Answer: c. the agreement among the three is a novation.
Step-by-step explanation:
A novation refers to a situation whereby a party to a contract is replaced by another party. That means that the duties and benefits of the party being replaced will be passed on to the new party to the contract.
In this scenario, Brian was replaced in the mortgage contract by Pierce and Pierce assumed all liability related to the land in question. This is therefore a novation.