CHAPTER 14 (Part one)
When they got to Bena again, it had been well into the night and Mahnu woke up as King Richard picked her up from the carriage.
"Richard?"
"Mahnu! You"re awake!"
"Wait...Let me down."
He quickly put her down and she vomited near the pathway that led into where they were staying. "Jaclyn!" The King yelled out.
Jaclyn came to Mahnu and examined her.
"Well!? What"s wrong!?"
Mahnu didn"t talk but sat there silently as Jaclyn said, "I"m not worried, Your Majesty. With the trip and her condition, I"m sure it"s fine."
"This is fine!?" He asked appallingly.
"Richard!" Mahnu said weakly.
"Mahnu, are you okay?"
She nodded, he picked her up again and took her inside.
"Calm down, Richard, I trust her words."
She trusts me? Jaclyn was momentarily paralysed. Even though I hadn"t trusted her earlier she still trusts me now?
"Yes, of course, you are the doctor." Mahnu said, looking at her from the bed.
"Oh." Jaclyn forgot. Of course, the words of a doctor should be able to be trusted.
"Don"t get upset Jaclyn, it"s not just because you"re a doctor. I already trusted you before we started to get followed."
Her words were clear, stating basic fact. Jaclyn was silently happy and smiled back at her. "Thank you."
King Richard was sitting on the bed, playing with Mahnu"s hands, when Marcus came in. "Sedric is gone. He disappeared yesterday."
Mahnu spoke in a croaky voice, "He was asking those men to knock me out cold, yesterday at Sedric"s house. He told them to take me to his hideout as he was going there after."
"You can"t get anything else?" Marcus asked hesitantly.
Jaclyn gave her water, not able to understand how Mahnu knows all this but, for some reason, believing the words to be true.
"I think..." Mahnu cleared her throat. "I think..."
She put her hand over her mouth and sat there unmoving. Jaclyn quickly got something to hold out in front of her.
Mahnu vomited again and Marcus asked if she was okay.
Giving Mahnu more water, Jaclyn said, "Vomiting is a symptom of pregnancy. A very normal symptom, but I will continue to watch her closely."
Marcus seemed glad and Jaclyn looked over to the King, to see him looking at Mahnu in worry.
"I think it would be a good idea to send people to the site of The Chest of the G.o.d"s, to protect it."
"I agree."
"Marcus?" Mahnu was looking at something beyond the bed in front of her. "What news on the box? What has been done?" Her voice got crisp again and Jaclyn gave her more water.
What in the world are they talking about?
"I"m sure it"s hidden deep within our lands Mahnu. I ordered that we set traps to have it get stuck or go deeper into the ground. Confirmation won"t be for another week though."
Mahnu looked relieved, "Thank you."
Marcus smiled swiftly at her, Jaclyn thought that he may have been a little troubled because of the look Mahnu had just given him.
Mahnu sunk in the bed further, closing her eyes. "I made The Chest of the G.o.d"s very hard to get, hopefully it will all stop at Sedric."
She looked absolutely worn out.
King Richard kissed her on the forehead, let go of her hand and turned to Jaclyn, "I"ll leave her to you...Take good care of her and our child."
Jaclyn nodded, then he and Marcus left.
Jaclyn didn"t try to think about what she did not understand. Instead, she found herself admitting defeat to Mahnu.
Making a soup that would be easy to digest and keep down, she let it simmer while she had a quick nap.
Awakening a few hours later, the soup was ready but Mahnu was still asleep.
Jaclyn thought deeply about what she would do. I feel that I will be able to do my job well enough. I know about pregnancy and what is and isn"t best for Mahnu. I have also grown used to the people and feel welcomed. Mahnu trusts me. And I want to prove to her that I do trust her now too.
Overhearing the conversations about a chest and a box and G.o.d"s was a little worrisome but if the King already knew about it...
Obviously, they were in the middle of something and Mahnu"s life was at risk for some reason. Will I allow that to stop me from being Mahnu"s doctor? How could I cower when she isn"t, when the King isn"t!
Jaclyn hardly believed herself when she now agreed that she was going to stay. She also admitted that she truly respected Mahnu, like everybody else, and genuinely wanted to help her.
