KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Seventeen

Much to Amantis' surprise, Charissa was still awake when he got home.  He had fallen into the habit of staying out late in the alehouses, partly to make the acquaintance of future business partners and partly to give him something to do away from Charissa in the evenings.  But as he slipped into their new modest middle-class house, slipped out of his clothes and into their bed, Charissa groaned and rolled away from him.

This did not surprise him.  She had not shown him the slightest affection in the months they had been married.

"This is not uncommon in women who are very pregnant," his boss, Corago, had assured him when he had once dared to confide in him.  "It just means you have put a big strong boy in her belly.  Why my own dear Ponta even blamed me for her plight just before our son Marko, may he rest in peace, was born.  You wouldn't have known that she had practically begged me to give her a son!" he laughed.  "Give her time.  She'll be much more pleasant once she's given birth."

Amantis had shrugged in resignation, not mentioning that Charissa never spoke to him at all.

Charissa rolled back toward him and groaned.  She rubbed her belly and croaked, "I think it's time."

"Time?  Time for what?"

"Time for the baby to be born, you idiot."

Amantis leaped from the bed, years of kidding goats left his head instantly.  "What?"  He cast about the room.  "What do we do?"

"Well, you can stop standing there uselessly and get a midwife."

"A midwife!  Yes, of course!"  Amantis started to flee the room then returned to snatch up a robe and throw it over his naked body.

"Hurry!" Charissa screamed from behind him.

Amantis paused on his doorstep.  Where does one go to find a midwife, he wondered.  It's not like you can just find one in a store.  Looking up and down a street full of housewives who would, no doubt, know exactly where to find a midwife, he regretted for the first time not having gotten to know any of the neighbors.  He hadn't bothered because he hadn't planned on being their neighbor long.  He was moving up in the world and would soon rise above these people.

The road rose on a slight grade with the low rent houses at the base near the town's center and the houses growing larger and more expensive the higher one climbed up the hill.  At the very top in the largest house lived Amantis' boss Corago and his wife Ponta who had born four kids of her own.  Amantis ran for the top of the hill, pounding on the front door and waking the elderly relative who slept in the front room.

"I need to see Ponta.  It's an emergency.  My wife is going into labor!"

The elderly old man hadn't made it all the way out of the room before Corago and Ponta rushed in shrugging on their robes.

"So her time has finally come, eh?" Corago beamed.

Ponta clasped her hands together in surprised joy.  "Oh! This is wonderful.  There is so much to do.  Coro, go get my shoes.  Apaidia!  I need you."

Amantis heard a loud scuffle then the slap of bare feet on stone as their eldest daughter raced into the room half-naked, pulling on a robe.  She was a few years older than Amantis and much plainer looking than Charissa, but she had a much more generous figure.  Watching her tuck her large breasts into the thin robe, Amantis suddenly remembered he had no small clothes on beneath his own robe and pulled at it to make sure he was properly covered.

"Apaidia cover yourself," Ponta scolded.  "We have a guest in the house."

"A guest?" Corago laughed handing Ponta her shoes.  "Amantis is practically family."