A World Apart (The Jake Thomas Trilogy - Book 1)

by Tolle, Steven A.

  Norlan changed subjects. "Let me see your sword." Jake drew his sword and handed it to Norlan. He looked it over closely and tapped the blade with his ring, listening to the sound. He carefully grabbed the blade, his strong arms bending the steel slightly, testing its strength. Satisfied, he handed it back to Jake. "That is a good sword; it has the right amount of strength and flexibility. Get your honing pouch and I will show you how to keep it sharp."

  Norlan instructed Jake on the proper way to sharpen his sword and dagger, having him practice until he was satisfied. He had Jake take off his breastplate to demonstrate how to maintain his armor. Time slipped away while they were working. Jake was surprised when Cherise came out the back door to tell them that dinner was ready, her eyes going wide when she saw Jake's armor and sword. Jake started to put his breastplate back on, but Norlan stopped him. "Go put it away in your room, lad. I see the meal as simply a stop on the way to the baths." He gave Jake a wink and herded Cherise back inside.

  Jake took his equipment to his room, stacking it neatly next to the wall. He went to put away his extra pants and vest and found new clothes folded neatly in the dresser. He grabbed the soap and water pitcher, went into the yard to wash his hands, then headed into the house.

  After Norlan said his prayer and they started eating, Jake mentioned the new clothes he found. Madalin replied. "You need more than one set of clothes. I picked up those clothes while I was at the market."

  "Thank you, Madalin." Jake said as he pulled out his money pouch. "Dominic gave me some money. How much did the clothes cost?"

  "Don't be silly, Jake." She replied, waving away his offer. "Save your coins for something else."

  "But, you have done too much already." Jake protested. "You've given me a place to stay and feed me. The least I can do is pay for my clothes."

  "It is our pleasure to help you, Jake." Norlan interjected, sharing a glance with his wife. "If you feel some obligation, just remember that you'll be working with me in the mornings, so you are earning your way."

  Jake could see that they were not going to accept any money and let the matter drop. Cherise took advantage of the sudden silence and spoke up.

  "Jake, do you have your…what did you call it… ahh, 'phone'?" She asked, a hopeful look in her eyes. "I'm sure Mother and Father would like to see the image that you took."

  "Sure." Jake said, putting his coin pouch back and retrieving his phone. He powered it on and selected his photos. The family gathered around him, Norlan and Madalin fascinated with the pictures Jake showed them. He showed them pictures of his friends and family back home, telling them stories of some of the situations in which he, Sean and Matt somehow found themselves. Cherise was caught up by the stories and pictures, her eyes shining with delight, her parents chuckling good-naturedly.

  However, when the family picture of him standing with his parents and siblings, all close together and smiling, during the last camping trip appeared, his throat caught, homesickness suddenly welling up. Steadying himself, he explained his need to conserve the limited battery power and shut off his phone. Glancing at Madalin, he sensed that she understood his true reason, sympathy reflected in her eyes.

  The thought of his family and home continued to resurface in his mind as he watched the playful interaction between Cherise and her parents as they ate. Norlan and Madalin made sure to include Jake, clearly wanting him to feel part of their family. While he appreciated their efforts, that only seemed to cause his emotional tension to increase.

  After he helped clear the table and wash the dishes, Jake's emotions were roiling, a growing feeling that he may explode, so he said good night and went back out to his room. As he was changing into his robe, he saw that his sandals had been placed back under his bed, probably by Cherise, and grabbed them. He took a towel and headed behind the storage shed to find the bathing area.

  Jake found a small wooden enclosure, floored with tile and open to the sky. Inside was a large tub of water, with a small bucket hanging from the wall, next to a small container of soap. Clearly, this was a manual shower process using the bucket, like he had used on one of his family's camping trips. He entered, undressed and grabbed the bucket and dumped some water over his head. The water was cool, but not cold, so he found the bucket shower quite pleasant.

