neck, Lady Bright Coat wore a pendant painted in gold and brilliant blue.
It was shaped like an eye.
Chapter 100
The Eye of Ten’gu! She’s wearing the Eye of Ten’gu!
Penny couldn’t take her eyes off the pendant around Lady Bright Coat’s neck. There was no doubt it was the artifact they had come to find. It looked exactly like the drawings from the ancient Kindred archives.
But it had already been claimed by the Fox’ens—now what were they going to do?
She glanced at V’rex and raised her eyebrows but the big Hybrid only gave her a small shake of his head.
“I’ve got this,” he murmured, for her ears alone. Then he lifted his head and smiled brightly at the royal Fox’ens on their stone thrones.
“Ah, Chieftain Swift Tail and Lady Bright Coat,” he said, stepping forward to address the Fox’en Chieftain and his mate directly. “Many light years have I traveled to see the wonders of the hidden city beneath Mount Ra’gar and many stories have I heard of the boldness of the Kin’kee Chieftain and the beauty of his lady.”
“You speak with a honeyed tongue, Merchant.” The Fox’en Chieftain sounded bored. “But you must have good barter or my guards would not have let you disturb my day.”
“A thousand pardons for any disturbance I might have caused, oh great Chieftain,” V’rex said, bowing again. “I have but a few humble tokens but I come not to barter but to give a gift, if I may be so bold?”
“Very well.” The black Fox’en sat up straighter in his stone throne. “Let us see this ‘gift’ you have brought from afar, Merchant.”
“Yes, of course. If your Excellency will just give me a moment to find it…” V’rex beckoned to Penny, who came forward to join him in front of the royal Fox’ens. She was completely bemused by his “humble merchant” routine and amazed at how easily he could get into character when he wanted to. This was a side of the big Hybrid she hadn’t seen before.
V’rex made a great show of opening his furry black pouch and looking through the contents.
“Hold this, will you please?” he said to Penny, handing her a delicate golden bracelet lined with diamonds and rubies as big as blueberries. “And this,” he added, giving her a black lacquered box.
As he gave her the box, V’rex casually let the lid pop open and Penny heard a faint whistling sound that was almost like a tune, though it was too high for her to hear very much.
“Oh, what is that lovely melody?” Lady Bright Coat had a soft, sweet voice. She stared curiously at the box in Penny’s hands.
“My apologies, your Loveliness,” V’rex said dismissively. “That is but a trinket I picked up on my travels in the Shola System. It is an Oberian music box which plays a different melody every hour. Though I must commend your fine taste—it is said that only those with the most refined interest in music can hear its lovely songs.” He shrugged. “I myself hear almost nothing—but of course, I am only a Merchant, not a musician or an expert on music.”
“Oh, I see.” Lady Bright Coat’s large, liquid eyes were bright with interest and she was leaning forward a little in her chair. Chieftain Swift Tail, however, still seemed unimpressed.
“Is that the gift?” he asked in a flat tone.
“By no means, your Excellency. Now, I know it’s in here somewhere…Please hold this as well, sweetheart,” V’rex said, handing Penny a tough leather braid that had knots as big as her fists on either end of it. It had a very strong, meaty smell.
Like beef jerky times ten, Penny thought, trying not to wrinkle her nose as she took the leather braid.
Clearly she wasn’t the only one who smelled it, though. Chieftain Swift Tail suddenly sat forward, the nostrils of his wet black nose flaring.
“Now, what might that be, Merchant?” he asked, nodding at the braid in Penny’s hand.
“Oh, that is but a Rostian fang sharpener,” V’rex said, shrugging. “It’s meant to last for a hundred cycles so that the owner’s fangs never grow dull as long as he or she chews on it at least once a day. Also, it makes some rather amusing noises.” He reached over and pinched one of the knots at the end of the braid and a squeaky sound came out.
A chew toy, Penny thought, trying not to smile. It’s nothing but an expensive chew toy!
But it seemed to be exactly the kind of thing the Fox’ens