Jin’fen gave him a look that was probably an attempt at fatherliness. “Your Highness, you did not know of the plan earlier, which ensured that we were able to rescue you without the rebellion being revealed.”
“Yes, and we were tortured for information we knew nothing about,” A’bbni replied, unable to keep a slight hiss out of his voice. He was not about to go into detail of what happened to him with these strangers, but he was sure they at least knew how En’shea would have treated them.
“And if you had known, would you have revealed what you knew to the Emperor?” Mii’ra asked.
“We do not know, but that would have been our decision to make,” A’bbni said firmly.
“Your Highness, if you had informed the Emperor of the plan to depose him, you would have been executed, along with many others,” Jin’fen said.
“We were going to be executed anyway,” A’bbni retorted. “And due to our rescue, many more will have been executed now. Their lives are no less important than those of any who would see our Cousin overthrown.”
Ba’shea waved his hand in the air as if swatting away an irritating insect. “Necessary sacrifices, I am afraid.”
A’bbni’s eyes narrowed. “If their lives were worth the saving of ours, we deserve to honor their memory by making sure their sacrifices were not in vain.”
Jin’fen cleared his throat. “Your Highness, please understand, we are shielding you for your own good.”
“We fail to see how this is for our own good in any way, nor have we asked you to shield us, Vr An-Gea’la,” A’bbni replied, feeling his normally mild temper flare hot in his chest. “We have requested pertinent information from you, and if you do not feel that we should have such information, we have no reason to trust you.”
Ba’shea glowered at A’bbni in a way that made the back of his neck prickle. Mii’ra held up her hands placatingly. “Please forgive the tension, Your Highness,” she said, giving A’bbni an apologetic smile. “We are all feeling the strain of the suddenness of the Regent’s death, and I am sure emotions are running high.”
“Indeed.” A’bbni swallowed back the angry words he wanted to say, instead forcing a diplomatic smile to his face. He would catch more flies with honey than vinegar in this situation, and if Shi’chen had been by his side, his brother would have been an entire basin of vinegar. He took a deep breath, then allowed his ears to flatten a little to make him seem more apologetic. He was not unfamiliar with the manipulations that every noble played at, and he had no qualms about using his youth to his advantage. He could play dumb when he needed to, and that was starting to seem like the best course of action. “We do apologize for our harsh words. We are afraid the unexpected death of our Father has affected us greatly, perhaps more so than we realized.” That was not a lie, at least, and it pained him to know that he was letting the Council see this point of weakness to manipulate him, but there was often much to be gained from giving.
“Of course,” Mii’ra said in a motherly tone, her expression kind. “I am sure it was a great shock to you and your brother.”
“It was,” A’bbni said, giving her a feigned attempt at a brave smile. “But again, we wish to express our gratitude to you, to all of you,” he added, nodding to Ba’shea and Jin’fen, “for saving our lives.”
Jin’fen waved his hand in the air. “We are glad you are safe, Your Highness.”
A’bbni nodded, starting to doubt very much that anything the Council said was genuine. “We are sure you understand our reluctance to agree to any sort of plan without knowing what may be expected. Obviously, we do not wish to put ourselves into further danger after you have risked so much to gain our freedom, nor do we wish to endanger the lives of those who make up the rebellion of which you speak.”
“We understand your compunction, Your Highness,” Jin’fen said. “Your compassion is admirable.”
A’bbni was sure they were looking at his compassion as a way they could manipulate him, but he just gave the man a bob of his head. “Thank you, Vr An-Gea’la.”
Mii’ra tossed her golden hair off her shoulder. “We will certainly inform you with what you need to know, Your Highness, once details have been finalized.” She gave him another maternal smile, like a mother trying to wheedle her child into bed with promises of treats.
“Thank you, Var An-Sha’kri,” A’bbni said, giving them all a gracious smile that he knew at least looked genuine, even if all he wanted to do was scream.
Ba’shea cleared his throat. “But, Your Reverence, there is the concern of the line of succession.”
“What is your concern, Vr Ii-Heshar?” A’bbni asked, keeping his smile in place even as he felt the subtle shift in the air.
“Your brother is the elder and would be granted first rights to the throne after the Emperor is unseated.”
“Yes,” A’bbni agreed, waiting for the older goblin to come around to his point.
“If Captain Er-Ha’sen is not interested in assuming the throne, we would need him to formally abdicate to you,” Ba’shea said, his gnarled fingers tapping absently on the tabletop. “To permanently give up his right to succession.”
A’bbni felt a prickle of ice in the pit of his stomach. While he knew that to technically be true, the fact that the Council was bringing it up felt suspicious. He wanted to dig further, but the three sets of eyes on him were watching his reaction closely.
“We cannot speak on behalf of our brother,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “But we shall discuss the matter with him when he arrives. Is our brother’s right to the throne a concern?”
“No, Your Highness,” Jin’fen said warmly, giving him another of those fatherly smiles. “We simply wish to know which of you will take the throne so the transition will be a smooth one.”
The words made sense, but A’bbni was still feeling the unease in his gut. He dropped his ears a little to appear meek and asked in a slightly softer tone, “Do you feel that he may be more suited to the throne than us?”
“We cannot say, Your Reverence,” Ba’shea said diplomatically. “We only wish to ensure proper protocol is followed.”
