I still wasn’t certain how this was all possible. Surely magic could only do so much. Yet as my gaze fell upon Buster, I had to admit that magic could do more than I had originally believed.
“Maybe if I talk to Cruller, he will let you examine him,” Oss offered.
I shuddered. “I’m sure he’s fine. If you see some obvious scales, let me know.” I had no aspirations to be set on fire by a mechanical, or a real dragon. I examined the parts of Buster that were still exposed. For all his talk of a magical transformation, Buster appeared ill. “Are your changes going as the others? No one else has the background to determine if there is anything unusual happening.”
“I’m uncertain. My body is in a state of flux, and I don’t think everything is working as it ought,” Buster replied.
“In what way?” Times like these, I wished I’d apprenticed under a doctor. If I had enough coin to my name as a youth, I would’ve trained to be a man of medicine. I have always enjoyed learning.
“If you could look at my chest? I feel that is where most of my problems are located.”
I held back a sigh. With help from Oss, we peeled back the bedding, helped Buster sit up, then removed his shirt. I froze at the sight we uncovered.
Where part of his face had transformed, almost none of his chest had changed except for a large dent where human ribs would be. Instead there was a mass of spinning gears and a thin bit of damaged metal barely protecting them.
“What happened?” Oss scowled.
“I ran into a group of people who didn’t approve of my construction,” Buster replied, his voice soothing as if trying to calm a rabid animal. He understood Oss far better than someone of their short acquaintance should. “I thought if I wore clothing, I would blend in better, but it was as if they were keeping an eye out for me.”
“Where did you run into them?” Oss’s tone gained a low growl.
“Oss, focus. It will do you no good to hunt them down. No one will prosecute them for attacking an automaton and you can’t take them all on. This isn’t the work of one person.” I waved a hand toward Buster’s dented chest.
“Mr. Small is correct, Your Highness. However, if I’m damaged when transformation completes, I won’t survive the change.”
I raised an eyebrow at Buster’s conviction. “Have you seen that happen before?”
“Yes. A woman fell from a building halfway through her transformation. They couldn’t repair her injuries in time. She died of blood loss when her heart changed to flesh.”
I winced. The image played through my head in sickeningly bright colors. I peered down at Buster’s chest as my own heart fluttered faster than normal. “What can we do to help? I don’t have any gears large enough to fix this. I generally work on smaller projects.” The cost of large sheets of metal were far outside my means even if I wished to delve into bigger works.
“You can find what you need in the Torren’s workshop. He left it all behind for his heir. It now belongs to you. Prophet Locksten had foreseen someone would be born with Master Torren’s magic many centuries later. Everything is ready and waiting for you.”
“Where is the key?”
Oss snorted. “You don’t need a key, you have me.”
I rolled my eyes even as I acknowledged the truth of that statement. “It would still be nice to have a proper key to prove ownership. It’s not like I can keep you in my pocket whenever I want to visit.”
“You could try.” Oss leered playfully at me.
“There is a spare key in my office. I will fetch it for you when I am better. The king has the right to open any door. There should be no problem with him helping you get inside.”
A giddy thrill rushed through me. A treasure trove of knowledge would be at my fingertips. I didn’t dare imagine what supplies and blueprints Torren might have stockpiled over the years. “Where is his workshop?”
I had always admired the Gear Master for his clever mind and ingenious creations. To be able to work where he once did would be the culmination of my richest fantasies. Well, excluding the ones that involved Justin in various delightful positions.
“His workshop is on the east side of the City of Magic. It should be fully stocked with any gears you need. He hoarded materials like Cruller does gold. It might take you a while to find what you need, but I am confident you will be able to fix me.”
“I will try my best.” I refused to make any promises. Trying was all I would commit to, even if I had dreamed most of my life to see the Gear Master’s workshop. If I had known it lay beneath our feet, I would’ve broken through the tunnels and raided the place ages ago, dragon or not. This was the perfect project to get my mind off my tragic love life. “How much longer do you have before you change completely, Buster?” If I didn’t find the proper replacement parts before he turned to flesh, Buster would make the bleeding-heart girl story seem like a paper cut.
“I do not know. It has been a long time since I saw someone transform, and everyone converts at a different pace.”
How completely unhelpful.
Oss clapped his hands together. “We should plan to leave tomorrow at the latest. I still need to meet with the current City of Magic leaders anyways if I’m to be king.” He made a face as if he had smelled something particularly unpleasant.
I turned a teasing look toward my best friend. “I guess Thorne is outclassed now. I mean he’s only the brother of a duke.”
