Guardian of Rome (#2 in Gladiator Series)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

For a split second Krista could not hear a thing except a loud buzzing noise. Her heart dropped inside her chest and her breathing froze as all she could do was blink.

“Because it will harm the baby,” the old woman said again as she took a step closer and slipped the chalice from Krista’s fingers.

If she had any resemblance of control over her limbs Krista would have stopped her from taking such liberties but as it was, her entire body felt numb.

Her mouth had gone dry, her shoulders dropped and she could barely make a sound whilst her mind raged ahead of her.

With child? How could she be with child!?

Krista knew very well how but was it possible such a thing could happen?

After fighting vigorously every day and being surrounded with so much danger Krista would think it impossible to fall with child.

Krista remembered a woman from her village that had to be kept in bed for two days to make sure the baby stayed where it was when she fell pregnant.

But Krista could never keep still for so long.

How many times had she been struck in the stomach during a fight?

Surely any child she would have had would have died in such a hostile environment.

Yes, Krista thought, it was impossible.

Thinking this reassured Krista as her finger tips began to tingle and she began to feel each of her limbs once again.

“What tale do you spin, crone?” Krista whisked her arm away from the woman, who attempted to soothe Krista by stroking her arm and leading her towards a chair.

“My name is Helga and I spin no tale,” the woman grew flustered when Krista refused to listen, “I worked in a hospice. I cared for those who were with child and I can recognise the symptoms,”

Krista would not believe her, it was impossible, “Then you are older than you think because your senses have taken leave and have been replaced with impropriety.”

“Have you been feeling ill?” Helga grew determined to prove herself right, “Heightened sense of smell?”

Krista ignored her because even now Krista could still remember the smell of the blood on the floor and it made her stomach churn despite the fact that she had lived with blood her entire life.

The sight and smell of it had never made her uneasy until now.

Helga let out a sigh of frustration, “Have you bled!?” Helga exclaimed when she was forced to resort to the basic of remarks.

When Krista did not respond, instead her body freezing in place, Helga greeted Krista with a knowing smile.

“I thought so,” Helga seemed pleased making Krista glare at her, “When was the last time you bled?”

Krista tried to rally her thoughts, “A month after the battle at Rome- No!” Krista spun around and grabbed her sword from the desk, “I will hear no more of your poisonous words!”

“They are not poisonous,” Helga told her in fear as Krista gripped her sword, “You must take it steady, my dear, or you risk losing the child,”

That’s it.

“Do not,” Krista turned back to Helga, wrapping her fingers around the old woman’s frail throat, “presume to tell me what to do. There is no child and let that be the end of it,”