She walked into the bedroom, with the soup, to find that Mahnu was awake already and smiling at her.
"You"re awake, Mahnu!"
"Yes! I feel better and I am very hungry, smelling this food! I think it woke me up!"
Jaclyn laughed and sat the soup on her lap.
"Thank you!"
Mahnu was quiet while she ate and as Jaclyn examined her.
"Have you been pregnant before?" She asked. As a doctor, she wanted to see what Mahnu might have been through so to help with her condition.
Mahnu started to cough to the sudden question. She put the food to the side and took some moments to reorganize herself, then answered, "No, I haven"t."
"May I ask how old you are?"
Mahnu looked worried. So, Jaclyn continued, "Sometimes, depending on age, a pregnancy could be harder."
"Well, I was a G.o.d for over a thousand years, then I turned mortal about two years ago."
Jaclyn gabbed at her and time seemed to stop. What? I think I heard her wrong.
"You didn"t hear me wrong."
Again, Jaclyn went quiet, still in shock.
"Mmm, too much of a shock...You"ve gone quiet. Both inside and out..." Mahnu sighed and then said, "Do you think that any of that news will be bad for the baby?"
Jaclyn looked back at her in bewilderment. How...How should I know that?
"Then we will have to see how it will go then."
Stammering, Jaclyn asked, "Is it true? You…You were a...G.o.d?"
Mahnu nodded. "I wasn"t the only G.o.d. But they tried to take over Kralaide...twice. So, now, there are no more G.o.d"s left."
"Other...G.o.d"s!?" Jaclyn gulped.
Mahnu nodded. "But like I said, they are all gone now. As you see, even I am mortal now...I am telling you this because you have agreed to stay, so I will answer any questions you have."
"How...How did you know?" Jaclyn asked.
Mahnu chuckled, "I"m surprised you haven"t noticed, Jaclyn. I"ve been answering your thoughts since we"ve met."
"What?"
Smiling, Mahnu said, "Don"t speak. Think of something and I will show you."
Jaclyn closed her eyes and thought of her late brother who died. The reason she first dreamt of becoming a doctor was because of him. He had a sickness that no one seemed to know how to cure and it had made her mad.
"I"m sorry."
Jaclyn opened her eyes to see Mahnu looking back at her sadly. "What?"
"Your brother...The reason you dreamt of becoming a doctor."
Jaclyn stood up in shock. "How did you know that!?"
Breathing out, Mahnu said back, "I can read minds that are close by..."
"Uh?"
Mahnu looked away and sighed.
Moments of silence went by, then Jaclyn got up silently.
Watching Jaclyn take the dishes and walk away silently, Mahnu did as Jaclyn did, and tried to calm herself down. How can someone be that slow? Mahnu breathed out and put her head down. But, she has a heart of gold, that girl.
Not sure on what to do, Mahnu closed her eyes and just listened to those nearby.
Story? Please, please, please. I know you"re awake. Story time!
"Shut up, William!" Mahnu yelled.
"Come on, Mahnu. You have to stay in bed but you might as well talk to me!" He had come inside now and had sparkles in his eyes.
"You rarely asked for anything when I first met you, you"ve changed!" Mahnu said, folding her arms across her chest.
William sat on a chair and stared at her.
Mahnu laughed, covering her mouth when she didn"t stop. "You"re...a nasty little brother!" She said, trying to sound firm.
William smiled but continued to stare at her.
"What do you want to hear this time?"
"The previous Kings and Queens!" He said, he had already thought about it and decided earlier.
Mahnu thought about it for a moment. "I didn"t know all of them but I"ll try."
"Yes! Yes! Please do!"
Mahnu could tell the King was behind the door, as he had returned, and Jaclyn had entered the room again but Mahnu went on like it was only her and William. "King Maximus, on purposely left me here."
William didn"t understand and Mahnu chuckled. She continued to tell them about The Siege and how it came to pa.s.s that she didn"t go in The Chest of the G.o.d"s with the other G.o.d"s.
By now, the King had silently come in and sat on a chair and Jaclyn had sat on the floor. And she included information that was in Richard"s dreams, even though she hadn"t been in Nowell, able to completely tell the story and finished in an hour.