7. Auslin

Chapter 7

Auslin

A uslin tried not to get too paranoid about what was being discussed between the father and son about his situation. It was hard to soothe his fears about all the ways things could go wrong for him. What if Tatsuki refused to help him, or worse, what if he didn't believe him? Or worst of all, what if Tatsuki couldn't help him?

Every time Auslin thought he had his nerves under control, a fresh wave of anxiety would crash into him. He did his best to stay above it all. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Unable to sit any longer, Auslin got up to pace.

The bedroom door slid open without warning. Kitaro appeared with an unreadable expression on his face. He gestured for Auslin to come over. "Father will see you now. "

Auslin's heart dropped out of his chest. He took a shaky breath to steady himself. The last thing he wanted was to present himself as an anxious wreck in front of the powerful king of Valzerna. However, his nerves shredded at the prospect of being judged by the legendary dragon shifter monarch.

They seemed to walk an impossible number of stairs, twists, and turns. Auslin could only hope that Kitaro would wait for him to guide him back to wherever he needed to go afterward, because Auslin was pretty sure he could get lost for an eternity in such a sprawling castle. They didn't exchange a single word as they walked, which did little to put his mind at ease over what was about to happen next.

Finally, they reached a door with elaborate dragon carvings. Auslin stopped short of running into Kitaro. He looked up at the shifter prince with wide eyes full of apprehension.

Kitaro gave Auslin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "While it is true my father is legendary for his ferocity, he is not without sympathy. He prizes truth above all else and will not abide by lies."

"Understood." Auslin tried to calm his racing heart that felt like it was ready to beat out of his chest. Kitaro's hand on his shoulder provided some small measure of comfort in the situation. He tried to trust in Kitaro's confidence.

Auslin jumped when he heard a deep, booming voice call out to them. "Enter! "

What little calm Auslin had reclaimed disappeared in an instant at the thought of the fearsome creature awaiting him on the other side of that door.

"Remember, you are not without an ally here," Kitaro whispered before the door slid open.

"Son, you are to wait outside until you are called," Tatsuki ordered.

Kitaro placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply. "As you command, Father."

Auslin's panic rose when Kitaro retreated from the room and the door automatically slid shut with an ominous noise. He remained frozen where he stood, staring at Tatsuki sitting on a dais with a terrifying glare.

In Auslin's entire life, he had never seen such a massive shifter, who was easily over eight feet tall, with an enormous physical presence. He exuded so much power that it oppressed Auslin, who was sensitive to auras. He had expected Tatsuki to be dressed for hunting, but he wore only black pants and no shirt. It allowed Auslin to see the solid wall of muscles of a shifter who could crush him in an instant. His abundance of auburn hair added to his wildness.

Tatsuki was even more ferocious-looking because the sinuous markings covering his whole body were bright red with flares of gold that pulsated, like moving magma, all over his fearsome form. They looked so much like fire that Auslin thought they would burn him should he dare to touch them. It was rude to stare, but nothing in the legends had prepared him for the overwhelming intensity of King Tatsuki in person.

"Approach." Tatsuki watched the human with an unreadable expression.

It took a supreme effort of wills to obey when every instinct of Auslin's was screaming at him to run away from such a deadly shifter. He probably reeked of fear, but there was no helping it. Auslin was terrified of Tatsuki and his oppressive aura, trying to crush the mage's.

Sinking to one knee before the lord of the lands, Auslin bowed deeply like Kitaro had. He could only hope it was the right thing to do as he continued to stare at the ground before Tatsuki's feet, which was easier than looking at his terrifying form. "Your Majesty."

Auslin's heart jumped into his throat when the throne creaked as Tatsuki stood up. The shifter ruler descended the three steps down the dais to stand before the mage. He reached down to force Auslin's chin up with one of his fingers. Tatsuki held eye contact, forcing Auslin to gaze deep into his glowing red eyes. "You are far braver than you look to seek us out for assistance, human."

The markings on the back of Tatsuki's fingers almost seared Auslin's skin. He swallowed hard as he stared at the dragon monarch with wide eyes.

"We are not in the habit of helping humans, let alone mages ." Tatsuki spit out the last word with venomous hatred. He wrapped his hand around Auslin's throat, his claws pressed threateningly into tender flesh. It was enough to give Auslin a genuine fear of dying.

"You humans are such tedious, foul creatures with sinfully simple minds. Your tiny lives are a meaningless blink of an eye to a shifter, yet you act so self-important. Mages are the worst of all, having hunted our kind since the dawn of time for fear of our superiority."

Auslin was too scared to move or reply. He only blinked in response as he trembled in the grasp of claws that could end him in an instant. It was impossible to hold back a pained gasp when Tatsuki roughly yanked the human to his feet.

