"Time flows strangely in this place." She said in response to his unasked question. "They say when we are returned to our homes, it will be from the moment we left them. I have reason to believe that this is so."

Others of their world have come and gone. They would have noted her absence, if that was not the case. His next question, however, caused a visible reaction. She frowned, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.

"Nothing is known with any degree of certainty. However... it is thought that the castle draws its power from us- from our spirits and emotions. We are not only meant to be pawns, it seems, but a meal as well."

And she did not take kindly to it. Even after all this time, her voice took on a tone of indignation when she spoke of it.