Shi’chen’s ears fell back sympathetically at that. “I’m sorry.”
Lai shrugged. “One of many.”
Shi’chen felt sure Lai was trying to say something deeper, but the words were not there. He was having trouble reading Lai’s emotions and wondered if it had to do with the fact that Lai’s ears did not move, the way goblin or elf ears did; he was having to rely much more on the half-elf’s eyes and tone, which Lai seemed to be very aware of at all times. “What about your Father?”
Lai let out a short, bitter laugh, and Shi’chen thought back to En’shea’s sharp laughter when they had asked what happened to their Father. He waited for Lai to say anything, but when he didn’t, he ventured, “My parents are dead, too.” He realized he had not yet said that out loud, and he forced back the sudden heat behind his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Lai said, turning to him with genuine sympathy in his eyes.
Shi’chen shook his head, taking in a sharp breath that he was sure sounded like trying to stop tears. He cleared his throat, quickly asking, “Where are you from?”
Lai gave him a look that clearly said he knew Shi’chen was changing the subject but was going with it anyway. “Yuntillo.”
“Yuntillo,” Shi’chen repeated, tripping over the syllables, the word feeling strange in his mouth with its odd open sounds. He was vaguely aware that was completely on the other side of the map from the lands he knew, where it was almost impossible for ships to go. He knew A’bbni would know more about it. A’bbni would find Lai fascinating, he was sure. “I’ll have to introduce you to my brother. He would love to talk to you about it.”If we actually are reunited,his mind added glumly.
“Your brother?” Lai asked, and Shi’chen realized he hadn’t yet mentioned A’bbni to anyone on the ship. “Is he like you?”
“We’re twins,” Shi’chen said. When Lai didn’t seem to understand the Hanen-shii word, Shi’chen circled his face with his finger and then held up two fingers. “Brothers, who look the same.”
Lai laughed softly, shaking his blond ponytail back. “If he’s like you, I like him already.”
Shi’chen flushed just a bit at that, looking down at the wooden planks of the floor. “I miss him so much.”
“Where is he?” Lai asked, as if he expected to hear something terrible.
“I don’t know,” Shi’chen said softly. “We were separated leaving Kandrea’a. He is supposed to be on another ship headed for Csereth, and I’m supposed to meet him.” He took a deep breath, looking up to meet Lai’s leaf-green eyes with his own glowing ember ones. “But I’m worried he’s dead or captured.”
“Captured? By who?” Lai asked, tipping his head curiously.
“The Emperor.”
The words came out before Shi’chen had time to think about them, and he bit his tongue sharply. Fuck, he had just revealed his secret to someone who was barely more than a stranger to him because he didn’t think quickly enough to come up with a half-decent lie. Though he suspected anything he had said would not be believed either; A’bbni told him several times a month he was terrible at lying. He sent a quick prayer to whichever gods might be listening that Lai would not understand his words, and for a moment it seemed like his wish might have been granted as the half-elf gazed back at him in confusion.
Shi’chen was trying to come up with a way to rephrase his words into something that sounded similar when Lai’s eyes narrowed, and he repeated the words back, enunciating them as if to confirm that was what Shi’chen had said. “The Emperor is trying to capture you.”
Dammit. Shi’chen let out a breath and nodded, feeling his ears flatten in a mix of fear and shame.
“Why?”
Of course, he would want to know why. And Shi’chen had no good answer he could come up with as the silence stretched between them. “Because we are next in line for the throne,” he finally replied, watching Lai’s face carefully.
Lai blinked. “I… I don’t understand…”
“The Emperor is our Cousin,” Shi’chen said, his voice soft, his ears still flat. What would the half-elf do? Certainly, he wouldn’t run yelling to the captain that he had found the Regent’s missing son, right? Would anyone on board even know about the situation in the palace yet?
There was a long moment of silence where Shi’chen wondered if Lai understood what he had said before the half-elf slowly ventured, “So… you are a… a prince?” He said the title in Cserethian, and Shi’chen at least understood that word from their lessons at court.
“I… suppose that’s the official way of putting it,” he said with a weak laugh. When Lai didn’t seem to understand what he meant, Shi’chen responded simply with, “Yes.”
Lai stared at him for another moment before solemnly replying, “You’re not joking.”
“No,” Shi’chen said, shaking his head. If he had been a better actor, he might have been able to pretend it was just a jest, but Lai was watching him too closely.
Lai’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who else on this ship knows?”
“Just you,” Shi’chen said softly.
Lai exhaled something that sounded like a curse in a language Shi’chen didn’t understand before returning to Hanen-shii. “I guess you have to kill me now.” His words sounded like a statement, not a question.