  After he finished bathing, he returned to his room and put on some fresh clothes. He sat down on his bed, his thoughts turning back to home. Despite knowing that he should try and focus on the here and now, he picked up his phone, powering it up once again, looking at the photos. He stopped on the family picture again. He was staring at his parents' faces, suddenly stricken by guilt when he realized that, while he was settling in, surrounded by supportive people he saw as friends, they must be going crazy, not knowing what happened to him. He was consumed by that thought, picturing his mother sitting at home weeping, his father brooding, bereft of their first born, with no clue to his fate. He was surprised when he saw the tears drop onto the face of his phone. He wiped them away, but more fell to replace them.

  "Jake. Are you alright?" Madalin's voice came softly from the door.

  Jake looked up to see her standing there, concern written over her kind face, seeing his tears fall. He wanted to say something, his mouth moving, but the words would not come. She quickly came over to him, sitting next to him on the bed and putting her arm around his shoulders, softly stroking his hair, whispering reassuring words. Her closeness and touch seemed to coax out all of the emotions he had been holding inside. Unable to help himself, he put his face into her shoulder and wept.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jake woke in the early morning, to the distant sound of a crowing rooster, his eyes puffy and feeling sandy from his tears the night before. He slowly got out of bed, filling the bowl on the dresser with water and dipping his face into it. Holding his breath, he rubbed the water over his face, the cool water soothing and bracing at the same time. He scrubbed his face until his breath gave out. Straightening and running his wet fingers through his hair, he dried his face and sat back down on his bed, trying to put his sudden burst of emotion behind him.

  However, as he remembered Madalin comforting him last night, he flushed with both embarrassment and anger at himself. He could not believe that he had broken down like that. How weak he must have looked to her. It was bad enough she saw him like that once; he would not allow that to happen again. Fists clenched, he wrestled down his anger, trying to shift his focus to the present.

  Looking up, he noticed his phone sitting on the dresser top. He stood quickly and grabbed it, making sure that it was powered off, then opened a drawer and shoved it under the clothes. He was here for the foreseeable future; he had to harden himself to that fact. His phone was a connection to a life that he had no idea when, or if, he would see again. He had to set it aside, a distraction he did not need. For the time being, he told himself, he would embrace the training regime that was set up for him.

  He stood and began to change into his clothes and armor. His feet protested a bit when he pulled his boots on, but he tried to ignore it. He was finishing dressing, belting on his sword over his breastplate, when Norlan came knocking on the door frame. "Time for the morning meal, Jake." He said.

  "I'll be there in a moment, Norlan." Jake replied, hearing Norlan walking back to the house. Cinching his belt tight, he shoved his money pouch into his pants pocket and headed out the door. He crossed the patio, the morning air cool as the sky lightened with the rising sun, and went into the house.

  He made his way to the dining table, the delicious aromas of breakfast filling the room. Norlan and Cherise were already sitting down, Cherise scraping her pencil on the parchment in front of her, while Madalin finished her preparations. Cherise looked up from her drawing and gave Jake a wide smile, then put her head down again. Jake sat down in his chair, the process taking a moment as he figured out how to sit without tangling his sword into the chair.

  Madalin came over with the tray of food and sat down.
She reached over and laid her hand on Jake's, giving his a gentle squeeze, a soft smile on her face. Jake flushed with embarrassment again. Giving his hand once last pat, Madalin nodded to Norlan and nudged Cherise to have her put away her parchment.

  Norlan said grace and they began to eat. As always, the food was delicious. It took Jake's mind off his concerns for the moment. The mood was quiet and the meal was completed with a minimum of small talk. Norlan finished his plate and stood, facing Jake. "Are you finished, Jake? I need to get to the smithy before my apprentices arrive." When Jake nodded, he headed for the side door.

  Shoving the last bite into his mouth, Jake rose and placed his plate in the sink and followed Norlan out the door. They passed out the side gate into the street and headed for the smithy. There were more people out this early then Jake expected as the city began to come alive again. Many of the people greeted Norlan as they passed on the street, with a familiarity that told Jake that this was a regular morning routine.

