The Queen of All Magick: Elizabeth

The Queen of All Magick

Elizabeth

By

Kathi S. Barton

World Castle Publishing, LLC

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

WCP

World Castle Publishing
, LLC

Pensacola, Florida

Copyright © Kathi S. Barton 2014

ISBN:
9781629890777

First Edition World Castle Publishing
, LLC, March 28, 2014

http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

Licensing Notes

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Cover: Karen Fuller

Editor:
Eric Johnston

Chapter 1

Duncan held the wet cloth over the wound
and felt his heart race. He’d done it again, failed in his duties as a babysitter. He was terrified beyond anything he’d ever done before. Even wrecking the nice, new car last month, which had not been his fault, had not frightened him as much as this.

“I
shall have the doctor look at it as soon as the sun sets more. He will need to take you to the clinic, I have no doubt. You should know that I am so very sorry, Master Mathew. I should have watched you more closely.”

“Mr.
Duncan, I keep telling you I just need a bandage. I swear, nobody’s gonna care that I scraped my knee. Look at this.” He pulled up his shirt and showed him the wide gash along his torso. “Mom said it was amazing.”

Duncan grabbed the chair behind him
, forgetting to be nervous about the blood on the washcloth for several seconds. He looked at the wound and tried to understand how Master Mathew was not in surgery right now. Duncan felt the master touch his mind.

“You all right there
, Duncan? I can feel your fear. Is watching little Mathew for a few hours becoming too much for you?”
Duncan bristled, and the master laughed.
“Shall we come there and rescue you?”

“You most certainly
will not. I have things under control. Master Mathew has torn his knee open again and I’m aiding him now.”
He felt laughter again
. “He will require someone to have a look at his chest as well. It seems that Miss Lizzy has left him to get all sorts of wounds under her care. There is a wound on his chest that looks as if he has been playing with your swords again. And I did not allow it despite you saying he would be fine. He is not fine.”

“The small scrap
e on his chest? I saw that. Lizzy said he got it trying to save a kitten. Damn near got himself stuck too, but the little cat is fine. You should see the little feline. Fell for me on sight.”
Duncan thought there were few females, no matter what the species, that would not like the master.

“Be that as it may, my lord
, but he is injured again. I have tried to reason with him, but he says that a bandage will fix it properly. I’ve a call to Sir Thomas when he wakes for the evening. I was thinking to take the young master to the human hospital, but he said he’d have a bloody cow if I did. I do wonder where he gets such comments.”
Duncan watched as Mathew turned on the tap in the sink, wet a paper towel, and pressed it against his knee. When he was satisfied with the wound, he jumped down off the counter and ran toward the door, which had Duncan thinking the boy needed to wear padding around his body to keep him safe. He ran out to do who knew what to get him injured again.

“Duncan
, you’ve become an old woman. And we both know that he mimics every word his grandmother says to him. I’ve tried my best to tell him it’s wrong, but you know how things go.”
Duncan started to argue that he was the one the child was mimicking but was cut off.
“You’ll have to learn to relax or when the other two children come, you’ll be a mess. Just take a deep breath and tell Mathew to go out and play. He’ll be fine.”

Other children. He’d forgotten about them.
Miss Lizzy and Master Logan had been saying that the children of the home were coming soon and they were preparing for them. That was why he had Master Mathew today, so that they might have the home prepared in time.

“How will she manage with all of them bent on getting injured daily?”
Duncan thought about blocking his lordship but didn’t. He was having entirely too much fun at his expense, and Duncan was not happy with it. When the room tightened, he thought for sure that he was coming to investigate the wound, but it was Lady Elizabeth, the queen’s mother.

“You needed me?”
He’d forgotten that he’d summoned her when Mathew had entered the house for lunch sporting the large patch of blood in his torn jeans. “Duncan, what have you done here? Are you planning to perform surgery?”

