A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,145
you upset about?" Dominic asked.
"Are you serious?" Jake said, voice rising, incredulous. "He almost got me killed!"
"Actually, it was the Imp that almost killed you, boy." Dominic said, shaking his head. "I would have liked to know about this test, so I could have helped prepare you, but I have to agree with Tomaris. Having too much time to think on it may have changed your actions, possibly for the worse."
He stood up, looking at Jake, eyes hard. "Your training, with me and Tomaris, has been to prepare you to face the demons and their followers, not to keep you entertained. The fact is that you would have had to face one eventually. It was better to do it in a controlled environment."
Jake sat there in stunned silence; he was not expecting that answer from Dominic.
"Are you really that upset?" Dominic asked, shaking his head, disbelieving. "I don't understand why. You were able to wield your power, face your enemy, one that sounded as if it was part of the attack on Sanduas, and emerge victorious. You were able to avenge some of those victims and now know that you don't need to fear facing a demon. That seems to be worth the scratches you got." He headed back into his room. "When you think about it, there was no lasting harm from this, only just retribution and lessons learned. Get some sleep." He closed the door behind him.
Jake got up, stripped off his clothes and took a bath, soaking in the hot water, washing away the dried blood. He ran his fingers over the unbroken skin on his chest, remembering the pain the demon inflicted. He stayed in the bath until the water turned cold. His emotions still roiling, he finally got out, dried off and crawled into the bed. He tossed for a while, the cool air from outside helping to calm him down, then he fell into a dreamless sleep.
...
Jake awoke when Dominic came into his room, shaking his head when he saw Jake still in bed. The sun was up, its light streaming into the room. "Get up, boy. We have been asked to eat with Tomaris this morning."
Jake got out of bed, last night seeming like a bad dream. With Dominic standing there, watching, he quickly got dressed, then picked up his breastplate out of habit, letting it drop when he saw the gouges, remembering.
"We will find you a replacement when we return to Sanduas." Dominic said. "Just get your sword."
Jake belted on his sword and followed Dominic out into the hallway. They went down the now-familiar way to Tomaris' hall. When they entered, Tomaris was sitting in his chair, Captain Deepwood sitting next to him. Dominic steered Jake into the other chair next to Tomaris, then sat down next to him.
"I hope you had a good rest, Jake." Tomaris said, eyes sympathetic. "Have you found room in your heart to forgive me?"
"Dominic and I talked last night, Tomaris." Jake replied. "Now that I have had time to think about it, I understand why you did what you did. I still think I should have been told, but I don't hold that against you."
"Thank you, Jake." Tomaris said. "There is more to your power that we will need to explore, but as I mentioned, I have to leave today. I regret that we must part, but I will send word to Jonas when I return, so you can come back to further your training." He looked over at Deepwood and nodded. Deepwood left the room, but returned shortly with a couple of soldiers carrying several pieces of armor. They placed them on the table, then left.
"Since your armor was damaged, I wanted to present you with this to replace it." Tomaris said, gesturing to the armor. "You will need protection when you leave here."
Jake picked up the breastplate, its metal shining, marveling how light it was. At Tomaris' urging, he put the breastplate on, the fit perfect, commenting on its lightness.
"It is made from a special alloy that I found in my readings." Tomaris said. "Despite its light weight, it is stronger that steel and will stop most blades and arrows. Try on the rest." He said, indicating the other pieces.
As Jake was putting on the matching vambraces and leggings, servants came in, bringing trays of food. Jake stood up, belting on his sword, looking down at the gleaming armor. Tomaris seemed pleased at Jake's reaction and pulled out an open-faced helm from under his