Page 57 of The Goblin Twins
“Ah.” A’bbni let out a soft chuckle. “It’s not actually a word. My Father,” he swallowed at the sudden lump in his throat, pushing it back. “My Father used to call my Mother ‘i’jaa,’ which means ‘beloved’ in Hanen-vir. Shi’chen couldn’t pronounce that when he was little, so he would call me ‘i-sha.’ As we got older, it just became our nickname for each other.”
Lai smiled into A’bbni’s hair at that. “That is sort of disgustingly cute.”
A’bbni laughed at that, rolling over to look into Lai’s green eyes. “I suppose it is.”
And then Lai leaned in and tackled him down into the mattress, kissing him firmly all over, making the prince squeal in a very undignified manner.
Chapter nineteen
Shi'chen
Whenhewasnotpracticing on the ship, Shi’chen spent too much time worrying. He didn’t like that A’bbni was going back with him to Er’hadin where En’shea and Hi’jan were looking for them. But, as A’bbni had pointed out, he did not get to control what his brother did, and the thought of being separated from him again was terrifying. So, he spent the majority of the return trip trying to keep himself occupied.
He was not surprised to have found A’bbni in Lai’s bed, nor could he really blame his brother. Whether it was just a fling or something more, he was not sure, but as long as A’bbni was happy, that was enough.
Lai had passed him to go into Kella’s cabin later that afternoon and had been inside for a long time. Occasionally Shi’chen could hear a few words being exchanged, but whatever language it was, he had never heard it before. It was not Cserethian or any variation of Hanen. When Lai came back out, Shi’chen noted that his smile was fixed perfectly in place in a way that made him suspect something was wrong. “Hey,” he said, giving the pole he held a twirl. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah,” Lai said, leaning against the railing to watch him. Shi’chen sensed there was something more, but his friend just tossed his hair that was still flowing loose instead of up in its usual high ponytail and didn’t say anything.
“I didn’t understand any of it, but what language was that you were speaking?”
Lai blinked, then smiled. “Jilbrechtian.”
Shi’chen paused in his movements. “You know Jilbrechtian?” Not even A’bbni knew the language of the elves on the continent that lay so far across the sea and so far north that it was nearly impossible to get to.
“Yeah,” Lai said, shrugging like it was no big deal.
“How many languages do you know?”
Lai was silent as he thought about it. “Seven,” he finally said.
“Gods… Between you and my brother, I feel so dumb,” Shi’chen said with a shake of his head that sent his curls tumbling into his eyes.
Lai laughed and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. “Your brother got the brains; you got the brawn. Nothing wrong with that. You two are like two sides of a coin.”
“The dull side and the shiny side,” Shi’chen said with a grin, making Lai roll his eyes. “What did Lord Kella want?”
Lai shrugged. “I’ll tell you later.”
Shi’chen raised a brow. “Are you sure everything is all right?”
“Please stop asking me that,” Lai said before suddenly turning and walking away from him without another word. Shi’chen stared after him in surprise. Lai didn’t sound angry, but he definitely did not want to talk about whatever it was. Combining that with Lai disappearing for hours on end when he and A’bbni were together, his friend was starting to worry him.
The ship they were on was much smaller and sleeker than the passenger or cargo vessels, and Kella told them that because of that, they could get much closer to Er’hadin than Kandrea’a because the smaller ship could navigate the tributary waterways that led further inland from the sea. They would be able to dock only a few hours’ ride from Er’hadin, at a port on the Hela’nna River, where the aqueducts were built that supplied water to all of Er’hadin, including the palace. He had been to the aqueducts before, though it had been several years, but Shi’chen was glad to have a more familiar landmark to reference.
Ba’shea and Mii’ra had mostly left them alone during the days at sea, but as they neared land, Mii’ra told them that the twins, Lai, and Ba’shea would take a longboat to shore to avoid any soldiers that might search the ship, while she and Kella would stay on board to deal with the paperwork and port authorities. Then, Mii’ra would go to the city and send one of their contacts to fetch them.
Lai and Shi’chen rowed the longboat ashore that night, Ba’shea and A’bbni with them, and then Ba’shea led them through a wooded area near the water to a small fishing cabin. Lai had the twins go to sleep on one of the mattresses there, promising to stay awake and keep an eye on them. Shi’chen was too happy to be back on land again to protest, curling protectively around his brother. But he found sleep was hard to come by; every sound outside, every rustle of leaves, snap of twigs, or gust of wind caught his attention. Now that they were back in an area where they might be more easily found or recognized, every muscle in his body felt a hundred times more tense than it had in Csereth. He ended up sitting by Lai in the darkness, trying to relax both his body and his racing mind. How did A’bbni deal with his mind constantly imagining worst-case scenarios all the time?
Shi’chen was happy when the sun came up, and he sent Lai to get a few hours of sleep. Once they had all risen again, they ate a simple meal from the supplies they had brought from the ship, and then there was nothing to do but wait until Mii’ra sent someone for them. Ba’shea mostly ignored them, and Lai stuck nearby where he could see the twins at all times, which Shi’chen appreciated but wished that he felt less apprehensive about Lai’s protectiveness.
It was early afternoon when a cart came rumbling down the road, and an older goblin in a cloak stepped down from it. Lai had been watching it carefully, but Ba’shea stepped out and greeted the goblin man. Shi’chen felt himself relax as he recognized Nen, the older man who had taken the twins to Kandrea’a. Nen clasped their hands in greeting, giving them a small smile. “Your Highnesses,” he said. “It is good to see you both again.”
“You as well,” Shi’chen said, giving his hand a squeeze in return. “Is Var Rell all right?”
“Yes. You will see her shortly,” Nen said. “Come.”
Shi’chen took A’bbni’s hand to guide him over to the cart. “I suppose we must hide again,” A’bbni said with a sigh.
