Shadow Seer [18+]

~ Six ~

The following day was a tedious affair. Sanaa had another Poznian lesson with Archimedes, fittings for some more clothing, embroidery and historic reading in the library. Miri accompanied her for the latter and so Sanaa could not go hunting for information about Amir's mother, Amina. Not that it mattered now. She had the secret passage, and she planned to enter it tonight. The day dragged infuriatingly, the evening even more so with Miri's amiable chatter as a background noise. Sanaa was no longer content to be enchanted by Archimedes' tales of his adventures in the arena, or tidbits of his own activities within the palace when she was so eager to head through the passage.

"Are you alright, child?"

Sanaa jerked to attention by Archimedes' question. She stared at him. "Of course," she said, spooning some sugar into her after dinner tea. "Why would you ask that?

"Maybe because that's the fifth spoon of tea you've added to your cup." His eyebrow arched and her wrist stopped midway, the spoon trembling before she placed it back in the cup.

"I'm fine, it's just..." she struggled to find the lie, hanging her head so he wouldn't see the duplicitousness in her eyes. Archimedes leant forward in his chair, reaching out to her and taking her hand in his.

"Just what? Speak to me girl." She realised he was frightened, clearly thinking the worst so Sanaa met his eyes and said, "T-the prince, Prince Amir."

Archimedes' eyes darkened as he sprung to his feet, his gargantuan height swallowing the room as the coffee table shook. "Has he hurt you? I will kill him where he stands!" Archimedes marched from the room to where Amir stood waiting outside the door. He'd been with her all day as his punishment demanded but he'd not said a word to her. Sanaa reached for Archimedes, "No, no, he's done nothing to me, Archimedes!"

The large man stopped abruptly, turning to face her, his face no longer ravaged with rage but now a mask of worry. "Then what is it?"

"I Saw him," she decided on the truth. "In a vision, and it worried me. I've never Seen anyone I know before."

Archimedes reclaimed his seat, "What exactly did you See?"

"Amir and...a woman. They were...were..." A devilish smile spread across Archimedes' face, showing all his teeth.

"I would be out of sorts as well if I saw two people in the throes of passion. Will you tell the Emperor?" he asked, still smiling. Sanaa shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her own face.

"No, I'm not even sure what it means or why it was shown to me, if not just to make me a voyeur!" Archimedes bellowed with laughter, actually holding his silk-covered stomach as he did so. Sanaa threw a napkin at him.

"Perhaps you can reenact the movements when you are alone in the dark!" He continued to tease her as he made for the door. "You are only human, after all!"

Archimedes may have been a father figure to her, but he could share a dirty limerick or two. They'd discussed sex many times, if not only for her biology lessons growing up.

"Why would this bother you?" he asked once he'd stopped laughing, taking her hand gently into his. Again, she decided for the truth.

"It showed me what life is like for others...what love will never be like for me." Archimedes grew sombre and lifted her hand to kiss the back of it.

"There isn't much I can say to make you feel better Sanaa but there is one truth in this world that may bring you comfort."

"What's that?" she asked, worried to have hope of any kind.

Archimedes looked her in the eye and said, "Ghassan cannot live forever."

The simplicity of that truth made Sanaa feel marginally better although Ghassan's death was unlikely in the next ten minutes. Archimedes stood and with a light kiss on her brow, he waved her goodbye and left the room.