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

by Tolle, Steven A.

It took him a moment to realize that the wall was moving towards him. The movement was subtle at first; so subtle, he was not certain it was moving. Frightened, he began to back away, but the darkness moved closer, picking up speed. Jake turned and ran, desperate to get away.

  Despite his efforts, the wall got closer. He ran heedless through the now strangely formless area, his only thought to avoid the darkness. He could feel its cold radiating against the heat of his back as it inched ever closer, the faint sound of multiple voices crying out for him growing as well.

  Now terrified, he knew that if he was caught, he would be lost. Breath heaving, his chest feeling like it would burst, he ran. Ran until something caught his foot, sending him sprawling, crying out in fear. Waiting for the darkness to take him, Jake lay with his eyes closed. When nothing happened, he slowly opened his eyes.

  He saw that he was lying on a stone floor. Raising his head, he looked around carefully. The stone floor extended in front of him for a great distance, bracketed on both sides by stone walls. He stood, looking up to see a dark sky, roiling with black clouds, winds whistling amongst the stones. Spinning around slowly, he realized that he was on one of the walls of Sanduas. He became aware that he was wearing his armor and sword.

  As he came to a stop, a sudden movement above caught his eye. Disbelieving, he saw a dark figure separate and descend from the clouds above. It landed silently on the wall, about twenty feet away, facing Jake. It did not have any features other than a vaguely human-shaped form, seemingly made up only of the swirling black clouds.

  The figure stood there, still as death. Death was what Jake's mind told him was in front of him. His terror rose, all of his instincts telling him to flee, but he seemed rooted to the spot. His blood seemed to have gone cold and his body frozen. Then the figure started to move towards him. His fear rose up and overwhelmed all other thoughts. Run, his mind screamed.

  "Be not afraid, child." A gentle voice unexpectedly sounded in his mind, warm and comforting. The warmth of the voice seemed to melt the ice in his veins, freeing Jake from his stasis.

  Suddenly, he found himself able to move, rapidly backing away as the figure got closer. Desperate, he drew his sword, unable to tear his eyes from the figure, which was continuing its silent stalking.

  Knowing escape was hopeless, he surprised himself by realizing his main emotion was not fear, but anger. He stopped, deciding that he would not run, determining at the last to stand and fight.

  "You do not fight alone." The voice came again, smooth and soothing.

  Suddenly, Jonas and Hailyn appeared to Jake's left, glowing brightly in the yellow fire of the clerics. Dominic appeared on his right, sword in hand; solid, hard and indomitable. Their presence comforted him and steeled his courage and resolve.

  The dark figure halted, seemingly startled by his friends' appearance. For a moment, everything was still, the only movement the roiling clouds overhead. Without warning, large waves of darkness rolled out from the figure, sweeping over his friends, seeming to wash them out while leaving Jake alone to face the figure. Two lines of power, like black ropes, sprang out towards Jake.

  He moved to evade them and instinctively cut at them with his sword. He was able to avoid them, but one brushed his arm as they were pulled back to the figure. Jake knew at that touch that these lines were not to harm him, but to capture him. The thought of being captured by this creature terrified Jake, his whole body suddenly shaking. Despair rose up in his mind again.

  The faint sounds of Dominic battling in the darkness to his right slipped past his fear into his mind. That made him aware of faint flashes of yellow fire that pulsed from the darkness on his left. His friends were still fighting and he needed to fight as well.

  As he made that decision, he felt a sudden burning sensation springing from his chest. He glanced down to see a bluish glow spread from the center of his chest out to cover his body in a glowing nimbus, bright against the darkness.

  Sensing its advantage slipping, the figure launched multiple lines of darkness at Jake. Surrounded by his power, Jake was able to deflect and cut the lines, the blue fire infusing his sword. More sprang forth, coming with greater frequency, as the figure seemed to grow more desperate. Jake continued to move and leap about, dodging and cutting, trying to stay clear of the darkness. His muscles started to burn from his exertions as the lines came more rapidly, seemingly endless. He could feel his frustration building, forced to constantly defend against the darkness, never having an opportunity to attack.

