afraid, no matter how clearly we try to explain,” said the Archivist. “There are many good things here, Lundy. Many wonderful things. You could be happy here, if you wanted to be. But you don’t have forever to decide, and you must follow the rules, or you’ll surely pay the price.”
Lundy frowned. “Does this mean I don’t get to go home?” she asked, finally.
“You must not be too attached to your home, or you would never have found us in the first place,” said the Archivist. “But no. That isn’t what this means. You’ll be here for a time, and then you’ll find a door, and you’ll be able to return to the world you left. No one stays forever on their first visit. How could they? One visit isn’t long enough to be sure. The rules mean—only—that once your eighteenth birthday comes, there will be no more doors. For now, you have the freedom of the Market. Remember the rules. Try not to break them, unless you feel like paying the price. Enjoy yourself. There are many good things in the world, and each of them happens for the first time only once, and never again. Do you understand?”
Lundy, who didn’t understand, but who had long since learned that adults were happier when they thought she needed no more guidance, nodded. “Can I come back here when you’re not teaching me?” she asked. “Only, you have so many books, and I love to read.”
Adults also loved a scholarly child. The Archivist blinked once before she smiled, warm and suddenly accepting. “I would be happy to let you read my books, and the only price I would ask is that you treat them kindly, and tell me what you think of their contents.”
Book reports were something Lundy had a great deal of experience with. “That seems like, um, fair value,” she said.
The Archivist’s smile broadened. “You’re getting it already,” she said. “Run along and play now. Moon can show you the places children like to go, and I’ll let some of the others know that you’ve come. The rules apply from the moment you arrive, but we can choose to interpret them as generously as possible during your first visit, to make it easier for you to make a second one. Run along, now. See what the Goblin Market can offer you.”
Lundy, who was not a fool, jumped off her rickety chair and dipped an impulsive curtsey before running to the door and out, into the clear, smoke-scented air. A raucous chorus of screams and warbles greeted her as the birds in the surrounding branches cried out, marking her arrival. She stopped to frown at one big pied crow.
“Nobody gets to sneak around here, do they?” she asked.
“Some of us do,” said a voice at her shoulder.
Lundy shouted and jumped into the air, spinning around to find Moon standing behind her. The other girl had a small, smug smile on her lips, and her odd orange eyes were half closed, making her look sleepy and overly pleased with herself.
“The birds don’t scream when they see me,” she said. “They remember. You all done with the Archivist? Did she teach you everything you need to know?”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to ask questions,” said Lundy.
“You asked a question just a few seconds ago,” said Moon. “Some questions are okay. You can’t have people without questions. People are too curious for that, they’d get all gummed up and stop working right if you didn’t let them have questions once in a while. But there’s a big difference between asking for things and only asking. ‘Do you think there will be grapes sometime this week’ isn’t the same as ‘can I have some of those grapes.’ Do you understand?”
“No,” said Lundy sullenly.
“Then I guess you’ll have to do like the rest of us do, and figure it out as you go along.” Moon suddenly, impulsively seized her hands, orange eyes wide and bright. “I can help. I can take three debts for you, if you promise you’ll take them back from me if I ever need you to.”
“What?”
“Debts. When you don’t give fair value, you get debts. But you’re a first-timer, you don’t know how careful feels yet. So I can go with you, and if you get any debts, I can take three of them on your behalf. That’s allowed. Then, if I ever need it, you’ll agree to take them back, right? Once you know what you’re doing.”
“That seems fair,” said