On a good day, Affie could barely discern between reality and his visions. Most of his days weren’t good ones.
“Why do you say that?” Buster asked.
“Affie is…” Oss broke off as if describing Affie was beyond his ability.
“Broken and borderline insane,” I offered. We could dance around words forever, but the truth was Affie had difficulty with reality. The fact that he suffered from visions didn’t help his fragile grip on sanity. He lived so much in his head, it was difficult for him to grasp the present.
Thorne frowned. “He seemed very loyal to Oss.”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t loyal. He all but worships Oss, but he doesn’t see the world like everyone else.” There weren’t any words that could properly explain Affie’s worldview.
“I’ve heard things about him. I thought they were exaggerated.” Thorne fidgeted with the shiny buttons on his uniform.
Oss and I both shook our heads. I replied first. “No. Affie is remarkable in what he can do, but he can’t be any kind of Lord. He would crumble beneath the pressure of trying to oversee anything.” I struggled to explain our mad friend. I loved him dearly, but his mental stability had carriage-sized holes.
“Whether he can bear the title or not, it is his.” Buster gave no sign of backing down, even when faced with this new information.
Hawthorne held up his hands in an appeasing gesture. “We can put that down as something to deal with later. Right now, what are you planning?”
Oss flashed his lover a wicked grin before turning serious. “We need to take Marbrey down to the Gear Master’s workshop in the City of Magic. We believe there will be gears to replace Buster’s damaged ones.”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult. What’s the problem?”
“No problem,” Oss said a bit too quickly. “The dragon shouldn’t be any trouble. Marbrey is just a worrier.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Dragon?” Hawthorne’s expression almost had me laughing again.
“Cruller, the mechanical dragon is easily avoided. As long as they aren’t trying to harm the city, they will be fine,” Buster said.
“I hope he behaves. I don’t have a dragon-slaying sword,” I said with what I hoped sounded like humor instead of hysteria.
“He can be reasoned with.” If he were human, I bet Buster would’ve been biting his lip. “Too bad I can’t come with you.”
There were many things I thought were regretful about this upcoming trip. High on the list was my imminent death by dragon fire, or mauling.
“As none of us have armor, we will have to be extra careful,” Oss said.
“I had never taken you for an optimist before,” I blurted out.
Thorne’s barking laugh made me grin despite the grimness of our plan.
Oss shrugged. “We’re survivors. Besides, if I’m going to be ruler of this city, I can’t show any fear.”
“That is true.” Buster nodded. “Also like I said before, as the ruler, Cruller should listen to you. Technically, he is under your command.”
“See.” Oss flashed a beaming smile. “We can do this.”
Reviewing my schedule in my head, I calculated the time I could leave. “I have a few orders to wrap up. I can get most of them done by noon tomorrow. Do you want to meet here?”
Oss nodded. “Sounds good. Pack a bag with at least one change of clothes. You never know what you might encounter.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I nodded to the trio, then made my way out of the townhouse.
Now I just had to figure out how to replace a broken gear in a mechanical man without killing him off. No problem.
