"There are different kinds of trust," he says after a few seconds to organize what he wants to say of this and how to say it. "In all the time I've known her, two things have been a constant, her dedication to our clan and her desire for order. When you know what someone values above all else, you can predict them to a degree. Trust that they'll take the most certain route to that goal."

He frowns, turning his gaze ahead again. His voice is softer when he adds, "I'm my sire's only surviving childe. I managed that by never openly coming between her and her goals and by being skilled enough that she came to view me as an essential part of her plans. Others she cut loose, and inevitably they fell. Or she had judgment declared against them by the archons, and they were executed. I worked with her just enough and no more than I had to. That's my trust of Meerlinda. Our ultimate goal is the same, the survival of our world. Everything else is secondary and any feelings I have about her much further down the chain than many other concerns."