Page 143 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
“On my honor and love for you and Kisano both, I swear nothing will harm Vanra in your absence. Sophina is not that cruel. He will be well protected here at the castle, with Kisano, Fersen, and Tyrian for company. The only thing he will suffer from is missing you while you are gone.”
Kitaro relaxed into the couch with a sigh. “Then I can at least fight with a clear mind without fear of what is happening to him while I am away.”
“Not even Mitsuki is a threat to him anymore. Now that his hand is permanently scarred from Vanra’s purifying burn, he will never dare to go after the human again. He understands doing so would land him in the Beyond Realm, and he is selfish enough to want to live more than he wants to torture Vanra.”
“I guess I should be grateful that he will keep hisdistance now, although I regret that the purification burns were necessary at all. Every time I see them, it reminds me of how I failed Vanra.”
She shook her head. “You should view them with pride at how strong Vanra is that he could stand up to someone as vile and powerful as Mitsuki.”
Kitaro changed topics. “Satsuma suggested you had information for Vanra and I.”
“It is still too soon for me to share anything with Vanra, but that day will come before long. All I can tell you is that she is not wrong.”
“And the Day of Ascension? What is that?”
Kizoshi shook her head. “I do not know yet. But as fate has decreed it, there is no stopping it from happening. All will be as it is supposed to be. You are meant to be with Vanra. Sophina has been very clear about that.”
“Then why can she not leave him in the past with me for good?” Kitaro asked in anguish. “Why is she insisting on reclaiming him to his time?”
“She has her reasons. Rest easy in knowing that she is determined that your life will be one of great love.”
He sighed. “I can at least comfort myself that even if we are to be separated for centuries, Vanra is worth the wait. There is no one I love as much as him.”
Kizoshi had thoughts on the matter, but it was not yet the time to share those. “Your love is a bond time cannot break. Take solace from that.”
“What other choice do I have?”
Chapter 74
Auslin
Despite his frustrations of not being able to get a straight answer out of Kizoshi, Auslin was still in a good mood. He lounged on the outside veranda, absorbed in a book he had borrowed from Kisano. When he heard Kitaro enter, he set his book aside. “Welcome back!” He grew concerned by the dark expression on the dragon prince’s face. “Oh, no. What happened?”
Kitaro sat near Auslin, looking out at the garden for a long moment. It took him some time before he could speak. “Father has decided to go to war against the griffin shifters in Balsimi.”
“That means weeks away from Mitsuki!” Kitaro’s troubled expression dampened Auslin’s excitement. “Wait, is he not going because of what I did to his hand?”
“No, he will still go as a member of the military to fight.”
“Then why do you look so upset?”
“Because Father informed me I will be joining them.”
Auslin’s heart sank. “Do you mean you have to go, as in you’ll actually be fighting in the war?”
“Yes.”
Given how little Kitaro was involved in the military side of his family life, Auslin didn’t understand why he would suddenly be conscripted to fight. “Then I’m coming with you.” Auslin refused to be parted from Kitaro.
He shook his head. “You cannot come. The battlefield is no place for you.”
Vanra tried not to feel hurt by the brush-off. “I know I’m not a good enough fighter to be on the front lines, but I can heal warriors who get injured! You can’t expect me to sit here and do nothing!”
“You absolutely cannot go,” Kitaro firmly told him.
“Why, because I’m human?”
Kitaro frowned with concern. “Yes, because you are mortal. I cannot bear a repeat of what happened with the snake shifters or something even worse happening to you.”
