Sworn To Defiance by Edun Terah

Author:Edun, Terah [Edun, Terah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: teen, coming of age, magic, fantasy
Published: 2014-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

With their marriage on the line, Ciardis Weathervane and Sebastian Athanos Algardis had no choice. They went up to the table and sat. Servants graciously provided comfortable seating for Vana and Thanar to either side of the couple while the eleven other Companions’ Guild members took their seats with murmured greetings.

Melina Hibblebottom chose the seat closest to Ciardis. Vana sat between them like an armed guard.

That didn’t deter the head pro tempore of Ciardis’s guild. She leaned forward with a wrinkled smile as she said, “It’s all right, dear. We’ll get this perfectly ironed out. Now what do you know about patron contracts?”

Ciardis exchanged a glance with Vana. “That they’re a binding contract between patron and companion. They can be negotiated on many different levels but it should be a satisfying commitment for the companions as he or she will be obligated to fulfill their contract measurements.”

“Yes.” Melina beamed. “That’s about right.”

Ciardis leaned over and whispered in Vana’s ear, “Where’s Lord Crassius?”

Vana shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know. Ciardis sat back with a furrowed brow.

A man with silver hair leaned forward from Thanar’s left and said, “Now, you do know that we can’t proceed into a patron contract without legally declaring you a full member of the Companions’ Guild with the rights and obligations that come with that, right?”

“Well, I suppose you wouldn’t,” Ciardis acknowledged as she smoothed her expression.

“Good,” said the man as he reached behind him and a servant placed a sheath of papers in his hands, “As a full member of our guild you are entitled to legal, physical and magical protection from outside forces as well as your patron. If you decide to annul your contract with your patron, we support and negotiate on your behalf for the most amenable settlement provided you have fulfilled your obligations. There’s more, much more, including guest houses in every province and access to an exclusive list of the finest occupational tailors, seamstress, healers, instructors, etcetera in the empire. But all of that can be discussed later.”

“It’s traditional for the parties involved—the companion sponsors and the patron—to speak on your behalf, as you’ve already had serious negotiations beforehand about the implications of this membership and union,” he intoned. “Is that correct?”

Ciardis hesitated. Vana poked her. She spoke up. “It is.”

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