Claire Eliza Bartlett's Guide to Survival in the Union of the North
by Claire Eliza Bartlett, author of We Rule the Night
Dress for the cold
Even the most hardened warrior can be caught unaware by the advance of Commander Winter. Let freezing to death be the purview of our enemy! Keep your coat with you, even if the day looks sunny, and carry equipment to start a fire in case you’re caught out of doors at night.
Keep your rifle ready
The Elda enemy may attack at any moment. Rifle practice and maintenance is required of all Protectors of the Union, no matter your profession or circumstance. If the Elda troops advance, you may be the last defense of the homeland.
Preserve your spark
Overextension of your spark powers may help your factory or generator in the short term, but can quickly lead to disastrous consequences. Avoid spark-burnout or even death by pacing yourself and discussing your abilities with your superiors. Every worker has value!
Carry your Young Protector’s Handbook at all times
The Young Protector’s Handbook is your guide to all you need to know and be in the Union. Use this guide to conduct yourself both legally and morally, so that you don’t end up being reduced to Secondary Citizen status. Secondary Citizens can’t own property, vote, attend higher education or join the military…so be sure to stay on the right side of the law.
When in doubt, let the propaganda posters guide you right
As the Elda destroy all we hold dear, we must sometimes flee with no more than what we have on our backs. If you’ve lost your Young Protector’s Handbook, you can look to the very walls of your city buildings for guidance. Our Propaganda Committee has designed hundreds of posters to keep you motivated, on track and of pure thought in our total war against the enemy.
Donate Your Scraps
The war needs every effort to succeed. Turn in old tools and give food rubbish to your local farmer. Remember that living metal is the property of the Union, and anyone caught hoarding it will be punished severely. Found scraps of living metal can be donated for war use at your local Information Office.
Protect Our Weave
The greatest defilement the Elda have made of our land has been the abuse of the Weave on our territory. Using the Weave creates tangles that poison the world around us for decades to come. If you suspect someone you know of manipulating the Weave for personal gains, report their activity immediately to your local Information Office.
Treason could be anywhere
Comrades among the faithful: even our fathers and mothers might be guilty of treason. Remember that there is no higher loyalty than loyalty to your country. Anyone who lacks it cannot be trusted to be a true Protector of the Union, and should be reported to the local Information Office. Our dedicated Officers, better known as Skarov, will use careful interrogation techniques to discover truth and root out treachery.
Ration card fraud is punishable by death
Any change in citizen status must be accompanied by a change in ration card. Attempting to use a ration card not issued to your status, or attempting to collect extra rations, is akin to starving your neighbors and will result in immediate execution. Enabling ration fraud or giving extra rations to beggars is likewise punishable. Everyone works and everyone gets what they deserve.
Trust your Union
The Union works day and night to ensure the preservation of our homeland in this total war. Trust in the Union, and follow all posted directives, approved radio instructions, bunker etiquette and curfew and ration law. They are made to protect not just you, but us all.
Seventeen-year-old Revna is a factory worker, manufacturing war machines for the Union of the North. When she's caught using illegal magic, she fears being branded a traitor and imprisoned. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Linné defied her father, a Union general, and disguised herself as a boy to join the army. They're both offered a reprieve from punishment if they use their magic in a special women's military flight unit and undertake terrifying, deadly missions under cover of darkness. Revna and Linné can hardly stand to be in the same cockpit, but if they can't fly together, and if they can't find a way to fly well, the enemy's superior firepower will destroy them—if they don't destroy each other first.
We Rule the Night is a powerful alternate-history fantasy about sacrifice, complicated friendships, and survival despite impossible odds.
