Deep within the palace shrine, smoke curled through the air as Priest Tapa studied the sacred flames.
King Antivo and Queen Waridi waited anxiously.
Finally, the old priest spoke.
"Stara is indeed pregnant."
Waridi's heart nearly stopped. For a moment, she was glad. Stara was pregnant, so she wasn't a virgin. Their gods demanded virgins. Maybe Stara was safe after all, she thought. But-
"The gods are willing to forgive her mistake," Tapa continued slowly. "But the child cannot live."
Waridi's heart shrunk once again.
The king was very concerned, "You mean a miscarriage?"
Tapa shook his head.
"No." His voice grew colder. "The baby must be killed the moment it is born."
Silence filled the shrine.
"In other words," King Antivo said grimly, "we must kill the child before its first cry?"
Tapa raised his finger, a signal of caution.
"Someone else must do it. Nobody with royal blood should hurt that child for it'd open the doors of doom toward the entire royal bloodline."
"The midwife then." King Bazi stated.
Tapa nodded.
"If the child survives, its cursed blood will bring disaster upon the royal family."
The queen closed her eyes. So, she was losing two people. How excruciating. Words had escaped her. She let her husband do the talking.
"We can delay the ritual until the child is born," Tapa added. "But choose your people carefully. This must succeed."
...
At dawn the next morning, servants loaded luggage onto a carriage.
Omuro sat inside with her face hidden beneath a shawl. Queen Waridi's voice echoed in her memory.
You will stay away until I tell you it is safe to return. Study politics. Ethics. Everything a queen must know. Contact no one. Think only of your future.
Omuro clutched the emerald pendant around her neck. Stara had the very same one.
As the carriage rolled away from the palace, she looked back toward their quarters' windows.
Tears streamed silently down her face. She could feel the string that connected her to her sister had now become too thin.
...
Eight months later
Stara lay on a bed inside her chamber while two midwives examined her.
Lila, the older woman, gently pressed her belly.
"The baby is healthy."
Stara sighed with relief.
"But you must eat more," Lila continued. "Your body needs strength to deliver the child."
Stara nodded.
"I'm trying. I just keep thinking about my sister. It has been eight months," she whispered. "I don't know where Omuro is."
"The queen assured you she is safe," Lila said softly.
"But where?"
"Focus on yourself," the midwife replied. "You need your strength now."
...
Later that day, Lila stood before Queen Waridi.
"How is she?" the queen asked.
"Healthy," Lila replied. "Both mother and child."
Waridi walked slowly to the window, her fingers curled together tight as if loosening the grip might lead her body to collapse.
"Look under the table." she ordered.
Lila hesitated but obeyed.
Beneath it sat a black pouch.
"Open it."
And Lila did. Inside glittered a pile of gold coins. She gasped. In all her decades of midwifing, she'd never seen that much money.
"My queen—this is far too much."
"It is yours."
"But I haven't done anything."
Waridi turned to face her.
"I need you to do something terrible."
Lila's hands trembled.
"When will the baby be born?" Queen Waridi asked.
"Four or five weeks from now." Lila answered.
"Do you know the gender?"
"Not for certain," Lila said nervously. "But it may be a boy."
The queen's eyes darkened.
"In another world, in other circumstances, this would've been the greatest news."
"I promise to take care of Stara, Your Highness. The baby will be born healthy and alive-"
Queen Waridi stepped closer. "That gold is yours if you do the opposite."
Lila froze.
"You want me to kill them?" She asked, puzzled.
"Not Stara," the queen said coldly. "Only the baby."
Shock filled the midwife's face.
"Before the baby cries, twist its neck."
The room fell silent.
"Tell her the child died in the womb."
Lila trembled.
"My queen…"
Waridi's voice hardened. "This is not a request. If you refuse, you will be executed."
She gestured toward the gold.
"You need the money." Her eyes glistened with pain. "If you think this hurts you… imagine how it hurts me."
Lila slowly reached down and picked up the pouch. Her hands shook.
"Yes… my queen."
Waridi nodded.
"I am counting on you."
And for the first time in many years—
The queen felt the weight of the gods pressing down upon her soul.
***