Page 16 of Reign

“Witch,” she muttered, as though questioning whether I truly was the thing she feared the most.

I shook my head. “Me?” I gasped, pretending the accusation was so absurd I wasn’t sure if I’d misheard her.

Avice pointed at me. “Yes, you.” She took another step back. “That’s why you were nursing that.” She shifted her finger toward Dog. “You were helping the evil spread.”

Dog barked sharply, making Avice flinch.

“You’re wrong,” I insisted firmly, while dread warmed the nape of my neck.

“I fear I’m not,” she replied, stumbling as though terrified. “I promised my father I’d help him protect the Wetlands.”

My stomach knotted tighter than a sailor’s yoke. “From what?” I demanded.

“Magic,” she spat, like the word tasted foul.

“Your father protects no one,” I yelled, anger burning the back of my throat. “He sends innocent boys to their slaughter, clawing at the glory that once rained down on him—”

“I’m his only remaining heir,” Avice said. “I won’t let you tarnish his legacy.”

“You’re a woman,” I remarked, pointing at her. “May I remind you.”

Avice shook her head, denial etched across her face. “A sole female heir isn’t the same as a daughter among many sons.”

“Half the bastards in the Wetlands belong to your father,” I said, gesturing toward the villages. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re his only heir.”

“I’m his only legitimate one,” Avice declared, thumping her fist against her chest.

I shook my head. “Your father sees you as nothing but a stepping stone in his pursuit of power. Why else would he marry you to the King’s son—a man you’ve never even met?”

For a moment, Avice held my desperate gaze. Her eyes welled, lip trembled, and I thought that she was questioning everything she’d ever known. Faltering, as if realizing magic couldn’t be evil if her dearest friend possessed it.

I offered her a smile, praying she might give me one back.

But she didn’t.

She turned swiftly, her auburn hair floating on the chill, and marched away—quickening her pace as I followed.

“Please,” I begged, clutching my thudding heart. “You know how much I care for you.”

I reached for her arm, my fingertips brushing her velvet cloak. But she jolted out of reach, flinching as though she feared me.

“All the years I’ve known you, I’ve never showed you any side of me that was evil,” I pleaded, desperate for her to spare my life.

Avice peered over her shoulder—mouth scrunched tight as if sucking on something sour.

“You wear your disguise well,” she said.

Quicker than the day turns to dusk, she turned and ran.

But I was always nimbler than Avice. I clipped her ankles with my foot, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Please,” I begged, wrestling against her while she screeched like a banshee.

She struck me repeatedly over the head with her palm until stars danced before my eyes. I hit her face with my clenched fist, hoping that would knock her out, but it only made her scream louder.

After a few moments of tussling, I managed to grapple her wrists, pinning her down in the snow.

“Please, Avice, don’t have me hanged,” I cried.