You can be sure I will visit.
Orhan saw A’idah’s meek smile and though his heart sank, he returned it with one of his own. Interally, a war waged. There was a distance between them that was not physical but was still tangible, like hot, stuffy air. It was a distance that was new, and one he did not like. Was it the knowledge that A’idah had a new life? A life that made her happy? “And would your stallion mind if I came to visit?”
As the conversation turned to his newfound fatherhood, Orhan’s smile faded quickly and he nodded solemnly. For a moment his eyes drifted away to the moonlit sands behind the Arabian mare, as if to check they were still empty. “Yes,” he replied, but said no more for a few moments. A’idah did not need to know about how the mother of his firstborn had been out of sorts lately, and how Orhan had not been able to spend much time with his daughter as a result. From the sands behind the mare, the stallion’s eyes drifted again down to the earth at his feet. Almost sadly he added, “She looks just like me.”
Barely pausing, he pulled his head back up to look the mare in the eye and abruptly changed the subject. “I wanted to ask, also... Do you remember our conversation on the crossing? About... your kind? And the Akhal-Tekes? I wanted to know if you had learned anything else. And, also... I remember you mentioning something about a fleabitten mare with a bloody shoulder. A mare on a holy mission. Do you know her name? Or anything else about her?”
He pricked his eyes, dark eyes intent.
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