Oss grinned as if he could read my mind.
I sniffed at him, then poured myself some more tea and freshened up Oss’s. At least by the time this stressful visit was over I would be floating in a sea of excellent tea.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. So now that we discussed my terrible relationship, what are you going to do about Brenson?” From their interactions, I could tell the butler had become more than a minor annoyance.
Oss groaned. “I’m going to bide my time. He likes to play power games, but so far it’s always little things that can be brushed off. He’s testing to see what he can get away with. If I start nitpicking his behavior now, Thorne won’t believe me when I complain about the bigger things. Best to pick my battles.”
This was the scheming side of Oss I rarely got to see. “Good thinking, even though I’m certain Thorne would listen to you no matter what.”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
A low groan turned our attention back to the bed.
Buster opened his eyes.
A gasp escaped me before I could stop it. Only one eye was the familiar glowing mechanical one he’d had before, the other was brown with flecks of gold and wouldn’t have looked odd on the face of a human. On a mechanical, it was something out of a horror novel.
I shivered. This was so far above a transforming bunny I had no frame of reference.
What the hell was going on?
Oss broke the silence. “Hello, Buster.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
I choked on my laughter. Oss’s annoyed expression would stick in my mind for days. Despite my depression, I’d laughed more since coming here than I had in a while.
Buster then focused on me. “Greetings, Mr. Small. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you also.” I ignored Oss’s amused snort. Strange transformations were no reason to abandon manners. “Can you tell us what happened to you?” I now knew how doctor’s felt when talking to their patients. I couldn’t get my birds to speak, but maybe I could get more information about Buster’s change.
“My magical evolution has begun.”
I blinked at Buster’s completely unhelpful answer.
“And that means what?” Oss asked.
“Like Mr. Small, the first Gear Master was a mechnomancer.” Buster added as if that explained everything. Maybe it did to him. Had he continued to learn things after his creator died? How much knowledge could be stuffed into a mechanical man’s head over the centuries? My little scholar’s heart ached to crack open Buster’s brain and scoop out all the information. Maybe I was a little more like Oss than I cared to admit.
“What does that have to do with your change in appearance?” Oss asked.
“And why do you think I’m a mechnomancer?” I couldn’t resist adding.
I wasn’t sure where Buster got his information. Mechnomancers were powerful magic users who created mechanical beings with will and magic. They also fell under the category of fairy tales and rumor. I built all my creations with hard work and an almost endless supply of gears and screws. My aching hands could attest to my lack of using powerful magic to assemble my projects. I quickly banished any memory of pieces sliding together faster and easier since the event.
“With the freeing of excess magic from the City of Magic, the Gear Master’s heir has come into his powers. Gear Master Torren could bring mechanical beings to life with his mechnomancery. Real life, with flesh and blood and the spark of the Creator’s hand. His heir is affecting the world like Torren used to. Aren’t you, Mr. Small?” Buster asked.
“Like Amalia,” Oss piped up before I could reply. “At first, she was just one of Marbrey’s mechanical creations; now she’s like a real bunny even if she has a few enhancements.”
“Wait, wait.” I waved my hands. “You can’t blame Amalia on me. She changed after I handed her over and before we opened the gate.” I refused to be responsible for any living creatures other than myself. I had enough problems running my business without things becoming alive.
Buster nodded, ignoring me entirely. “Mr. Small probably changed her without meaning to. Torren’s powers could affect the entire city even when he wasn’t actively trying. If Mr. Small’s magic is growing, you can expect more of the same, which is why I sought you out when I became ill. As my liege, I knew you could find him.”
“You can call me Marbrey.” Buster’s words sank in. “Wait, you mean you think you’re changing into a human because of me?” I could barely breathe over the ramifications of this information getting out. I would be hung from the Lock Tower for using strange powers or manipulating reality or whatever crime they could find in order to legally murder me. “How can I use magic without knowing? I didn’t do anything different with that bunny than with the dozens of other creatures I’ve built.” I had reviewed Amalia’s construction many times in my head, and I still couldn’t think of anything I had done differently. Granted, she was my first bunny, but that shouldn’t have caused fur or other lifelike qualities.
“That bunny shows your magic was already increasing before you helped open the barrier between the cities. Can you honestly say that you don’t have more magical energy now than ever before?”
