Garden of Serenity (15 page)

For a moment, overwhelmed by the task, he turned away from the hopeful eyes of the crowd below, adjusting the small amplifier that would project his voice. Brenimyn had never had doubts before. But then, he’d always spoken in hypothetical terms. Having Jahara here made everything real.

She must have sensed his anxiety because she stood. Throwing back her shoulders and lifting her chin with pride, she placed a hand on the small of his back. She didn’t speak. Her touch conveyed everything—comfort, support, and understanding. But more than that there was a belief in him and the tremendous mission stretching out before them.

Brenimyn pulled a book from the heavy pack he carried with him. Opening the tattered cover, the pages yellowed from the years, he found his favorite passage. He didn’t need to read the words in front of him. He had long ago committed them to memory. He held the book high above his head for all to see.

“As always, I will begin by reading from the book of ancients.” A hush fell over the crowd so complete, it seemed even the birds stilled.

“
And it is written
—A man shall take a woman as his wife in a union of marriage. He will make a home for her; a castle where he shall be its king and his wife, the queen. He must not lord over her, but hold her in a most cherished place in his heart.
” Brenimyn paused to add emphasis to this statement. Many couples sitting together snuggled into one another, their heads nodding in understanding. What an incredible change had already taken place in the last year. The thought melted his apprehension.

Brenimyn’s voice grew stronger with conviction in the words he delivered. “
His primary responsibility is to provide for her and all offspring their blessed union produces, including the basic necessities of food and shelter. The most important thing he can do for his family is love and cherish them above all things.
” He looked down at Jahara, wanting to make her his wife and a mother on this day, and knowing in the same instant she wasn’t ready to accept that part of the vision.

Brenimyn looked up at the frayed tome, drawing strength in the wisdom of the ancients. “Women, you must support your mate.” Looking down, his gaze caught the eye of the females in the crowd. The terms Brenimyn needed were not found on the well-worn pages.

“Men are equals. They are not meant to slave for females, to be available only as breeders or laborers. It is written …” He shook the book high above his head for emphasis. “Wives, you must encourage your husband to become the best person he can be. You must love and cherish him above all things. It is your role to maintain a loving, encouraging home, where all offspring, male and female, are treated with respect. All children should be raised in a nurturing environment where they will learn to become caring individuals who understand all people—regardless of gender, breeding capabilities or ancestry—are equals.” Closing the book, Brenimyn held it reverently over his heart. “So it is written, so shall it be.”

The sound from the crowd rolled up from the grass. The noise engulfed him like a thunderous storm. He had never delivered the words with such enthusiasm and confidence. Putting his arm around Jahara, he was showered with the strength flowing from her. He kissed her passionately, barely able to control the impulse to run his hands down her body and feel her respond to his touch. She melted into him and he held her until the noise diminished, satisfied in the minimal contact.

Knowing the next step would be the hardest, he hugged Jahara close to him. Her body tensed. She understood what was coming. “Most honorable friends.” He raised the book once again, waiting for the din to subside. “The time has come. We have waited—and now it will begin.” Pausing a heartbeat, Brenimyn let the suspense hang in the air. “Men, no longer will we submit to the domination of the female gender.” The breeders whooped and raised their fists. “No more will we be treated as animals good only for increasing the female population.” Some men jumped to their feet. “We will no longer accept that we are not worthy of gifts and education.” Even with the amplifier, Brenimyn had to shout to be heard over the celebrating crowd.

“Women, you will no longer be forced to procreate for the sake of continuing humankind. Mating will be a choice—one’s body freely given to another for the sake of love, not obligation for reproduction.” Everyone was on their feet. “The time has come to stop ripping your children from your womb and your hearts.” He watched the pregnant women cradle their swollen stomachs. “We have waited long enough. The time is now.”

He let the crowd have their moment before handing the book to Jahara and encouraging her to hold it high and silence the crowd. The men and women settled back into the grass. The murmurs of approval still rippled over them like a pebble dropped in water.

