Page 56 of Mage of the Dragon Prince
Kitaro shrugged. “Mitsuki is the issue, not you.”
“Which is why I don’t want to make things any worse than they already are with him. The less I have to do with him, the better.”
“Agreed.” Kitaro hated the thought of his oldest brother having any kind of interest in Vanra.
Silence fell between them. Vanra eventually asked, “Do the Enchanters live here, or do we have to travel somewhere else to visit them?”
Kitaro stood and gestured for the mage to do the same. “They reside in a distant part of the castle. We can visit them now.”
Kitaro’s dragon snarled at the unfairness of Vanra having to suppress his heat, but the shifter prince ignored his outrage. It was difficult when all he wanted to do was claim Vanra as his. That wasn’t their privilege, though.
Chapter 26
Auslin
“Are there any customs that I need to be aware of?” Auslin asked as they walked to the Enchanters. He didn’t want to cause offense through his ignorance. “I’m not really sure what I should do.”
“Just follow their instructions, and you will be fine,” Kitaro said in a soothing voice.
It felt like they had been walking for days before they stopped in front of a large ornamental door with ancient runes etched into it. It slid open to reveal an enormous workroom.
There was so much to look at Auslin didn’t know where to start. Jars of herbs lined the shelves. There were all manners of weapons and objects lying around the many tables in the workshop.
Several Enchanters sat throughout the room, chanting and casting spells on the items in front ofthem, but none of them looked up or noticed the entrance of their guests. Rather than being offended, it fascinated Auslin to see so much magic being used. He watched them with curiosity and awe.
The smoky smell of incense was heavy in the air, giving the area a mystical feeling. It felt like Auslin had somehow stepped even further back in time, to an era when sorcerers had been more common. After the Necromancer War, when the violent necromancers led by Ishibiya had either been killed or driven underground, it was rare to see so many powerful magic users in one place.
A beautiful shifter appeared in front of them, as if summoned from the air itself. He wore an iridescent robe with long sleeves, which shimmered with intricate silver thread embroidery. His white hair was pulled into a simple braid. He had a kindly appearance that instantly put Auslin at ease.
Most fascinating of all was the fact that his eyes seemed to change every time he blinked. They were a beautiful pastel pink, then suddenly they swirled into gray. They turned into sapphire blue before becoming pale green. The shifter markings on his skin similarly cycled through the whole rainbow of colors and intertwined with shades of orange that ran across the spectrum. It was mesmerizing to watch and reminded Auslin of Jaega’s markings. Auslin felt rude staring, but he couldn’t stop from watching the exquisite changing of the man’s eyes.
“Welcome,” he warmly greeted them with a respectful bow. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Prince Kitaro. And you must be Lord Vanra.”
Auslin wasn’t sure if he was supposed to bow back, but he did it anyway. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Fersen, a new Enchanter here in the castle.” He smiled at Auslin with a sparkle in his mesmerizing eyes. “It appears you find yourself in need of our services.”
The human’s cheeks grew pink. “Apparently.”
“My Father and Uncle Jaega think it best,” Kitaro added.
“Yes, I can see why.” The corners of Fersen’s mouth turned up in amusement. “I imagine this must be creating some unrest upstairs.”
“Unfortunately,” Kitaro confirmed with a slight frown.
Fersen gestured for Auslin to come closer. “I can definitely help you, but first, I’ll need you to release your protective barrier on your powers.”
Auslin glanced uncertainly at Kitaro. When he received a nod in response, the mage dropped his shield to allow his full aura and presence to be felt. He noticed Kitaro’s eyes flash silver again.
“Remarkable.” Fersen studied Auslin with curiosity before he made the human’s shirt disappear.
The mage bit back a complaint about whether that was necessary. Fersen trailed his fingers down his throat to rest over the center of his chest. He meshedhis aura against Auslin’s, causing it to shift into various shades of purple.
Auslin shivered as Fersen traced an abstract design on his skin. To his surprise, Fersen extracted a glowing amethyst amulet from within him. A black cord grew from within it that fastened around his neck. Only then did Fersen withdraw his power and replace the mage’s shirt.
Auslin lifted the pendant to study it. “This will really mask my heat scent?”
“Not just that, but your entire scent,” Fersen clarified. “It draws power from your aura, so it will drain you the longer you wear it. However, if you take it off, you’ll return to normal with some rest.”
