Page 26 of Consort of the Dragon King

Auslin startled when Kitsuki cleared his throat. He wondered how long the shifter monarch had been standing there watching him. “Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Welcome back.”

“It is fine.” Kitsuki sat down next to Auslin. “I did not mean to disturb you. What troubles you?”

“I’m not exactly troubled,” Auslin denied as he scratched Hibiki behind his ears. “I was reminiscing about the talks I would have with Father on his veranda. I wish he was still here so I could see his reaction to my reappearance.”

“Father undoubtedly would have been smug and insisted he knew all along that you would return one day,” Kitsuki predicted. “He counseled me to remain patient for your eventual return. Father was steadfast in his belief we would reunite.”

“I wonder if he figured it out?”

“Figured out what?”

It meant a lot to Auslin that Tatsuki had honored their agreement. “On the night you introduced me to him, I was terrified. He wanted more details than I felt comfortable giving. I was afraid I would alter the timeline and screw up the future if I told him too much, so I gave him the vaguest details I could safely offer.”

“And that would have been?” Kitsuki prompted when Auslin fell quiet as he continued gazing out over the garden with a faraway look in his eyes.

“I told him what I thought was the truth,” Auslin answered. “I said I was acquainted with two of his sons, neither of whomhad been born yet. The older son was a fearsome and respected warrior, and the youngest was a half-shifter, which he found impossible to accept.”

“Yes, Father did not have the best opinion of humans at the time,” Kitsuki admitted.

“When Kio was born, King Tatsuki must have realized I only knew you by your royal name,” Auslin explained. “It would explain why he was so confident you and I would eventually be reunited.”

“That makes sense. I have no doubt Father would have been pleased with the outcome.”

“Is it bad there’s a tiny part of me that regrets that we don’t get to see Mitsuki’s reaction to my return?” Auslin impishly asked with a coy smile. “He absolutely would have tried to murder me on the spot, but that moment of disbelief would have been epic.”

Kitsuki chuckled. “It is for the best he is long dead so I do not have to kill him for daring to harm you.”

“My purifying him would have been a much more satisfying outcome,” Auslin playfully argued.

“If that is the price we would have had to pay for you to remain at my side, it would have been well worth it.” Kitsuki lovingly caressed his intended’s cheek. “There is nothing I would not do for your sake.”

The tender look that Kitsuki gave him while saying that made Auslin’s heart beat that much faster. “I believe you,” Auslin replied as he covered Kitsuki’s hand with his own and nuzzled into the gentle touch. “Can I ask what happened to Tatsuki? I know he died in battle, which was what led Arenthia to stepdown as the War Power and Kizoshi taking over, but I don’t know details.”

“Father and Arenthia’s courtship was a dangerous game. He started many wars to draw her attention, just as she created wars to watch him engage in battle. She found him irresistible as an undefeated warrior.”

“But someone obviously defeated him, eventually.”

Kitsuki nodded. “Father had the misfortune of running into a Mayhem during a battle with a phoenix shifter. Because Mayhems are chaos agents who the Powers cannot control, Arenthia could not dictate the outcome of the battle when Father began to lose.”

Although it had happened centuries ago, Auslin still experienced sorrow for losing the father figure who meant so much to him. “I can’t imagine anyone being good enough to defeat Father.”

“It is true Father was recognized as the best warrior of his era, which is why Arenthia was so attracted to him. Once he passed to the Beyond Realm, she unleashed her wrath on Father’s enemies. She slaughtered every last one of them in Father’s name, including brutally killing the phoenix shifter who bested Father.”

“I guess in her own way, she really loved Father.” It was strange to realize such a fearsome Power could feel such affection.

“Once she made sure they were all dead, she chose to pass on to the Beyond Realm because she declared there were no longer any warriors left in the Living Realm that interested her. That is when Kizoshi took over her mother’s duties as the War Power.”

“That must have been so hard on Kizoshi to lose her father and mother at the same time.” Auslin’s heart broke for her.

“The early days of Kizoshi’s reign as War Power were dark. She had to start wars she did not wish to cause to prove she could take Arenthia’s place. Talwyn was in turmoil for many months. But once Mitsuki lost his war and his life, Kizoshi stopped the senseless warfare. She had more than proven her point by sending her brother to the Beyond Realm.”

Auslin still couldn’t find it within himself to feel sad Mitsuki was no longer in the Living Realm. “And after that, there was peace?”

“Kizoshi’s wars were so bloody and gruesome everyone in the Divine Realm fears incurring her legendary wrath. The irony is she has no interest in sacrificing the lives of so many for such pointless warfare. There has been the odd skirmish here and there, but mostly, my reign has been one of peace.”

“Do you think she’ll start a war with Nasume?” Auslin asked. “It sounded like that was what Uncle Jaega was implying.”

“There have been increasing rumors about the people of Kunushi being abused that trouble me,” Kitsuki admitted with a frown. “Nasume is ruthless, so I fear things are far worse than the news that reaches us in Valzerna. But until Kizoshi tells me it is time to engage him in battle, I am content to keep my distance.”

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