A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,79

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