A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,122

they looked over at him.

"I didn't mean to intrude." He said, feeling a bit out of place. "I just wanted to check on Cherise."

"You are not intruding, Jake." Madalin said warmly. "Come over."

Jake sat with the family, gently drawing Cherise into conversation. She was hesitant at first; she kept looking at Jake with a combination of reverence and fear. Jake was slightly disturbed by that, but tried to ignore it. As time went by, she seemed to grow more comfortable, even sharing a smile with Jake at times.

Jake left after a while, stopping to pet Maxis on the way out. He went outside, drawing in the fresh air. He stood in the yard for a bit, then went back to his room, sitting down on his bed and thinking over all that had happened to him. He did know how long he had been there when Norlan popped his head into the room.

"I'm going to the smithy to check on things, Jake." Norlan said. "Why don't you come with me? A little walk will be good for both of us."

Jake agreed and shortly they were standing in the yard at the smithy. While Norlan called Helman over to his office to discuss some things, Almos and Dern pulled Jake away, a torrent of questions bursting forth. Jake spent the next half-hour trying to get them caught up on all that happened. They continued to talk until Norlan and Helman came out of the office, Helman calling the other two back to work.

"Let's head back, Jake." Norlan said, motioning towards the gate. "I don't want to be gone too long."

As Jake and Norlan neared home, Jake was startled to see around twenty Royal Guards standing out in the street, keeping watch. He and Norlan came up to the side gate, the Guards making a space for them to pass, and saw Keria standing there with Madalin and a couple of the neighborhood women, quietly talking.

As they entered the yard, Jake spotted Marcus standing a few feet away from the women, armored and his shield on his arm, trying to watch the street and Keria at the same time. Marcus saw Jake as well, the usual unfriendly look tempered with what Jake could only think was a grudging respect. After a moment where they just looked at each other, Marcus gave him a curt nod, which startled Jake enough that he stopped in his tracks. "He must be sick." Jake thought to himself.

"Jake!" Keria's voice called to him, pulling his attention away. She was standing there, beautiful as always, a warm smile on her face, green eyes sparkling. Jake made his way over to her, everything else forgotten, captivated by her beauty.

"Princess." Jake replied with a smile of his own, giving her a small bow. "It is nice to see you again."

"I'm pleased to see you whole and hale." Keria said. "I heard of your heroic rescue of Master Norlan and Madam Madalin's daughter and wanted to add my own appreciation for that act." She stepped forward and kissed him on both cheeks, catching Jake off guard. "You have brought great honor to yourself and your guardians. The Kingdom of Sanduas thanks you."

Jake was blushing slightly as she stepped back, conscious of all of the people watching. "Thank you, Princess." He said, giving her another bow and trying to sound formal. "You honor me."

"We will talk more, Jake, but I would like to look in on Cherise first." Keria replied. She looked at Madalin. "With your permission, Madam Madalin?"

"Of course, Your Highness. She would appreciate that greatly." Madalin said with a little curtsy. "Please follow me." She led the princess into her home.

Jake stood there for moment, watching them go into the house, enjoying the way Keria moved. When the door closed behind them, he turned back towards Norlan and found Marcus coming over to him, his face disapproving, hand resting on his dagger. Norlan stepped back slightly, crossing his arms, watching. Marcus nodded to Norlan, then stopped in front of Jake, looking him in the eyes.

"You know how I feel about the princess." Marcus stated quietly. "That has not changed." He paused and frowned, thinking. "However, I wanted to say that you have proven your courage and I respect that. I honor any enemy of the demons and their followers." With that, he turned and headed over to the gate to wait for the princess.

Jake stood there in stunned silence for a moment. He never expected to hear anything like that