“What if Stan prohibits the deal?” Doren asked. “What if he tries to change the terms? What if he gives us a certificate?” “We stand up for ourselves,” Newel replied. “The terms were set. We followed Seth to the ends of the earth and confronted some incredibly ugly demons.” “They were unsightly,” Doren agreed with a wince. “And tough. Without our astrids we would have been goners.” “Nonsense,” Newel spat. “Those astrids barely survived thanks to our heroics. Don’t you forget it.”
