“Tell me what happened.”

Mari looked up at her father, thought a moment before speaking.

“Anna and I were in the Körhinta, the playground by the Pest entrance. Elizabet was with me, and Tamás, one of the guards. Anna and I were playing with a girl called Ellen who I met there yesterday. Anna wanted to go down the big slide, so since I’m taller I put her up at the top and Ellen caught her at the bottom.

I was just boosting Anna up again when I saw the scratcher. I’ve never seen a mal in the Körhinta before, it’s usually full of mundanes. Alicia and Josef were just outside the playground at the far end. They had been flirting — you know how she is — and were looking at each other, not me. There was nobody else there but an elderly man on a bench reading the paper. I was holding Anna, so if I triggered the yanker it would get both of us but then the scratcher would get Ellen — I was pretty sure she was a wizard, even though she hadn’t said and isn’t in the clave.

Then I noticed what she was doing. She had put herself between it and me and Anna and even though she’s only thirteen — I asked her yesterday — she was casting.  It was trying to go around her to get at us but she wouldn’t let it, kept stepping to one side or the other to stay in its way. She called out something to the man on the bench, he must have been her minder, and he looked up, muttered something under his breath, and the scratcher stopped moving.

By that time Liza and Tamás had finally noticed what was happening and were running over. They made a fuss over me and Anna and by the time they finished Ellen and her minder were gone. I wanted to thank her. Whatever she was doing, there was no way a thirteen-year-old could hold off a scratcher for long, but she was trying — if she had just let it past she could have gotten away with no trouble.

She never gave me her phone number and she can’t be in the enclave because before yesterday I had never seen her. All she knows about me is my first name — I hadn’t told her I was from the enclave — but I thought if I went back to the playground tomorrow she might be there. After what happened Liza isn’t going to lose track of me again, so it should be safe.

Miklos smiled. “She’s from Üröm, a village north of town, here with her mother to buy one of our spare slots — the daughter’s birthday is two days before induction, making her almost a year younger than you are. I was planning to charge her mother for it in cloth, maybe an outfit for you for the Scholomance — she’s the best weaver I know. But I think instead I’ll tell her that her daughter bought the invite this morning.”

She was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“Yes.”

“Do you know why I’m doing it? An outfit by Catalin for your senior year might make the difference between getting out alive and not.”

It was a long minute before she answered.

“Having Ellen for a friend in the Scholomance might make the difference too.”

Her father nodded. “That’s part of it, but not just getting out of the Scholomance alive. You’ve seen how János stress tests his blades. The Scholomance is a stress test for people. It’s where I met your mother. We didn’t date there — it’s a risk you shouldn’t take — but when we graduated I knew who I wanted to marry. It’s where I met János — both of them were in the alliance that got us out. So was Maria — it’s how she knew, ten years later, that I was the one she wanted to support for Dominus.

Ellen — her full name is Ürömi Heléna — is a girl who could hold off at scratcher at thirteen. She’s a girl whose instinct was to protect you and Anna instead of running. I want her to know that we deserve it.

***

“You know everything we can tell you but it’s easy to lose track at the beginning, when you are mostly thinking about whether you can keep your last meal down. The very first thing is to write your room number twice, once in your notebook for yourself, once on your tablets for the rest of Buda. Your friend Ellen doesn’t have a set, so you will have to find her in the cafeteria and trade numbers.”

Miklos took a final look at his daughter as the glowing seconds ticked down. Everything had been said. She vanished.

“Tell me what happened.”

Mari looked up at her father, thought a moment before speaking.

“Anna and I were in the Körhinta, the playground by the Pest entrance. Elizabet was with me, and Tamás, one of the guards. Anna and I were playing with a girl called Ellen who I met there yesterday. Anna wanted to go down the big slide, so since I’m taller I put her up at the top and Ellen caught her at the bottom.

I was just boosting Anna up again when I saw the scratcher. I’ve never seen a mal in the Körhinta before, it’s usually full of mundanes. Alicia and Josef were just outside the playground at the far end. They had been flirting — you know how she is — and were looking at each other, not me. There was nobody else there but an elderly man on a bench reading the paper. I was holding Anna, so if I triggered the yanker it would get both of us but then the scratcher would get Ellen — I was pretty sure she was a wizard, even though she hadn’t said and isn’t in the clave.

Then I noticed what she was doing. She had put herself between it and me and Anna and even though she’s only thirteen — I asked her yesterday — she was casting.  It was trying to go around her to get at us but she wouldn’t let it, kept stepping to one side or the other to stay in its way. She called out something to the man on the bench, he must have been her minder, and he looked up, muttered something under his breath, and the scratcher stopped moving.