  Suddenly, a line of the dark power slipped past Jake's guard, wrapping around him. Jake cut at it, severing its hold, but that allowed more lines to wrap around him. He twisted and turned, desperately cutting, the lines wrapping and tangling more around him, restricting his movements, covering him...

  Jake started awake, sprawled across his bed, blankets twisted around his body. He was sweaty and it felt as if he had been beaten in his sleep, as all of his muscles protested, stiff and sore, when he untangled himself from his covers. He got to his feet, grimacing as he twisted and stretched, trying to work out the kinks and stiffness. Clearly, he was not used to working as physically as he did the day before.

  The physical soreness was matched by the mental discomfort his dream had produced. It had seemed so real. He could still feel the terror and anger, as well as the power that had flowed from him, as he faced that awful figure. He shook his head, trying to clear out the images and focus his attention on something else.

  Glancing about the room, he saw his clothes, armor and swordbelt scattered about the small room where he had dropped them the night before. He could imagine what Dominic would say to him if he saw this mess. Groaning slightly, he moved to forestall any possibility of that by slowly and stiffly picking up his stuff.

  Once he cleaned up his room, he went to the doorway and stuck his head out to see how early it was. The sky was still dark, but lightening in the east. With the images of his dream still fresh and troubling in his mind, he did not trust sleeping again. He went back inside, made his bed and dressed in a new set of clothes.

  To kill some time and distract himself, he pulled out his honing stone and oil to work on his sword. Sitting on the bed, he drew his sword from the scabbard, gave it a close inspection, looking for any hint of rust or blemish. He was uncomfortably aware that the swordhilt felt the same in his hand as when he held it in his dream.

  Mentally telling himself to let it go, he went to work. After he was satisfied with condition of the blade and the sharpness of the edge, he sheathed it and picked up his armor. After he finished his inspection and cleaning, he decided he may as well suit up for the day.

  Once completely dressed, he went outside to get some fresh air. The morning air was cool, with some high clouds and a slight breeze. Moving about the patio area, he continued to stretch his sore muscles, knowing that he would be having more of the same today.

  He heard a short bark from Maxis on the other side of the house, the dog clearly aware of Jake's presence. Jake went over to the corner of the house and looked over the short fence that was part of Maxis' enclosure. The fence seemed wholly inadequate as Maxis ran up to Jake, his head easily clearing the top of the fence. Jake reached out and petted the dog, which excitedly licked at Jake's hands. The exuberance of the dog caused Jake to smile as he rubbed away at Maxis' head, his unease temporarily relieved. Unfortunately, the reprieve was short-lived as the images and feelings of his dream returned, focusing Jake's attention inward.

  Lost in his thoughts, Jake was startled when a voice suddenly said. "You're up early, Jake." Jake jumped at the sound, still tense from his dream. He turned, embarrassed by his start, to see that Norlan had come out of the house. Norlan came over to where Jake stood, an easy smile on his face. Maxis continued to rub his head against Jake's hand.

  "I did not mean to frighten you." Norlan said apologetically, noticing Jake's jump.

  "It wasn't you so much, Norlan." Jake replied. He hesitated for a moment, then said.
"I had a weird dream last night; it seemed so real and I can't seem to shake it."

  "Do you care to share it?" Norlan asked gently.

  Jake, comforted by his solid presence, told Norlan about the dream. Norlan listened quietly, his face serious as Jake described his flight from the darkness and the battle on the wall. When Jake finished his tale, Norlan gestured to one of the patio benches, leading Jake over to sit down, Maxis barking his disappointment at the end of the attention.

  "I'm a simple blacksmith, Jake." Norlan began, speaking slowly as he gathered his thoughts. "I have no great insight on dreams and their meanings, but your dream disturbs me for some reason." He paused for a moment. "Maybe it is just my concern for you, but I would like for you to discuss this with Dominic or Jonas. They are both well traveled, educated and have seen a great many things. They may be able to interpret the meaning behind this dream, if there is one."

  "Thanks, Norlan." Jake said, grateful for the concern. "I'll talk it over with Dominic this afternoon."

  "Excellent." Norlan stated, his smile returning. "Let's head inside, the morning meal should be about ready."

