Shadow Seer [18+]

~ Two ~

Bathed in Ahkalthia's early morning light, Sanaa stirred from a peaceful sleep. A soft breeze caressed her face, making her nose scrunch reflexively before a delicate sneeze escaped. Familiar sounds of the surrounding palace grounds greeted her while the calls of exotic birds, hubbub of servants milling around below and salty sea breeze billowed through the palm trees that graced the palace grounds.

Sanaa opened her eyes and found a young servant girl delicately fanning her with an ostrich feather fan at the foot of her bed. Though an unsure smile graced the girl's lips, she remained silent since Sanaa was not permitted to have conversations with anyone outside of her personal household. Not that that rule stopped her when the fancy took her to spark up a conversation, however stilted.

Sanaa attempted to rise but swiftly sank back, dizzy. All peace from her sleep gone as a headache crept its way into her brow. Reacting promptly, the servant girl sprang from her post, secured the fan within its holder, and rushed out of the chamber, her soft slippers brushing over the carpeted floor. Sanaa lay still, patiently waiting for the nausea to dissipate and when she finally felt more like herself, she sat up once more. This time the task proved less daunting, and by the time she settled against the comforting support of her cushioned headboard, a familiar face entered her bedchamber.

Archimedes was a large man swathed in regal purple and resplendent gold that only further emphasised his size. Sanaa marvelled at his muscled physique that was so at odds with his kind nature. His light brown eyes twinkled with the love she had grown to know from him as he approached her bedside. Archimedes alone had unmonitored access to Sanaa and served as the steward of her household and her teacher. Even her handmaids were questioned about what she got up to every day, which wasn't much. As her only confidant, Archimedes was her truest and only friend.

"Thank goodness. You're awake."

"Evidently. How long was it this time?" she asked.

Archimedes turned sombre, his eyes softening as he took a seat beside her on the enormous canopied bed. He took her hand in his large honey brown one. "Seven days."

Seven!

"It's getting worse." She stated the obvious. "Has he abandoned his campaign?" She asked before Archimedes could comment. The maid from earlier returned with a ewer of water and a tall glass. She placed it on the ornate table beside Sanaa's bed, poured it, then left as silently as she had entered.

"Of course not." Archimedes handed her the glass and watched attentively as she drank. "He has taken your words and waits for the two-week mark. Bastaii will fall."

"Another jewel in his crown." Sanaa sighed, her heart heavy as she held the now empty glass in her hand. She stared at it, unsure what to say, feeling deflated when a spot of red appeared on the back of her hand. Silently, Archimedes held out a piece of white silk and Sanaa held it to her bleeding nose.

While Sanaa's premonitions were natural, coming to her without prompt, the Alamuhim had devised a concoction that ripped visions from her and somehow heightened its clarity. Over the years, she'd tried to learn how they'd come up with the tonic but the most she'd learned linked only to the disappearance of people with her abilities. It seemed the tonic had been in circulation for many years and as a result, Seers had all but been wiped away for fear of their powers being exploited. All Sanaa could contend with now was that the more they used it on her, the longer it took for her to revive. For this reason alone, the Alamuhimused it sparingly, but the threat of it always remained, keeping her in line.

"He cannot keep doing this. You will not survive these...invasions." Archimedes spat his disgust.

"While your concern for me is touching Archimedes, what do you propose we do?" Sanaa didnt mean for her response to be so haughty but what did Archimedes expect when both their hands were tied.