Fear froze my limbs, and I clenched my jaw to hold back a scream.
The dragon, named Cruller, I believe, focused its glowing eyes on Oss. He leaned down to sniff at my friend, a puff of smoke floating from his mouth.
I held my breath, waiting for the flame.
“Hello there,” Oss said with his usual foolish fearlessness. The dragon could’ve approached with a bloody corpse dangling from its mouth and Oss would have used the same tone.
Oss grinned at the beast with a casual indifference to his safety, or his lover’s sanity if Thorne’s sudden pallor was any indication.
The metal dragon gave a steamy snort. If I didn’t think it would eat me, I would’ve laughed at the head tilt it gave Oss. “What are you doing in my city?”
I jumped at the dragon’s deep voice. It echoed in Cruller’s metallic chest, giving it a cold edge, adding to the ominous figure he cut.
“You’ve encountered me before. I’m Octavius Septimus Stalk. I’m told that I’m the new ruler of your fair city.” Oss lifted his chin as if daring the dragon to deny his claim. He held up his hands for inspection.
Cruller sniffed Oss’s palms, then backed up two steps. “And who did you bring with you, my King.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding inside.
“This is my mate, Hawthorne Smith, his brother Lord Justin Lear, and my good friend Marbrey Small the next Gear Master.”
I winced when Cruller turned his attention to me. “Thanks, Oss.” Steamy dragon breath wafting toward my face, and I focused all my attention on not being eaten.
“You think you are the next Gear Master?” he growled.
“No,” I replied honestly. “I’m merely an apprentice to his magic. I hope to one day understand a quarter of what he knew.” There was no reason to pretend a skill I didn’t possess.
“You are too modest, Marbrey,” Justin refuted. “You made Amalia after all.”
“Amalia?” Cruller sniffed at me again.
I pushed his snout farther away with my right index finger. “Ouch.” My fingertip had a small burn from the hot metal.
“I think he is bold to even claim apprentice,” Cruller said.
I huffed. “I’m still learning.”
Poor finger.
“Whether you think he is worthy or not, we have to find the Gear Master’s workshop,” Oss spoke up.
“Why?” There was a world of inquiry and scorn in that one word. If we weren’t on a time limit, I would enjoy having a conversation with the metal creature.
“Buster is transforming, and we need a larger gear. I don’t have any in stock,” I admitted, cringing at the renewed interest from the dragon.
“Hmm. Can you help him?”
“I can try.” I shrugged. “I won’t know until I find the right parts.” No sense in lying to a dragon. I preferred my body free of dragon fire burns. “Buster’s main gear is bent, and if we don’t replace it before he finishes transforming, he might not survive.”
After a long minute, Cruller spun around with surprising alacrity. “Follow me.” I jumped back to avoid his silver spiked tail. Oss cursed as one long spike almost took out his eye.
Cruller’s soft chuffing told me he had done it on purpose.
I trailed after the mechanical menace, careful to avoid impalement or fire. While we walked, I took in the sights. The City of Keys had turned into a soot-covered mess over the centuries. None of that damage existed here. The air and the scenery were clean and clear like I had never experienced before. After a while, I didn’t even notice the unnatural sunshine. Pocket gardens, flower boxes, and greenery stole my attention.
As we walked, I spied locals peering out at us through kitchen windows, through wooden fences, and dodging around corners. Whether they were avoiding us or Cruller, I couldn’t tell. The occasional flutter of human-size wings, blue skin, and odd sounds distracted me from the tingle of power raising my arm hair.
After all the walking we did earlier, my feet were beginning to tire. Unfortunately, we had a quest that didn’t allow me to coddle my body or take a much-needed afternoon nap. If we wasted too much time, Buster might not be revived. I just hoped there was an extra gear in Torren’s workshop. I had neither the skill nor the time to craft one by hand.
I suspect we had traveled farther than Oss’s map had shown, before Cruller stopped in front of an archway made of stone. A silver light filled the arch, making it impossible to see beyond.
“Go through there.” The dragon tapped one claw on the magical passage.
To say only the hairs on the back of my neck rose would be to ignore every other hair on my body. Electricity sparked across my skin and the foreboding multiplied faster than my mechanical birds.
“Yes, that looks exactly like some place I would want to go,” Oss quipped.
