We join the others and Helle gives me a quizzical expression as we approach. Rift puts an arm around me, as if we’re lovers and I’m pretty sure it’s got our entire group curious.

To Scenna, Dayna, and Laurel, Rift is the Dark Lord, son of the Red Lady, but to Helle, Rift is a huge question mark.

“What were you two doing?” Helle asks, crossing her arms over her chest. Of course she’s got to act like a protective big sister.

“Just taking a stroll,” Rift says.

“Pretty long stroll,” Helle comments, raising an eyebrow.

“We found out that King Alvar is no longer in Axus,” Rift states cryptically, ignoring Helle and releasing me from under his arm. “We suspect he is on Earth. Of course he may be dead, but that is highly unlikely. Show them, Kyla.”

I reach into my belt and withdraw the dagger. “This is the only known weapon that can kill a Cursed.”

“How did you come by that?” Helle asks, her voice hushed and eyes wide. “That shouldn’t be anywhere near you, Kyla!”

“It’s safest with me,” I object, putting it back in its sheath. “And I got it from Rift, who got it from–” I turn to look at him. “Where did you get this from?”

“I found it,” Rift answers. “The Sorceress sent me to get it. It was in your palace.”

“This was in our palace?” I ask, completely shocked. My father had for years feared what Saul had done with the dagger and to hear it had been under our noses the entire time was a bit disconcerting.

Rift thinks my shock is funny and chuckles. “Saul had a secret place only he knew about he created to hide it in and then had the workers incinerated by Alvar. Of course, the Sorceress knows about it, but she cannot wield it as the mage she once served created it and he was her Master. It will quite literally fall out of her hands, but I won’t bother explaining the magical–”

“So you think King Alvar has retreated to Earth?” Scenna steps forward, interrupting Rift boldly and changing the subject from the origins of the dagger to take us back to our present matter. “That would make sense, my father told me magic is less strong there, for any magic there is connected to our world and but glimmers of what exists here. If a magical being needed a recharge, Earth would be the place.”

“First we should figure out what we’re working with here,” Rift says, he motions for us to follow him into the door in the ground. We walk down on a stairs lit by orange shards of arlite. “I have a laboratory in this place. Let’s spy on Kalvar.” There is a hallway lit by the same orange arlite, and doors line this hallway.

“Hold it a moment, sir, but did you just say spy on Kalvar?” Helle asks him, shooting me a look.

“He’s kind of like a mage,” I whisper. “Magical.”

“Oh, and that makes me really comfortable hanging out in his creepy magical laboratory cellar,” Helle says dryly.

I laugh. “If he wanted to hurt us, he already would have.”

“I take it that means you’ve been seeing a lot of him to know him that well?” Helle asks, obviously suspicious.

Every naked inch of his body, I muse, but instead say, “We’re friends.”

“I have a lot to be filled in on,” Helle says, not believe me for a second.

“You have no idea,” I say, unable to help a smile.

“You and Rift are definitely more than friends,” Helle states. “But I’m worried. Dark magic like the kind used to eavesdrop on others does not stem from good things. It does not come from the Light.”

“Rift isn’t a normal mage,” I defend. “He’s–he’s born that way. It doesn’t control him, he controls it.” Of course I leave out the part where he is unable to love and the part where his mother is the Sorceress. Baby steps. You don’t just tell your best friend the Sorceress’ son is screwing you, in one conversation.

Rift opens up a door at the end of the hall and we enter a room with a huge piece of glass hung from one wall. The glass practically covers that entire wall. There are chairs set up to look at the glass and Rift beckons for us to be seated. He lights the orange arlite lanterns in the room. “This mirror can see into any reflective device of someone you know if powered by me, it works on any normal person, Cursed are off limits,” Rift explains. His eyes glow amber and the mirror gives out dark mist. “But it only works if you’ve spent a great deal of time with the individual you’re spying on.”

“Helle, you are dearest to Kalvar,” I say, “Why don’t you ask.”

“Say his name clearly at the mirror,” Rift explains to her. “It will show us what he is up to.”

I’m not sure if I want to know.

“Kalvar!” Helle shouts at the mirror, balling her hands into fists as if she were the one using magical powers rather than Rift.

The mist swirls in a vortex at the center of the mirror, suddenly it expands, shadows and outlines appear and then blurred images, finally the picture is clear as if we were there in the room. Kalvar’s room. Or at least one of Kalvar’s rooms. It looks to be Ava. She is sitting with the Sorceress, appearing as Helle, in Kalvar’s room. Kalvar is bare chested and asleep on the bed, a sheet covers his lower torso.

We may not be hearing anything from Kalvar, but The Sorceress and Ava are in the midst of what looks like a conversation.

“I have one more job for you,” the Sorceress says.

“What do you need?” Ava asks in a hushed voice, licking her lips and leaning in earnestly.

“I need you to ruin the marriage between Kalvar and Sylvia,” the Sorceress whispers.

“Why would I ruin their marriage? Didn’t you just tell me to draw Sylvia in to our relationship?” Ava throws up her arms.

“That was to get me a window to get Helle out,” the Sorceress laughs softly. “You are such a naive girl. Don’t you see the big picture?”

“But I spent a lot of time bringing her in,” Ava complains, “how am I supposed to get Sylvia out now? And another thing, they still haven’t found his Cursed sister to imprison! That frightens me very much. What if she were to return and convince them that you’re not Helle?”

“I do not believe you need to worry about her, leave all things magical to me,” the Sorceress chides, “And I’m sure you’ll think of some way to split Sylvia and Kal. Have him break her heart. He’s good at doing that sort of thing. He’s gotten Sylvia to fall for him, true, but I look like his idol. I only need to remind him of the reasons why I’m his idol. You can use that to your advantage. Sylvia is a romantic, if she sees Kal’s heart is withdrawn just as quickly as he put it out, she will back out of her wedding. Tell her how you know Kalvar will always belong to Helle, keep putting the seeds of doubt in her ear. She’ll cave.”

“You filthy bitch!” Helle screams at the vision of the Sorceress and Ava, and she continues shouting with far more colorful language that I hadn’t thought possible to join in the same sentence.

“Remember, I cannot ensure the barren princess of Westland will have the first Underlund heir unless you do as I say… besides, you never liked Helle or Sylvia anyway, right dear?” the Sorceress continues, touching Ava’s cheek and smiling beautifully at her.

Ava seems uncomfortable, but she smiles shyly back, “I can get rid of Sylvia, just play your part as Helle.”