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south.”
    “Ivy? With her body?” Ella laughed. “You think someone kidnapped her to sell her to the mountaineers? Doubt it. I suppose they’d be more likely to take you.” Ella glanced over her shoulder, looking at me from head to toes. Her rude comment was payback for mine.
    I glanced down at my body. Maybe I wasn’t curved like Ivy, but there wasn’t anything about me that suggested I’d do well at hard labor either. My hands were calloused from washing dishes, not smooth like Ivy’s. Buying food at the open-air market outside the castle laid a nice tan on Ivy while my confinement only accentuated my already pale skin. But kidnapped for hard labor? I don’t think so.
    I sighed, glad the awkward moment was over. We were even. Maybe Ella had more fire inside her than I thought. She was also forgiving. “The tunnel is being built by Emperor Palen’s men. They wouldn’t kidnap slaves that already belong to the empire.”
    Ella tucked in the last corner of her sheet, and then turned back to me, a smile on her face. She looked down at my hand again.
    I fingered the token, rolling it around in my palm. I didn’t know what to make of Ivy’s disappearance. Did she struggle? Wouldn’t I have felt it? If she left willingly, why did she leave me behind? And who kidnapped her?
    Another worry pushed through my already crowded mind. If Kandek, our master, knew Ivy had been kidnapped that famous temper of his would explode. Rulers didn’t take kindly to escaped slaves, but kidnapped slaves were downright shameful. Kidnapping signaled a collaboration, defenses being breached from both the inside and out. Would he think I had something to do with her disappearance?
    Rubbing the stubble on my head with my empty hand, I worried over my decision. Should I feign ignorance and hide the token? Or tell the truth and be possibly punished for something I didn’t do?
    I already had enough to worry about today, just thinking about my birthday celebration sent shudders through my body. What if he did something worse to me than what he already had planned?
    Whatever was going to happen, there was little I could do to avoid it now. Ivy was gone and I was left behind. Grasping the coin between my finger and thumb, I pulled my itchy wool shift over my head, replacing it quickly with a clean one.
    I knew I couldn’t sit around and stew. My chores waited for me in the dark bowels of the kitchen. Bowls to clean, plates to dry, and cups to put away. It wasn’t a stimulating job, but it kept me away from windows, just like Kandek wanted. I didn’t know why he wouldn’t allow me outside, or even to peek out a window without his permission, but rules were rules. I had to follow them or face punishment. I’d seen enough slaves punished to know I never wanted to be in their place.
    No matter what I did, eventually Ivy would be missed and not found. Everyone would assume she’d already left to pick up food in the market. I, on the other hand, was on duty to wash the breakfast dishes and would be missed. If I didn’t show up, they would suspect me of having a hand in Ivy’s disappearance. If they even discovered it any time soon. Maybe no one would notice she was gone until the midday meal when their fruit from the Southern Kingdoms didn’t appear on their plates.
    I slid the coin into the secret pocket I sewed under my shift. Not much of a secret since nearly every slave had sewn at least one of these pockets to the inside of her dress, but better than leaving it out for someone else to find while I was about my chores. Just one more way to delay the inevitable.
    I nudged Ella’s arm with my elbow as she straightened her dress. She too had to hurry, but she was part of the cleaning crew wandering the castle all day to clean up after the nobles. I wouldn’t see her again until night and I had to be sure our stories concerning Ivy’s disappearance matched.
    “Ella, did you know that Ivy already got up to do her chores?” I