Page 27 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
Although it was hard to bear, Auslin realized that was essentially true. The longer he was in the past, the more likely it was that Kio would permanently separate from him to be with Maseo. It filled Auslin with a deeply unpleasant feeling that made him clutch at his heart from the sudden tightness in his chest. But at the same time, he experienced an odd relief from knowing he would finally be free of the burden of their broken relationship.
Even if Kio agreed to take him back, how could Auslin ever settle for his angry affections after knowing that there was more to love than settling for such an unforgiving compromise? How could he be satisfied with Kio’s gruff treatment after experiencing the comfort of being held in tenderness by someone like Kitaro?
“Forgive me, Vanra. I did not mean to speak out of turn.”
Auslin sighed. “It’s not like you’re wrong.”
“Still, it is not my place.”
“You’re fine,” Auslin reassured him. “It’s my fault for being moody.”
“You may be anything you wish here. You should make good use of the distance to discover what you want.”
Chapter 12
Kitaro
Upon their arrival back at the castle, Kitaro led them to the large training hall. All kinds of weapons lined the walls, most of which Kitaro had trained with using in the past.
“I have seen you use your purifying abilities, but what other forms of fighting have you practiced?” Kitaro asked.
“Very little, honestly. Mages have few reasons to fight in my era, so there’s only minimal self-defense training for those who decide traveling is their calling. My companion did all the fighting, so I mostly tried to stay out of the way.”
Kitaro nodded. “How long have you been traveling with him?”
“A couple of years.”
“Did you not travel prior to meeting with him?”
“I traveled before we met, but I laid low andavoided trouble as best I could. Mages in my time live rather impoverished lives, so I didn’t really have to worry about getting robbed on the roads. Even if someone tried to steal from me, I’d happily give them what little money I had. They clearly needed it more than me if they were desperate enough to do such a thing.”
Kitaro’s gaze softened. “You are too kind.”
A blush graced Vanra’s cheeks. “I trained with bow and arrow, but it was hard to travel with those when I was carrying a pack by myself. But I never used that weapon when I was on the road. I primarily relied on my dagger, but mercifully, I never had occasion to use it during my travels.”
Kitaro grabbed a bow and arrow holster from the wall. “Show me what you can do.”
The mage accepted the proffered bow and a single arrow. “I’m not actually good at it.”
Kitaro gestured toward the target across the room. “You may stand closer if you wish.”
With a deep breath, Vanra notched the arrow and took aim as he drew back the bowstring. The arrow shimmered bright blue with Vanra’s spiritual energy. He fired, guiding the arrow with his power to hit high on the target.
Kitaro hummed with interest. “Fascinating. You use your power to ensure your shot. Can you hit the target without using your power?”
Vanra accepted the next arrow Kitaro held out tohim. He took a moment to steady his aim before firing a second time. It hit the target, but it bounced off it harmlessly and clattered to the floor instead.
It was an effective demonstration of where they needed to start with Vanra’s training. “You have the basics down, but your form needs some work to maximize your abilities. Observe.” Kitaro took the bow to demonstrate. He aligned an arrow and drew the string in a smooth gesture before firing it into the center of the target. “You need to keep your left arm and your posture straighter. It will give your shot more power. Also, drawing the arrow back further to your ear will aid with that.”
Vanra tried to mimic what the shifter had just done when Kitaro gave him the bow and another arrow. He struggled to draw the taut bowstring back as far as Kitaro had suggested, but he did his best before firing his next shot. The arrow grazed the target but missed, bouncing off the wall behind it.
“Here, let me help you with your posture.” Kitaro guided Vanra to press their bodies together.
Vanra accidentally let go of the bow, which clattered onto the floor. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to?—”
“It is fine.” Kitaro handed the bow back to Vanra and pulled another arrow from his quiver to give to the mage.
Vanra focused as Kitaro guided his form into a better position to improve his aim. He obeyed when Kitaro softly commanded, “Fire.”
