Chapter 287

Finding an inn proved relatively easy. Innkeepers, lettered or not, knew that travelers would be looking for a place to stay soon after coming through the gate. The city, such as it was, was mostly comprised of stone, which Brain recognized as being similar to that of the mountains that bordered Re-Estize, even this close to the border, that was a fair distance. 'Doesn't matter, it's not like I had to do the work, I just have to climb the steps they made.' He thought and went up the short row of stone steps that led to a thick oaken door. He swung it open and went inside with his companions following close behind.

The smell of cooking meat and vegetables at once assaulted their noses, it was reinforced by the smell of warm beer, and the noise of idle chatter from Theocracy citizens. A mix of servers in low cut black dresses with white frills along the base carried trays back and forth in and out of a back room with a steadily swinging door. Curiously, the door never seemed to stop, the servants came and went without having to pause for one another in either direction, as if they knew one another's rhythm.

"Good sir, madam, young lady!" A cheery voice rang out that briefly broke the din and caused Brain to turn his head in its direction. A lumpy looking fellow with rosy cheeks, wisps of hair on an almost bald head, and a smile on his face, waved at them with enthusiasm.

He stood in another room which was divided by a large window on which a counter sat with a large open book, quill, and ink just waiting to be used.

"Welcome to the Warm Bed Inn, master, I assume you'll need one room and two beds?" The portly fellow said with an indulgent smile as he appraised the pair at his back.

"Ah, yes, yes I will." Brain said and suppressed a wince when he felt a sharp pair of fingers pinch him covertly in his side and twist.

"Is everything alright, sir?" The portly keeper asked when he heard the light change in Brain's voice that the warrior couldn't quite conceal.

"Yes, everything is fine, just fine, it's just a little travel weariness, you know. Heh…. heh heh…" He blushed a little, smiled weakly, and rubbed the top of his head when he felt his flesh twist again in Zesshi's pinching grip.

"Ah, if you say so, m'lord, ah… that'll be three small silvers for two days, a copper for the bed warming service if you want it."

Brain felt the twist one more time and then it was gone, the pain faded quickly but he could feel Zesshi's glare up at the back of his skull.

Brain pulled out his pouch and took three silvers and laid them on the counter.

"What's the bed warming service?" Zesshi asked from behind Brain.

"Oh, we have one of the crop ears warm up the bed for you with their body heat, we get a mighty cold wind through here on some nights, and a warm bed is very welcome, I truly recommend it." The innkeeper explained, "Don't worry, both are thoroughly washed first."

"No, that won't be necessary." Brain explained while Zesshi quietly took that in.

As they went up the stairs behind the innkeeper after he swept the coins into his waiting palm, Zesshi asked, "What's a crop ear?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, yes, ah, those are the elf slaves, they're usually called just 'crop ears' for short, probably because this is such a big farming city. We've got more Latifundias than Crossroads, the only place with more farmland than us is Wheaton… appropriate name if ever there was one. Anyhow, they get their ears cut off about halfway down before they're put up for sale. I got two myself, kind of expensive, but a good investment since it keeps my labor costs down." He explained as the wooden steps creaked under their feet.

"I think, yes, I would like that service, dear," Zesshi said with a slightly scathing tone to get Brain's attention, "give the man two coppers when he leaves us."

"Sure… sure." Brain answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. 'This will end well.' He told himself with sarcasm and followed the innkeeper to the door, the key rattled as the old iron lock was clicked open and the older man showed them within.

It was a simple, clean room, two beds on opposite walls, not overly much space on either one, with simple gray sheets and a hefty and very thick overstuffed pillow that smelled faintly of goose.

Brain withdrew two copper coins and slipped them into the pear shaped innkeeper's meaty palm, accepting the small iron key in return, the innkeeper added, "I'll send them along shortly, meals are available until sixth band after dark, but after fourth band it would be made by elven hands." The innkeeper pointed to the black and white banded wax candle on a wooden shelf, and then with a polite half bow he said, "If there's nothing else?"

When no one spoke, he straightened and left the room.

When the door closed, Zesshi and Layali pulled their hoods back and Brain asked, "Why did you ask for that?"

"I wanted to see them." Zesshi said matter of factly and strode over to the nearby table, she pulled the chair out and sat down. She lightly drummed her fingers on the table while Layali walked over and sat on the bed. It squeaked under her and sank a little, she began to bounce herself lightly up and down while Zesshi explained herself.

"I want to see what I've really been protecting for all these years, so… a day or two here, I should be able to see something of how the other half of myself lives. It doesn't sound good so far, but I need to see with my own two eyes." Zesshi said and closed a tense fist, she glared at Brain as if he were guilty of something himself. "I already understand I was lied to… but how much… how much?" She whispered, "I need to know."

"Crop ears… by the six…" Zesshi whispered and touched her own slightly pointed ears with a shaking hand.

"That does sound painful…" Brain took a step away from her and then turned to sit on the bed on the far side of the room.

"You have no idea how much, human!" Zesshi bit off the words, and he looked away from her.

"Were you…?" He started to ask, then thought the better of it and closed his mouth.

"No! But for the first years of my life my mother raised me. I saw the way she looked at me, how her hands shook when she bathed me and washed my ears, she couldn't even look at them, because they were my father's… I was too young to understand then exactly why she was that way. All I knew was that bathtime stopped being fun whenever it came time to clean that part of me. She got very sad, and wouldn't talk to me for hours after that… I was little, and thought that part of me must be bad, she was all I had, so I wanted to make it better…" Zesshi's snarl twisted with remembered agony, and Brain held up one hand.

"Wait, you don't have to say." He said, but she went on.

"So, one day, while she was out, I took a knife and I tried to cut them off myself, not completely, but I was going to try to carve them into a shape like hers." Zesshi snorted, "She really was a black scripture, she rushed over, snatched away the knife, spanked my ass, and then took me to a healer. I told them what happened, and not long after that I was taken away from her to be raised by the temples and the leaders of the Black Scripture."

"Ohhh… and so you know…" Brain struggled to find words to say, and it was a losing battle, all words escaped him.

"The ears of an elf are an erogenous zone…" Zesshi explained, and Brain cocked his head.

"A what?" He asked.

"Touching them is very sexual… they're extremely sensitive, it would be like mutilating that, on you." She said and pointed between his legs, his face drained of all color.

"So, I want to know the truth, all of it, no matter how ugly it is… then I can decide what to do." Zesshi said and wiped her eyes clean of the sheen that began to form on them.

"And what will you do, if it's as bad as you fear?" Brain asked the salient point, and Zesshi's shoulders slumped.

"I don't know… leave? Leave and never come back? Maybe go to the tournament, win, and rule as an empress who is hostile to the Slane Theocracy? I just don't know… but that's immaterial until I have the truth, whatever it is." Zesshi said just as there was a knock at their door.