by Elin Peer
Khan began pacing again and Magni continued, “If the Nanny Squad kick him out tomorrow, you have to cancel the election, Khan. Our men are going to be outraged if they see their one hope for equality in the world being crushed like that. That wave of fury is going to help one man only…”
Khan sneered the name, “Edward the Lowlife. I know, and it makes me sick. We can’t let someone like him win. Yesterday he had another of his rallies and do you know what he said?”
“No, I don’t listen to that hate-spewing ass. He gives me a headache. But my guess would be some strong rhetoric about breaking down the wall and taking back power and world domination.”
“Yes, and then some. If Edward wins, we’ll have another world war on our hands.”
Magni moved from the chair to sit on the edge of Khan’s desk. “He has a point, though. I’m tired of seeing men treated as second-class citizens. All ten million of us Nmen are.”
“I don’t want a fucking war!” Khan roared it out. “War is nothing but destruction and death.”
Magni got agitated too. “Are you just going to let the women run from their promise of equality on the Council? Remember when the wall crumbled during the earthquake and I wanted us to seize the moment and attack? You made me patrol our side of the border with my soldiers for weeks, like a good little puppet of the Motherlands. Do you have any idea how many of our own men we fought back when we could have let them cross the border? I told you the Council would screw us over with that deal you made, and now they’re proving me right. All their talk about integrity, ha! You should have never trusted them to keep their word in the first place. They don’t have honor like us.”
Khan came over and placed both his hands on Magni’s shoulders, speaking in a firm voice. “Maybe not, but they have integrity. Or at least they pride themselves that they do."
“If that was the case, they would keep their fucking promise to us, wouldn’t they?”
“There’s still time. Pearl was a Council member and she’s a good woman. We have to trust that there are still fair-minded and intelligent women like her on that Council who aren’t fucking ignorant about the significance Jonah holds to the rest of the world.”
Magni let out a long sigh. “You have too much trust in them. The only Council member I’ve ever respected was Jonah and only because he’s a man.”
The video ended and complete silence was heard. I was horrified that Pearl had chosen to share what was clearly meant as a private conversation between the brothers. If Khan and Magni knew about this… I shook my head with a deep sense of dread. What had the world come to, that good and honest people like Pearl would betray the man she loved?
Around me white noise rose from the Council members who were talking with unusually high-pitched voices. I was staring straight ahead, only picking up random bits and pieces.
“How can Pearl be with a man like Khan – did you hear his primitive language?”
“Who is that man they talked about? Edward Lovelife, was it?”
“I’m warning you: men and war go together.”
“That Magni is terrifying. His voice is so deep and scary.”
Isobel made an announcement, “I think we all need a few minutes to process what we just heard. There will be a ten-minute break before we continue with our votes.”
I sat shell-shocked on my chair, my mind twirling with a million thoughts at the same time. Magni respected me. He had said the words himself and even though it shouldn’t matter what others thought of me, I felt a deep satisfaction inside. From my first meeting with Magni, he had stood out as a traditional patriot, which explained why I’d come to think of him as the personification of the old Northlands. His traditional views combined with a deep distrust for the Motherlands had made him slow to warm up to me. Magni was rough around the edges and uncompromising by nature, but he was also loyal to the core, and protective of the ones he loved.
It’s like getting approved by the biggest alpha of the pack.
The thought was ridiculous. I was a man, not a wolf. And yet the constant teasing comments from Nmen about us Motlander men being feminine and domesticated had always stung, as if I knew there was a grain of truth in them. For four hundred years, we Motlander men had carried a guilt complex about what our ancestors did to almost destroy our planet.
Enough!
Hearing Magni say that he respected me empowered me to stand up. I couldn’t sit down any longer when my spine suddenly felt stronger and straighter.
Enough!
The word kept repeating in my mind, and forcefully, I hammered my fist on the red button in front of me. A red light shone, symbolizing that I had asked to address the Council.
Like a collective beehive, the white noise died down and everyone sat back in their seats with their focus on me.
I didn’t look at any of them but kept my eyes on Isobel, the leader of our council.
“It looks like we’re ready to resume this meeting, and I see that Jonah wishes to speak. Is this classified or can we open up the transmission again?"
"By all means, open it up."
"Good." She waited ten seconds before she continued, "We are now back to the public part of the hearing and Jonah Cervici has asked to speak. Go ahead, Jonah.”
Holding my head high, I spoke from my heart. “One point six billion people live in the Motherlands. Over one hundred million of them are men. Let me repeat that. One hundred million! And yet, I’m the only one ever given the chance to have a vote in the Council.
“I love women. I respect women, but on behalf of those one hundred million men, I have a message for you.
“Enough with the mental war on young boys and men to make them feel inferior. We are not – and never were – inferior!
“Enough with the guilt you place on us men because of what happened four hundred years ago. We are not our ancestors and it’s time for you to acknowledge that.
“Enough with the arguments about whether or not men and women are different. We are!
