“Kal, this isn’t Helle,” I say through grit teeth, not budging from my current chokehold on her.

“Kyla…Please,” Helle’s voice gurgles out.

It sounds so much like her, it’s uncanny. Sick witch!

This person’s eyes are practically popping from her head with fear and my heart is breaking because the Sorceress looks exactly like Helle. The girl whom I grew up with and my best friend. The one human in Underlund that had shown me love besides my family.

“Kyla, what… are… you… doing?” The Sorceress manages out. Oh, the Sorceress is good.

Kalvar goes livid. “Let her go, Kyla! Why are you doing this?” he shouts, his face twisted with fear and betrayal. “Kyla, damn you, let her go!”

It’s too much for me. I cave to my brother’s plea and let her body drop. She falls to her knees coughing hard.

“This isn’t Helle,” I growl, glaring down at her. “It looks like her, but it’s not Helle!”

“F**k you!” Kal snaps, kneeling down next to the spluttering Sorceress.

By this time Ava, Wes, and Sylvia have arrived to investigate the commotion.

“Helle, what happened, love? Why did Kyla attack you?” Kalvar asks, gathering her into his arms and kissing her forehead.

“She–she just snapped,” Helle, no, the Sorceress, blubbers. “One second we were talking and completely fine, the next she– she was holding me by my throat claiming I was the Sorceress!”

“It was only a matter of time! Thank the gods you got here in time to snap her out of it, Kal! We all know the Curse has a stronger hold on Kyla than it even did on your father. I mean, look at the wings coming from her back and how often her eyes glow red, there has never been a Cursed like her,” Ava snorts, folding her arms over her chest and giving me the evil eye.

“It’s not like that!” I splutter, knowing that if someone had asked me weeks before I’d be unable to fathom how I could end up in this situation. “You have to believe me. This person looks like Helle, but she’s the Sorceress! She was just telling me to stay away from her son. I don’t know what she’s done with our Helle, but she could be in danger or even dead!”

“Kyla,” the Sorceress continues crying and she reaches out to me dramatically with an expression of pity, “Kyla, I’m so sorry. Let’s get you some rest. You’ve been out all night, maybe all you need is some rest.”

“Wes, you just saw me! Did I seem crazy to you?” I implore, looking right at him, hopeful that he will stand up for me.

I can’t believe this is happening. What a conniving bitch!

“You seemed–distressed,” Wes says. “I know your Curse weighs on your mind.”

“You’re really are an ass!” I snap at him. “And you can stuff that supposed cure of yours up there too!”

“Kyla!” Kalvar reprimands my crude language, “Hush, sister, do not offend the kind prince! Let’s get you to your room.” His anger has vanished and in its stead is pity mixed with fear. “Dorth informed me of your rescue mission. It sounds like you had a busy night. You’ve obviously over exerted yourself.”

“I can’t believe you’re not listening to me, Kal,” I cry, now the tears are welling up in my eyes. “I’m your sister. I’m family. I’ve been with you since the beginning. Why don’t you believe me when I say that she is not Helle?” I point at the Sorceress and a hint of a smile falls across her lips for a nano-second, her pleasure in causing disharmony in the royal family is obvious, and from what I understand this is only making her more powerful too.

That does it. I’m taking this bitch down while she’s in my sightline!

I don’t care if she looks like Helle. With a snarl I lunge at the Sorceress again, my body transforms, filling up the wide hallway leading up to Kalvar’s quarters until I’m fully monster and prepared to deal with whatever this witch can dish out.

Ava screams and clings to Kalvar. The fake Helle does the same and so does Sylvia.

I half expect Wes to join them, but instead he watches without batting an eye at my monster.

“Kalvar, get out of the way, let me do away with the greatest source of evil in Axus!” I roar at him, baring my teeth.

“Kyla, you are not yourself,” Kalvar states firmly, putting a protective arm around Helle. “You need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” I scream. “You’re holding the Sorceress to your chest, Kal!”

“How do you know that?” Kalvar remains unmoved. “How do you know that your mind is finally succumbing just as father’s did?”

“Who is this son of hers you spoke of?” Wes asks, but I don’t even bother replying, instead I roar, baring my horrible teeth at the Sorceress who has her nasty hands on my brother. My heart is breaking. Why won’t Kal listen to me? Why won’t anyone listen to me? What happened to Helle?

“Kyla, this is the last time I’ll ask you before I call the guard,” Kalvar says. “Calm down.”

It’s useless. I either kill my brother and the Sorceress or I let my brother live and kill the Sorceress another day.

“Prince Kalvar!” a voice shouts. Who is barging in on us now?

Dorth and a few of his guards march into the hallway.

“We may have a problem,” Dorth announces, he’s gazing directly at me.

“You may not notice it, Dorth, but I’m a bit busy!” Kalvar snaps at him. “Hurry up and tell me what it is!”

“Dirk’s body was found, heart torn from his chest by the claws of a Cursed,” Dorth says. “We know he is responsible for some horrendous crimes, but vigilante justice is not tolerated in Underlund City. We cannot endorse Princess Kyla’s brutal actions.”

“Dorth, I killed Dirk, yes, but he was threatening the sylph woman, Laurel. He had a blade at her throat. I couldn’t give him the chance to hurt her.” My eyes go to the Sorceress and I see her self-satisfied smile at this news. “She can testify even!”

“Kyla,” the Sorceress says to me with great sadness in her eyes. “What have you done? You took the law in your own hands? Oh, Kyla!” She shakes her head and buries her face in her hands while she continues to sob.

“You may be a Cursed Kyla, but your father would even tell you that you’re not immune to our laws,” Dorth says with his expression grim.