Sairis's POV
Sairis pressed himself into the shadow of the corner and fixed his eyes on the door to Ardent's study. He could hear his own breathing in the quiet of the corridor.
Come on, he thought. Come out. Just come out.
He watched the strip of light under the door. Nothing moved for a long moment. Then he heard footsteps approaching from inside and he pressed further into the shadow and held still.
The door opened.
Ardent stood in the doorway with the expression of a man who had been disturbed and was not yet sure how he felt about it. Sairis really hoped he had not interrupted the man's work.
The physician looked left down the corridor, then right. His eyes swept the empty space in front of him and found nothing. He started to reach for the door to pull it closed again.
Look down, Sairis muttered under his breath. Please. Just look down.
Ardent's hand paused on the door, and his eyes dropped.