"We normally would see you dead before granting the likes of you an audience," Tatsuki menacingly growled. He pressed close enough that Auslin stopped breathing. "Should we find out that you are lying—and we will smell it the instant you do—we fully intend to make that threat a reality. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Auslin whispered. He couldn't speak any louder because of the tight grip holding him in place. His vision started spotting because of a lack of air.

The ruler released him into a heap on the floor. "Tell us your fantastical story, human."

Auslin coughed and gasped for air, which caused Tatsuki to smirk cruelly at the display. It took a moment to compose himself enough to stand up again. "In the future, I am a mage at the temple that protects Fate's Gate. Last night, I foolishly went through the gate. It sent me back in time to this era, where I came across your son as a dragon."

"It was the height of foolishness to do what you did."

Auslin looked down in shame. "I know it was stupid, but I always thought those stories were just silly superstitions." Despite spending most of his life living at the temple, he wasn't particularly religious. If not for his mother sending him and Sephen there after her death, Auslin never would have been involved with the mages. It was part of why he enjoyed being on the road so much.

"Such stories have persisted through the eons, yet you willfully disregarded them. It does not speak much to your intelligence."

Auslin's jaw clenched. "Admittedly, it was not one of my finer moments."

Tatsuki stared down at Auslin with disdain. "We suppose you had some reason for thinking this was a good idea."

"My companion is more superstitious than most. I wanted to go somewhere he wouldn't follow me. It was the only option I could think of at the time."

"Is there some reason you were trying to escape from him? "

"I was hurt and upset." Auslin looked away in embarrassment. "I wanted some time to clear my head."

"This… companion ," Tatsuki said as he gave a look over Auslin's body that made him instinctively shrink back, "is clearly intimate with you."

"Yes." Auslin blushed, humiliated to have such a conversation with Kio's father.

"Who is this companion of yours?"

Auslin hesitated for a moment. "He is someone I came across during my travels and healed. He has followed me ever since."

"Healed?" Tatsuki repeated in confusion. "Your companion is clearly a dragon shifter, so why would he need your help with such a thing? Our magic is far superior to any paltry abilities you may have."

"I could heal him quicker than his own restorative abilities. Given the severity of his injuries, time was of the essence." Kio had been in danger of bleeding out from his severe wounds after a fight had gone wrong. If Auslin hadn't healed him, the half-shifter would have died. The thought made something twist painfully inside of Auslin.

"That should not be possible." Tatsuki frowned suspiciously. "Was he poisoned or cut with a Divine weapon that negated his healing speed?"

"He is half-human, so he can't heal at the same speed as a full shifter can. His wounds were far too grave for his limited abilities, so I healed him over the complaints of his pride."

"You voluntarily healed a half-shifter?" Tatsuki asked in surprise. "Why would you do such a thing? Your kind see half-shifters as abominations."

"That is a prejudice that shifters seem to agree on with most humans," Auslin said in a disapproving tone before looking down in shame at speaking out of turn. It was not his place.

"You are not one of them." Tatsuki rubbed his chin as he carefully studied Auslin. "Why?"

"I believe in the compassion of my temple's teachings. Other temples preach tolerance, but I spread a message of acceptance instead."

"Meaning?"

"Tolerance is nothing more than the compromise of allowing something you don't agree with personally," Auslin said. "Acceptance is wholeheartedly embracing all people, whether they be human, shifter, or half. Fate's whims are all that separate us from being one or the other. What sense is there in hating others for such a ridiculous reason?"

"You truly believe in such a thing," Tatsuki stated in disbelief. "Our son is correct. You are indeed a fascinating creature."

Auslin flushed once more at the compliment. He didn't know how to respond.

Tatsuki had no problem continuing the conversation on his own. "We can smell your companion is a relation of our clan, but there are no halflings in our midst. We would never tolerate such an abomination."

Auslin struggled to figure out how to avoid answering a question that may directly impact his era. "There is much that happens between now and the future that I come from."

"What relation is he?"

Swallowing his fear, Auslin forced himself to stand his ground. "With the greatest respect, it is best that I don't answer that question, Your Majesty. Anything I do in this time may affect the future. I'm afraid to jeopardize that."

"You are refusing to tell us?" There was a deadly rumble in his voice.

"It is too dangerous to say."

Tatsuki studied him carefully. "It is a direct relation of ours, is it not?"

Auslin bit his lower lip and stared at the floor.

"You will answer us if you wish for our assistance," Tatsuki threatened.

"I will tell you on the honor-bound condition that what I say will never leave this room. It cannot be spoken of or written. Absolutely no one else may know about this except for you and I alone. Not even Prince Kitaro can know."

