“And me,” Lai interjected. Shi’chen glanced over at Lai curiously out of the corner of his eye. He had not expected that his friend would return with them to Er’hadin, but he certainly was not going to protest.
Mii’ra blinked in surprise, then smiled at him. “You are a sailor, is that right?” Lai nodded. “Good. As long as their Highnesses don’t object.”
“We do not,” A’bbni replied.
“What about Vr An-Gea’la?” Shi’chen asked curiously.
Mii’ra shook her head. “He will be staying here in Csereth, as our contact.”
“Lord Kella is coming back with us?” A’bbni asked, looking pleased with that revelation.
“Yes,” Mii’ra said with a warm smile at him. “His contacts and knowledge of the city are helpful to us, and he did not want to leave you two alone.”
Shi’chen nodded, trying to ignore the flipping of his stomach. “We shall be ready to depart tomorrow, Var An-Sha’kri.”
Mii’ra rose and gave them a bow. “Thank you, Your Highnesses. We shall see you tomorrow.” And then she was gone.
Once the three of them were alone, A’bbni turned to Shi’chen with worried eyes. “Do you think this plan will work?”
Shi’chen sighed and rested his elbows on the table, his forehead pressing to his conjoined hands. “I don’t know. I do not like how many things can go wrong. But, as you said, what choice do we have?”
A’bbni sighed softly, turning to stare out the window again at the softly-falling snow. “I thought about reaching out to High King Fellrin and Queen Verlanon. But after what Lai told us about the slave trade negotiations, I do not feel that would be a wise idea.”
“I agree,” Shi’chen said softly. “I do not know where their machinations lie.”
“Nor do I,” A’bbni said, his fingers idly tracing designs on the tabletop. “And the last thing I want to do is subject Lord Kella and his family to possible danger from the elven court.”
Lai was watching them curiously, and Shi’chen realized that he probably had not understood a large amount of what they had just said. “Sorry, Lai,” he said. “How do you feel about this?”
Lai gave a non-committal shrug. “Like you said, it’s not much of a plan, but it’s better than doing nothing.”
“And you will come with us?” A’bbni said, squeezing his hand.
“Yes,” Lai replied, giving him and then Shi’chen a smile. “I can’t sit by and let the princes of Hanenea’a get killed. People are only allowed to hate me because of my ears.”
Shi’chen rose to his feet, giving Lai’s shoulder a grateful squeeze. “We’ll be glad to have you with us,” he said.
Chapter eighteen
A'bbni
Thenextmorningwascold but not snowy. Kella took them in the Arvay family’s carriage to one of the nearby docks. The ship they were sailing on was much smaller than either of the ships the twins had been on before, built for speed rather than for large transports. Both Ba’shea and Mii’ra arrived as well. Quenn had stayed behind with Cressus and Nadria, and the twins had left early in the morning before the children had woken up. A’bbni felt bad about not getting to say goodbye to them, but Kella hastily assured him that the children would be all right.
The first day on board involved a lot of Shi’chen hiding in his room away from the windows, and Lai made good on his promise to show A’bbni how to make the anti-nausea drink for him from herbs in the galley. Ba’shea and Mii’ra mostly kept to themselves, for which A’bbni was grateful. He still did not know why he felt so uncomfortable around them, but he was happy to have the time to spend with Shi’chen. Lai left them alone for the afternoon, not telling either of them where he was going or what he was doing, returning late in the evening with a meal from the crew for them all as they sat in the room that Shi’chen and A’bbni had decided to share.
The next day was slightly warmer, though whether that was because they were further south or because the third season was not quite ready to hit full-force, A’bbni was not sure. Shi’chen was feeling a little better and decided to practice on the deck, having found a few long poles that were a similar size and weight to spears. A’bbni left him to it but being alone in their room was wreaking havoc on his nerves, and he did not feel like wandering the ship on his own either. He debated with himself for a few minutes before he screwed up his courage and headed down the hall to Lai’s room. He knocked on the door but received no answer. He knocked again and waited, and finally Lai came to the door, wearing a gray silk robe draped around his shoulders and tied around his waist. His golden blond hair was loose and damp, and he was drying it with a towel. He gave A’bbni a smile. “Hey.”
“I’m sorry,” A’bbni said with a blush. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“No, it’s fine, the water was getting cold anyway,” Lai said, opening the door wider for A’bbni to come in. A’bbni slipped inside and moved to sit in the chair at the desk in the small room. He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting right now. He and Lai had not been alone together since that time in the garden when Shi’chen had sent Lai to find him after their fight, and that had certainly not been his best moment.
“Did you need something, Your Highness?” Lai asked, tipping his head curiously.
A’bbni blushed just a bit and shook his head. “No. I just… don’t want to be alone right now while Shi’chen is up on the deck.”
Lai gave him a small, understanding smile. “Stay as long as you like.” He sauntered over to the bed, and A’bbni tried not to watch him too closely as he sat down on it to work on drying his hair. “I’m going to have to talk to Lord Kella about getting a job on one of his ships.”
Even with this ship being much smaller and not intended for luxury travel, the accommodations were still probably much better than what Lai was used to on cargo ships. “I take it your bath was enjoyable then.”