“Enough of we men having to fit into societal rules created by women to fit the needs of women.
“It’s time you listen to us men. It’s time you respect what we have to offer.
“Men and women were never supposed to suppress one another. We were created to complement each other. Did you know that there’s a great deal of mythology in our collective history concerning the union between man and woman? Wisdom passed down from the ancients of different cultures and eras spanning many millennia. It’s said that the idea of woman, deriving as it does from the word man, celebrates the notion we were once just one being. Neither man alone nor woman alone. Rather, a unisexual creature of some kind, an entity with both masculine and feminine energies swirling about like dust storms in a prairie wind. In these beginnings, through whatever story you prefer, the end result was that we were separated. The masculine parts of this being divided from the feminine. Woman from Adam’s rib was one example, not that she was derived from him or is subservient to him, the masculine. No. It’s that they both came from Mother Nature as a oneness. We were once one being. The whole of our goal as men and women is to reunite this force, to meld the great masculine and feminine energies of our original existence into a power greater than each is on its own.”
I squared my shoulders. “Athena Kelly, celebrated as one of our wisest priestesses, understood this and chose to marry an Nman. So did hundreds of thousands of other women including strong personalities we’ve all heard about, such as Christina, Kya, Willow, Salma Rose, my sister Emanuela, and even former Council member Pearl and our greatest genius Shelly Summers.
“Are you going to dismiss those women and many more as hopeless romantics or are you going to acknowledge that they have been right all along?
“Our heroes should be people who stay positive and rise above fear. I’m talking about the few who remain focused on what unites us rather than what divides us. People who are brave enough to open their heart even when there is a chance of rejecti
on and disappointment. If you know someone like that, I hope you respect them, because that is true courage.” My hands began shaking a little. “Being loved by a beautiful romantic who sees the best in you is the greatest gift that can be bestowed on anyone. I had that happen to me, and I screwed up and lost it. Don’t make the same mistake!
“I would love to serve on this council and help shape the future of the Motherlands, but I don’t want you to cast your vote in fear.” I held up my hand. “If you’re thinking about letting me stay, you need to know that as soon as this meeting is over, I’m going to fly to the Northlands and fight for the woman I love. If that makes you think less of me, so be it. The beauty, depth, and richness of Mila Aurelius is worth it!”
CHAPTER 20
Suicide Mission
Mila
I gaped at the screen.
“Holy fuck, did Jonah just say that he’ll fight for you in the tournament?” Solo looked as baffled as I felt.
I was at Willow’s house and sitting with Solo’s and Willow’s cute toddler, Nora, on my lap.
“Has he lost his mind?” Leo exclaimed. He was standing next to Zasquash, who shouted down the hallway, “Willow, Darlene, come in here… you gotta hear this.”
My wristband began vibrating right away with incoming calls from my dad and Pearl.
“Did you know Jonah was in love with you?” Solo asked while Raven reached for Nora and nodded to my wristband, silently asking if I was going to answer.
“I… I…” My thought and words were stumbling on top of each other and nothing came out.
“She’s shocked,” Leo concluded.
“What is it?” Willow came into the living room followed by Darlene. "We were going through the baby stuff that Darlene wants to borrow."
“Jonah just declared that he loves Mila,” Solo told them.
Willow frowned. “What’s new about that? The two have been inseparable ever since our wedding.”
“No, he loves her in a romantic way, and he’s coming to fight in her tournament.”
Willow, who was holding a white baby blanket in her arms, wrinkled her forehead. “You’re not going to let him, are you, Mila? It would be suicide for sure.”
Everyone was speaking around me and I was still trying to get my tongue to work when Raven spoke for me.
“Mila isn’t having a tournament.”
“Shut up, Raven, that’s not funny,” Zasquash exclaimed.
“I’m serious. She’s not having a tournament.”
“But what about all the fighters? Morris, Conlan, and some of our other colleagues are fighting for her.”
Crossing her arms, Raven stood up for me. “It’s not happening. Mila already told her parents.”
Solo looked to Zasquash. “But I heard Conlan talk about it, just yesterday.”
“Yes, and Jonah clearly thinks the tournament is still on. Jeez, those guys are going to kill him if he fights them. Has he ever fought anyone?”
“Not unless you count the times that I’ve challenged him to thumb wrestling.” Raven sounded amused. “Maybe his two victories gave him a scent for more fighting, but it doesn’t matter because there’s not going to be a tournament.”
“Raven is right, Jonah isn’t fighting in my tournament because I’m not having one.” I finally spoke the words.
“Tell me you’re kidding.” Zasquash’s arms fell down. “I’ve been looking forward to that weekend since forever, and I had saved up money to gamble on Conlan.”
“Can we keep it between us, please? My parents asked me to think it over and give them a final answer tomorrow night. I don’t want you to spread the news until it’s official.”
Zasquash sat down with a deep sigh. “To think of all the hours I spent in the gym training with Conlan. I was going to make so much money on him when he won.”
