told me,” he
replied. “But you signed the indenture papers.”
Thinking hurt,
but Lucien considered this.
“ I know I have to do what you say when
we’re out there,” he replied carefully. “But what I do on my own
time is nothing to do with you or anyone else.”
Again Jon
laughed. “Let me guess,” he said mockingly. “You never read those
papers, did you?”
A chill hand
caressed Lucien. “Might have,” he replied.
“ But not the
part about my owning you, body and soul, until you make
journeyman.”
Lucien jaw
dropped. “What do you mean?”
“ It’s what it amounts too,” Jon replied.
“Oh, I’m not allowed to sell you or do you any permanent harm, but
beyond that the rules are fairly flexible. I’ve agreed to care for
you and train you, and in return you’ve promised to be a very, very
good boy and do exactly as
you’re told. All the time .”
“ But …”
“ There are no ‘buts’, Lucien. Being a
Liaison Officer is no joke. You’ve a hell of a lot to learn and the
Guild doesn’t allow untrained puppies to bugger up years and years
of careful diplomacy.”
“ I …”
“ Shut up and listen,” Jon instructed.
“You’re my first apprentice. I thought I saw something in you that might make a good
officer, but I wasn’t sure. Despite this, I decided to give you a
chance, put my reputation on the line and see if my instincts were
right. I’m beginning to have doubts about my ability to judge
someone.”
Lucien’s face
fell and some of the stern lines on Jon’s face softened.
“ When you’ve eaten and you’re feeling
better, you’ll read those papers. If you still want to do this,
we’ll carry on, but if you can’t accept the conditions, I’ll make
arrangements for you to go back downriver and we’ll call it a
day.”
With that he
turned from Lucien, poured himself coffee and added syrup to a
large pile of pancakes.
Lucien nursed
his head for a while and toyed with some food. After the first few
bites the acid in his stomach started doing its job and stopped
torturing him and he was able to clear his plate and look for
more.
He still felt
bruised and shaky, but Jon was obviously not going to speak to him
again until he had read the damned papers.
Reading hurt his eyes, but he forced
himself to follow the legal jargon and his heart sank. He was not a
slave, but he was not free to do what he wanted. In essence Jon
Harabin stood in loco parentis ,
only it was a more binding relationship and one he could only walk
away from if Jon dismissed him or he made journeyman. If he ran,
the Guild had the right to find him, punish him and make sure he
never stood a chance of being a Liaison Officer ever.
“ What if I never make journeyman?” he asked
in a small voice.
“ It’s automatic at twenty-one,” Jon
replied. “But if you’re any good you’ll have made it before
then.”
“ How old were you?”
“ I was nineteen, but I had an excellent
Master.”
Lucien did
some sums. He was sure Jon was very good as well, so in three
years’ time he could be free to do what he wanted and have the
skills to do it.
On the other
hand, he had never been good with authority, neither at home or in
school. It was not a hard decision to make, but it cost him a lot
of pride.
“ I’d like to stay, please,” he said in a
tightly controlled voice.
“ You’ll abide by your
indenture?”
Lucien
nodded.
“ Right,” Jon said. “We need to get a few
things established. It’s my fault; I should have made things
plainer. You do as you’re told. No ifs, no buts. Once we leave
here, your life could depend on you doing as I say.”
That made
sense; even Lucien’s limited experience up river had shown him
there were unknown dangers around every bend.
“ You’ll also keep your tongue between your
teeth when I tell you to be quiet,” Jon continued. “Custom and good
manners are important amongst The People. They’re tolerant of
newcomers only up to a point. They demand
replied. “But you signed the indenture papers.”
Thinking hurt,
but Lucien considered this.
“ I know I have to do what you say when
we’re out there,” he replied carefully. “But what I do on my own
time is nothing to do with you or anyone else.”
Again Jon
laughed. “Let me guess,” he said mockingly. “You never read those
papers, did you?”
A chill hand
caressed Lucien. “Might have,” he replied.
“ But not the
part about my owning you, body and soul, until you make
journeyman.”
Lucien jaw
dropped. “What do you mean?”
“ It’s what it amounts too,” Jon replied.
“Oh, I’m not allowed to sell you or do you any permanent harm, but
beyond that the rules are fairly flexible. I’ve agreed to care for
you and train you, and in return you’ve promised to be a very, very
good boy and do exactly as
you’re told. All the time .”
“ But …”
“ There are no ‘buts’, Lucien. Being a
Liaison Officer is no joke. You’ve a hell of a lot to learn and the
Guild doesn’t allow untrained puppies to bugger up years and years
of careful diplomacy.”
“ I …”
“ Shut up and listen,” Jon instructed.
“You’re my first apprentice. I thought I saw something in you that might make a good
officer, but I wasn’t sure. Despite this, I decided to give you a
chance, put my reputation on the line and see if my instincts were
right. I’m beginning to have doubts about my ability to judge
someone.”
Lucien’s face
fell and some of the stern lines on Jon’s face softened.
“ When you’ve eaten and you’re feeling
better, you’ll read those papers. If you still want to do this,
we’ll carry on, but if you can’t accept the conditions, I’ll make
arrangements for you to go back downriver and we’ll call it a
day.”
With that he
turned from Lucien, poured himself coffee and added syrup to a
large pile of pancakes.
Lucien nursed
his head for a while and toyed with some food. After the first few
bites the acid in his stomach started doing its job and stopped
torturing him and he was able to clear his plate and look for
more.
He still felt
bruised and shaky, but Jon was obviously not going to speak to him
again until he had read the damned papers.
Reading hurt his eyes, but he forced
himself to follow the legal jargon and his heart sank. He was not a
slave, but he was not free to do what he wanted. In essence Jon
Harabin stood in loco parentis ,
only it was a more binding relationship and one he could only walk
away from if Jon dismissed him or he made journeyman. If he ran,
the Guild had the right to find him, punish him and make sure he
never stood a chance of being a Liaison Officer ever.
“ What if I never make journeyman?” he asked
in a small voice.
“ It’s automatic at twenty-one,” Jon
replied. “But if you’re any good you’ll have made it before
then.”
“ How old were you?”
“ I was nineteen, but I had an excellent
Master.”
Lucien did
some sums. He was sure Jon was very good as well, so in three
years’ time he could be free to do what he wanted and have the
skills to do it.
On the other
hand, he had never been good with authority, neither at home or in
school. It was not a hard decision to make, but it cost him a lot
of pride.
“ I’d like to stay, please,” he said in a
tightly controlled voice.
“ You’ll abide by your
indenture?”
Lucien
nodded.
“ Right,” Jon said. “We need to get a few
things established. It’s my fault; I should have made things
plainer. You do as you’re told. No ifs, no buts. Once we leave
here, your life could depend on you doing as I say.”
That made
sense; even Lucien’s limited experience up river had shown him
there were unknown dangers around every bend.
“ You’ll also keep your tongue between your
teeth when I tell you to be quiet,” Jon continued. “Custom and good
manners are important amongst The People. They’re tolerant of
newcomers only up to a point. They demand
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