"You dare set terms?" Tatsuki scoffed with an arched eyebrow .

Auslin hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "There are too many chances for the future to be rewritten if others learn of such information."

Tatsuki was silent for a long moment as he stared down at Auslin. "Very well. We will agree to your terms of this secret shared between only us. This room is soundproof, so you may proceed without fear."

Thanking Tatsuki, Auslin chose his words carefully. "In my time, I am acquainted with two of your sons. Neither has been born yet. One is a full shifter, and the other is half. The half-shifter is my companion."

"You honestly expect us to believe that we have a halfling for a son?" Tatsuki scoffed. "What could a lowly human woman ever offer us?"

"Love," Auslin softly answered.

Tatsuki sneered. "We have no need for such useless things."

"The you of right now does not, but that is not true in the future."

"And our other son?"

"He is an immensely powerful shifter, who is renowned for his fighting prowess and is virtually undefeated." Kitsuki's sad blue eyes haunted him. They always said so much that he didn't know how to understand.

"That we believe." Tatsuki grinned, clearly proud to hear he had yet another son that lived up to his high standard. "The three of you are clan? "

Auslin shook his head. "No, my companion and I travel alone. I am only acquainted with your other son."

"Either you are the most skilled liar we have ever met or are telling us the absolute truth." Tatsuki frowned as he studied Auslin. "We do not know which is more disconcerting."

"I swear on my life I would never lie to you, Your Majesty." Auslin forced himself to hold eye contact so the ruler could see his truthfulness. "Every word I have spoken has been the truth. All I want to do is return home to my rightful time. I have no reason or desire to lie to you."

Tatsuki was silent for several long seconds. "Halfling or not, we owe you a debt of gratitude for saving our son's life. We will pay what we owe."

Auslin felt his hopes lift at the thought that Tatsuki might help him after all.

Tatsuki raised his hand, and with a wave, the door to the room slid open, revealing an expressionless Kitaro. "Come. We need to have words, son." He gestured for Kitaro to come closer.

As Kitaro approached, the door slid shut behind him once more. Standing at Auslin's side, he awaited his father's orders.

"We have decided to honor Vanra's companion and offer him the protection of our clan," Tatsuki pronounced, shocking them both. "As such, he will be welcomed and taken care of as family. Kitaro, we are entrusting you to be Vanra's guardian and protector. His care falls to you."

"Understood." Kitaro gave a deep and formal bow of acknowledgment. "I will ensure his safety at all times."

"He will need to be trained in fighting, so you will see to that as well."

"Yes, Father."

"Trained in fighting?" Auslin asked in confusion. "To what end?"

Tatsuki took a seat on his throne once more. "We personally cannot assist you directly with Fate's Gate despite it being on our lands. However, there is a powerful owl sorceress high in the mountains of Arenvale. She will have the information you need to help you return to your time."

"Are you speaking of Satsuma Mikokai?" Kitaro asked.

"Indeed, I am."

"Satsuma Mikokai?" The name surprised Auslin. "I thought she was just a legend people told their children to scare them."

"While she is legendary, she is also very real. She is the wisest of the wise and possibly as ancient as Fate's Gate itself," Tatsuki explained. "Getting to her is no easy feat, though. It is an arduous journey that will take you two to three months each way. As it is high in the mountains, if you were to depart now, you would arrive in time for winter and could not survive the treacherous trip. You will make the climb in spring."

Doing the calculations in his head, Auslin exclaimed, "That's at least eight months before I could even attempt to go back to my time!"

"It is either wait those eight months or stay in this time forever with no chance of return." Tatsuki shrugged. "You would be wise to take these months of late fall and winter to prepare yourself for such a dangerous journey. Even with such a skilled warrior as my son at your side, you will need all the help you can get so that you may return safely."

The realization that he would be stuck in the past for almost a full year before he could go home overwhelmed Auslin. This can't be happening , he kept repeating to himself, needing it to not be real.

"You will live here at the castle for however long it may take," Tatsuki promised. "Whatever Satsuma says needs done for you to return to your time, it will be done. Kitaro will see that your every need is taken care of. You are clan now. What is ours is yours."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your benevolent generosity." Auslin knelt to give a formal bow. He reeled in shock and disbelief that he was stranded for the foreseeable future and there was nothing to be done about it. It was so overwhelming that everything felt numb and unreal, like he was trapped in a horrible nightmare he couldn't wake up from.

"As you are clan, you may now call me ‘Father' in private. But rest now." Tatsuki gestured for them to leave. "We will have occasion to speak later."

"Thank you, Father." The words felt strange in Auslin's mouth since his own had been dead since he was a small child.

Auslin and Kitaro both bowed once more before they left, leaving behind a pensive Tatsuki.