“How will we keep time with no music?” Anders heard one of the foreign princes ask, a handsome red-headed young man with a freckled face and piercing blue eyes.
“We could hum?” Livia offered, twisting to look at Isadora from where she stood in the arms of Hans. He was just a little too tall for her, forcing her to crane her neck to look up at him.
“Yes. Hum the tune, please, ladies. We all know the final piece from Asterina and Cethin by heart, let’s go with that. Ready?” She counted them in, and on one they began to move together, stiff and awkward at first, but after a few minutes the dozen dancing couples were gliding smoothly around each other. It was a traditional partner dance, one that all royals and nobles were taught, and the steps came back to Anders quicker than he had expected. The voices of the dancers grew louder and sweeter, and some of the suitors even joined in—those who were familiar with the ballet about the ill-fated lovers.
Anders gripped Isadora’s hand tighter as the song came to a close, hoping upon hope that her idea would be what saved them all from the curse. But as the dancers slowed and came to a stop and the humming ended, nothing had changed around them. They still stood on the bank of a glittering, dark lake, beneath a star-studded night sky and a large, silver moon. They were still trapped in the shadow realm.
Livia released Hans and stepped towards Isadora. Anders reluctantly let her go so that she could turn to face her sister, tears lining her eyelashes. Frustration swelled inside him, he’d been hoping against hope the dancing would work. What were they going to do now?
“It’s alright, Issy,” Livia said. “It was a fantastic idea.” She reached forwards and took Isadora’s gold locket in her hand, stroking the sunburst design with her thumb. “Mother would be so proud of you.”
Isadora bit her lip and wrapped her own hand around Livia’s, sadness in voice. “The locket was never Mother’s. Iago had it made, and then he commissioned the painting of Mother wearing it.” A dark cloud settled over her expression. “After he murdered her.”
A sob escaped Livia’s trembling mouth, and she threw her arms around her sister’s waist, burying her face in Isadora's shoulder. The older Princess stroked Livia’s hair and rubbed her back as her younger sister shuddered, fists grabbing the back of Isadora’s gown.
Anders thought over what Issy had said. Her uncle had given her a locket and pretended that it had belonged to their mother. Why? What benefit could he possibly get from gifting some trinket to his niece, and then cursing her to dance every night?
Unless the locketwasthe curse.
“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highnesses, but might I see the locket?” He held a hand out to Isadora, who frowned slightly, but pulled the chain from around her neck and placed it in Anders’ palm.
“Why—” She didn’t finish her sentence, as Anders opened the locket and a long, plaited strand of dark hair fell to the ground.
“Careful. That must have been Mother’s,” Livia said bending to pick it up. But Anders was faster. He snatched it up off the ground and held it away from the Princesses.
“I thought your uncle told you your mother never wore the locket. Why would he have put her hair inside it?”
Livia’s expression was furious, and she tried to snatch the lock of hair out of Anders’ hand. “Give that to me!”
But Isadora’s expression was one of curiosity. “He said he’d tried to get her to wear it, but she hated jewellery. Anders, I think you’re right. I think the locket holds the curse.”
Livia gasped and took a step back, staggering into Hans, who helped her to stay upright with a polite hand on her arm. “We need to destroy it,” she said, breathless.
With one nod from Isadora, Anders snapped the locket in two and threw it to the ground, stamping on it with his boot for good measure. They waited for a moment, glancing around, but nothing had changed. If anything, the sky had darkened even further. The only light now came from the glowing torches that lined the stairs up to the turret, where the mirror entrance had been.
“Wait. I’ve got an idea.” Isadora darted inside the tower and reappeared a moment later holding one of the flaming torches. Anders understood immediately. He picked up the lock of dark hair and held it out to Issy. She took it with a grimace and, steeling herself, touched the end of the braid to the fire.
It caught instantly, an acrid smell filling the air as smoke began to rise from the burning hair. A high-pitched sound, not unlike a scream, shattered the air around them and Isadora dropped the lock of hair. It continued to burn on the ground, and they all took a step back, leaving a safe space around the cursed locket and its smouldering contents.
“Look!” Livia pointed to the sky, and Anders followed her gaze, wonder replacing the anxiety he’d felt moments earlier. The pitch-black night sky had begun to lighten around the edges, periwinkle blue and peachy pink were now visible on the horizon. Anders looked across the midnight-blue lake to thecastle, and saw with a start that it was no longer a twisting, jutting monstrosity surrounded by glittering metallic trees, like so many blades. It now resembled a fairytale palace, with an elegant façade of sandstone and lofty turrets that embraced the increasingly pale-blue sky.
A heron swooped down and landed on the riverbank, snatching a fish as it leapt from the water, and Anders realised there were other birds twittering in the oak and chestnut trees that encircled the palace.
“This place is beautiful,” Isadora said beside him, her voice barely more than a whisper.
He gazed down at her, watching her take it all in. “It is.”
“Come on!” Livia cried, racing towards the tower steps. “We must be able to leave now.” She vanished up the staircase, and Issy turned to follow her, but she hesitated, looking back at the crowd of dancers and princes.
“Go,” Anders said. “I’ll make sure they all get out safely.”
She gave him a grateful smile, her hand rising from her side as though she were about to reach for him, but then she was gone, rushing after her sister.
Chapter 24
Isadora
Issy felt a rush of relief and exhaustion the moment her tattered slippers touched the carpeted floor of her and Livia’s rooms.