  Madalin was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the meal as Norlan and Jake took their seats. Cherise was already in her chair, head down as she worked on her drawing, as usual. She glanced up at Jake, giving him a shy smile. She looked back down at her drawing, gave it a couple more strokes of her pencil, then handed it across the table to Jake.

  "I drew this for you, Jake." Cherise said softly, a slight blush in her cheeks, some trepidation in her eyes.

  Jake looked down at the drawing in his hand. It was a picture of him on horseback in a forest, wearing his armor and holding his sword aloft. Despite being a pencil drawing, it had very nice detail to it. His likeness was very good, even though it had Jake looking stronger and more confident than he ever felt.

  "It is very nice, Cherise." Jake said, looking up and giving her a smile.

  Clearly, she had hoped for more as Jake could see some disappointment in her eyes. Jake hastily added. "I mean it is very, very good. I like it a lot. In fact, could you find a way to hang it in my room while I am out today?" That seemed to do the trick as her eyes brightened and she gave him a large smile. She assured him that it would be in his room before he returned.

  As they ate, Jake, remembering the pile of dirty clothes in his room, asked Madalin where he could wash them. "Just put them in the basket in your room, Jake. I will make sure they are cleaned." She replied, smiling, rejecting out of hand Jake's quick offer to pay for the cleaning. Seeing Norlan's amused shake of his head, Jake realized that she was never going to allow him to pay for anything.

  Once they arrived at the smithy, the rest of the morning went by quickly as Norlan seemed to have a constant flow of tasks for Jake. He was sure that he was kept busy as Norlan's way to help him focus on something other than his disturbing dream. Almos, eyes twinkling with good humor, came over on a couple of occasions to ask Jake what he had done to earn such a workload. Jake could tell that Almos did not believe him when he replied that he had done nothing wrong.

  After eating lunch at the same outdoor restaurant, Jake headed off to the training grounds. As he made to leave, he quietly reassured Norlan that he would talk with Dominic after Norlan had stopped him and inquired how he was feeling. He walked at a moderate pace, not wanting to be late, but the weather was nice. The day was a little cooler than the day before, with the high clouds mostly blocking the direct sunlight and a mild, comforting breeze. As images from his dream randomly intruded into his thoughts, he tried to focus on his surroundings and the bustle of the mid-day crowds as he made his way to the training grounds.

  He arrived to find Dominic waiting in the shade of one of the trees, arms crossed and leaning back against the trunk. Jake could see the training swords leaning against the tree next to him. Dominic came over to meet Jake as he entered the training area.

  "First things first, boy." Dominic said without preamble. "We'll start each day with an inspection until I am satisfied that you are taking care of your equipment. Let me see your sword."

  Jake drew his sword and handed it to Dominic. Dominic closely inspected it, seemingly pleased with its condition. He gave it back to Jake and circled around him, tugging on Jake's breastplate straps and looking for any blemishes. Satisfied, he stepped away and told Jake. "Let's start with some more drawing practice. Begin."

  As he did yesterday, Dominic had Jake practice drawing his sword in a variety of positions and alternating hands. After what seemed an eternity of drawing and re-sheathing his sword, Dominic had Jake stop and put away his sword while he went to gather the practice swords. Dominic had Jake demonstrate the parries that he had been taught. Once Jake had shown he remembered, Dominic took up position across from Jake and began to attack, forcing Jake to concentrate as the attacks came faster and faster.

  Before long, Jake had bruises on his hands and forearms where he had been a bit too slow in his parries. Dominic, for his part, did not seem concerned about the damage he was inflicting. When Dominic called a short water break, Jake asked him about it as he rubbed his arms. "Why don't we use gloves while we practice? I'm getting all beat up. Shouldn't I at least have some forearm armor like you?"

  "You must have had a soft life where you come from; a little pain is nothing, boy. Pain is a reminder that you need to strive harder. You have to learn to overcome pain if you plan to survive in combat." Dominic replied, arms folded over his chest, his eyes firm and unsympathetic. "As for gloves, gloves can become slippery when they get covered in blood. You do not want your sword to slip in the middle of a fight."

