Page 180 of Reign

Though Fitzroy tried to comfort me, I pushed him aside. “Go find him, please?” I begged, my voice breaking. “Get out there and find him.”

Before he could answer, Fletcher clutched my shoulders, giving me a firm shake.

“He’s gone, Smith,” he declared. I shook my head in denial, but Fletcher gripped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “He’s dead.”

The words struck me like a blow, and in a burst of grief, I punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs.

Fitzroy restrained me as I lashed out, furious that Fletcher was still here while Bash was gone.

“He wouldn’t have returned to shore without you,” I spat, breaking free from Fitzroy’s grasp. “How dare you not do the same for him?”

Fletcher nodded solemnly, as though he knew I was right.

I turned to Fitzroy. “You saved me. You can save Bash,” I pleaded. “Please, I’ll do anything—just find him.”

“He’s dead,” Fletcher repeated. “I saw his insides spilled across the deck.” His eyes widened, haunted by the memory. “I held him in my arms as he took his final breaths. He’s gone.” He stared vacantly, his eyes unfocused and distant, as tears welled and spilled down his cheeks.

Glancing at his trembling hands, he cried, “Oh gods!” recoiling at the sight of blood staining his skin.

“I cannot bring people back from the dead, Niamh,” Fitzroy murmured, gently stroking my arm.

I shrugged him off, rejecting his consolation as I succumbed to overwhelming heartbreak. Collapsing onto the sands, the pain consumed me—I hoped it would kill me.

Through my tears, I noticed the daylight waning. Lifting my gaze toward the sky, I saw the white dragon overhead. For a fleeting moment, I caught sight of Regina looking down at me. From this distance, I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed she was grinning.

Rising unsteadily to my feet, I screamed at the clouds—my lungs and throat burning with the force of my anguished cries. Raising my purple palms, I felt magic surge within me—fueled by rage and grief, desperate to be unleashed.

Margaret lifted her hands aloft and intoned, “Leohtes slæge’n punores hreosung, purh’th lyft, ette storma fleoge.” Lightning strike and thunder roar, through the air, let a tempest soar. Her spell crackled through the skies, summoning a fierce storm.

I joined her, reciting the incantation as thick rain clouds tumbled ominously above the sea. In a blink, the waves turned choppy. Elizebeth moved to my side, resting her palm on my shoulder as she joined in the chant. I heard Fitzroy incanting in unison before he grasped one of my hands and raised the other toward the sky. I felt my pain stream into him, bolstering his strength. The spell spun spiraling waterspouts from the sea, merging with the tumultuous clouds as bolts of lightning split the landscape and thunder shook the shores.

Regina propelled her arm forward, her spell slicing through the rain. I ducked as searing heat rushed past my face, narrowly missing me.

My heart thudded as a sharp scream rang out from behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I saw that Margaret’s arm had been blown off. She clutched the blood-spurting wound before collapsing onto the sands. The warmth of Elizebeth’s hand vanished as she began conjuring a healing spell, desperate to stop Margaret from slipping away.

Despite the commotion, Fitzroy continued launching rain spells at Regina, whose dragon grew ever more agitated by the thrashing deluge.

Then, Regina unleashed another hex in my direction—and I wasn’t quick enough to evade it. Its force sent me hurtling backward as I crashed onto the sands, sodden grains clinging to my hair. Scrambling to my feet and bracing for another blow, I noticed something overhead distracting Regina.

I looked up to see another dragon—a dark red beast with glinting golden reins and saddle.

“My father,” Fitzroy said, shock clear in his voice. “The King.”

Finn gasped. “How will he explain this to his subjects?”

Fitzroy’s face hardened. “If I get my way, he won’t have the chance.”

An earsplitting roar trembled the land as the gigantic beasts clashed in midair. Regina’s dragon plunged its claws into the King’s dragon’s belly—the creature let out a ground-shaking shriek as the talons tore away scales and left bloody gashes. Regina drew back on the reins, creating a short distance before swooping in to attack again.

The whirling winds tangled the dragons together as their jagged teeth ripped human-sized chunks of flesh from each other in a battle to the death. Regina clutched both reins in one hand, casting spells at her brother with the other, while the King struggled to defend himself against his mightier sister.

Regina was winning, yet I knew she couldn’t prevail. In desperation, I recalled the incantation Regina had once used when threatening to scorch the kingdom to ash.

“Sunne byrnan hatra ponna a wyrmes blæst, byrnan eall belowan oppæt pær pa nawiht ac deap.” Sun burn hotter than a dragon’s breath, burn all below till there is nothing but death, I screamed, feeling heat rising to my face as I pushed my lungs to their limit.

Fitzroy stood beside me, placing a fortifying hand on my shoulder as he added his voice to my chant. Around us, the witches gathered—Margaret raising her only functional arm, steadied on either side by Jane and Emma. Finn and Elizebeth joined in, reinforcing our incantation, and soon more wizards assembled—first a few, then nearly a hundred—feeding on our shared power in a bid to vanquish the royal siblings.

In an instant, I felt the sun’s heat prickling my skin. The sea began to bubble, and the selkies wailed as they were boiled alive. A resounding clang echoed as metal-clad knights collapsed in the heat, their armor sizzling upon the scorching sands. Fearing I was about to annihilate everyone, I slowly lowered my hands.