She furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips. “I don’t want to burden you Sil—”
“Burden me?” I said, cutting her off. “I’m still an overseer, Trin. It’s my job.”
“But the dungeon core, your mission…”
“Helping Senterra is part of my mission. You know that.”
For a second she went quiet, before Trin couldn’t hold it anymore, breaking out in tears.
“Trin, what’s wrong?”
“Ramus and Duke getting hurt was my fault. I was the one who planned out the formation and the route. I should have predicted the enemy approach—they’d taken that route before. The trail was hot, and I shouldn’t have split them apart like that…”
I placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “Trin, it wasn’t your fault. You couldn't have known about the enemy's plan. You couldn't have predicted their every move.”
She sniffled and wiped her tears away. “But I’m the leader. I’m supposed to keep everyone safe.”
“And you will,” I said. “But accidents happen, Trin. The important thing is that we learn from them and move forward.”
“If it were you out there guiding them, you would have known better.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn’t help anyone mulling over the past. What’s done is done. All we need to do now is focus on their recovery. Yes, they are top scouts but we will overcome. Just like we always do, Trin.” I smiled. “So don’t sweat it.”
“The rest of them look at me differently, you know. I’m glad you’re more understanding…”
“How could I not be? It isn’t an easy job. Hell, I don’t know how Jezz did it for so long.”
“She giggled. She was a natural.” She blushed. “She’s a lucky girl.”
“What do you mean?”
“To have someone like you. You love her, right, Silas?”
I choked up. “Heh, of course. We all love Jezz.”
“No, I mean, love her, love her?” She smiled, but it was a little flirty. I always had a hunch that Trin may have had a crush on me, but with the questions she was asking, I was positive now.
She was stuffing up my collar as I fished for a humble answer before I said, “I care for her a lot. I am, how she’d say, part of her pack.”
“So you think she’s still out there, right?”
“Of course.”
She smiled as she got up from her seat, looking at me with wanton eyes. “That’s good to hear, Silas. I pray that she is still out there as well.” I followed her up, Trin immediately tackling me with a passionate hug. “Thank you for making me feel better, Silas…” she whispered. I could feel her heart beating hard in her chest before she drew away from me with an innocent grin. “I should get going. I have to plan out our next steps for defense.”
“Um, do you need any help with that?”
She shook her head. “No, I will be fine. I don’t want to keep you long. I heard Elle is looking for you.”
Elle, wonder what she needed? I left the fortress and gave Trin some parting advice before heading over to Elliot’s Meats. There I expected to see Rufian trying to sweet talk her, but Elle noted she let him down easy.
“Such a relentless man.” She chuckled as I took a seat across her on the bar stool. “He’s sweet, but he is far too young for me.”
I laughed. “He’s more than twice your age.”
She laughed. “He looks like he can be my son.”
“Doesn’t stop you from hitting on me,” I said, Elle giving me a playful slap across my shoulder.
“I wanted to ask you how everything was moving so far, Silas?” I told her the same thing I told Madeem, and I caught the same reaction. Although for Elle, she didn’t know much about the Grimoire as Madeem did.
“Oh my, that’s a lot to digest now,” she said before taking a full breath. “Oh Silas, I sure do hope you know what you are doin’.”
“Don’t worry, Elle.”
“That Rufian character, Jezz’s brother?” She twisted her face funny. “Now I know Jezz was never the type to talk about her past, but she said she had no family.”
“Told me the same thing.”
“You think he lyin’?”
“No.”
“You trust him that much?”
“To some extent. I have my reasons. You heard my stories.”
“You’re right, you’re right. Still… Something about everything ya sayin don’t feel right. Not one bit.”