Darlene stroked his back. “It’s okay.”
Zasquash looked up at her. “I wanted to win that money for you and the baby.”
“I know, but money isn’t everything.” She gave him a loving smile.
We had all gotten distracted from the Council meeting, and I walked over to stand closer to the screen where two presenters were now speaking.
“It’s been a very bizarre Council meeting. First, we were told it would be public and then chairman Isobel, chose to cut parts of the meeting and make it classified. We were then allowed to hear Jonah’s passionate speech, which I have to say came as a surprise to many.”
The other commentator agreed, “Yes, not only was his message very personal, but he was also presenting it with a different off-script style that has to have influenced the Council members.”
“Well, we’re about to find out since the Council members are getting ready to cast their votes on whether or not Jonah Cervici will be allowed to stay on the Council.”
I bit my lip and watched as one after one, red and green lights showed as the Council members voted either for or against Jonah.
With the two brilliant speeches he’d given it should have been all green in my opinion, but a summation on the bottom of the screen showed twenty-three negative, and only fifteen positive votes.
“They’d better get those yes votes going,” Solo commented behind me.
“Thirty-seven to twenty-nine.” I crossed my fingers and stared at the numbers as they trickled in.
“Why are people so slow?” Raven complained.
I wrung my hands with nervous energy. “Forty-two to thirty-eight. That’s only four points’ difference. Just give us ten more votes, please.”
Forty-six to forty-four. We’re catching up,” Leo mumbled low.
“Fifty to forty-nine.”
“Oh no!” Willow’s hands covered her face.
“There’s still two more votes, right?” I clung to the hope that there was still a chance.
“No!” Raven crossed her arms on top of her head. “There’s one hundred and one council members, but Jonah can’t vote because it’s about him. With ninety-nine votes cast, that leaves only Isobel left to vote and she rarely does.”
A loud scream of excitement sounded when the number changed to fifty-fifty.
Nora, who was now in Willow’s arms, clapped her little hands and made sounds of glee at our happy faces.
“Now they have to do a recount, don’t they?” I asked eagerly.
The camera showed Isobel, who spoke in a calm voice. “With a split council, we’ll have another vote after the weekend. Meeting adjourned.”
“Damn, I was sure they would let him stay.” Solo was shaking his head. “Half of them want him out.”
“But he’s not out!” I squeezed my hands into fists and held them up to my face. “There’s still a chance.”
Raven gave me a hug. “Sounds like Jonah is coming here next.”
My heart was pounding when I pulled back from her embrace and looked into her eyes. “I should go home then.”
She stroked my hair and winked at me. “You probably have to calm down your father. I bet he shit a sheep when he learned that Jonah is the reason you don’t want a tournament.”
I gasped. “You’re right. He may not let him in. I have to get home, now.”
Leo was quick to offer his help. “Raven and I will take you home.”
“Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”
We said our goodbyes and twenty minutes later I was facing my father, who was with Khan, Pearl, and my mother in the dining room.
“There you are. Why didn’t you answer when we called you?”
“I was with friends and a bit distracted.”
My dad got up from his chair. “You saw Jonah’s speech?”
“Yes.”
Khan had frown lines on his face. “Care to explain what he meant when he talked about receiving a gift of love from you?”
“Did you sleep with him?” My dad’s tone was hard.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Mila, your tournament is a big deal and the contestants will expect th
at you’re…”
I cut off Khan, “I’m not having a tournament. I already told my parents.”
“Oh, thank Mother Nature. Good for you, dear.” Pearl’s comment made Khan, Magni, and Laura scowl at her, but that didn’t seem to bother Pearl in the least. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
“Waiting for what?” my mom asked.
“For Mila to stick up for herself. You should be proud of your daughter, she’s grown into a strong and beautiful woman.”
Khan grunted a few words I couldn’t hear.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you. I know a lot of work went into the tournament, but why can’t we have it without a bride? It would still be a large event with drinking, entertainment, and the fighting and betting that the men care about so much.”
“A bridal tournament without a bride?” Magni sounded like the idea was idiotic. “How would that work, when the whole idea is to prove themselves worthy of a wife.”
“Dad, things are different now than they were when you and Mom got married. Today men have the chance to meet a woman through the Couples Matching Program. Don’t you think most would fight for the million dollars alone?” I spoke fast. “And how about if we came up with some new initiatives like inviting Motlanders from the Matching Program to come and be part of it? Maybe there could be tents where men could show off other skills than just fighting.”
My dad jerked his head back. “Like what?”
“There could be cooking and baking contests, or stand-up comedy. Don’t get me wrong. I love you and I admire your strength, but for me and most of the Motlander women, other things are more important in a man.”
Magni narrowed his eyes. “I doubt the Motlanders would find our crude humor funny.”
“You never know. All I’m saying is that times are changing and this is an opportunity for us to improve some old traditions. This tournament could be the biggest matchmaking event the Northlands have ever seen.”