“The prophecy says two great warriors—a woman
and
a man—shall join together to ready an army for a monumental battle. It will not be fought with weapons as our ancestors had done, but with intellect and cunning. This war will oppose all common beliefs and bring about a new world order where men and women, as equals, shall reign.” Barely noticeable to the crowd below, Jahara went slack against his side. Holding her quivering body, Brenimyn knew only his arm kept her from collapsing. This was a burden anyone would find difficult to shoulder.

“Many visionaries have confirmed the prophecy. As you know, from a young age, I understood I would be chosen to begin the fight. I accepted the responsibility many years ago and have prepared the way, waiting anxiously for the woman who would stand at my side.” The crowd stilled, holding a collective breath, already knowing the words he would speak. Unsure of her reaction, Brenimyn looked down at Jahara. He watched her transformation in rapt fascination.

Stepping away from him, she stood with her feet planted and pulled herself up tall. She filled her lungs, cradling the book of the ancients against her bare breasts. The dark triangle of her womanhood was visible through the gossamer fabric of her breeches billowing in the breeze. She looked so feminine. Yet, under the lifted chin and unpretentious set of her mouth, he could see the fierce warrior the visionaries had promised.

All this happened in a matter of seconds.

“I present to you today, my mate—the honorable Jahara Khateri. She is the one sent to save us from the tyranny of the Governmental Body of the Garden.”

Bowing before the thunderous crowd, she accepted the accolades with humility. Brenimyn was sure his heart would burst with love for the brave woman standing, not above him, like so many other females—but at his side as his equal.

* * * *

Jahara’s fingers traced over the letters of worn book with reverence. Sitting on the rock ledge high above the crowd, she was taking a moment to catch her breath. This was not the day she’d expected when she woke in Brenimyn’s arms this morning.

Jahara believed the words her lover had spoken to the crowd. The more males she met, the more she realized everything she had been taught was wrong. Men were intelligent and their emotions as real as any female’s. It was the part about her involvement in the revolution that made her queasy with disbelief.

When she stood next to Brenimyn, she felt the truth of the vision with every fiber of her being. But now, watching him move through the crowd below, helping distribute the books of the ancients that had been secreted here to the lake, she questioned her own sanity. He set about organizing the groups for the teachings. She was no warrior, just a simple healer. How could she be expected to know anything of revolutions and new world orders?

Jahara stared at the tattered book of the ancients in her hands. She wondered if it actually held the answers to the questions burning within her. How would she fulfill the prophecy without fighting the very government her Dame upheld? And how in Hades was Brenimyn so sure she was the promised one sent to begin the revolution?

Deciphering the faded letters of the well-read tome, she spoke the title aloud. “
1950 Teen Guide to Adult Living: Home Economics for All
.” She wondered if it were truly possible that the life path of their ancestors had somehow become corrupted. Everything she knew … all of who she was … was it truly a lie based on a civilization gone wrong?

Carefully, she thumbed through the thinning pages, the book filled with pictures of smiling men and women surrounded by children. Until she met Brenimyn, Jahara didn’t know there was any love other than that shared by two women.

Merenith was simply the latest in a string of disappointing relationships. Jahara had offered them every part of her and still she’d known—something had been missing. She believed she’d simply live with that emptiness forever.

Who knew her heart was seeking a man to fill the void?

Brenimyn had known.

With him, there were no missing pieces, only the complete love of two hearts meshing to become one. She’d been so blinded by societal norms that she hadn’t dared open her eyes to the truth that lay between them.

The betrayal of his lies slammed into her once again, but this time it was tempered by the truth she hadn’t wanted to see. When she’d come to the Garden, she’d never intended to leave with her offspring. But now, after just a few short weeks with Brenimyn, he’d opened her eyes and her heart to another monumental change.

The women below, with their swollen bellies and eyes filled with unconditional love for the new life forming within them, knew a truth Jahara was just now beginning to understand. They weren’t concerned about gender, just the joy of having conceived a child with a man who wanted nothing more than to create a family unit. She knew without a doubt that if she ever conceived, she too would love and raise the infant—male or female.

