The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)

Looking around, I spotted a small hill between the house and the barn with a tree growing atop it—well, it was more of a mound than a hill—and nodded toward it. “Let’s go sit down.”

Violet began hobbling toward it, her expression stiff with determination. I hesitated, then scooped her up in my arms. She gave me an exasperated look, but didn’t protest as I carried her over to our destination. I sat her down gently, then dropped to the ground next to her.

She leaned against the tree, pulling her borrowed jacket tighter around her body. It was a beautiful day, with high clouds sailing in a blue late afternoon sky; the tree above us swayed in the breeze, and long, soft grass grew beneath it, making a wonderfully cushioned seat for us to take our breather. Still, there was a chill in the air, and I could see some of the green of the trees beginning to drain away, leaving leaves trained with red and gold. Fall was coming, with winter right around the corner.

As if reading my thoughts, Violet looked around the camp and asked, “What are we going to do if we can’t stop Elena before winter?”

“Ms. Dale has been scouting around, but right now, we don’t have a plan. We’re looking into it.”

She nodded. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. It might be a good idea, once we get our people trained, to start embedding them in the city instead of hiding out here.”

I smiled. Ms. Dale and I had already discussed that, and had both argued for other ideas before reluctantly deciding it might be the best way forward. Violet may have had a broken skull, but her mind was as sharp as ever.

She sighed, tugging the rough woolen cap that covered her bandages down farther on her forehead. I cocked my head at her. “Feeling self-conscious?”

She shrugged. “It’s stupid,” she said. “It’s just hair, and it’ll grow back, but I can’t help imagining that I look like a… a giant baby.”

I laughed before I could stop myself, and she gave me a sharp look. “Sorry,” I said. “But… seeing as I was the one who shaved your head, I can safely say you do not look like an infant without your hair.”

Her features softened, a smile sneaking onto her lips. “I noticed you haven’t caught me up on the actual news from the city and any of the plans you have going on.”

“Well, that’s just because you haven’t asked. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me you’re ready.”

“I’m ready. So what’s been going on?”

Reaching into my pocket, I met her gaze. “I’d much rather you hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Jeff’s been waiting for me to contact him, and I figured you’d want to sit in.”

“Should we get Owen and the others?”

I shook my head as I pulled out my handheld. “There’s too much going on to stop and have a meeting every ten minutes. We’ll meet in the morning to get everyone up to speed. Sometimes it’s my job to talk to Jeff, sometimes someone else’s. I asked for the job today.”

Moving closer to her until we were pressed shoulder to shoulder, I keyed in the code for Jeff’s handheld and waited for it to connect. A moment later, Jeff’s face filled the screen. “Good morning, Viggo. And you as well, Violet. I’m glad to see you recovering.”

“Thank you, Jeff,” she said, a smile on her lips. “So they sent you into the city, huh? How’s that going?”

“As well as can be expected. I have established myself at a boardinghouse, and have received a job helping to clean up the burnt-down sections of the city. For some reason or other, the Matrians don’t see me as threatening, which I find quite useful, all things considered. The job itself is not exactly exciting at the moment, but it does put me in a position to notice things.”

“Oh, really? Like what?”

“Well, nearly one hundred Matrian wardens have arrived by boat at the city.”

My eyes widened. “Are you sure about that?” I asked.

Jeff nodded, his blue eyes grim. “Tiffany—one of the maids from Ashabee’s—followed them for a bit, until it became too risky for her to go any farther. We’re still not sure where their main base is, but we’re working on it.”

I exchanged looks with Violet. Her face was drawn; the severity of this information was not lost on her. More troops meant Elena was stepping up her plans. “What about the news?” I asked.

“Ah, yes, well—the announcers noted three things of interest. The first is they are implementing a national registry and the issuing of identification papers. Apparently, a lot of citizen information was lost due to the destruction of the palace, and in order to track rations, they are requiring all citizens to register.”

I absorbed this and frowned. “Damn, that’s going to be tricky. Do you know if they’re going through with those security checkpoints you mentioned the other day?”

“Yes—that might be why they are bringing more wardens into the city. In order to combat terrorism, as they put it.” Jeff’s voice was prim as he announced it, but his face reflected his distaste. “On that note, they also announced that after a thorough investigation, they have discovered the culprits behind the bombing of the palace were the Porteque gang. Apparently, they disagreed with the interference of Matrians in their city.”

“What?” exclaimed Violet. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t they stick with the Daughters of Patrus as a scapegoat? Or even point a finger at me?”

“That does seem like it would be easier…” I agreed.