He started to gather the large first
-aid kit he’d purchased several days ago. The advertisement had said it was equipped with everything needed to take care of a family of five. Duncan now despaired of it caring for one small human boy. Sitting down, Duncan looked at her ladyship.

“I do believe that I am a failure as a sitter, my lady.
Every time young Master Mathew comes here I feel as if it will be the last.” Lady Elizabeth sat down across from him, and a glass of his favorite sherry was in front of him. “Thank you. I should not partake when he is on the premises, but I feel as if I’ve been run through the dryer.”

“Ringer. And I know what you mean. It’s hard to see to children now days.”
She reached for her own glass and drank it down, much to his amazement. “I’ve needed this for days. I just never…have I ever told you how I was made? Or by whom?”

“No
, my lady, you have not. I have heard that someone, a very powerful being created you, but nothing more. He did a wonderful job of it if you were to ask me.” She nodded, but Duncan knew she was distracted. “My lady, is there anything I may do for you?”

“I
don’t want to miss you all, and I will. Especially you, my dear friend.” Duncan sat there speechless for a long time as she simply looked out the window over the kitchen. He knew that she had come back some time ago, just when Lady Sara had come to his lordship. But he had thought her to be happy. And she seemed to enjoy the new grandchildren that the queen and king now had. All seven of them.

“I’m sorry, Duncan, you must think I’m an old fuddy.”
He had no idea what that was but doubted very much that it described her. When the door to the kitchen opened and Mathew came tumbling in, Duncan stood up to see what harm had befallen him again. But the little boy launched himself at his grandmother and held her tightly. Duncan smiled at the two of them.

“I’ve not seen you in a while, Grams.
Whatcha been up to?” Mathew sat down in the chair across from them both as he continued. “I came in for something to eat and here you are. This is the best kind of lunch date.”

The little boy was a charmer. If Duncan didn’t know better
, he’d swear he was related to his lordship by blood and not by marriage. Mathew belonged to Master Logan and Miss Lizzy was his stepmother, but you’d never know by the way they got along. Duncan got up to make him some lunch as the two of them talked. When his lordship spoke again, Duncan wasn’t really surprised.

“Tell the scamp that I’m on my way up now. He’s been bugging me for a chance to see the new books I got for us.”
Duncan turned to tell the young master that when his lordship continued.
“Do you think his mother would mind overly much if I took him with me today? I have that meeting that I must attend. His father will be there.”

“I do not believe she thinks young
Mathew is a good influence on you. She seems to think that the two of you get into more mischief than when apart. Miss Lizzy has said to me that you are being bamboozled, and quite well too.”
Duncan laughed when his lordship sputtered. Again he had no idea what that word meant, but he was happy to see that it rendered his master speechless. When the master came through the door a few minutes later, Duncan could see that the man was as in love with the young man as he was his own mate. And that was never a bad thing.

“I’ve a meeting today with your dad. He is going to show me where we can build the new fire department.
Want to hang out with this old man for a few hours?” Mathew told him it was a date, and his lordship looked at Lady Elizabeth. “You can come as well. I’m sure you will have plenty to add about the new library. And I think that Logan could use the help.”

“He does fine on his own.
I’ve never met a man who could convey so much with a simple quirking of his brow. I do believe you taught him that.” They both laughed as Duncan sat a plate in front of Mathew. Lady Elizabeth continued as she took a chip from his plate. “You should also know that I’ve contacted a few of the faeries. They have agreed to come and see that the books that are shelved for you.”

Duncan left the kitchen just as they were talking about the new wing that was being added to the library that would be for supernaturals only.
It was going to have a special passage so that only they could enter. It would have information on their kind as well as an entire section on lineage.

Duncan made his way to the door when the doorbell rang.
He was nearly there when Mel suddenly appeared and put her hand to his chest.