As though beckoned by his thoughts, Jahara searched the crowd, her gaze meeting the warmth of Brenimyn’s. His love for her was obvious, even from this distance. His thoughts brushed across her breasts and pebbled her nipples, bringing heat straight to her cheeks. She lifted the book to cover her nakedness and saw him laugh. She stuck her tongue out. The man didn’t play fair.

Jahara studied him for a moment more, wondering if she could ever leave the Garden without him. Fate had a funny way of derailing one’s life plans. As a scientist, Jahara wasn’t sure she believed in pre-ordained destinies. Yet, everything Brenimyn told her, everything these people believed, everything her heart desired, contradicted what she had been taught.

Climbing down the ledge, she joined Brenimyn in the field.

“Jahara, this is Nathaniel, Jonas, Kaeden and Elaina.” He pointed to the small group with their eager faces and nervous smiles. Each in turn bowed to her. “They believe they have the gift of healing. Elaina has been working with the men for a couple of months to help them develop their gift.”

“I was just telling Brenimyn that it would be my honor to learn from your teaching, honorable Jahara. I am only an apprentice.” Demurely dropping her gaze, Elaina rubbed her rounded belly. “It would please me to have you instruct them today.”

“Jahara’s truly a gifted healer,” said Brenimyn. “I’ll gather a few more groups and send them over. I’m sure the apprentices would be pleased to have you work with their students.” Striding away, Brenimyn’s eyes glinted with pride.

Teaching was her joy. She could think of no better way to spend the afternoon then under a beautiful blue sky instructing apprentice healers. “Elaina, may we use you and the baby?”

“It’s also Kaeden’s offspring. If he doesn’t mind, I would be honored.” Her mate nodded in affirmation as eight more men and another pregnant woman joined the group.

Ten minutes later, Elaina lay naked in the center of the group. Jahara knelt on one side of her, Kaeden on the other. His hands roamed just inches from Elaina’s skin, the feeble light of his palms pulsing with his jittery nerves.

“Relax, Kaeden.” Jahara took his hands in hers. “Healing comes from within. Feel it flow out from your center.” Reaching over, she moved their joined hands up his torso, she inhaled deeply, feeling the essence of his being flow through her. “Now exhale and move your hands over her stomach. Let the new life within her speak to you as your gift pours forth.” She kept her hands lightly over his and they explored the baby growing in Elaina’s womb together.

“Do you feel it?”

His face split with a boyish grin of triumph. “Elaina, it’s a girl! I have a daughter!”

Elaina shot up and hugged her mate, tears streaming down her face. “I know. I love you, Kaeden.”

He had been right about one thing, it was a girl. Kaeden definitely had the power of healing, but the gift was not fully developed. With great effort, Jahara kept her smile firmly in place. Elaina’s child had not been formed from Kaeden’s life essence. It was not her place to tell the happy couple drowning together in tears of joy that he was not the father. Perhaps they both already knew there had been another breeder.

Working through the afternoon, Jahara moved among the groups of training healers, using the pregnant women as her teaching tool. The men were quick studies, though some had not yet discovered their true gift. Hopes of developing healing talents had kept them from looking for their genuine calling. That was not unusual.

When she was young, Jahara had believed she was telepathic until her birth-sister had fallen in the woods. She’d been so panicked by the blood and broken bone protruding through the skin that her healing powers had flowed from her hands even as she had tried to comfort her sister. Her Dame had sent her the next day to be trained by the best healers in Lexington.

What was unusual on this day was the high number of couples who believed their union had created a child. In nearly a third of the cases, they were mistaken. The essence of the man was not part of the genetic makeup of the female baby growing in their mate. Even more strange was the fact that little of the woman’s essence appeared to be present in the developing fetuses as well. Without experience with pregnancy and fearing she was misunderstanding what her healing powers were telling her, Jahara kept the information to herself. Besides, she wouldn’t have known how to explain this odd fact to the joyous couples.