A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,126

gone, I expect them to follow. They will know we headed north and stopped here. Hopefully, they will assume that we are continuing north along the road. By the time they realize their mistake, we should be safely out of reach."

They ate a large meal, taking their time. Once they were finished and the plates taken away, Dominic ordered two tankards of ale. Jake found the ale somewhat bitter, even though it was flavored with some slightly tangy fruit. They sat there drinking while a singer came out to entertain the crowd. More people came in as the night deepened, filling the tables. After a while, Dominic motioned that they should leave and went back to their room.

Jake copied Dominic by removing his armor and boots, but staying dressed and placing his drawn sword next to him on his bed. Dominic cracked the window, allowing the cool night air to come in. Between the food, travel and ale, as well as the comfortable temperature, Jake was soon asleep.

Jake woke up when Dominic tapped him on the shoulder. "Get up. We should be moving." Jake glanced out the window and thought that it was still at least an hour before dawn. He quickly put on his armor and boots, grabbing his saddle and gear as they left the room.

They went down to the hall, which only had a few people up at this hour. Dominic got a couple of travel rations from one of the servers and headed out to the stable. They waited as the grooms quickly saddled the horses, then headed out.

They rode along the road for a couple of miles until they came upon a small river that passed under the road. After making sure no one was within sight, Dominic led them down into the river, the waters an inky black in the pale light of the eastern sky, and headed upstream, keeping the horses in the main channel. It was slower going, but Dominic kept them in the river for an hour or so. Once the sun was up, they left the river and headed out across the grasslands in a northeasterly direction.

They rode all day, the Gray Ridges looming in the east. The rich grassland faded and became rockier and the grasses gave way to clumps of shrubs and small trees. As the sun faded into the west, Dominic found a campsite in a copse of trees. They made no fire, simply setting up their sleeping rolls next to the horses. They ate in silence, a dinner of jerky and cheese, washing it down with some water.

As Jake packed away the supplies, groping around in the dark, Dontas moved and his hoof came down on Jake's foot. Jake stifled a shout, grabbed his foot and hopped back to his blankets. Rubbing his foot, he did not feel that it was seriously damaged, but he suddenly missed having Hailyn around to heal him, along with her friendly presence. Thinking of Hailyn and healing brought up another thought. He looked over at Dominic, but without a fire, Jake could just make out his dark outline sitting across from him.

"Dominic, why don't you allow the clerics to heal you?" Jake asked quietly, his curiosity finally overcoming his concern of offending Dominic. "I still don't understand that."

There was moment before Dominic spoke. "I believe I told you before that you should keep the reminders of failure." Dominic said, voice distant. "Each time you are healed, you eliminate that reminder. Each scar I have is a reminder of a mistake I made. It helps me to not make that mistake again." In the darkness, Jake could barely see Dominic's shadowy hand reach up and touch the scar across his face. "Some mistakes should never be forgotten."

Jake did not know how to respond, so he sat there, silent in his thoughts. "Get some sleep, boy." Dominic said, voice normal. "I'll keep first watch."

Jake tossed and turned for a bit, finally getting comfortable and sleeping. He was dreaming of Keria and Sanduas when Dominic woke him to stand watch. Jake shook off his sleepiness and sat up while Dominic stretched out on his blankets. The night seemed to stretch on forever, as Jake fought against falling asleep. Finally, as the sky began to lighten, he went to wake Dominic up.

They continued their northeasterly path, working their way into the foothills of the Gray Ridges, camping near a small stream when it turned dark. The next morning Dominic changed direction to a more