  "Regarding additional armor, I want you to learn how to use your sword properly first. Once I am satisfied you have the basic skills down, I will consider allowing you to get some vambraces." Dominic's eyes bored into Jake's. "Until then, you need to prepare yourself for discomfort in these sessions. I told you I was going to be hard on you." Dominic picked up his practice sword. "Let's begin again."

  Dominic demonstrated additional parries to Jake, explained the attacks that they were best at defending, had Jake practice them until he was satisfied, then set about attacking Jake again. After several minutes, Jake was again sweating profusely as he attempted to use the parries and avoid Dominic's sword. Dominic showed no sign of easing up as he pressed his attacks, sometimes changing them in mid-stroke. Jake gained some additional bruises as he tried to keep Dominic's sword away and failed.

  In the middle of one of their exchanges, as Jake was attempting to defend against an attack, an image of the dark figure from his dreams flashed in his mind. As if he sensed the momentary distraction, Dominic changed his attack. Jake, his sword already moving to defend against a blow that was not coming, attempted to respond, but it was too late. The blunt edge of Dominic's practice sword came down hard across the knuckles of Jake's sword hand, causing him to drop his sword and clutch his hand, as pain shot up his arm. Jake jumped up and down, cursing.

  Dominic's sword was suddenly at Jake's throat. "You're dead, boy." He said, voice hard as stone. "You drop your sword in combat and that will be the last thing you do." He shook his head, removing the sword. "Let me see your hand."

  Jake held out his hand, which was throbbing with pain. Dominic, his hard hands gently squeezing, felt along the bones, causing Jake to winch. He released the hand. "Nothing seems broken. We'll take a short break, then start again." Jake groaned, clutching and rubbing his injured hand.

  Dominic led Jake over to the shade of the tree, having Jake sit down and drink some water. Dominic stood over him. "So, what was that about, boy? You lost concentration; I could see it in your eyes. That is another sure way to die in combat."

  "You'll probably think I'm just being stupid, but I had a dream that I can't seem to shake." Jake said, looking at the ground.

  "Look at me." Dominic said, voice even. Jake looked up, meeting Dominic's eyes. "I have heard of people who dream things that come true, so I do
not discount their power. Tell me about it."

  Jake told Dominic about his dream. Dominic listened, his face impassive, not saying anything until Jake finished. He stood there for a moment, thinking, then said. "You need to speak with Jonas about this; I'm a warrior, not a scholar. It may be nothing, but then again, it could something important."

  He bent down to pick up the practice swords. "We're done for the day, boy. Go clean out the stalls and feed and water the horses. After you are done, go to the Temple. I'll send a runner to Norlan's to let them know that you will eat there. I'll go see Jonas and make sure he is available for you." With that, he strode off.

  Jake did not follow right away, but sat in the shade for a while, nursing his sore hand and thinking. He finally stood, grabbed his sword and headed to the stables. He threw himself into his work, trying to ignore the throbbing in his hand as he shoveled out the stalls and brought feed and water to Dontas and Shadow. Once he finished, he headed out, passing by Armartas' office. Armartas, occupied with a couple of soldiers in his office, saw Jake and gave him a quick wave, which Jake returned.

  The sun was low on the horizon when he entered the palace courtyards, weaving his way through the crowd as he headed to the Temple. He was not really paying attention to his surroundings when a woman's silky voice called out. "Jake, is that you?"

  Surprised to hear his name, he stopped and looked around. Coming towards him from the direction of the palace was the princess Keria, surrounded by four armed Palace Guards and walking next to a young man in chainmail and a breastplate. He was slightly taller than Jake, muscular with a handsome face that bordered on pretty, with dark curly hair, and brown eyes. He was armed with a sword and had a shield strapped to his back.

  Jake felt tongue-tied and awkward as the princess approached. Sweaty, with some straw still on his clothes, he felt completely unprepared to meet her. He tried to subtlety sniff to make sure that he did not have any horse manure on him. She seemed more beautiful than he remembered, her red hair catching the light of the setting sun, those bright green eyes shining and a welcoming smile on her face. She stopped in front of him, still smiling. Jake grinned foolishly back at her, captivated by her beauty.