A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,100

He realized that he was staring at her bosom, tried to look away quickly, then flushed again when he saw that Keria noticed. However, she did not look upset; her smile deepened.

"Hello, Jake." Keria said, stepping close and taking Jake's hand, her perfume filling his nose. "I'm pleased that you were finally able to make it."

"I'm glad as well, Keria." Jake said, giving her a slight bow and trying to keep his eyes on her face.

"Let's go out on the patio to talk." Keria said, holding his hand and leading him towards one of the doors. "The weather is nice today. Nataly, please bring some punch." Nataly nodded and hurried out one of the other doors.

Keria led Jake out to a covered patio that looked out over the city. There were several stone benches clustered together near the outer wall, allowing the occupants to talk while enjoying the view. Keria chose one of the benches to sit on and pulled Jake down next to her.

"Isn't this pleasant, Jake?" She said with a smile, green eyes sparkling.

"It is very nice, Keria." Jake replied, losing himself in those eyes. Her closeness made him a bit nervous, though.

"Now that we have some time, why don't you tell me about yourself." Keria said, as Nataly appeared with a silver tray with a large pitcher and two silver cups. Nataly poured punch into the two cups, set them next to Keria and Jake, then departed at a little gesture from Keria.

Taking a sip of the punch, Jake told Keria about how he came to this world and his journey from the Forest to Sanduas. She patted his hand as he recalled his flight from the half-men.

"You were very brave, Jake." She said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Not many have escaped from the half-men."

He told of his rescue by Dominic and his trip here. He stopped when he got to the palace. "You know what happened then." He said. A thought came to him. "Keria, why is it that your father and Dominic don't get along?"

"Do you know about Dominic's past?" Keria asked.

"Some." Jake replied. "I know about his commands and that he had a wife and child."

Keria nodded sadly. "That is why there is tension between them. I was very young when it happened, but my mother told me about it. Dominic was Commander of the Army at the time and had led some forces out against a large group of half-men and demons in the hills south of the city. During the fighting, word came that a small band had slipped past the army and was headed towards Dominic's home, where his wife and child were. Fearing for their lives, he abandoned his command and rode to try to save them. He got there too late; they had been killed. When he returned to the city, he was wounded with that terrible scar."

"Due to the nature of the incident and his long faithful service, my father would have forgiven him for that reckless act, but Dominic blamed my father for taking him away from his family. They exchanged heated words in public, words that are not normally said to kings. Only the intervention of my mother and Brother Jonas kept it from becoming worse. Since then, there is no love lost between them."

"That explains some things." He said quietly.

Keria suddenly giggled naughtily. "My mother was always supportive of Dominic. I think it was because she had chased after him when they were young, before she married my father."

Glad that the conversation was moving to a happier subject, Jake asked. "Is your mother away? I have not seen the queen around."

Keria's smile faded. "No, Jake. My mother died several years ago." Keria replied sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Keria." Jake said quickly, aghast at his bringing up a painful subject. "I didn't know."

"That's ok, Jake. I know." Keria said, her smile returning and taking his hand. "I think my mother would have liked you." She paused, then asked. "What about your parents, Jake? Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

He told her about his family and tried to explain aspects of his home, but decided it was easier to show her instead. He pulled out his phone and powered it up. He saw that the battery was getting really low; he would soon have no power left, but wanted to impress Keria. He had her listen to some music, then went to his photos. She scooted closer as he showed her pictures of his family and