43. Auslin

Chapter 43

Auslin

A lthough Kitaro had assured Auslin he had nothing to fear from Jaega's son, he was still nervous to meet him. He appeared while Auslin and Kitaro were working in the training hall.

While Tyrian wasn't as large as his father, he was taller and broader than Kitaro. He bore a striking resemblance to Jaega, with the same warm and welcoming smile that immediately set Auslin at ease. "I must admit, I am quite impressed. I never in a million years expected Uncle Tatsuki to accept a human into our clan. But you are clearly no ordinary human."

"It's nice to meet you. Your father has kindly been helping with my training."

They all took a break and sat on the floor.

"Father and Fersen both speak highly of you, so I have been endlessly curious about you," Tyrian said as he leaned back on his hands. "Not to mention the origin story of how you came to be here and part of the clan. It is almost too wild a tale to be true."

Kitaro spoke. "I can assure you it is true. I was there when Fate's Gate activated and brought Vanra to our time."

"Oh, I believe you! It is just shocking to hear." Tyrian chuckled, setting Auslin at ease. "So, have you survived meeting Kizoshi yet?"

Auslin was honest. "No, and I'm equal parts excited and terrified to meet her."

"Something tells me she will have tremendous fun with making you an even greater enigma than you already are."

"I cannot believe it is taking her this long to show up for her ‘I told you so' celebration," Kitaro added. "It is most unusual, when that is one of her favorite things to do."

"Whenever she shows up, I am quite certain she will bring mischief along with her. She usually does." Tyrian's fondness for his cousin was clear in his tone. "I do so enjoy her special brand of chaos."

Auslin gulped. "Chaos?"

"Yes, one would think she was a Mayhem with the way it follows her wake." Mayhems were chaos agents who defied the Powers' will and altered the course of peoples' lives. They were created whenever an event foretold got disrupted and didn't come to pass. Mayhems were the only thing in the Living Realm the Powers couldn't control .

Kitaro chuckled. "He is not wrong. Things are always extra exciting whenever my sister is around. You shall see."

"I'll try not to feel like that's an ominous warning." Auslin scowled as the two shifters shared a laugh.

"I am confident you will come to appreciate Kizoshi's air of mystery the same as the rest of us," Tyrian assured the human. "There is no one else quite like her."

"So it would seem." Auslin sighed as he shifted positions to get more comfortable. "As long as she doesn't hate me, I think I'll be okay. After all the stories I've heard of her and Mitsuki's bouts, I'm terrified of ending up on her bad side."

Tyrian grinned. "Oh, I live for the theatrics of her antics with him. It almost makes him being an unforgivable asshole worth it."

Auslin arched an eyebrow in surprise at the royal swearing, but it also put him at ease that he could be himself around Tyrian. "I don't know if I would go that far."

"You have not lived until you have seen her throw him through a wall in the blink of an eye. Truly, she is her father and mother's daughter." There was great pride in Tyrian's voice. "If our guards were a fraction as good as her, I would be thrilled. But there is no better warrior—not even Uncle Tatsuki or Father. She is a wonderful ally to have in your corner."

"Thanks. It helps to know I have allies when Mitsuki hates me so much." Auslin always feared a run-in with the tempestuous shifter.

Tyrian frowned with sympathy. "I can only imagine the terrible things he has said to get a rise out of you. It is hard not to pay him any mind, but do not let him get to you. He is a small, petty bastard with few supporters. I am always amazed he has any at all until I remember who they are."

"They do not live here, so you do not have to worry about them," Kitaro reassured Auslin. "Fate willing, you will not encounter any of them."

"Do you honestly believe Nasume will stay away once he catches wind of Vanra's presence in your life?" Tyrian asked with a scoff. "It is a miracle he has not already arrived to cause trouble."

Auslin didn't like the shadow of frustration that passed through Kitaro's gaze. "Who's Nasume?"

"Not anyone you need to concern yourself with," Kitaro said in a reassuring voice. But the brush-off made Auslin nervous. What wasn't Kitaro saying?

"Kitaro is right. Kizoshi will put a stop to anything before it gets started. She hates him almost as much as she hates Mitsuki. And that hatred is quite mutual. If you see the two of them together, do yourself a favor and run as far away as you can get. You do not want to get caught in the crosshairs."

"It's disconcerting how long Kizoshi's list of enemies is." Auslin shouldn't have been surprised. As the War Power in his time, she surely had more enemies than he could count. Why would he expect it to be any different in the past?

Tyrian switched subjects. "Well, in better news, congratulations on avoiding the Galinor conflict, cousin. I am relieved to hear that Father once again came through for you."

"I am more grateful for his help now than ever before. The thought of leaving Vanra here to go fight was distressing, although I know you would have taken excellent care of him in my absence," Kitaro said.

Tyrian bowed his head in acknowledgment. "It would have been my honor."

"There may come a time when that becomes necessary, but I hope it will be a while before I must worry about it again."

Auslin didn't like thinking about the possibility of Kitaro fighting in a war. It spiked his anxiety, especially when King Tatsuki was known for being a warlord who was quick to battle with other kingdoms. He offered a silent prayer to the Powers in charge that Kitaro be spared from war for as long as possible. Despite knowing the dragon prince was an impressive warrior, Auslin wasn't sure if his heart would survive the stress of knowing Kitaro was battling for his life on the front lines and might not come home to him alive.