  As the street cleared of people nearby, Norlan turned towards Jake. "Are you feeling alright, Jake?" He asked with concern in his voice.

  It took Jake a moment to realize that he was asking about last night. Jake flushed again, feeling stupid, since of course Norlan knew. Madalin would have told him what occurred.

  "I'm fine, Norlan." Jake said shortly, not really wanting to talk about it.

  Norlan apparently did want to talk. "I can't say I know what you are going through. I imagine that this whole situation must be very confusing and maybe a bit frightening." Norlan replied softly, clearly trying to be sensitive. He placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "I will do whatever I can to help you get home. Until then, I meant what I said about you considering my home as your home and feeling part of the family." He gave Jake a smile. "I hope you will forgive me if I consider you as the son we never had."

  "It's not you or Madalin." Jake said quickly, feeling grateful for Norlan's openness and concern. "You have been great to me. I was just thinking of my parents and what they must be going through. I've realized that I can't do anything about that for now, so I need to focus on my training."

  "It speaks well about you that you are concerned for your parents, Jake." Norlan said. "Many young men your age tend to forget about their parents' feelings. I can remember that time in my own life."

  After a short pause, he continued, his tone more businesslike. "As for your training, while you are working in the smithy, I expect you to act as one of the apprentices. Even though you are my guest and charge, I'll assign you tasks as I would any apprentice."

  They turned up the alleyway that led to the yard of the smithy. Norlan pulled out a key to unlock the gate. "I also expect that you will listen to the directions of Helman. He is a senior journeyman, almost ready to take his tests for mastery. He has a stern demeanor, but is a good teacher, fair and patient with questions."

  They went over to Norlan's office. He unlocked the door, revealing a small desk covered in papers, with a wooden chair behind it, as well as a small bookshelf with some scrolls on it against the far wall. There were two leather-bound chairs in front of the desk, clearly for customers. Norlan pointed over to a small open area between the desk and the wall. "You can leave your equipment over there, Jake."

  Jake went over and neatly piled his armor and weapons in the space. Norlan led him out of the office and over to the smithy. He opened a small cabinet and pulled out a heavy leather apron for Jake. "Everyone in the smithy wears the aprons. They deflect to the heat of the furnaces and resist the sparks as we fashion the hot metal."

  He pulled out a couple of odd looking metal objects with leather strips hanging from them. "These are coverings for the top of your boots. While the boots you have are made of a fine and strong leather, these will help protect them from both heat and impacts." He smiled a tight smile. "Trust me, having a hot piece of heavy metal hitting your foot is not an experience you would relish."

  After Jake covered his boots, Norlan set him to work bringing wood and coal over to the furnace in a wheeled cart. Under Norlan's watchful direction, Jake stoked the furnace, bringing the temperature up for the day's work. Once the temperature was satisfactory to Norlan, he told Jake the amount and type of fuel he wanted at the furnace and went back to his office.

  As Jake was bringing another load of materials to the furnace, the gate opened as Helman came in, followed by the two apprentices Jake saw yesterday. Helman came over and greeted Jake, his demeanor stern as Norlan had said, but was pleasant in his greeting. He also introduced the two apprentices, Dern and Almos.

  The apprentices were both around Jake's age, though their appearances could not be more opposite. Dern was tall and lanky, with a long face, short brown hair and sad-looking brown eyes. Almos, on the other hand, was short and stocky, his long brown hair tied into a ponytail behind his round face, his bright blue eyes full of mischief. Both greeted Jake with enthusiasm, clearly informed that he would be coming to the smithy. They listened intently as Jake responded to their questions, letting them know that he would be here in the mornings, but would be training with Dominic in the afternoon.

  "You will have plenty of time to get to know one another." Helman said brusquely, quickly cutting off the conversation. "There is work to be done." He took charge of the little group, setting Dern and Almos to tasks and having Jake continue to bring fuel.

