Can she…can she hear us?

Impossible! But the doubting footman (or groom) didn’t sound quite sure.

“Certainly I can hear you,” I said calmly, as if such a circumstance was to be expected.

She must truly be the one! The scullery maid sounded breathless.

“The one? What one?”

Never mind their babble, Your Highness, said Gilda quickly, clearly trying to turn the subject. Have a seat, and let me get you some food. I’m sure we can find something more suitable than bread and cheese.

“Truly, I don’t want to be a bother.” I was grateful for my years of practice with Lily, because it felt strange speaking aloud in response to a mental projection. But I wasn’t confident I could project in the general way they did. I felt grateful enough I had worked out how to hear them.

Bother? No, indeed. You must forgive our foolish words before. Ah. Gilda’s change of tone now made sense. She must be scrambling to remember what they had all said previously.

But I had no desire to alienate the first people I had spoken to in days. Excluding the Beast, of course. “Thank you, and I can’t imagine what you mean.”

Please, have a seat. The kitchen tables were lined with long benches that could be tucked away when not in use, but the head and foot had wide, elaborately carved wooden chairs. One of them scraped backwards, presumably pulled out by one of the invisible servants, and I carefully made my way toward it.

I hadn’t collided with anyone in my days at the castle, so I assumed they had all been making some effort to avoid me. But walking among them still made me uncomfortable. I had to resist the urge to stretch my arms out in front of me as I moved.

As I sat, sudden conversation burst out all around me, along with a flurry of sound from various plates and pots and cupboards. Trying to follow their words alongside the cacophony of actual noise hurt my head. I let my concentration drop away, and the words faded back into whispers. I could only hope it became easier with practice, or I would spend each day in a perpetual headache.

When I realized a platter of food had been hovering beside me for some time, I started and reopened my awareness.

Apologies, Your Highness, is something not to your liking? The tone sounded a little snide, and I was almost certain it belonged to the doubter from earlier—a footman, then.

“No, indeed, I apologize. It looks delicious.” The food started traveling from the platter to my plate on a large silver spoon. I watched it, too fascinated to look away. “May I ask your name?”

Connor, Your Highness.

Several other voices started talking at once, and I held up my hand. Silence fell. “I’m afraid it’s rather difficult to follow a conversation when you can’t see any of the speakers.” My connection with Lily was so close that I didn’t need her body language to understand her words. Plus, there was only one of her. It was astonishingly difficult to follow an invisible group such as this. “I’ll need you to project a bit more slowly, and one at a time.”

Project? What do you mean? The curious child’s voice sounded from the far corner of the room where he had no doubt been banished following my arrival.

Hush, Gordon! Don’t disturb Her Highness. I could have anticipated Gilda’s rushed response.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” I looked in the direction of the voice. “Gordon, is it?”

After a moment of silence, one of the scullery maids whispered, She can’t see you, idiot! and Gordon mumbled a quick, Yes, Your Highness.

I grinned, sure he must have initially nodded in response. “I don’t hear you with my ears, but rather in my mind. Projecting is merely what I call such communication—when you send out your thoughts rather than speaking aloud.”

I don’t know anything about thoughts, Gordon sounded confused. I’m just speaking like always.

“Oh.” I looked around, wishing I wasn’t surveying a room of empty air. “I think someone needs to tell me exactly what is going on here.”

Silence reigned, and I imagined them all looking at each other, wondering who was going to speak. I had already pictured faces for them all, I couldn’t help myself.

Well, Your Highness, said Matthew at last, it seems we’ve all been caught up in some sort of…curse. His voice hesitated strangely over the word, and my brows drew together. As best we can tell, we’ve all been sort of…moved sideways. Into some other realm, I suppose. He sounded uneasy with the talk of other realms. We can see, hear and interact with each other like normal. And we can interact with objects just fine. But we soon discovered no one outside Palinar can see or hear us at all. We have our animals with us even. He paused, and I thought of the coach that I had assumed to be horse and driver-less. Which is why we weren’t expecting Your Highness to be so astute, and why we know nothing of this projection you speak of.

He paused again as if hoping for some sort of explanation, but I remained silent, unwilling to tell him of my gift. When he said nothing more, I prodded him. “But why have you been cursed?”

Another moment of awkward silence and then Gilda rushed in. Well, as to that, Your Highness, who can say? Certainly not the likes of us.

I frowned. It was easy to tell they knew more than they were saying. I let it go for now. “But what of the Beast, and his horses? I can see them well enough.”

Matthew made a sound like a throat clearing.

At first the royals were excluded. Alone in a kingdom without man or beast. But then a godmother came and allowed the young prince to see and hear us, here in the bounds of his own castle. She even gave him back his favorite mounts.

He spoke as if the godmother had been granting the prince a favor, yet his beastly shape suggested otherwise. Or had that been part of the original curse, and she had been unable to lift it for some reason? Clearly there was far more to this story than the servants were willing to reveal. What were they hiding? And who did they seek to protect with their silence?

“And what of King Nicolas and Queen Ruby? Are they at the palace in the capital? Why have they not sought assistance from the other kingdoms?”

No, young princess, Matthew’s voice sounded heavy and weary. Their Majesties are no longer with us.

