The little girl tipped her head curiously. “Are you a whole goblin?”
“Nadria!” Kella chastised.
A’bbni laughed softly, shaking his head at Kella. “It is all right. Yes, I am,” he said to the little girl, who blushed and giggled again.
Kella stood, giving A’bbni an apologetic smile before turning to the children. “Go wash up for dinner, and make sure that kitten gets back to its mother.”
“Yes, Papa,” Cressus said, letting go of the kitten’s bottom half again to take Nadria’s hand and lead her away down the hall. She stared back at A’bbni, not watching where she was going until her brother nearly ran her into a table, at which point she removed her finger from her mouth and followed after him.
“They’re adorable,” A’bbni said, giving Kella a smile. He had been around some children in the palace, but most of them were older, in training to be servants. A few of the nobles had young children, but he didn’t interact with them on a regular basis, usually only in the process of performing his physician duties. Now that he thought about it, it seemed rather odd that he had spent most of his childhood surrounded by adults, other than his cousins. Perhaps that was just the nature of palace life.
“Thank you,” Kella said as the tap of heeled boots came down the stairs from the upper floor. A’bbni glanced up to see a handsome elven man with light brown hair and gray eyes coming down the stairs and guessed that was Lord Quenn, Kella’s husband. He was proven right when Kella moved to him to give him a soft embrace, and he kissed Kella’s dark hair. “My husband, Lord Quenn de Kove. Love, this is Re’len An-Bersha. He’ll be staying with us.” A’bbni saw Kella’s eyes meet Quenn’s in a look that clearly said he would answer questions later but needed Quenn to accept the current explanation.
Quenn gave a bow to A’bbni, who returned it with a bow of his own. “A pleasure, my lord.” Quenn’s voice was lower than he expected, but his face was kind. A’bbni wondered if he was not the first person Kella had come home with after a voyage.
“I am grateful to you and your husband for allowing me to stay in your home,” A’bbni said, and Quenn seemed to brighten at his flawless Cserethian.
“I’m sure you would like to refresh yourself, my lord,” Kella said as an elven servant approached. “Garina will show you to a room so you may rest, and then will summon you for dinner.”
“Thank you,” A’bbni replied, giving another grateful bow to the dark-haired noble before following after the woman to a guest room up on the second floor. Surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, considering how organized Kella was, the small trunk of clothing from the ship that Kella had furnished him with was already in his room. It was unpacked, some of the clothing hung up in the wardrobe, some of it seeming to be gone for washing.
“May I bring you anything, my lord?” Garina asked with a polite curtsy.
“No, thank you,” A’bbni said, giving her a gracious smile, which she returned before turning to head back down the stairs, once again leaving him alone in a strange, new place, far away from home.
Dinner with Kella and his family was enjoyable enough, but his mind was miles away, wondering how Shi’chen was doing, wondering what was happening back in Er’hadin, wondering what their next steps would be. A’bbni wasn’t even sure how much he ate or what it tasted like, feeling a queasiness in his stomach that would not abate.
After dinner, Kella offered to take a walk with A’bbni in the gardens at the rear of the house to discuss future plans, and A’bbni gratefully accepted. Kella gave him a cloak to pull on, as the night had become quite cool now that they were further north. They walked together through the manicured gardens with its stone benches, carefully groomed topiaries, and beds of flowers, most of which were starting to lose their luster with the cold weather. Kella was silent, letting A’bbni compose his thoughts as they walked.
“I must confess, I feel very lost,” A’bbni said, pausing by a stone figure of a cat perched on the edge of a low wall, reaching up his hand to lightly touch the cat’s cold ear.
“That is understandable, my lord,” Kella said, moving to sit on a nearby bench. “Your whole world was turned upside-down in a matter of moments.”
A’bbni nodded slowly, stroking the cat’s stone muzzle. “I usually have a plan, but at this time, I am entirely at the mercy of yourself and the members of the rebellion.”
“It will take time for things to come together,” Kella said softly. “But I promised you, Your Reverence, I would not abandon you, and I will not.”
A’bbni turned to look at Kella, smiling gratefully, though he could feel that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Tomorrow I will send word of your arrival to our contacts here. I will also send a letter toVayalla Orenwith information for your brother when he arrives, and I will go to the port master to find out when his ship is expected.”
“I do not know how I can ever repay you for all you have done for me,” A’bbni said, moving to sit on the bench next to the dark-haired elf.
Kella smiled gently at him. “I do not expect any sort of payment, Your Reverence. I believe in maintaining peace in Hanenea’a, and by extension, Kendarin. I had to put blind faith in your Father, and his sons whom I had never met, based on nothing more than principle. But now that I have met you, I see that my trust was not misplaced. If your brother is even half as kind and compassionate as you, either of you would make a fine Emperor.”
A’bbni gave Kella another smile that did not make it past his lips, his ears drooping a bit. “I will do my best not to let you down.”
Kella slowly reached out and laid a hand on top of A’bbni’s. A’bbni glanced up in surprise at the touch, but Kella’s hand was warm and gentle as he curled his fingers around the goblin’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It is not I that you should aim to please, Your Reverence. I am no one of importance when it comes to the affairs of Hanenea’a. I would hope your focus would be on those less fortunate than I.” He gave A’bbni a slightly ironic smile that indicated he knew that was pretty much the entire population.
A’bbni gave Kella’s hand a grateful squeeze in return. “As always, I appreciate your wisdom.”
Kella laughed, patting A’bbni’s hand with his other free one before standing up. “I must go say goodnight to my children. Do you wish to come in?”
“I think I’ll stay out here a little longer,” A’bbni said softly. “Thank you, Lord Kella.”
“Of course. Good night, Your Reverence.”
“Good night.” A’bbni watched Kella return to the house, pulling the cloak tighter around his shoulders, glad that the sting from the wounds there seemed to be almost gone. He gazed up at the stars that blinked overhead, so many he couldn’t even count them, wondering if Shi’chen was looking at the stars, too.
