Page 139 of The Nymph Prince

He turned his head toward me, but I knew he couldn’t see me. No one could. Yet, his dark eyes stared directly at me. A soft smile touched his lips. He tried to say something, but his body shuddered out a final breath. His eyes glazed over, and I watched the life leave him.

I gasped and opened my eyes.

My legs shook, as did my arms, and a revolting smell filled my nostrils. I sucked in a deep breath, surprised to find that I could breathe at all. That I even had lungs. My fingers dug into the ground, and I reveled at the feel of the earth on my skin.

Seconds before, I’d been nothing but a bodiless entity.

And now I’m alive.

But how?

I was him—the man I’d just seen die. I had no idea how I’d been able to enter his body. Although my legs shook, I was able to pull myself up from the grass and stand. I tilted my head and breathed deeply, staring upward.

A star twinkled in the sky.

The clouds had hid the moon and stars all evening, so the glimpse of one right then felt like a sign. That even in darkness, there was a path to the light.

I stooped to grab a fallen shield and sword before walking through the grass toward the temple.

Questions buzzed in my skull of how it was possible for me to be alive. In someone else’s body. Haman had needed a blood ritual and words from the book of necromancy to enter my body. So how had I entered a body without doing the same?

It was of no importance at the moment.

As long as this bloody night ended with Haman and the seer dead it would be a triumph.

Apart from the obvious strangeness of having my soul in another man’s body, there was something else that felt off. At first, I couldn’t place it. My feet carried me toward the raging battle, and I was gaining strength. Whatever wound the young man had endured before dying had seemed to heal itself.

But there wassomethingI couldn’t name.

“My powers,” I rasped and then touched my throat. My voice was deeper than what I was used to.

I no longer felt that clawing beneath my skin, an itch that begged to be scratched. Therewaspower in this body; however, it was a different type of magic. Powers that weren’t clouded with wickedness. Mine had been dark, and I’d fought against myself every time I’d tried to use them.

This man’s powers, though, were full of nothing but light.

“Theron!” a man exclaimed, grabbing my arm before pulling me in for a quick hug. “It’s good to see you, big brother. I thought you’d fallen.”

What am I supposed to tell him?

His touch felt familiar, though I knew I’d never hugged him before. It must’ve been Theron’s memories. Pulling back, I observed the man’s face. He was young with innocent eyes and dark-blond hair that matched mine. Tears stained his cheeks, and he shook with relief at finding me—well, Theron—alive.

Seth.The name flashed in my mind, followed by a memory of Seth laughing as he and Theron dueled with blunt blades.

“It’s nice to see you alive, as well,” I answered, trying to ignore the oddness of my new voice.

A woman screamed and sent an arrow toward the back of Seth’s head. Acting on impulse, I tackled the young warrior. The arrow whizzed over us before plunging into another mage’s eye socket.

“Thanks,” Seth said with a smile. “You’re always watching out for me.”

More memories flashed through my mind. Seth and Theron as young boys, running through the fields of Avalontis. Theron was the oldest of the brothers, but only by two years. Their mother had fallen ill and died, and their father had followed her in death not long after. Orphans who only had each other.

Theron’s impulse to protect him was strong, even in death. I felt no signs of Theron’s spirit, and so I knew he’d already left this world, but his memories still lingered in my brain. As did his love for his baby brother.

Looking into Seth’s brown eyes, an indescribable grief burrowed its way through me. I’d need to tell him the truth about the real Theron. But it wasn’t the time for it. Not when we were in the midst of battle.

“Stay safe,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “There is a thing I must do.”

The seer and her group of hooded men were hiding in the temple, too much of cowards to partake in the battle. I wanted their blood to run, to drench the floor of their sacred place where they’d committed so many unspeakable acts.