  After bringing over the fuel, Helman had Jake work the furnace bellows as Dern, wearing heavy leather gloves, heated a long metal rod. Helman demonstrated and explained how to keep the furnace a constant temperature, which was critical to ensure the even heating of the metal. Dern pulled the rod from the furnace, the end cherry-red, and moved over to an anvil. Under Helman's watchful eye, Dern grabbed a large hammer and began to rhythmically pound the metal, reheating it when it cooled. The sound of the ringing metal filled the smithy, drowning out all of the other sounds from Jake's hearing.

  Working the bellows for Dern and Almos kept Jake busy for the rest of the morning. Helman called a short break about mid-morning while he went to confer with Norlan, which allowed Jake to talk with Dern and Almos. Talking with boys his age made Jake feel better and soon they were laughing and joking. Helman returned and the boys went back to work.

  The time seemed to fly and before Jake knew it, Norlan came out to announce it was time for the mid-day meal. He had Jake take off the smithy gear and put on his armor and sword, which awed Dern and Almos, and led the boys and Helman to a food shop down the street from the smithy, with tables set up under the tall tree in the yard. Norlan ordered food for all of them, which arrived quickly, served by the plump woman who ran the shop. The smells coming off the plate of chicken, vegetables and a piece of buttered dark bread set Jake's mouth watering. After working all morning, Jake was famished and shoveled in the food, washing it down with the sweet fruit punch that came with the meal. After he cleared his plate, he sat back, feeling content, enjoying the shade of the tree.

  The others finished shortly and rose, Norlan going over to pay the proprietress for the meals. Jake stood as well, adjusting his armor and sword belt slightly. Helman, Dern and Almos said goodbye to Jake as they headed back to the smithy.

  Norlan came back over to Jake. "I'm going with you today, Jake. I promised Madalin to speak to Dominic about his conditions regarding your armor and home. I may as well get that over with." He blew out a short breath. "Let's go. You don't want to be late on your first day."

  Norlan and Jake made their way to the training grounds, with Norlan pointing out points of interest as they walked. Many of the people on the streets greeted Norlan and gave Jake curious looks.

  They made their way to the gate that Jake had entered the training grounds. Two guards were on duty, with Dominic standing a few feet away, talking with another soldier. As they approached, the guards crossed their spears, blocking their entry.

  The guard on the right, a light-haired young man only a couple of years older than Jake, spoke. "I am sorry, Mastersmith Norlan,
but I cannot allow you onto the grounds. My orders are only to allow Dominic's pupil passage."

  "That is fine, young Hadar. I understand the importance of orders." Norlan replied, a warm smile on his face.

  "So, now you remember your orders, do you?" Dominic said to the guard, voice hard. "It would have been better if you remembered them earlier." The guard stood rigidly, his face flushing bright red at the comment.

  Dominic stared at the young man for a moment longer, then turned to Norlan. "I didn't expect to see you this afternoon, Norlan. Is something amiss?"

  "Actually, may I speak with you privately?" Norlan asked. "It should only take a minute or two."

  "Of course, Norlan." Dominic replied, leading him a few paces away.

  Jake watched as the two quietly spoke, quiet enough that Jake could not hear. Norlan suddenly smiled and shook his head. After Dominic said something else, he let out a laugh. After a few more words, they shook hands and came back over to Jake, Norlan still smiling. He reached out to Jake, putting his hand on Jake's shoulder.

  "Listen to Dominic, lad, and follow his instructions. I know that you will do well." Norlan said. "I will see you tonight for the evening meal. Train hard." With a nod to Dominic, Norlan strode off, seemingly content, heading back to the smithy.

  "Let's go, boy. Daylight is wasting." Dominic said as he headed back into the training ground, giving Hadar another hard look as he passed, Jake hurrying to catch up. They made their way down the fence line, into an area that Jake had not been.