“No.”
He nodded, knowing that she of all people would know if it was safe for him to open the door. But when she started to reach for the doorknob herself, he was suddenly afraid for her. Duncan started to reach for his lordship when he and Lady Elizabeth were suddenly there. This could not be good.

~~~

Rythen stood very still. The woman who had appeared behind him made him slightly nervous, but he knew that she couldn’t kill him. Hurt him like hell, but not kill. He turned slightly when he saw the man of the house in the doorway. But it was the woman behind him that had his full attention.

“I’ll not harm anyone within.” She nodded but didn’t lower her sword from his throat.
How she’d managed to sneak up behind him and draw it meant he had been resting for far too long. Rythen tried another approach. “I could kill you now and still take the household.”

“You could try
, but I’m betting you won’t get very far with that either. See that man there?” He looked to his right where she was nodding. “That is the new king of Molavonta. You fuck with me and he’ll bring a whole lot of hurt down on your ass. I’m Tess by the way. You should know my name when I run you through.”

“New king? What happened to Sherman? And for the record, I thought him to be a spineless ass that needed to be taken out long before he became king.”
She didn’t move to acknowledge him. Rythen turned to the king. “You are a mate to Melody, I presume?”

“You would presume correctly.
And just who the fuck are you to make me have to leave lunch with my daughter at her school.” Before Rythen could answer, Elizabeth cleared her throat. She was as beautiful now as she’d been the day he’d given her life.

“I’m assuming he’s here to see me.
His name is Rythen, Maker of Magic. He is my…well, he’s my sire.” The young vampire made his way to the door. He supposed by this realm’s standards he wasn’t young but with all the beings around him, he was. Rythen put out his hand to meet him, but was shocked when the blade at his throat dug deeper.

“I’ve no desire to harm you
, young Warrior Fae, but if you do not let me go, I will.” She snorted, and he felt the blood trickle down his throat and was surprised by the pain that accompanied it. “You still wish to hurt me?”

She leaned to his ear
, and Rythen had a moment of fear. “There is more power in that house than you can imagine. And not one of them are feeling all warm and fuzzy about you right now. Until one of them, or the king, says it’s okay, I’m going to hold you this way until hell freezes over. Now behave and I won’t put a hex on your dick.”

He looked down at the appendage she’d threatened and wondered when it had become a target of pain for this realm. Rythen looked at Elizabeth as she moved forward.
Finally someone would help him. Rythen did not want to cause a war by killing this fae. He just wanted to talk. And he realized at that moment that none of the beings around him knew his true meaning for being there today.

“Let him go
, Tess, but please stick around. I don’t know what the hell he wants but it can’t bode well for us.” Elizabeth stood near him as he was released. When he took a step toward her, she looked at him with so much hatred that he took a step back from it.

“My lady?
Are you upset that I’ve come to see you?” Elizabeth nodded. “I assure you that it is only a visit and that—”

The youngest and the first human he’d ever seen stepped in front of Elizabeth
, and Rythen took another step back. This little man was boiling with his hatred of him.

“You hurt my family and I will sho
ot you in the forehead and pee in your eyes.” It might have been a funny threat if he wasn’t so sure that the young man would do it. “You get out of here. I’m having lunch with my grandma and you’re making everybody upset. Duncan is beside himself with worry that you’ll call down the magic and hurt them all. And since I respect him a lot more than I do you, I don’t want you here either.”

“Grandmother?”
Rythen looked at the king, who only shrugged. Then he looked at the vampire who was smiling at the human as if he were a proud parent. “I’m sorely confused. How could he be a grandson to any of you? He is merely a human.”

Rythen felt his hair rise on his neck seconds before he was slammed against the wall of the house.
The man who held him looked like he could take on the world and come out on top, and he had a powerful amount of magic running through him so that Rythen was impressed. Whoever had created him knew what magic really was. When he was slammed against the wall again, the man spoke.

“You touch my son and I will tear you to pieces and then let him pee on you.
What the fuck are you doing here and why are you upsetting my family?” Rythen put his hand on the man’s hand that held him at his throat.