Page 38 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“My father has decided that in order to fully develop your powers, you will also train with his youngest brother, my Uncle Jaega, who is the head general of my father’s army,” Kitaro explained.
Auslin looked up at Kitaro with a worried expression. A high-ranking royal shifter would probably react poorly to being ordered to train amage. “But what if he hates humans like your father did when I met him?”
“Uncle Jaega is more even-tempered than Father. My uncle respects hard work and honesty above all else. You have nothing to fear from him.”
“If you say so.” Auslin sounded far from convinced.
Kitaro gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. “You have my word that you will be fine. Uncle Jaega is a reasonable man.”
Auslin struggled to keep his anxiety in check as they entered the training room. While Jaega wasn’t as massive as Tatsuki, he was still an impressively large shifter with a sizable presence that made Auslin feel tiny in comparison. He was bare-chested, showing off his impressively muscled body and the wildest shifter markings Auslin had ever seen. Orange lines intertwined with a rainbow spectrum of shifting colors. It was hard not to stare at the stunning sight.
He had to fight against his natural inclination to be terrified of such a powerful shifter staring at him with an unreadable expression in his amber eyes that seemed to glow orange on the edges with his overflowing power.
“Uncle, this is Vanra,” Kitaro introduced Auslin, who bowed nervously to the army general.
“Interesting. You are the human mage my brother has named as clan,” Jaega said in a deep, booming voice that rattled Auslin’s confidence.
“I am.” He was too scared to say anything else.
“You are quite different from what I was expecting.” Jaega crossed his powerful arms over his chest.
“I’m sorry,” Auslin instinctively apologized, although he wasn’t sure what Jaega had been expecting to see instead.
“Is there some reason that you are suppressing your aura?”
“When I travel, failing to do so attracts a lot of attention since I’m an auramancer.” Auslin fidgeted under Jaega’s unflinching gaze. “There are a lot of shifters who feel that me staying here is problematic, so I suppress it out of habit. I don’t want to broadcast my presence any more than I already do.”
“I wish to see you unfettered,” Jaega ordered.
Before obeying, Auslin glanced over at Kitaro. He received a nod of confirmation, so Auslin dropped his protective shield that hid his immense aura that belied his strong powers.
“I understand now,” Jaega said. “You may continue suppressing it if you wish.”
Auslin did so and felt better for it. But his relief was short-lived when Jaega told Kitaro, “I will take it from here, thank you.” When his nephew didn’t comply, Jaega questioningly arched an eyebrow.
“Understood.” Kitaro gave a stiff bow before leaving.
Left alone with the shifter general, Auslin tried notto let panic set in as he now had Jaega’s full and undivided attention.
“What specific powers do you have?” When Jaega gestured at him, Auslin noticed the jagged scar on the back of the shifter’s left hand. His ring and pinky fingers were frozen in an extended position. They were wounds that normally should have easily healed for a shifter with his power, so they must have been made with a Divine weapon that obliterated a shifter’s ability to self-heal.
“Healing and purifying.”
“How unusual for a human.” Jaega hummed with interest. “What is the extent of your healing powers?”
Unsure if he should say anything, Auslin took a chance. “I could…I could heal your hand if you wished.”
“Nonsense.” Jaega waved away the claim with his damaged hand, making the two paralyzed fingers even more noticeable. “This was done by a Divine weapon. No human or healer can undo this damage.”
Auslin bowed his head. “Respectfully, I have healed other shifters and half-shifters with injuries sustained by a Divine weapon that their own bodies couldn’t fix.”
Jaega gave him a suspicious look. “Divine weapon injuries are beyond even shifter healers. How can a mere human do what they cannot?”
“I don’t honestly know, but I have done so in the past.” He started to clarify hemeant his past in the future, but he wasn’t sure what Jaega knew about his arrival in their era.
“How intriguing. Your scent says that you are telling the truth. Very well.” Jaega held out his injured hand. “Let me see you heal a Divine weapon injury I received over a century ago, which no shifter healer could cure.”
Auslin bowed respectfully before stepping closer to take Jaega’s massive hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over the visible scar, then covered it with his hand. Stretching his senses, Auslin could feel the shattered bones that had healed badly. The tendons had been cut, which resulted in the paralyzed ring and pinky fingers.