By that time Liza and Tamás had finally noticed what was happening and were running over. They made a fuss over me and Anna and by the time they finished Ellen and her minder were gone. I wanted to thank her. Whatever she was doing, there was no way a thirteen-year-old could hold off a scratcher for long, but she was trying — if she had just let it past she could have gotten away with no trouble.

She never gave me her phone number and she can’t be in the enclave because before yesterday I had never seen her. All she knows about me is my first name — I hadn’t told her I was from the enclave — but I thought if I went back to the playground tomorrow she might be there. After what happened Liza isn’t going to lose track of me again, so it should be safe.

Miklos smiled. “She’s from Üröm, a village north of town, here with her mother to buy one of our spare slots — the daughter’s birthday is two days before induction, making her almost a year younger than you are. I was planning to charge her mother for it in cloth, maybe an outfit for you for the Scholomance — she’s the best weaver I know. But I think instead I’ll tell her that her daughter bought the invite this morning.”

She was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“Yes.”

“Do you know why I’m doing it? An outfit by Catalin for your senior year might make the difference between getting out alive and not.”

It was a long minute before she answered.

“Having Ellen for a friend in the Scholomance might make the difference too.”

Her father nodded. “That’s part of it, but not just getting out of the Scholomance alive. You’ve seen how János stress tests his blades. The Scholomance is a stress test for people. It’s where I met your mother. We didn’t date there — it’s a risk you shouldn’t take — but when we graduated I knew who I wanted to marry. It’s where I met János — both of them were in the alliance that got us out. So was Maria — it’s how she knew, ten years later, that I was the one she wanted to support for Dominus.

Ellen — her full name is Ürömi Heléna — is a girl who could hold off at scratcher at thirteen. She’s a girl whose instinct was to protect you and Anna instead of running. I want her to know that we deserve it.

***

“You know everything we can tell you but it’s easy to lose track at the beginning, when you are mostly thinking about whether you can keep your last meal down. The very first thing is to write your room number twice, once in your notebook for yourself, once on your tablets for the rest of Buda. Your friend Ellen doesn’t have a set, so you will have to find her in the cafeteria and trade numbers.”

Miklos took a final look at his daughter as the glowing seconds ticked down. Everything had been said. She vanished.

“Tell me what happened.”

Mari looked up at her father, thought a moment before speaking.

“Anna and I were in the Körhinta, the playground by the Pest entrance. Elizabet was with me, and Tamás, one of the guards. Anna and I were playing with a girl called Ellen who I met there yesterday. Anna wanted to go down the big slide, so since I’m taller I put her up at the top and Ellen caught her at the bottom.

I was just boosting Anna up again when I saw the scratcher. I’ve never seen a mal in the Körhinta before, it’s usually full of mundanes. Elizabet and Josef were just outside the playground at the far end. They had been flirting — you know how she is — and were looking at each other, not me. There was nobody else there but an elderly man on a bench reading the paper. I was holding Anna, so if I triggered the yanker it would get both of us but then the scratcher would get Ellen — I was pretty sure she was a wizard, even though she hadn’t said and isn’t in the clave.

Then I noticed what she was doing. She had put herself between it and me and Anna and even though she’s only thirteen — I asked her yesterday — she was casting.  It was trying to go around her to get at us but she wouldn’t let it, kept stepping to one side or the other to stay in its way. She called out something to the man on the bench, he must have been her minder, and he looked up, muttered something under his breath, and the scratcher stopped moving.

By that time Liza and Tamás had finally noticed what was happening and were running over. They made a fuss over me and Anna and by the time they finished Ellen and her minder were gone. I wanted to thank her. Whatever she was doing, there was no way a thirteen-year-old could hold off a scratcher for long, but she was trying — if she had just let it past she could have gotten away with no trouble.

She never gave me her phone number and she can’t be in the enclave because before yesterday I had never seen her. All she knows about me is my first name — I hadn’t told her I was from the enclave — but I thought if I went back to the playground tomorrow she might be there. After what happened Liza isn’t going to lose track of me again, so it should be safe.

Miklos smiled. “She’s from Üröm, a village north of town, here with her mother to buy one of our spare slots — the daughter’s birthday is two days before induction, making her almost a year younger than you are. I was planning to charge her mother for it in cloth, maybe an outfit for you for the Scholomance — she’s the best weaver I know. But I think instead I’ll tell her that her daughter bought the invite this morning.”

She was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“Yes.”

“Do you know why I’m doing it? An outfit by Catalin for your senior year might make the difference between getting out alive and not.”

It was a long minute before she answered.

