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“Pretty lady Abbey is standing in a pen. She is facing away from the fence. Pretty Abbey, turn around until Spex says stop,” the little creature instructed.
Abbey began to turn in a circle until she heard him say,
“Stop!” in her ear.
“Okay, now what?” she asked.
“Now Pretty Abbey takes three steps forward. There is a fence. The latch is on the right side at the level of Pretty Abbey’s waist,” he instructed. “If Pretty Abbey presses down on the metal latch, the gate will open.”
Abbey did as he said and was happy to find that he was exactly right.
“Now what?” she asked.
“Where does Pretty Abbey want to go?” Spex asked in his squeaky voice. “Does she want to talk to Royal Breeder? Or does she want to see big fur-man?”
Abbey bit back a laugh.
“Big fur man is named ‘Solon,’” she told the little Eye-pet. “He’s my fiancé.” It felt a little strange to call the big Monstrum that, but it was the most accurate way to describe him, Abbey thought.
“What is ‘fiancé?’” Spex wanted to know.
“Well, that’s a title that means I might marry him,” Abbey said lightly. She wondered how Solon was taking this conversation.
“All right,” the Eye-pet agreed. “So does pretty Abbey want the-fur man that she might want to marry?”
“Right now I want to walk from one end of the room and back again,” Abbey told him. “Can you tell me how?”
“Yes! Pretty Abbey turns to the left. Then walk forward twenty steps.”
Abbey wondered how he could be so accurate with telling her exactly how many steps any given distance was. But she decided to take the little Eye-pet at his word. Turning to the left, she walked forward twenty steps with one hand out in front of her.
On the twentieth step, her searching fingertips came in contact with the wall and she stopped.
“Wow, you’re a good judge of distances,” she told Spex.
“Spex does his very best for Pretty Abbey,” the little Eye-pet said. “Does Pretty Abbey want Spex for her own? Please? No one else wants him.”
He sounded so sad that Abbey felt her heart melting.
“Yes, Spex—I want you for my own,” she said, smiling.
For a moment Spex was silent. Then she felt something soft nuzzling against the side of her neck.
“Pretty Abbey won’t be sorry,” the little Eye-pet promised. “Spex will lead her the right way always. Spex will love her forever.”
If she’d thought her heart was melting before, Abbey was practically a puddle now.
“Aww, Spex…” Reaching up very carefully, she held out her fingers and the little Eye-pet nuzzled against them, allowing her to pet him. He made a soft chrrrrrring sound, almost like a kitten purring and trembled all over as though he was so happy he could hardly stand it.
“Well, my lady—it looks like you’ve found your match,” she heard the Royal Breeder say.
“He’s certainly a charming little male,” Solon rumbled in agreement.
Abbey smiled.
“Yes, he certainly is.”
“Clearly he was meant for you,” Chancellor Maprist, who had been mostly silent this whole time, remarked. “I am so happy for you, my Lady Abbey, for the lifetime bond with an Eye-pet is most fulfilling. But now I fear we must get to the Royal Perfumer if we’re going to get a scent mixed for both of you in time.”
