Page 70 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“If he is anything like you, I believe I might enjoy such a thing. Thankfully, with my long lifespan, meeting him in the future should be possible.”
“I really hope that happens.” Auslin smiled at his friend. “Thanks for listening. I always feel better after I talk with you.”
“I am always happy to do so,” Kisano told him with a kind smile. “You are one of the very few things that can tear me away from a book.”
Chapter 33
Auslin
Auslin’s good mood instantly vanished when they walked into the dining hall to find Tatsuki and Mitsuki deep in discussion. It was unheard of to run into the father and son during dinner, so Auslin couldn’t help but feel annoyed by having to share his meal with Mitsuki. He wasn’t in the mood to get insulted.
Swallowing down his feelings, Auslin dutifully followed Kitaro to their seats. He did his best to ignore Mitsuki’s death glare aimed his way.
Auslin was saved from a snide remark since Tatsuki was in the middle of a conversation. “We have let the situation with the snake shifters in Galinor last too long. Our patience is at an end. We will not tolerate it any longer.”
“Any excuse to kill them is fine by me,” Mitsuki said with a cruel smirk aimed at Auslin.
“We should be able to mobilize our forces within the next two weeks,” Tatsuki predicted. “It should not take long to reach them and rid ourselves of their presence once and for all.”
Auslin wondered if that meant Kitaro would be enlisted to help in the fight. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought he might face battle.
The reaction drew Mitsuki’s attention. He sneered, “Let me guess. The human worm wants us to talk it out instead of killing them.”
Auslin bristled at the insult, which gave him the courage to stand his ground. “Since I assume the matter is past the point of diplomacy, it is what it is. But it would be foolish to attack them now.”
“How cute. You really think you know more than us, who have been fighting wars for more centuries than you will ever live? According to you, are we supposed to lie back and let them take our lands?”
“No,” Auslin shot back, “but it would be smarter to wait.”
“Until what magical time?”
“A few more weeks until winter. Snake shifters are weak against the cold, so it would be easier to defeat them with fewer casualties that way.”
Mitsuki rolled his eyes. “And why exactly should we spare them more deaths?”
“Because it’s not about leniency toward your enemies,” Auslin argued in a disapproving tone. “It’sabout sparing the loss of your own men. Why suffer needless casualties when you have a natural advantage by waiting a few more weeks?”
Mitsuki scoffed with arrogance. “We are strong enough that we do not need to wait for such things.”
Tatsuki rubbed his chin as he mulled the issue over. “It is true,” Tatsuki stated, causing Mitsuki to smirk at Auslin in an insulting manner. “However, we are not so foolish that we would ignore a natural advantage that would spare the lives of many of our men.”
Mitsuki’s smirk slid into an outraged expression as he stared in disbelief at his father. “You cannot possibly be serious!”
“You would rather have more of our soldiers die needlessly for the sake of our pride?” Tatsuki gave his eldest son a disapproving frown. “That is no way to lead an army.”
“Neither is taking the coward’s way out by such an underhanded method,” Mitsuki shot back in anger. “They will grow more arrogant if we wait.”
“Their arrogance only makes it easier to defeat them,” Tatsuki countered. “Vanra is right. We shall delay until after the first frost to make our move.”
“Why are you listening to this pathetic excuse for a man?” Mitsuki yelled at his father as he angrily pointed at Auslin. “What could a human mage possibly understand about shifter warfare?”
“Clearly, his familiarity with shifters has given him some keen insights. It is a lapse in our judgment to have not thought of such a thing ourselves.”
Mitsuki stood up and gave Auslin a murderous glare. “I do not know what sorcery you have used to bewitch our clan, but I will put an end to it, human filth.”
Kitaro growled at his oldest brother. “You will do no such thing, brother.”
Mitsuki looked at him with disgust. “I will happily kill him over your dead body, if that is what it takes.”