“Having Ellen for a friend in the Scholomance might make the difference too.”

Her father nodded. “That’s part of it, but not just getting out of the Scholomance alive. You’ve seen how János stress tests his blades. The Scholomance is a stress test for people. It’s where I met your mother. We didn’t date there — it’s a risk you shouldn’t take — but when we graduated I knew who I wanted to marry. It’s where I met János — both of them were in the alliance that got us out. So was Maria — it’s how she knew, ten years later, that I was the one she wanted to support for Dominus.

Ellen — her full name is Ürömi Heléna — is a girl who could hold off a scratcher at thirteen. She’s a girl whose instinct was to protect you and Anna instead of running. I want her to know that we deserve it.

***

“You know everything we can tell you but it’s easy to lose track at the beginning, when you are mostly thinking about whether you can keep your last meal down. The very first thing is to write your room number twice, once in your notebook for yourself, once on your tablets for the rest of Buda. Your friend Ellen doesn’t have a set, so you will have to find her in the cafeteria and trade numbers.”

Miklos took a final look at his daughter as the glowing seconds ticked down. Everything had been said. She vanished.

“Tell me what happened.”

Mari looked up at her father, thought a moment before speaking.

“Anna and I were in the Körhinta, the playground by the Pest entrance. Elizabet was with me, and Tamás, one of the guards. Anna and I were playing with a girl called Ellen who I met there yesterday. Anna wanted to go down the big slide, so since I’m taller I put her up at the top and Ellen caught her at the bottom.

I was just boosting Anna up again when I saw the scratcher. I’ve never seen a mal in the Körhinta before, it’s usually full of mundanes. Elizabet and Tamás were just outside the playground at the far end. They had been flirting — you know how she is — and were looking at each other, not me. There was nobody else there but an elderly man on a bench reading the paper. I was holding Anna, so if I triggered the yanker it would get both of us but then the scratcher would get Ellen — I was pretty sure she was a wizard, even though she hadn’t said and isn’t in the clave.

Then I noticed what she was doing. She had put herself between it and me and Anna and even though she’s only thirteen — I asked her yesterday — she was casting.  It was trying to go around her to get at us but she wouldn’t let it, kept stepping to one side or the other to stay in its way. She called out something to the man on the bench, he must have been her minder, and he looked up, muttered something under his breath, and the scratcher stopped moving.

By that time Liza and Tamás had finally noticed what was happening and were running over. They made a fuss over me and Anna and by the time they finished Ellen and her minder were gone. I wanted to thank her. Whatever she was doing, there was no way a thirteen-year-old could hold off a scratcher for long, but she was trying — if she had just let it past she could have gotten away with no trouble.

She never gave me her phone number and she can’t be in the enclave because before yesterday I had never seen her. All she knows about me is my first name — I hadn’t told her I was from the enclave — but I thought if I went back to the playground tomorrow she might be there. After what happened Liza isn’t going to lose track of me again, so it should be safe.

Miklos smiled. “She’s from Üröm, a village north of town, here with her mother to buy one of our spare slots — the daughter’s birthday is two days before induction, making her almost a year younger than you are. I was planning to charge her mother for it in cloth, maybe an outfit for you for the Scholomance — she’s the best weaver I know. But I think instead I’ll tell her that her daughter bought the invite this morning.”

She was silent for a moment, then spoke.

“Yes.”

“Do you know why I’m doing it? An outfit by Catalin for your senior year might make the difference between getting out alive and not.”

It was a long minute before she answered.

“Having Ellen for a friend in the Scholomance might make the difference too.”

Her father nodded. “That’s part of it, but not just getting out of the Scholomance alive. You’ve seen how János stress tests his blades. The Scholomance is a stress test for people. It’s where I met your mother. We didn’t date there — it’s a risk you shouldn’t take — but when we graduated I knew who I wanted to marry. It’s where I met János — both of them were in the alliance that got us out. So was Maria — it’s how she knew, ten years later, that I was the one she wanted to support for Dominus.

Ellen — her full name is Ürömi Heléna — is a girl who could hold off a scratcher at thirteen. She’s a girl whose instinct was to protect you and Anna instead of running. I want her to know that we deserve it.

***

“You know everything we can tell you but it’s easy to lose track at the beginning, when you are mostly thinking about whether you can keep your last meal down. The very first thing is to write your room number twice, once in your notebook for yourself, once on your tablets for the rest of Buda. Your friend Ellen doesn’t have a set, so you will have to find her in the cafeteria and trade numbers.”

Miklos took a final look at his daughter as the glowing seconds ticked down. Everything had been said. She vanished.