Waiting several minutes to allow everyone to look around, Seth decided it was time to see if they could afford such accommodations. Reading the sign on the counter Seth quickly followed its instructions and pulled on a cord that hung from the ceiling that he hadn’t noticed before. Pulling the cord, Seth could feel it give, and releasing it emitted a deep resounding dong, dong, dong. From somewhere higher in the building the bell rang and reverberated through the stone walls to be heard throughout the entire structure.
Immediately from somewhere beyond the wall in front of them, they heard a door swing open and then closed again. Footsteps clicked across the marble floor and around the wall from the dining hall a woman appeared. She was tall and slender, and wrapped in an elegant silk gown that clung to the curves of her body like a lover. No detail was left to the imagination and it was apparent that the woman’s body, though appearing delicate, had a distinctive tone to her muscles. She smiled to them as she rounded the corner showing her flawless white teeth. She had a pretty smile, one that both welcomed them and made them feel at ease. As she stepped behind the counter, she began to speak.
“Welcome to The King’s Herald, I am Sasha the Inn’s director. In anticipation of the celebration of The Choosing ceremony we have temporarily cut our rates to better accommodate those that have traveled from afar to attend. We still have several rooms available if you should like to stay.” The woman stated with rehearsed perfection.
Seth stood looking away from the woman as if to show Sara he was not interested in any other woman but her. The other boys were too busy drooling to form any words, so it was left to Sara to do the speaking.
“We would indeed like to stay Miss Sasha, but first may I ask some questions about your accommodations?” Sara said trying to mimic the other woman’s word mastery.
“Yes please do feel free to ask me anything your heart desires.” Sasha replied.
“First off then, do you have bathing facilities, and facilities to launder our clothes? Secondly, what sizes of rooms do you have available? Lastly what are the current rates on those rooms?” Sara asked all at one to get the questions out of the way.
“Well M’lady we do have bathing facilities, and we also can launder your clothes and dry them while you bathe so they are fresh and warm when you are finished. We have several sizes of rooms remaining as well. We have some large one bed suites available with one bed that runs ten silver per night, while on special. We also have some two bed rooms remaining they are less lavishly decorated and on a higher floor and so run a bit cheaper at seven silver per night, then we also have some rooms on the top floor each with four beds made into bunks. The rooms are small but satisfactory and cost six silver per night, from now until the day after the ceremony.” Sasha replied. She then waited patiently for a response.
Sara ran several calculations through her head knowing they could afford any rooms they wanted, but unwilling to spend all of their remaining money on the rooms. Four nights remained until the ceremony, and Sara realized she still had a substantial amount of money, her purse now totaling one gold, seventy six silver, and ninety two copper. Taking this into account she had one last question to ask.
“What services are included with a room?” Sara asked Sasha.
“Everything but food darling.” Sasha replied quickly.
“Ok then, we would like a one bedroom suite for four nights, and a two bed room also for four nights.” Sara said smiling provocatively at Seth.
“Alright M’lady, extended stays must be paid for in advance to reserve your room. Also if you should wish for someone to go to the markets for you just ask and I will send one of ours servants free of charge, you will only need to pay for the items you’ve sent for.” Sasha spoke once again as if she had been practicing the lines all morning.
Sara dug out the two large silver coins still in her possession, and eighteen small silver coins. She paid Sasha, who thanked her graciously and asked if they would like to see their rooms or bathe first. All of them decided they would much rather bathe first asked to be led to the baths. Sasha led them through the lavish building taking them first through the dining hall and then around a corner into a long hallway. They walked to the end of the hall and Sasha opened the door at the end of the hall revealing a room like none the group had ever imagined. It was not that the room was excessively decorative. It was the massive metal structure in the middle of the room that drew the focus of their attention. A giant copper tear hung from the ceiling at the middle of the room, it was polished to a golden honey shine, and across its polished surface flames leaped and danced. The fire was actually situated below the giant metal tear, but its reflections danced all over the object causing it to appear as if it were completely engulfed in flame. At the top of the giant tear, where it hung from the ceiling, dozens of small copper tubes erupted out in a cascade across the ceiling. The tubes ran across the expanse of the ceiling in all directions, curving this way and that, some of them even doubling back upon themselves before turning once again in another direction. The tubes then flowed down the walls disappearing behind the semitransparent glass walls of a dozen stalls. Shadows and sparkles danced around the room making the entire expanse seem alive. It was an amazing site, awe inspiring. Sasha watched their expressions as they entered the room and she smiled knowingly.
“The device was once created by the gnomes as a weapon of war. They brought several of them here to Valdadore to present to the King as a gift. However as most gnome devices are dangerous at best, there was a fatal flaw in their design. The large tank we so lovingly refer to as the gods’ tear was designed to hold a large quantity of tar. It would then be heated causing the tar to expand and spray out the tubes. The tubes can be bent to face in the direction of the enemy who would subsequently by coated in boiling tar. However while demonstrating the device to the King its tubes clogged preventing the escape of the heated tar. Pressure continued to build in the tear until the demonstration unit exploded killing all of its handlers. The King rejected the gift, and the gnomes were so upset by their failure left the remaining devices for the people to do with them whatever they wanted. We, here at The King’s Herald obtained this one and modified it slightly to heat water for our baths. Inside each stall is a tube with a valve, if you would like to heat your bath further simply turn the valve and hot water will flow into your bath. Be careful though it is very hot. After you undress please place your clothes at the base of the door to your stall and one of our people will collect them and have them quickly washed, dried, and returned. Please feel free to take your time and relax.” Sasha finished her narrative, and smiling politely left the room allowing the door to close behind her.
Without a word the group headed down between the two rows of stalls. Ashton walked straight into the first stall and closed the door behind him. Garret walked half way down the same row and disappeared into a stall of his own. Sara led Seth by the hand to the back of the room. She led him to the next to last stall in the room and kissed him gently before allowing him to enter the stall. Watching him close the door behind him, she stepped into the stall directly next to his, the last stall in the room. Sara waited until she heard Seth step into the water. Knowing he was undressed and relaxing, she too quickly removed her clothes. The walls between the stalls were made of the same semitransparent glass as the doors, and being such you could see through them a bit, kind of like looking at a colored silhouette. It was a view lacking detail, thus granting privacy into each stall. Sara walked to the wall she shared with Seth. Assuming the closer she got to the wall the more definition he would be able to see through the glass. She tapped the wall lightly with her fingertips and heard his bath water slosh around. Assured she had his attention, she stepped as near to the glass she could without actually touching it and turned around painfully slow allowing him a less than perfect view of every angle of her naked body. Hearing Seth sigh loudly Sara giggled and turning, climbed into her tub.