Chapter 359: What Lies Beneath
Max watched as everyone sat in silence, hunkered down in their erected tent, creating a place to hide in the forest without fear of giving off light.
“You four don’t have to come if you feel it’s too dangerous.”
“That’s a load of goblin shite, and you know it,” Fowl muttered. “What kind of friends would we be if you went in alone?”
“It’s not about being bad friends,” he protested. “It’s about the potential danger that lies inside.”
“And you’re certain that the area isn’t like our world?” Tanila asked as she drummed her fingers a few times on the table.
He nodded at her, studying how her face looked perfectly calm, even though he had sensed her heart beating faster as he told them what was inside.
“The truth is… part of me is scared for you all. Now, I wish I had gone down the stairs and done more reconnaissance, but at the time, I didn’t want to do that and potentially encounter something and have you all upset that I left you behind.”
A single nod was all Batrire gave again.
“Max, you’re fine. We know why you did it. I, for one, am grateful that you want to have us with you. No one else has come right out and said it, so I will. We’re a bit nervous if you think it’s that dangerous. It reminds me of the tower. Every level with you was exponentially more difficult than with Dexic. Yet even as strong as she was, the tower floors were not as easy as they were with you. Each of us knew you would do everything possible to protect us. That meant more than you can ever understand. Fowl often confided in me that he wasn’t sure how we could ever have gotten where we were without knowing firsthand the pressure you felt to make sure we were safe.”