At my words, Ambrosia sat up and looked over in worry.
"Sick? With an illness, not with so silly idea? Oh, Necty, you are! How could this have happened? We must call Tabletina imdiately."
She stood up and began putting on her clothing in a hurry, only to pause and look at again when I coughed into my palm and sat up.
My mind, as foggy as it was from illness, was churning.
The system status showed that I lost most of my stamina, and there was no telling if I will feel better or worse in the future. I also lost a few points of health, which was already diminished by a third because of a recent bloodletting I did for my daughter Queens.
What made most alard was that I had 'Improved Immunity IV' in my personal morphotype! I was the most sickness-resistant bee around (unless my blood loss diminished that).
But my genes carried only 'Improved Immunity II', which ant that…
"Amby, are *you* feeling well?" I asked, looking at her status. It was normal, to my relief, but this didn't an much. "If I got sick, then you risk contagion the most!"
"I feel just fine," Ambrosia smiled at reassuringly, but her expression turned steely a mont later. "Both of us must see Tabletina. We will need serious quarantine asures. And powerful cures."
"Yes, I need that herb that helps with fevers, I think. Or at least a cold cloth…"
I began to stand up off the bed, only to be stopped by Ambrosia's hand in front of .
"Sit! No, lie down. Sick people must rest to heal faster. I will arrange everything to be brought—and the quarantine. We can just go on quarantine in our chambers."
I fell back onto the bed and smiled sweetly at my bee-wife. "Thanks for caring for , dear. I'm lucky to have such a caring Empress."
She blushed a little, but shook her head.
"This isn't the ti to cuddle around and talk these soft words. Either way, the entire Empire is luckier to have you. Now, don't go anywhere, Necty. I will be back soon."
"Wait. I can call Tabletina myself. You don't need to go anywhere…"
Or so I said, but concentrating on Tabletina's image in my mind was hard. So hard that Ambrosia must've noticed.
"Just rest," she told sternly, and I could only nod and obey.
Through the tiredness in my bones and my head, I tried to examine my symptoms and identify the illness myself, but couldn't co up with anything definite. Since illnesses were evolving, and I couldn't see the statuses of microbes… I knew basically nothing about it.
I could have caught the sickness from one of the sub-hives, or even in Hive Supremo. Either way, if it spreads, nothing good will happen to the hives.
Ambrosia returned twenty minutes later with Tabletina and Attendant Helping-Hands in tow. The latter was carrying several jars and bowls.
Normally, she'd set them on a table inside the Royal Chambers, but this ti, she just left them at the entrance and flew away. Only Tabletina and Ambrosia walked inside.
While my Health Adviser walked toward , Ambrosia poured a cup of water from the items brought by Helping-Hands and brought it to my side.
"Father, I was told dire news, and now I can see they are true," Tabletina said after one look at . "I am ashad and sorry for my failure to keep you in good health. Let examine you and see if I can rectify my mistakes."
"Don't take it so close to heart," I smiled weakly at her, then let my daughter do her thing.
Tabletina was an experienced and well-taught Physician, and her examination was as thorough as that of a modern doctor, except that she lacked any modern tools. But she listened to my breathing and heartbeat with a bone hearing horn, checked my tongue and the back of my throat, and asured my temperature with the back of her palm.
"The symptoms you have, Father, fit one of 8 diseases in the archives," Tabletina announced. "Or perhaps it's the sa disease, because they are very similar. Either way, the lethality of it is very low, but… Your blood loss won't help you heal, no."
"So I guessed. This is just a cold in the end, eh, Tabletina? I heard you can die from it, but don't worry—I refuse to accept a death this pathetic!"
Tabletina pressed her lips together and didn't say anything. Her fingers were anxiously twirling a writing stylus.
"The Empire shouldn't know about this," Ambrosia said to both of us. "The spirits of our daughters are already lower than they could be, and knowledge that their Father was affected by illnesses will crush them."
I nodded.
"Yes. This is just another minor hurdle… If it was serious, I'm sure the Oracles would've warned us. Perhaps… Perhaps I kept this from them, too?" I shrugged. "I think if I rest a little more, I'd be able to send telepathic ssages to the Council."
"You must not exert yourself with more work, Father!" Tabletina jolted in alarm. "This won't help you heal."
"But if I don't, who will drag the Bee Empire out of our current ss?" I looked at Amby. "You must agree, right? I can't just… do nothing for a week."
She narrowed her eyes.
"This depends on how much I can do in your stead, and I will try hard, Nectus. Assuming I'm not sick."
"I will examine you, Mother-Queen. But if you have no symptoms, then you can be healthy—for now, at least."
A dical examination showed that Ambrosia was in full health. After this, I was officially put in quarantine in my chambers by Tabletina, where I was joined in person only by Ambrosia.
For everybody else except the Council, I was simply resting and ditating on the complicated fate of the Empire.
In reality, I was sleeping, drinking bitter herbal cures, and watching the progress of reaching the Late Bronze Age.
Two days of this later, I felt exactly as bad as when I started. But then, the system brought a pleasant surprise!
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