“Jack kept a version of her name,” I mused. “To keep things simple. Did the others? Is Harry short for Harriet? Max for Maxine? Kit for Kate and Clem for…” I had to puzzle over that one. “Clemence?”
“Clementine. She hates it.”
“And what about Sam?”
“Just Sam. Nothing more. As I said, notallof us are women.”
Conversation halted for a few minutes while we forced our way through a dense thicket. Some twisting plant with inch-long thorns had hidden itself inside, so the whole of our attention was spent detaching spiky vines from our clothes before we were both scratched bloody. Neither of us was entirely successful, and I was left with a red, dripping gash on my cheek.
When I dragged myself through to the other side, grabbingSam’s hand to assist me, I asked, “So, is Jack your fraternal twin, then?”
Sam went still, and there was a long pause before he answered. “No,” he said at length. “We’re identical twins.”
“Oh, of course.” I dabbed at the blood on my face with my glove. Something in the line of Sam’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
In Skalla, it wasn’t uncommon for someone to realize they weren’t what everyone had assumed at the time they were born. But I doubted such things were treated with as much respect here in Tailliz, with its rigid gender roles enforced by the ruling class.
“Did Jack borrow your clothes, then?” I asked. “When she adopted her disguise?”
“At first. It helped that we’re the exact same size.”
We resumed our trek through the snow, ducking our heads as the wind blew heavy flakes into our faces. Four-legged sparrows regarded us with beady, faceted eyes. I pulled my cloak around me. The weather was getting grimmer as the day wenton.
“Are any of the others men?” I asked.
“I’ve never polled the whole group.” Sam sounded amused in spite of the cold. “Jules seemed extraordinarily happy to switch from skirts to breeches. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“Jules—that’s the frog spitter?”
“No, that’s Jude,” Sam corrected me. “Flowers spring up from the ground wherever Jules walks.”
“I never did learn the names of all the duchess’s siblings.”
“Alex can eat anything, Nick can make anyone sneeze, Drew can cover tracks so well that no beast or bird can follow them, and Fred can make small windows into somewhat larger windows.”
“That one…doesn’t sound especially useful.”
“It is if you want a somewhat larger window.”
“Well,” I said, “I can see why no one suspected their secret. Your abilities must distract everyone from anything else about you.”
Sam grinned sourly. “For the most part, aye. Not entirely.”
I mulled that over as we pushed through the shrubs along the bank of the creek. Who had figured out most of them were women?
“The lion,” I realized. “That’s what he’s been testing for. How on earth did he come to believe peas on the floor would prove anything?”
Sam’s laugh was almost a snort. “He has odd notions about how humans operate. According to the Doctrine of Lion, laddies stomp, but lassies prance, and…it’s hard to explain. He’s written a whole book about it. You should read it. It’s hilarious.”
“But why does he care? What does it matter?” I was bewildered—I knew it was deeply important to the lion, but I couldn’t fathom why he would be concerned about the gender roles of an entirely different species.
“He’s been told there are rules, and he thinks it’s his job to impose them.” Sam’s mouth compressed into a thin line. “He’s hardly alone in that.”
We walked in silence for a long while after that. The clouds overhead darkened from light gray to charcoal; behind them, the sun must have been dipping low on the horizon. I had to clench my teeth to keep them from chattering as it grew colder. One of my boots had sprung a leak at some point, and my foot was thoroughly soaked. So much for better footwear.
Snow still plummeted from the sky, and the drifts were getting deeper. Soon, we’d have to start worrying about frostbite—or worse, unless our circumstances improved before nightfall.
Frostbite should be treated by moving the patient to a warmer area as soon as possible. Immerse the affected body parts in tepidwater, if available, but never in extremely hot water. Severe cases of frostbite can lead to gangrene and may require amputation.
