A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,115
blue eyes cold now. "Don't ever do that again." He said, voice soft but icy, then swung her behind him and booted Shadow into a run.
Hailyn leaned against Dominic's back, holding on to his breastplate straps as the large stallion hit his stride, the city quickly falling behind them. Dominic was focused on the road, watching for signs in the pale moonlight.
Soon, they come upon the trampled grass and Dominic turned Shadow to race along it. Hailyn could see the wooded hills approaching rapidly, then noticed a large shadowy form move at the tree line. She pointed it out to Dominic, who said. "It's the boy's horse."
Dominic halted Shadow next to Dontas, leaving the saddle before the horse stopped. He quickly looked at the ground and found the tracks left by Jake and the half-men. He drew his sword and began to follow them, Hailyn right behind him. Once the trees blocked the moonlight, making the trail almost impossible to see, Dominic looked over his shoulder and told Hailyn. "Embrace your power, but stay behind me. It will light the trail. Be prepared to release it when I tell you."
Hailyn complied, her power bathing the area in a golden light, chasing away the night. With the trail now clear, Dominic took off at a near run, Hailyn struggling to keep up.
They had only moved for a couple of minutes when a cry of pain sounded faintly ahead of them, then abruptly stopped. Dominic immediately sprinted towards the sound, his long legs carrying him ahead of Hailyn. He noticed a faint light ahead and the ringing sound of steel on steel and angled towards it. He raced up the small incline that hid the light, reaching the top.
In an instant, he took in the scene. He saw the two half-men lying dead on the ground, the young girl beyond them, battered and bleeding, staring in horror at Jake battling a half-man. Dominic could see that the boy was injured, blood covering his arms and legs. He would not last much longer, Dominic knew. He took all of this in as he continued to sprint, sword ready, heading towards the half-man, hoping he could reach him before he killed the boy.
The shout on Dominic's lips to distract the half-man died when the boy was suddenly surrounded by a pale blue light, startling Dominic. That lasted only an instant, then the light flared brilliantly, an explosion of blue fire sent racing in all directions. Dominic squeezed his eyes shut and threw up an arm instinctively to protect his face as the fire rolled over him. He was surprised again when no damage was done; only a brief tingling sensation over his body.
He opened his eyes and saw Jake lying on the ground, unconscious, sword next to his body. The only sign of the half-man was his clothes and sword on the ground, dusted in ash that swirled around the area. He noticed that the bodies of the other two half-men were gone as well, reduced to ash. The young girl began to cry again, staring at the boy lying there, though she was also not injured by the fire.
He headed for Jake, dropping to his knees next to him. He felt for a pulse and found one, strong and steady, the boy's breath even. He heard Hailyn come up behind him. He looked over his shoulder and pointed towards Cherise. "See to the girl first; the boy only seems to be unconscious."
Hailyn ran over to Cherise, her power glowing, and embraced her. She quickly healed her, then tried to untangled herself, but Cherise clung to her, crying. Hailyn was able to get her to stand, maneuvered her over to Jake, and then pushed her gently towards Dominic. Cherise immediately embraced him.
As Hailyn knelt down to heal Jake, she saw that Dominic had an unreadable expression on his face while Cherise clung to him and cried. Glancing up for a moment, Hailyn saw one of his arms come up to gently hold Cherise.
Hailyn reached down and laid her hands on Jake. She probed him, finding him in good health, except of the wounds on his arms and legs. As she directed her power to heal those wounds, she felt something unusual. She could not pinpoint what it was, but something was different from when she had healed Jake in the past. Somehow, that unexpected explosion of magic had changed Jake; she just could not figure out how.