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Maybe they just didn't want to do it and were trying to find a way of politely saying no, but that wasn't the impression Hector was getting, especially because of how incredibly old some of Abbas' sons were. A couple them were apparently in their early eighties.

Which, on the one hand, was kind of nuts. Asad Najir was only like forty-five or something, Hector thought. And yet he'd been a member of the Golden Council, while these guys weren't. And for all Hector knew, there could've been other council members who were even younger than that. Hasan Duxan hadn't seemed all that old, either--but looks were also deceiving, of course.

Still, Hector had to wonder if that kind of age disparity caused any kind of resentment or bitterness from these guys. It'd be understandable, if it did. Hector wondered how the Sandlords handled it. Maybe Abbas' sons had their own important positions in their government.

But on the other hand, the fact that Abbas' oldest sons were only in their eighties also left some lingering questions--questions that were too awkward to even ask.

If Abbas was a hundred and fifty-four years old like he'd said he was, then did that really mean he didn't start having children until his mid-seventies?

Or...?

Did it mean that he'd lost the ones who were born earlier than that?

Not a pleasant thought, to be sure--and made all the more so because of how much sense it made. The younger Abbas was, the more difficult it would have been for him to protect his children.

It made Hector think of Zeff.

Hector wanted to spend more time with the Elroys, to see how they were all doing, but it was difficult enough just finding the opportunity to keep up his training with Zeff. Hanging out with the Elroy kids was tough to justify when he had so much other stuff constantly competing for his attention.