Thank you to Sita Bethel and Chaos Rocket for beta'ing this and helping me make it way better than the first draft! If you notice any typos or problems we missed, please let me know! Thanks!
He sat, cradling the babe close in Thoth's silver glow. Tears burned behind his eyes, but he held them back. Tears were a weakness. Tomb Keepers weren't weak.
He'd prayed for a true son, never reckoning what payment the gods might demand. But surely the gods wouldn't betray their loyal servant?
The boy was to blame , he reasoned. The heir was birthed in the death-blood of his mother, yet he smiled. He was tainted-evil.
"You will atone for the life you stole," he whispered. "You will know her suffering; I'll see to that."
The child smiled back at him, oblivious.