Amgyptapan

Chapter 10: Baby News

Nothile groaned and slapped his hand over his eyes. This was not the e for Serina to snap at someone. He could only be thankful that it was not Amenemhet she was speaking to. In any case, Serina snapping at anyone was not good for his reputation.

"On behalf of my wife, allow me to extend my sincerest apologies. She has not been in the best of moods as of late." Nothile atoned.

Serina glared at her mate but said nothing. The Head Healer led the two to his private inspection room. Despite the fact that it was smaller, it was every way the same as the Medical Room. In the middle stood a padded table.

"If you will sit on the table, I will commence with inspecting to find the cause of this strange illness." The Head Healer told Serina.

The demoness nodded once and did as she was told. The Head Healer set to work examining her. He poked and prodded Serina in his efforts to find the source of the trouble. It was when his investigation led to Serina's middle that he stopped.

"Forgive me if you find this question too personal, but when did you last receive your 'woman's time'?" The Head Healer asked.

"Oh, I suppose it has been about three months." Serina answered.

"Have you found the source?" Nothile inquired.

"I do believe I have found what had been causing the stomach plague. I do have an herb that can get rid the source, but I doubt you will want it." The Head Healer answered with a smirk.

Nothile demanded, "What do you mean you doubt that we will want it? I hate seeing my mate in complete misery!"

"I also have herbs to help with the nausea. I know they will help, but not to get rid of the source." The Head Healer replied, vague.

Serina complained, "Why do you not wish to help me get rid of the cause of my discomfort?"

"Because, that would mean inducing a miscarriage." The Head Healer answered.

Serina and Nothile's eyes widened. Serina was with child? The demoness did some calculations in her head. When a demon is in heat, that happens every three months, that demon is in their fertile period. The start of her heat was around the incident about the festival.

Nothile could not believe his ears. He was to be a father? He worried that he would be a horrible father. And what if their child did not want anything to do with him?

"I shall prepare the herbs to ease the queasiness. I will return momentarily." The Head Healer said as he headed for his stores of herbs and remedies, leaving the demoness and High Priest alone.

"I am with child." Serina said, stunned.

Nothile nodded, breathless. He was happy he was going to be a father, but this news was quite sudden. He did not care of it was to be a girl or a boy. Either way, the firstborn going into service to the gods was a tradition in his family, a tradition that he desperately wanted to pass on to his child.

"I suppose that it makes sense. Our private lives are quite...active." Serina commented.

Amenemhet was delighted to hear that his most trusted friend was going to have an heir. The Pharaoh wondered if it was to be a girl or a boy. He had no quarrel if the future Royal Advisor was a male. However, Amenemhet hoped that the child would be a girl.

You can pamper a girl. Boys were harder to coddle and still raise properly. Amenemhet remembered that his own childhood friend, Nothile's father, had called his father 'Uncle' in their youth. Pharaohs and Royal Advisors had to be as close as family to maintain a bond of trust.

It was too bad Ankhsetha was barren. The Pharaoh would have to wait before marrying again. Either way, Amenemhet wanted a little girl to pamper. He did not care of the girl was his own daughter or Nothile's.

"It is an outage, really. That that...animal would dare conceive before you have sired an heir. The very nerve! She must be put to death." Ankhsetha raged.

Amenemhet rolled his eyes. His Queen had tried convincing him multiple times to execute Serina. And all for really ridiculous reasons. There was one where the demoness had not acknowledged her presence until she had made it known. In Serina's defense, the demoness had not heard the Queen enter the room and had been to preoccupied to keep her other senses on high alert.

Queen Ankhsetha was formulating a plan. If she was to become Pharaohess, she needed her husband dead. She knew she was too weak to assassinate the Pharaoh. The only one strong enough to do it was the High Priest.

Unfortunately for Ankhsetha, Nothile was in love. That could be remedied with a love potion. There was only one problem, true love can easily break it through a single drop of blood. Ankhsetha would have to kill the unborn child to antagonize the demoness into attacking her so she could order Serina's death.