Page 125 of The Nymph Prince

“Lorcan and King James should be here by nightfall,” I said before releasing a shaky breath. “There’s no time to waste.”

I started moving forward, but Reif slapped a hand on my chest. “You cannot go in there without a plan.”

“Iamthe plan. I’m what they want, Reif.” I looked toward the town, moving my gaze from the Inn and to the temple where I’d been taken to in my dreams. That’s where the seer was; I could feel it. “I have to go.”

“It’s dangerous, boy,” he continued to argue, holding my tunic.

The days spent together traveling had brought us closer. He hadn’t shared anything else about the elf boy, but he’d told me stories about his time as an assassin; lands he’d visited and things he’d done. He’d even sailed on a pirate ship once. We’d had that in common. I’d then told him stories of my exploits; traveling the high seas, pillaging a few seaside towns, and whoring around in brothels.

He’d found the latter amusing.

“I didn’t take you for that sort,”he had told me.“You’re just a boy.”

“The prince has tamed me,”I’d responded with a sly grin.“Before him, I’d often take two lovers at once in every town we visited.”

That had made me think of Lorcan and how much I missed him. Since leaving Avalontis, I’d felt as though a piece of me was missing. Reif and I’d spent the rest of the evening talking about him.

“They won’t kill me, Reif,” I said, knowing in my gut it was true. “They need me alive. I’m their king.”

“This is your mission,” he said, reverting to a warrior’s attitude. “What are my orders?”

“Stay here. Continue to scout the area and the lands around Black Hallows. If I’ve not returned by the time Lorcan and the others arrive…” My heart ached and I pressed my hand to my chest. “Tell them to proceed with caution. With good fortune, they’ll still have the element of surprise on their side, even if I fail. The mages will think I’ve come alone and won’t be expectin’ reinforcements. Stay in the shadows just in case they send out scouts.”

Reif bowed his head. “Will do.”

“And Reif?” I met his stare. “Under no circumstances are you to come after me. No matter what you see or hear, you are to stay out of sight until you see Lorcan. Am I clear?”

His jaw tightened. “Yes.”

Before I could talk myself out of it, I moved forward, using the trees to shield me. Once out of the woods, I snuck around the buildings and slipped unnoticed into town.

My powers were tingling. The blood sizzled in my veins, and all of a sudden, I was hyperaware of my surroundings.

Although I didn’t see the mages hiding within the Inn and in the temple, Ifeltthem. Felt their energies. My magic seemed to have intensified once arriving in Black Hallows, which both pleased and worried me. The more power I had, the better chance I had at defeating the darkness. But it could easily work against me by making the darkness too tempting.

“Aleksander,” a whispery voice echoed through the lane.

The wind ruffled the newly sprouted leaves on the trees and the breeze swept around me, caressing my face and hair.

“You’ve come home,” the voice said. “Child of the dark.”

I recognized the voice of the seer. My first time meeting her in the cave with Kellan and Fletcher had imprinted in my mind. It was impossible to ever forget the unsettling way her voice sounded. There was a higher pitch and a lower one that lay atop it when she spoke. A chilling sound.

“Show your rotted mess of a face, hag,” I said, stopping in the street and checking the rooftops and doorways. Seeing no one. “You wanted me here. Here I am.”

The hooded figures stepped out from the temple up ahead. As they moved through the small courtyard surrounding the sacred ground, their capes gently blew around them. Their black hoods covered all but their mouths as they approached.

They chanted something, and as they grew nearer, I heard it: “Child of the dark, blood of Haman, king of us all.”

The wind blew harder, sweeping through the trees and tall grass. As the chanting intensified, so did the wind. More people came into view, walking out of the Inn while others left the old, falling apart tavern. Their numbers weren’t as large as I’d anticipated. Certainly not big enough to defeat two armies.

When the cloaked figures stopped in front of me, the wind stopped, as well.

Silence.

Men and women—some wearing hoods and others not—surrounded me on all sides. They’d been expecting me. Well, as long as they weren’t expecting the large army that was currently marching toward them, that was fine.

“Welcome home, Dark King,” the hooded man before me said.