A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,33

leg, some cheese and an apple. It took a couple of minutes of frustration, but Jake finally got the hang of eating one-handed on the back of a moving horse. He was hungry and quickly finished the food. The leg of meat did taste like turkey and was flavored nicely, the cheese was sharp and the apple tart. He followed Dominic's example and tossed the bones and apple core into the tree line and stuffed the empty pouch into a pocket inside the cloak. Dominic handed Jake the waterskin to wash it all down.

They were approaching a small rise in the highway when Jake heard the rumble from the hooves of multiple horses and rattling metal coming from the other side of the rise in front of them. As they neared the top, a large group of armored men on horseback came riding towards them. They all looked alike, so Jake knew they had to be soldiers.

They wore the same thick breastplates and greaves, their arms cover in chainmail, with leather gauntlets protected with interlocking sections of metal. They all carried a lance about eight feet long, tipped with a shining metal blade. A sword hung from the saddle of every horse. They were riding in formation, three abreast and six deep.

A few feet in front of the formation, two men rode. One was dressed like the others, carrying a smooth pole with a green and yellow pennant snapping as they rode; the other was covered in full plate armor, the metal gleaming in the sunlight, also armed with a lance. Unlike the others, he had a battle axe hanging from his saddle, the head made of two large moon-shaped blades with a long spike sticking out between them. Given his armor and position in the formation, Jake assumed that this man was the leader.

The leader saw Dominic and gave the signal to stop. The formation slowed and came to a halt with the sound of creaking leather and snorting horses. He raised his gauntleted hand in salute. Dominic slowed and returned the salute.

He pulled up next to the leader to talk. Jake thought the leader was in his late twenties, a handsome dark-haired man, apparently of good cheer, with a broad smile on his face.

"Greetings, Dominic." He said as he gave Dominic a small bow. "It is good to see you heading back to the capital after many weeks away. Any success in your hunt?" The young man asked lightly, his expression like they were sharing a private joke.

"I was able to thin the herd some, Sir Alleon." Dominic replied dryly. He nodded at the battle axe. "I see you still look forward to chopping wood." Soft laughter rose from the men as they shared the comment.

Sir Alleon laughed as well, affectionately patting his ax. He shook his head and noticed Jake's cloaked and hooded form. He looked at Dominic with a cocked eyebrow. "Did you find something else on your hunt? Something special after all these years, perhaps?" He asked with a grin.

Dominic's face went flat at that comment and Sir Alleon, suddenly looking abashed, quickly raised both hands. "Your pardon, Dominic. I can be so stupid at times. My mouth often runs ahead of my mind. I did not mean to make light of your grief."

Dominic's face relaxed and he gave a nod of his head and a short wave of his hand. "Your pardon, Sir Alleon. I have been away from other people for too long. No offense was taken."

Sir Alleon gave a weak smile, looking relieved. "Without giving offense, can I know about your passenger? You are not known to keep company on the road."

"No. I think it is best to keep that secret for now. I'll allow the king to decide who should be told. Will you be back at court soon?"

"No. We are heading for the western border forts. There have been reports of raids and other troubles. We have been ordered there until further notice." Sir Alleon replied, not looking happy about it.

"Any news of the capital I should know of?"

Sir Alleon's face turned grim. "About a week ago, a patrol from my company ran into a large group of half-men only a few miles south of the city. They had an Imp with them. About half the patrol was killed before the clerics were able to drive off the Imp and the remaining half-men." He shook his head sadly. "They were good men. Since then, the king has ordered the city