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Inga rushed through the halls, looking for Yehvah. Three different maids reported Yehvah telling them she’d be in three different places this afternoon. Inga checked them all and found Yehvah in none of them. She’d checked everywhere she could think of and now headed for the only place she hadn’t searched yet that Yehvah might be: the servant's quarters. Though what she would be doing there in the middle of the day...
Inga had noticed something amiss with Yehvah lately. In past months, she’d been more secretive than usual. She snapped at the girls over small things that wouldn’t have bothered her before.
Inga came to the servant’s quarters and pushed the door open. Yehvah and most of the maids shared this room—a plain thing with two rows of hard palettes, and hooks on the walls for hanging clothes. One of the palettes was occupied—an oddity by itself in the middle of the day. The person occupying it was far stranger.
Yehvah lay on her side, sleeping soundly. Frowning, Inga tiptoed into the room, closing the door softly behind her, and made her way to Yehvah’s palette. Sitting softly on the edge of it, she put a hand on Yehvah’s cheek.
Yehvah’s eyes flew open with a start, settling on Inga with a horrified expression. Slowly, her shock faded and she swallowed.
“What is it, Yehvah?” Inga asked quietly. “Shall I fetch a doctor? And don’t bother denying something’s wrong,” she added quickly when Yehvah opened her mouth indignantly. “Because in all the years since you brought me to the palace, I’ve never seen you sleeping in the middle of the day.”
With a resigned sigh, Yehvah dragged herself into a sitting position. “I suppose it’s high time you knew.”
Fear clutched at Inga’s chest. “Knew what?”
Yehvah straightened her spine and stared Inga in the eye. “Ever since the...” she swallowed, her eyes darting about the room, “...the wolf attack, my wounds haven’t healed as well as I’d have liked.”
Inga’s eyes went to Yehvah’s middle, where she knew the worst of the scarring lay. Miniature trenches made tracks across her neck, ending just above her jaw, but most of the marks of the attack hid beneath her clothing. “Well, let me get one of the doctors—”
“I’ve seen them already. They tell me I’m lucky to have healed this well and there’s nothing more to be done.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll be replaced soon, girl. Perhaps put out of the palace. I can’t keep up with the work anymore. I do all I can, but I move more slowly each day, and get less done. If I don’t sleep in the middle of the day, I’m in a haze by dinner time. The head clerk has noticed. He'll find a reason to get rid of me.”
Inga’s jaw tightened. “That’s not true. We won’t let him.”
“I’ve thought that constantly since Kazan, Inga. Try as I might, I can’t seem to work any faster or get any better.”
Inga shook her head. “You don’t have to. You’ve taken care of me my entire life, Yehvah. Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I’ll take over more of your work.”
“You already work your hands raw, Inga,” Yehvah said, rubbing her forehead.
“Then I’ll scrub them to the bone. He won’t put you out. As long as everything gets done as it should, he won’t have any reason to. Anything you can’t get done, I’ll do. Tell me when you need to sleep and I’ll take over for you. We’ll make it work, Yehvah.”
Yehvah’s eyes grew misty. She put a cool hand to Inga’s cheek and nodded.
