by T Nisbet
We passed an assortment of differently dressed people getting their shops ready to open, and walking, or riding on the street. Many of them waved as we passed. It was a very friendly city all in all, especially for being so early in the morning.
We stopped at an Inn built out of some kind of glossy redwood. The sign above proclaimed it to be the ‘Kri’Sco Blue Smoke Inn.’
“I’ve been here once before. It was a favorite of the mage I was guarding,” Gill said, dismounting.
Two dark haired teenagers close to my age rushed out as we stopped and offered to take our mounts to the Inn’s stables in back. Their accents reminded me of a beautiful Italian exchange student that had lived with Carla and her family last year. I’d had quite a crush on her, as did every other boy in school.
The rest of us got off our horses and made our way into the building as the teens led our horses off to the stables. The main room was large and built around a beautifully carved circular bar at its center. Several groups of guests sat at tables eating breakfast. The smell of food made my stomach growl loudly.
“Welcome!” said a large man with a shinny goatee coming around the bar to greet us. “Will you be breaking your fast with us my friends or do you require rooms?”
“Both I think,” Gill said, his wickedly scared face breaking into a smile.
“Excellent! How many rooms do you require?” he said smiling brightly.
Gill looked at us.
“Four I believe.”
“Three,” Ivy said looking at Gill, then me.
I felt a flush surge through my body and my palms got sweaty.
“Three?” I stammered.
“Well, we did just get married, Jake,” Ivy smiled, bumping me with her shoulder. I could hear Toby and Carla giggling.
“Three then,” Gill said, joining Toby and Carla’s enjoyment of my apoplexy.
“Eccellente!” the man smiled. “You celebrate your first night together, no?” he asked Ivy.
Ivy nodded blushing.
“We have special, special room for you! It is the best in all Brighton, let me be assuring you. You no find better in the great Inns of Kri’Stin itself!” he said, smiling proudly. “Let me show you rooms. Please to follow me.”
The large man pivoted putting an arm around Ivy’s shoulder, leading her through the bar area towards a hallway.
“There isa plenty hot water, and robes in rooms. Please put on and come back as you will. My cleaner, she to work on your clothes. She sontuoso! Very good cleaner, no?”
“You have our thanks good Inn keep. We have been many days in these clothes and they are in sore need of a good cleaning,” Gill smiled.
My legs felt numb as I followed behind the Innkeeper holding Ivy tightly around her shoulder. Married? We were hardly married. How had she come up with that? Carla was to blame. She had to be. She and Ivy had ridden together the last few miles into Brighton. She must have told Ivy about the plains people’s marriage ritual, or whatever it was. I loved Carla like a sister, but God was she a pain in the ass.
“This room for you,” the innkeeper said, opening a door and gesturing to Gill, handing him the keys.
“Thank you,” Gill said. “Meet you all down in the main room in a few minutes. I’m going to wash up first.”
We continued down the hall and the welcoming Inn Keep opened another door handing the keys to Toby.
“Enjoy,” he said with a slight bow at the waist.
“Oh I intend too,” Toby laughed.
“Your leg is still healing you big lug,” Carla said punching Toby softly in the arm.
The Innkeeper sang something under his breath as he turned from the couple and walked further down the hallway. Ivy and I followed him to a large pair of doors. Still humming to himself, the innkeeper put a key into the lock and opened one of the doors. Ivy and I followed him into the room.
“This suite for the marriage night. You like, no?”
“It’s perfect!” Ivy said, hugging me tightly from the side.
The room was perfect. It looked like what might come out of a contest held between designers. Shiny, smoothly glazed red beams held up a paneled ceiling made of the same beautiful red hued wood. The bed was large and held inside a solid wooden frame with four bulky wooden posts at the corners. The linens were dark blue as was a leather loveseat sitting by a large stone fireplace. Hand woven rugs of purple and gray were spread out across the hardwood flooring, matching the pillows on the bed, and loveseat. Several glazed pots, holding beautiful, delicate looking dry arrangements had been positioned around the room.
“Enjoy!” the Innkeeper said, handing me the keys and closing the door behind him with a parting wink.
“Wow,” I said nervously. “This really is something.”
“Like I said, it’s perfect.”
