was difficult to let it go. But once she loosened her grip on it, talking made it easier.
“I’m a twin,” she said. “At least, I think I am. As long as I can remember I’ve known that I am. And I feel it. Sometimes I feel that there’s a person out there that I’m part of, that I was born with.”
She stopped and let the kitchen absorb this fact. It had grown full dark while they ate. The lights of candles were reflected in the windows.
“I met him once,” she continued. “He came to the college, just for a few days, and then he left.”
“Was he glad to see you?” asked Solder.
“He didn’t know.”
The roffle stared at her.
“What do you mean, he didn’t know?”
Tamrin tried to smile. She failed.
“No one had ever told him that he was a twin as well. He just didn’t know.”
“Didn’t he feel it, the way you feel it?”
“That’s enough, Solder,” said Winny. “Give me your dish.”
“But didn’t he?”
“He didn’t seem to,” said Tamrin.
“Perhaps you don’t really feel it, then,” he said. “Perhaps you only imagine you do because you’ve been told you’ve got a twin.”
He smiled, expecting them to congratulate him on having solved the problem.
“No. I do feel it. I do know I’m a twin. I’ve read about it. Twins, even when they’ve never met, know they are. One twin falls and the other one feels pain. One twin eats something bad and the other one gets sick. It’s happened to me. I know I’m a twin. And the tailor knows who I am and how we were separated. He’s got the answers. And he’s going to have to tell me.”
She wanted to keep her voice down and was annoyed with the way it kept getting louder.
“You shall,” said Smith. “You must. Go in the morning.”
Tamrin stood up without speaking. She crossed the room and tried the door. It opened.
“But not tonight, eh?” said Smith. “Get some sleep. You’ll be stronger for the journey.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Solder.
“No,” said Tamrin and Smith simultaneously.
“Oh.”
They laughed.
“I’m better on my own,” said Tamrin.
“And you’ve got work to do here,” said Smith.
Tamrin was eager to turn the conversation away from telling Solder she didn’t want him with her. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Not that he seemed capable of having them hurt.
“What do you do here?” she asked.
“I’m learning to be a smith.”
“Don’t they have smiths in the Deep World?”
“Of course, or why would I want to learn how to be one?”
Tamrin worked out the fault in this argument.
“Then why don’t you learn from a Deep World smith? Why come Up Top?”
Solder looked at Smith for help in answering the question.
“Because I’m the best,” said Smith. “And young Solder here only wants to learn from the best.”
“What do you mean, ‘young Solder’?”
“How old do you think he is?” asked Smith.
This unsettled Tamrin. Roffles were all so short that she imagined Solder was grown up.
“I don’t like guessing,” she said.
“Have a try.”
Solder jumped off his barrel, stood away from the table so she could get a clear look at him and turned around for the full effect.
“Thirty,” she said.
Solder laughed. Winny shushed him.
“Don’t make fun,” she warned. “It’s not polite.”
“Tell her,” said Smith.
“I’m sort of twelve,” he said. “Or fourteen.”
“I’m really sorry,” said Tamrin. “It’s hard to tell, because—”
“I wouldn’t say anything else if I were you,” warned Smith. “You’ll only make it worse.”
They sat and talked some more before it was time to go to bed. Tamrin couldn’t stop herself from trying the door before she went upstairs. Just in case.
“It will always be open to you,” Smith assured her. “Now that you know you’re with friends.”
“And you won’t trick me again in the morning?” she asked. “Show me another room or a stable or somewhere where time runs at a different
“I’m a twin,” she said. “At least, I think I am. As long as I can remember I’ve known that I am. And I feel it. Sometimes I feel that there’s a person out there that I’m part of, that I was born with.”
She stopped and let the kitchen absorb this fact. It had grown full dark while they ate. The lights of candles were reflected in the windows.
“I met him once,” she continued. “He came to the college, just for a few days, and then he left.”
“Was he glad to see you?” asked Solder.
“He didn’t know.”
The roffle stared at her.
“What do you mean, he didn’t know?”
Tamrin tried to smile. She failed.
“No one had ever told him that he was a twin as well. He just didn’t know.”
“Didn’t he feel it, the way you feel it?”
“That’s enough, Solder,” said Winny. “Give me your dish.”
“But didn’t he?”
“He didn’t seem to,” said Tamrin.
“Perhaps you don’t really feel it, then,” he said. “Perhaps you only imagine you do because you’ve been told you’ve got a twin.”
He smiled, expecting them to congratulate him on having solved the problem.
“No. I do feel it. I do know I’m a twin. I’ve read about it. Twins, even when they’ve never met, know they are. One twin falls and the other one feels pain. One twin eats something bad and the other one gets sick. It’s happened to me. I know I’m a twin. And the tailor knows who I am and how we were separated. He’s got the answers. And he’s going to have to tell me.”
She wanted to keep her voice down and was annoyed with the way it kept getting louder.
“You shall,” said Smith. “You must. Go in the morning.”
Tamrin stood up without speaking. She crossed the room and tried the door. It opened.
“But not tonight, eh?” said Smith. “Get some sleep. You’ll be stronger for the journey.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Solder.
“No,” said Tamrin and Smith simultaneously.
“Oh.”
They laughed.
“I’m better on my own,” said Tamrin.
“And you’ve got work to do here,” said Smith.
Tamrin was eager to turn the conversation away from telling Solder she didn’t want him with her. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Not that he seemed capable of having them hurt.
“What do you do here?” she asked.
“I’m learning to be a smith.”
“Don’t they have smiths in the Deep World?”
“Of course, or why would I want to learn how to be one?”
Tamrin worked out the fault in this argument.
“Then why don’t you learn from a Deep World smith? Why come Up Top?”
Solder looked at Smith for help in answering the question.
“Because I’m the best,” said Smith. “And young Solder here only wants to learn from the best.”
“What do you mean, ‘young Solder’?”
“How old do you think he is?” asked Smith.
This unsettled Tamrin. Roffles were all so short that she imagined Solder was grown up.
“I don’t like guessing,” she said.
“Have a try.”
Solder jumped off his barrel, stood away from the table so she could get a clear look at him and turned around for the full effect.
“Thirty,” she said.
Solder laughed. Winny shushed him.
“Don’t make fun,” she warned. “It’s not polite.”
“Tell her,” said Smith.
“I’m sort of twelve,” he said. “Or fourteen.”
“I’m really sorry,” said Tamrin. “It’s hard to tell, because—”
“I wouldn’t say anything else if I were you,” warned Smith. “You’ll only make it worse.”
They sat and talked some more before it was time to go to bed. Tamrin couldn’t stop herself from trying the door before she went upstairs. Just in case.
“It will always be open to you,” Smith assured her. “Now that you know you’re with friends.”
“And you won’t trick me again in the morning?” she asked. “Show me another room or a stable or somewhere where time runs at a different
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