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Thomas’ blood chilled. He understood what Nectan asked of him, after living in this time the past couple of months. A pledge was an oath, freely given, obligating him to service, tying him to consequences that he could not even imagine if that oath were broken. Much more of a commitment than he wanted to make.
“Wait,” he said, “I don’t understand—”
“’Tis simple, wilding,” the Speaker interrupted, his thin voice edged with anger, his hand tight on the sword. “Ye give your pledge to the king, or ye dinna.”
Eyeing the Speaker’s white-knuckled grip on his sword, seeing the hard edge in Nectan’s eyes, Thomas had little doubt of what might come if he refused, despite the king’s offering of a choice.
He forced down his panic, tried to think. “I just want to go home. I came here to find so
