you well know, during many wars, military leaders have had to sacrifice men for the overall beneficial outcome. On a deep level of consciousness everyone involved in what took place back there participated willingly to bring forth change.”

  Caleb waved her words aside. “Once again, all I care about is the loss of Pauli and Sandor. I was responsible for them.”

  “I also had a responsibility to allow the future to unfold. I did not want to interfere with its manifestation. I truly understand why you are upset, and I am sorry I could not be more specific about the dangers.”

  “I am at a loss to know how you know all of these events. If what you say is true, I still have trouble sacrificing two of my best friends to a Nubilon cause. What happens there is none of my business. Nor is it of yours.”

  “It is my business. I believe we are bound to make life better for all the people of Mother Earth.”

  He shook his head. “It may or may not be true. The trouble is I cannot give their widows any comfort with what you have told me.”

  “Dear Caleb, because you were deep into your feelings about losing our friends, you missed hearing Zafir’s words. His intentions were constructive as well as sympathetic. Did you hear him say, ‘This madness has to end.’?”

  Caleb’s eyes moved back and forth as he tried to recall hearing it. He shrugged his shoulders. “I cannot remember him saying it. I agree it is a significant statement.”

  “It is,” she agreed. “It was representative of everything taking place. Trust me when I say he is going to talk to his council about the madness. I am sure the widows would receive some comfort knowing their husbands were instrumental in a cultural revolution.”

  “It is a crumb, and I shall offer it to them. I do believe they were heroes.” responded the Elder. “I must admit I am displeased with you. You have lost some of the confidence I held you in.”

  “I can understand your displeasure, Caleb. Even so, I am glad you were courageous enough to speak to me. Perhaps with the passage of time and the progress of the cultural revolution you will look at what took place back there in a new light.”

  He shook his head. “I am not so sure.”

  “Here is something I want you to remember. If we allow any woman to be abused, it is an injustice to all women everywhere.”

  Her words echoed in his mind.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  A nearby drum announced their presence in Homar territory. Another drummer picked up the message and relayed it to a more distant one.

  Caleb was relieved. He would finally be out of the confinement of the canoe for longer than a night and be able to sleep in a bed and not a tree. The drums reported their progress until he saw the landing. Caleb was sure every mobile person in Homar was awaiting their arrival. Their appearance would be a reason to have a festival with music, dance, food and wine. He was ready for the diversion. Even knowing he lost two men, it would be nice to be swept up in the villagers’ enthusiasm to frolic.

  They were met by applause from the villagers, King Edmund and the royal court. Sharika stood cozily next to Prince Zach. She looked happy to see them until she noticed Sandor and Pauli were missing.

  King Edmund greeted Caleb and the group. He saw the two Warrior Hunters were missing and the sorrow in the traveler’s faces. Edmund instructed his servant, Edgar, to make arrangements to wine and dine the guests, royal family and his ten military leaders. He hustled the travelers to his palace where the adventurers could relate why Pauli and Sandor were missing in relative privacy. His royal subjects would have to wait to know why Sandor and Pauli were missing from the group.

  Edgar had set small casks of wine on the table and poured wine into each goblet. King Edmund allowed everyone to get situated. “You are missing two men and you have brought back a new woman. What is the story, Caleb?”

  “It is a sad one Edmund. Pauli and Sandor were beaten to death by an angry mob and Netti here was a near victim.”

  The Elder went on to explain how the men met their deaths and how Netti was beaten and almost took her own life.

  “Those savages!” exclaimed Edmund. Hearing his remark, the king caught himself and thought it was not too long ago he would not have been shocked. “For what reason?”

  “Pauli had spoken to Netti not knowing the law forbid them. Netti’s husband saw it and beat his wife while a horde of men beat Pauli and Sandor to death.”

  Edmund’s jaw dropped. “Good grief. Those people are more barbaric than we ever were. How utterly stupid and senseless. They do not have many skills on a battlefield, even so, I have to admit they fight with emotion as most hotheads do.” He looked at each traveler. “It is a shame to lose good men. You have my condolences.”

  “Thank you, Edmund.”

  Edmund took a long drink from his goblet and let the ugly news settle in. “Are you seeking revenge? Do you need me to marshal men to help you annihilate them?”

  “I appreciate your offer. I cannot tell you how much it means to me and to my people. The trouble with it is I believe it would be counterproductive. All sides would suffer the loss of more lives. I cannot live with such results.

  “I have spoken to Kaathi and she has provided me with a different view of what took place. I shall let her tell you about it.”

  Kaathi explained her position, “I have come to see good will come from the loss of our two brave warriors. The Nubilon men are not far removed from how the Wanderer mutants treat their women and slaves. The good news is Zafir, the chief councilman, has become progressive in his thinking of the rights and privileges of women. He along with Ashlee’s Uncle Ravi and three women will be responsible for the changes in Nubilon. In essence, Sandor and Pauli did not lose their lives in vain. They should be looked upon as heroes. Sacrificing their lives was instrumental in the reformation taking place in Nubilon.”

  The king shook his head saying, “Hopefully, what you say will come to pass. Not long ago, if this happened to a friend of mine, I would have been charging off seeking revenge and crushed the guilty party. Now, all I can do is
raise my cup in salute to two brave men who lost their lives. You have my condolences.”

  Edmund lifted his goblet up and everyone present followed suit and drank.

  “Now, I would like to take this moment to welcome our guest, Netti. If you are inclined we would welcome you to stay with us.”

  Netti was not used to such cordialness. She answered guardedly, “Thank you for the invitation. I have a friend in Kaathi, and she has already invited me to live with her.”

  “You are well friended,” the king pointed out. “She has taken many a newcomer into her fold, and they have thrived from what Renee has told me. I have had my own experiences with Kaathi, and I can attest to how deeply she cares and loves people.”

  “I have found it out for myself, Edmund,” replied Netti.

  Edmund turned his attention to Caleb. “What are your plans?”

  “We plan on leaving in the morning to let Pauli and Sandor’s families know what happened. I am not sure what we will do later. Zafir apologized profusely for the actions of his people and hoped there would be no further bloodshed. It is all I have to take back to my people.”

  “Did you believe him?”

  “I did. I saw how remorseful he was. He told us he was going to join the discussion group with Ashlee’s uncle. Kaathi assured us it will be the focal point in the reformation of Nubilon.”

  “It is enough you have had to share your grief with me and my family and my leaders. There is no need for you to share it with my people. I shall do it after you leave. Right now I want you to eat and rest for your journey back home.”

  Edmund lifted his glass in toast. “I know you have traveled some distance and grieved on the way here. It is time to celebrate Pauli’s and Sandor’s lives. Let us toast them and tell good stories about them and other friends.”

  Everyone lifted their cups and drank. Indeed many stories were told. The more wine they consumed the more embellished the stories became.