Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“Well…” Chieftain Swift Tail sat back and patted his furry midsection after Sure Paw had cleared the table for the last time.
“That was a most delicious meal, your Excellency,” V’rex remarked, also patting his stomach. “And so filling!”
“Yes, very filling,” Penny agreed. “And extremely tasty.”
“I’m so glad you liked it!” Lady Bright Coat beamed at them, her tail thumping the cushion again. “You know,” she added, looking at Penny. “That’s a lovely necklace you’re wearing, Lady Penelope.”
Penny was relieved by her words. All evening she’d been trying to think of a way to bring up the Eye of Ten’gu without being too blatant about it. But now Lady Bright Coat had practically shoved the opportunity in her lap.
“Thank you. I love yours, too,” she said, leaning forward eagerly. “Wherever did you find such a beautiful pendant?”
“Ah, it was actually discovered here, when we first moved into the city,” Chieftain Swift Tail, answered for his mate. “Our explorers found it and brought it back to me. And of course, I knew at once that such a treasure could only grace the neck of my lovely mate.”
He smiled at Lady Bright Coat, who smiled back, though Penny thought her smile looked a little strained. Also, her tail didn’t even thump once.
Something’s wrong, she thought. And it has to do with the Eye of Ten’gu.
But she couldn’t think of how to ask what was the matter without sounding like she was insulting the Chieftain’s gift to his mate.
“Merchant V’rex,” the Fox’en Chieftain continued. “Let’s see your wares again. Now that dinner is over, I’ve a mind to barter.”
“With pleasure, your Excellency.” V’rex nodded and began pulling things out of his furry black pouch and placing them carefully on the table.
“What I’m really interested in is that Silka spice,” Lady Bright Coat remarked as the carved wooden box came out of V’rex’s bag. “How much would you barter for that?”
“Well…” V’rex pretended reluctance. “To tell you the truth, your Excellency, it’s really rather expensive. I was just telling my Lady Penelope, here, that a single stick of it could buy my entire ship.”
“Expensive stuff indeed!” The Fox’en Chieftain looked shocked. “Why would anyone pay so much just for some spice?”
“Perhaps because, as I believe I told you in your throne room, the Silka has many fine uses. It is said to impart great wisdom—visions of the future and answers to the most pressing questions in the mind of the one who takes it. I know many leaders who use it for mental clarity or guidance before making important decisions,” V’rex told him.
Chieftain Swift Tail frowned.
“But how could I be certain that it was really worth such an exorbitant price? And what would you ask for it in return?”
“I’ll tell you what—before I answer that question, let me give you a small sample of the Silka to prove its worth,” V’rex told him.
Carefully, he lifted the bright orange cushion holding the spice sticks out of the box and set it on the table. Under it was another cushion, this one plain white, Penny saw. It had a few broken sticks of spice on it, with none of the pieces being larger than the size of a Peanut M&M.
“Once the Silka sticks are broken, they lose some of their potency,” V’rex explained. “But they are still strong enough to grant visions and wisdom to those discerning enough to see them.”
Carefully, he chose a piece of the broken stick to give to the Foxen ruler. Then he offered a piece to Lady Bright Coat as well. She was about to pop it in her mouth when Swift Tail stopped her.
“How can we be certain this spice will not hurt us in any way?” he demanded, frowning. “It sounds like very potent stuff! Give some to your lady first, so that my mate and I can see the effects.”
“Me?” Penny asked, surprised.
But V’rex only nodded.
“Of course, if it will ease your mind, Lady Penelope will be happy to take some,” he said smoothly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he murmured, when Penny looked at him with wide eyes. “It’s perfectly safe.”
Penny bit her lip. It seemed that this was her night for ingesting strange new substances. She wasn’t normally into experimental drugs, but the deal for the Eye of Ten’gu was hanging in the balance.
V’rex handed her a small piece of the broken Silka stick and Penny took it doubtfully. At a motion from him, she obediently put the small, chalky piece of indigo-colored spice on her tongue, though she wasn’t sure what the effects would be.
What else, she thought, could she do?
Chapter 102
At first, Penny didn’t feel any effects from the Silka spice at all, except that it took the meaty aftertaste of the meal she’d just eaten away and replaced it with a tingling heat and the intense flavor of cinnamon. It reminded Penny of some really strong cinnamon toothpicks she and her friends had liked in middle school—they burned your lips and tongue but tasted so good you couldn’t stop sucking them.