A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,36

still come to the city at night to stay. The innkeepers are doing brisk business."

"I'm sure." Dominic stated absently, still looking at the crowd at the gate. After a moment, he turned back to face Jeffreys. "I normally wouldn't ask for favors, but I need to get in tonight, Sergeant Jeffreys." He nodded back at Jake's cloaked form. "Please see to it."

"One moment, if you please." Jeffreys replied with a slight bow. "I will need a few of my men to get you through the crowd." He turned and signaled for his men. Several responded and pushed their way through the crowd, telling people to move while reassuring them that they will get in. Once they reached him, Jeffreys told them their orders and they started back to the gate, surrounding Shadow.

Jake could hear the angry mutterings in the crowd as they made their way to the gate, but it was soon replaced by sounds of relief as the word spread that it was Dominic. Jake could see that Dominic was held in high regard and more than just a simple warrior, first by the people at the waystation, then Sir Alleon and now this. Several people reached out to touch him as he rode past. Dominic stared straight ahead, face unreadable, not acknowledging the crowd.

Once they had passed through the gates and past the press of people, the road opened into a wide paved plaza that reminded Jake of a baseball diamond. The gate was where home plate would be, the city walls acting like the foul ball lines and a line of buildings across the plaza would be the outfield wall. For the pitcher mound, there was a fountain in the middle of the plaza, with a statue of a knight on horseback, the horse rearing.

The crowd was dispersing into the city, with a good number heading for the buildings. The buildings, facing out into the plaza, were either two or three stories tall, made with stone walls and wooden roofs. They each had two large windows on the first floor and several smaller windows on the second and third. The doorways had large solid wooden doors, some open and some closed. Jake could hear the sounds of music and voices coming from the open doorways. Smoke rose from chimneys and signs hung from their porches, with the smell of cooking food drifting over, causing Jake's stomach to rumble. He assumed that they were inns or restaurants. There were about four buildings on each side of the main road leading directly away from the gate. Jake looked up the paved street and saw the palace looming in the distance.

Dominic spurred Shadow into a gentle trot, guiding him through the people and wagons, as they headed up the street towards the palace. Jake noticed alleys behind and between the rows of buildings as they traveled. After several rows of these buildings, they gave way to single-story buildings, made of either stone or wood, intersected by smaller roads that branched out from the main street. These appeared to be individual homes and businesses, many with lawns and trees surrounded by short wooden fences. Jake could see people sitting on porches, glancing at Shadow as he passed.

They soon reached to courtyard that surrounded the palace. The courtyard was paved, with large parks of grass and trees spaced out at regular intervals. There were large torches lining the paths through the courtyard being lit by several groups of men. Jake realized that those acted as streetlights. Even larger torches lined the street they were on as it ran up to the gates of the palace.

The Royal Palace, like the city proper, was surrounded by a tall wall, though this one was only about twenty feet tall. Like the main walls, the palace walls were painted white. In the middle of the wall they were facing, an arched gateway stood. The gates were made of metal, polished to a mirror-like shine, and inlaid with golden carvings. The gate was open and Jake could see four guardsmen standing inside the gate.

The palace proper was set back about a hundred yards from the walls. Jake guessed that its roof was around sixty feet above the ground. There were five towers rising from the roof, one on each corner and one rising in the center. The ones on the corners rose at least forty feet higher than the roof, with the center tower rising above the others by twenty feet or so. The entire structure was