“I most certainly will bring my barter items,” V’rex said, smiling. “And now, my mate, Lady Penelope and I, will take our leave of your Excellency and your Loveliness. Until tonight…”
“Until tonight!” Lady Bright Coat repeated, nodding eagerly as V’rex and Penny bowed again and left the throne room.
“Well, that seemed to be a big success,” Penny murmured as the carved double doors banged shut behind them. “But I thought I was going to puke from the fumes that egg put out!”
“It’s definitely an acquired taste,” V’rex said dryly. “But I thought it might suit them. Fox’ens enjoy scents other species find, shall we say, less than delightful.”
“Less than delightful indeed!” Penny snorted. “So what now? You’re going to wait until after dinner and then see if they’ll barter for the Eye?”
“Oh no, sweetheart…” He gave her a serious look. “I’m not the one who’s going to be doing the bartering.”
“What?” Penny frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that it’s Lady Bright Coat who’s wearing the damn thing and she’s a royal Fox’en female. It would be an insult for me, as a male, to address her and ask her to barter.”
“Well then what are we going to do?” Penny asked, confused. “How are we going to get the Eye?”
“By bartering, of course,” V’rex said. “Only you’re the one who’s going to do it. As another female, you can address Lady Bright Coat without offense.”
“But I don’t know how to barter!” Penny protested.
“You didn’t know how to pick a pocket either before you met me, but you picked that up quick enough.” V’rex grinned at her. “We have a little time before the dinner hour. Come with me and I’ll give you some pointers…”
Chapter 101
The royal Fox’ens’ private residence was a cavern located far from the main part of the city. As they approached, walking through a twisty tunnel which was lighted with golden, glowing moss that grew on the walls and ceiling, Penny tried to remember everything V’rex had taught her about bartering…
The big Hybrid had given her one of the stinky meat balls he’d offered to the guards and told her to trade for something—anything that she thought was of equal or slightly higher value.
Penny had done her best, but she only ended up trading the meat ball for one of the sausage links tied with red string. Which, to be honest, smelled even less appetizing than the meat ball itself had.
“All right, not a bad start,” V’rex had said. “Now watch this.”
He took one of the meatballs himself and approached a merchant who was selling gold and silver jewelry.
“Excuse me,” he said to the merchant, cupping the meat ball in the palm of his hand as though it was something precious. “I’m new here and I’m looking for a good place to barter this rare Midlothian bullock testicle. Would you happen to know of any merchants who have wares worthy of such a trade?”
The merchant, who was a rather portly Fox’en with reddish fur, puffed himself up importantly.
“Actually, I have wares that are unparralled anywhere in the city!”
“Do you?” V’rex had eyed the display of jewelry with apparent distain. “I see nothing here that could equal the value of the sublime taste and meaty texture of my rare bullock ball. Why, I brought it all the way from the Poopoola System. The bull it came from was a holy animal—sacrificed on the altar of Genwa, She Who Devours.”
“She sounds like a most savage goddess,” the merchant remarked, eyeing the meat ball avariciously. “But I assure you, my wares are worthy, even of such splendor. Only observe the fine links of this tail chain—the gold so beautifully crafted that it runs like silk through the fingers…”
They haggled back and forth like that for some time as Penny watched with wide eyes. In the end, V’rex traded the single, stinky meat ball for a solid gold bracelet with a little fox face charm dangling from it.
As the merchant popped the meat ball in his mouth and savored its delicate flavor, V’rex and Penny walked off.
“And that’s how it’s done,” the big Hybrid said, grinning at her.
Penny shook her head.
“You amaze me, V’rex. Where did you learn to do that?”
“Same place I learned to pick a pocket, sweetheart—on the streets.” He shrugged. “It’s amazing the skills you pick up when you’re trying to survive.”
Penny didn’t know what to say. She felt bad, as always, when he talked about his rough childhood. It made her wish she could go back in time and rescue him somehow, though of course that was impossible.
“V’rex—” she began but he cut her off.
“Here, give me your hand.”
“Why?” Penny asked, holding it out.
“So you can wear this.” V’rex put it on her and smiled as she admired it. “There, sweetheart. That’ll give you something to remember me by after we part ways.”
Penny felt her heart sink at the idea of them splitting up, but she tried to smile and keep her voice light.
“Now I have to trade for something to give to you, so you can remember me too,” she’d said.
V’rex had stopped walking and turned to face her. Tilting her chin up, he looked into her eyes.
“Sweetheart,” he said softly. “I could never forget you. I’ve got your name carved over my heart—remember?”
In that moment, Penny had wished desperately to hug him, to feel those strong arms wrapped around her again.
“Oh, V’rex,” she’d whispered, looking up at him. “I…I just…”
But just as she was working up the nerve to say she wanted them to be together, the big Hybrid had changed the subject.
“Well, we’d better continue your lesson,” he said. “Come on, we’re going to the other end of the marketplace and I’m giving you
