The guild leader returned without the polished clasp he had worn at their first meeting.
Eli noticed the absence and disliked himself for looking for meaning in it. A changed fastening on a coat could mean anything. The paper the man laid on the workshop table meant more. It granted equal inspection authority over the anchor’s components, measurements, and incident records. It permitted an independent suspension when limits were violated or could not be verified. It did not require the guild’s permission before a contributor withdrew.
Juno read every line before she looked up.
“Who has approved this inside the guild?”
“The operating committee. The crafters who will work on it. Members who want to participate have been given the terms.”
“Members who don’t?” Tessa asked.
“They have been given them too.”
The leader shifted his weight. “There was an argument.”
