The Wizard's Queen

Chapter 11

Anna had elected not to relive watching Kas die, walking off before finding herself standing at the edge of the woods, her body racked with sobs as she leaned against a tree, tears streaming down her face. Kenny and Nikkolai were still along the beach, watching everything take place taking it as an opportunity to measure Derek's strength.

Anna sighed, as she slid down the trunk of the tree. Her trembling hands pulled up the grass around her knowing that at this moment, Kas was taking his final breathes. She hated that he would have to live his death, only to awake after going through the fear of it all in an unknown place. It would take at least 48 hours for the restoration potion to take affect, his awakening timed for the tail end of his funeral. He would be stuck in that black nothingness for 48 hours. Her brief five minutes of death had felt like an eternity, 48 hours would be torture.

She glanced up at the sky, watching the clouds swirl in the air wondering what her brother would be up to in the present. He probably would be upset that she went off without him, especially with Kenny and Nikkolai tagging along. She smirked, imagining her father's reaction that his subordinate had betrayed him. The ass really was ignorant at times, not realizing his insanity led a lot of his followers to question if they chose correctly who to put their faith in for the Wizarding community. Soon enough, once Riley awakes his reign would end. Anna would just have to be patient until then.

The sound of a boy's cries as he ran pulled Anna from her thoughts. She gasped as the child tripped over her, falling to his face in the grass at her feet. She would know that moppy brown mess of hair anywhere, now understanding what had happened to Derek after Kas's death. He had ended up going missing for almost a day after the events, everyone searching frantically for him before he finally showed up sound asleep in the wee hours of the morning. Anna really hoped she hadn't disrupted history by running into him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you! I just wanted to be alone so I couldn't be a bother to anyone," Derek sobbed, sitting up as he studied Anna who smiled softly down at him.

What's wrong, kid?

"Its just, I am such a burden. I can't control my powers. Maybe if I disappeared then everyone wouldn't be sad anymore," Derek cried.

Anna frowned, pulling the child into a hug, her own tears welling in her eyes. Derek understood how everyone talked about him, discussing the issue of his magic and how his emotions took control of his abilities. He was well aware of the fear even his own father held. He put on a carefree and happy front, but this was the first time he actually revealed the pain he was feeling seeing everyone treading carefully around him. No seven year old should be filled with so much self doubt and disappointment in themselves. She didn't want him feeling this way about himself ever again.

"Don't you ever think that, do you hear me?"

Anna and Derek both raised their heads at the sound of Nikkolai's angry tone. Both Kenny and him had finally caught up to the boy they had followed from the beach, surprised to find Anna had already found him.

"But, I hurt people and I can't even remember hurting them," Derek whimpered as he studied his trembling hands, "I don't deserve to be a wizard."

Nikkolai knelt down next to Anna, forcing Derek to look at him, as he stared at him with cold eyes.

"Look child, stop being such a crybaby and suck it up. You are a wizard for a reason, and a powerful one at that. Embrace Merlin's gifts, it is your namesake to be a Wizard! Do you know how your family would feel if you disappeared? They would be devastated, so don't go up and running away, kid. Stand tall and work hard to train your powers because one day you are going to be a force to be reckoned with."