"Which point is that?" I sez, genuinely puzzled.

"About how Skeeve is a nice guy and more reasonable than we gave him credit for. I mean, talk is easy and the best of us can get fooled, but that was a pretty solid demonstration we got." He paused and shook his head. "The kid was genuinely upset about his dragon getting shot, and deservedly so, I might add. He really wanted to lay into us, and no one could have or would have stopped him. Still, even when he was deadly-eyed mad, his first reaction was to ask for an explanation ... to hear our side of what had happened. Then, when it turned out that the dragon was just wounded, his main concern was taking care of his pet, not going after punishment or vengeance. To me, that makes him a hell of a man."

"That's the Boss, all right," I sez, grinnin' slightly.

"Yeah, well you can also tell a lot about a man by the friends he attracts," Robb smiles. "Even though your crew is pretty fearsome when viewed from the outside, it's also easy to see that you're all fiercely loyal to Skeeve ... far beyond a simple employee-employer relationship. It speaks well of him, and you."

Before I can say anything in response to this, he sticks out his hand. I shake it, and he turns and marches off to rejoin the rest of the delegation.

As I am watchin' him go, I suddenly realize there is someone standin' next to me.

"Oh. Hi, Boss," I sez.

"Guido," he acknowledges. "I believe you were about to explain to me what's going on. Let's take a walk and you can fill me in."

So I do.

I tell him everything we've been doin' since he got back from Perv, with only a little bit of editin' for content.

When I get done, he is silent for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Boss," I sez, finally, tryin' to prod him into commentin'.

"No, Guido," he sez, quiet-like. "I'm the one who's sorry."

With that, he walks off in the direction of the stables.

SEVENTEEN

"Some of my best friends are dragons."

SIEGFRIED

Skeeve the Great. What a joke.

If there was ever a time in my life when I felt less great than now, it has been mercifully forgotten.

The irony was that not that long ago, barely an hour really, I had been on top of the world. I had told Queen Hemlock that I didn't want to marry her and survived the experience. Not only survived it, but had also escaped the awful threat of her abdicating and leaving me to run the kingdom by myself. For the first time in months, I was completely free from obligations and commitments. I had been literally walking on air.

Then Gleep got shot. To boot, that led to my finding out that there was a whole batch of problems the team had been handling without even telling me about them. Handling, as in putting themselves in the line of fire so I wouldn't be bothered.

It was disturbing to realize that I couldn't trust the team anymore. At least, I felt like I couldn't trust them because they didn't trust me enough to be open and honest about things anymore.

I was feeling confused and more than a little hurt, so I did what I usually do when things start crowding in on me. I retreated to the stables to hang out with Gleep.

Of course now, he was sleeping. Recovering from shock while his wound healed, Massha had said. I glanced over to be sure he was resting quietly, then went back to thinking.

The nice thing about the stables is that few people ever came here. I've been told that it's the smell that keeps them away, but when you've spent years with a pet dragon whose eating habits give him bad breath that would gag a maggot, it takes more than a bit of barnyard perfume to bother you. As a result, I had a place to go where I could be alone. A place where no one would intrude. A place where ...

"Hi, Skeeve."

The voice was easily recognizable, so I didn't even look around.

"Okay, you found me, Bunny," I said, heaving a sigh. "What is it now? More spreadsheets? Did Grimble misplace a decimal in the budget?"

She didn't answer, so I finally turned to face her.

As always, she was a delightfully curvaceous bundle who is a delight to look at. Now, however, she was staring at the ground and trembling slightly.

"Actually," she said softly, "I came down to see how Gleep was. I really didn't mean to intrude. I'll leave you alone and check back later."

She turned and started to leave.

"Whoa. Wait a minute, Bunny," I called. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just... it's been a rough day. That's all."

She stopped, but didn't turn back.

"So, so you want me to leave or not?" she said.

"Yes. No. I don't know," I stammered. "I'm so turned around ... I just don't know."

"That's really the heart of the problem, isn't it?" she said, turning at last. "If you don't know what you want, how is anyone else supposed to figure it out?"

"It's more than that," I said. "I just don't know who to trust anymore."

"What, you mean because of the little side project Guido and Nunzio took on without telling you?"

"You heard about that, huh?" I said, then a thought struck me. "Or did you know about it all along? Have you been part of this conspiracy of silence the whole time?"

"As a matter of fact, I didn't know about it," she said. "I guess they weren't sure that I wouldn't have felt obligated to tell you."

"That's a relief," I sighed.

"Is it?" she said. "I'll be honest with you, Skeeve. If they had included me in their planning, I would have gone along with it."

"You would?"

"Yes, I would," she said. "This whole thing with Queen Hemlock and the kingdom's finances has had you tied in knots, Skeeve. You really didn't need any other distractions."

"I see," I said. "I would have thought, if anyone, that you would be on my side, Bunny."

"When did it become 'sides,' Skeeve?" Bunny sighed. "We're all supposed to be on the same team. Remember?"

"Well, yes. But..."

"Have you listened to yourself lately, Skeeve?" she continued. "When I first walked in here, you nearly bit my head off because you thought I was coming to you with more problems. Now, in the same conversation, you're upset because Guido and Nunzio didn't come to you with new problems. You think you're confused?

Well, don't feel all alone. The whole team is confused right now."

"I don't... I just can't seem to get a fix on things anymore," I said.

"I've noticed," she said, turning to go. "Well, when you sort things out, or if you want someone to talk to, let me know. Until then, I think I'll just try to stay out of your way."

"Bunny, I..." I started to say, but she had already gone.

Terrific.

I leaned against Gleep's stall and let my thoughts whirl through my mind.

Now, on top of everything else, Bunny was upset with me. It was strange to realize just how much that bothered me. When her uncle, Don Bruce, first assigned her to me as my moll, she had come on so strong that she made me uneasy just to be around. Heck, she scared the pants off me. Since then, she had settled into the role of administrative assistant and personal confidante, performing with such competence and efficiency that she was now an indispensable member of the team. I had nothing but the highest respect for her, and wanted desperately for her to respect me in turn.

"Bunny ... right."

I looked up to find Gleep awake and staring at me.

"Gleep!" I said. "Are you all right, fellah? You're looking better and ... you're talking?"

I remembered now that, just before he collapsed, he had said my name, effectively doubling his vocabulary up until that point. I had been impressed at the time, but now ...