I frowned at his cryptic choice of words, spooning food into my mouth to give me a chance to think. So the king and queen were dead. And no one wanted to tell me how. Or why the kingdom had been cursed. What would they tell me, then?

“Why did the Beast…” A rustle sounded at my choice of name, but I ignored it. “Why did he call the Princess Tourney? Why did he seek a betrothal when he cannot even speak?”

You’ll have to ask the young prince that for yourself, Princess Sophia.

“Princess Sophie,” I said without thinking. “No one calls me Sophia.” I took another bite.

A sudden roar, resounding through both my mind and my ears, made me wince and drop food into my lap.

What is going on here? The Beast’s anger was far more intimidating now that I could hear him in my mind as well. I wiped up the spilled food before I looked up at him, giving myself a chance to regain my composure. Several of the servants were attempting to babble explanations, and I didn’t try to separate out their words, although I did keep my mind receptive, curious to hear the Beast speak again.

I gave clear commands that no evening meal was to be served except in the dining hall. His voice vibrated with the same power and authority that he wore so easily on his misshapen body. It was even deeper than I had imagined, as if a growl lurked behind every word.

The servants fell silent while I looked at him as calmly as I could manage and took another large bite. His eyes narrowed, and his hand trembled slightly. Answer me!

Once again it was Matthew who took the lead. Aye, that you did, young master. He spoke with the same measured tones he had done before the Beast’s arrival. But the young princess ordered different. And who are we to disobey royalty?

The Beast curled his hand into a fist. It is my orders that will be obeyed in this castle. Do you hear me? He took two long strides forward and swept his fist across the table, catapulting my plate against the far wall. I flinched, and he fell back half a step, a strange expression crossing his face.

Don’t you be forgetting that’s your betrothed, there, young master, said Matthew, and I admired his courage. I was still trying to calm my pounding heart.

The Beast whirled around to glare at where I presumed Matthew to be sitting. Not by my choice, as I need not remind you. His words came out low and dangerous. I allow you too much license, Stable Master.

I shot to my feet. It was Matthew who had at least begun to answer my questions, and now he had stood up to the Beast for me. I could not allow him to be threatened in such a way.

The Beast swiveled to stare at me, and I met his eyes. “Then I will now remind you that I am your betrothed. And a princess of Arcadia. It is time for your imperious orders to cease. And if you make any further attempts to prevent me from eating, you will not like the consequences, I assure you.”

His eyes widened as he realized I could hear and understand him. I held his gaze, my own icy, for just a moment longer and then swept from the room.

As I hurried back toward my bedchamber, I congratulated myself on my exit. Seeing him silenced by shock had been just as satisfying as I had hoped.

But before I reached the room, a heavy hand on my shoulder swung me around. I gasped to find myself confronting the hulking Beast. I hadn’t even heard his approach.

So, you can hear me now, Sophie.

I flinched at the sound of my name without my title. It felt strangely intimate hearing his voice say it into my mind, here all alone in this dim corridor. I swallowed, trying to instill some confidence into my voice before I spoke.

“I meant what I said. No more orders.”

A request then? The soft whisper still seemed to hold the hint of a growl. We have much to speak of.

I bit my lip, wanting to refuse but knowing he was right. I couldn’t let my pride reject his request when I needed information he possessed. I inclined my head. “Very well, then, I will join you in the dining hall tomorrow evening.”

His hand, still holding me close, didn’t loosen, and his eyes searched my face. Did I imagine the barest hint of admiration in his gaze? I had expected anger at my defiance.

He lowered his face closer to mine and, somehow, I did not pull away. Instead, as his mental voice dropped even quieter, I instinctively swayed toward him, straining to hear with my physical ears. Will you marry me in the morning, Sophie?

I started violently, unprepared for his repeated request. He dropped his hand, and I stepped quickly back. For a moment, I was tempted to flee, but I stopped myself. “I will not agree to a wedding date until my twin is here at my side.”

He cocked his head slightly to one side, a curious look passing over his face. Then a dark cloud seemed to settle over him. It is not safe for anyone to travel here. The way is barred.

“Then we shall have to wait for the curse to be lifted.”

Impossible. He stepped toward me, and then quickly away again. Remember, Sophie, that you won the Tourney. You are bound by the ancient laws…unless you wish to see this darkness cover your own lands as well.

I trembled at the image his words conjured.

You will marry me, Princess Sophia of Arcadia. You must.

With that dark promise—or threat—he turned and stalked away into the blackness of the corridor.

I stood there for a full minute before stumbling the rest of the way into my room. I thought I was alone but issued a command for any servants to leave, just in case. As I blindly prepared for bed, my mind tumbled around and around in circles. The Beast had indicated to Matthew that he had not chosen the betrothal. That he did not want it. And yet he kept pushing for the wedding. I could make no sense of it. I needed more information.

It wasn’t until I lay in bed in the darkness, that I thought of his younger sister, Princess Adelaide. No one had spoken of her fate, left alone in a kingdom with only her brother, and now gone without trace. I pulled the covers over my head and closed my mind. If any servants entered my room, I preferred inaudible whispers to any further words.