A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,45

while Jake refilled his cup and took a drink. Jonas returned to the table with a large rolled-up scroll. He cleared the tray off the table and unrolled it. Jake could see that it was a map with a central landmass with water on the western and eastern sides. There were lines and symbols written on the map.

"You are here." Jonas said, pointing to a symbol near the center of the map. "This is Sanduas, the city." He pointed to a line of upside down 'V's to the east of the city. "These are the Gray Ridges." He said, tracing the mountain range down to the south. He pointed to a large green area was to the south and south-west of the city, extending towards the bottom edge of the map. "This is the Great Southern Forest, where you were captured and found Dom."

Jonas sat down again as Jake studied the map. "The large body of water to the west is the Inland Sea while the one to the east is the Outer Ocean. The solid lines indicate the borders of the various countries. To our north, you see the country of Beragan. Beyond that are the northern wastes. The area directly to the south of Sanduas is the country of Morisan. South of Morisan, you will find a loose confederation of city-states, then the Southern Wilds, an untamed and mysterious land. To the east, over the Gray Ridges, lies the nation of Aletonia. It extends from the mountains to the Outer Sea and south to the Southern Wilds."

"Is this world called something?" Jake asked, struggling to orient himself. "What I mean is, for example, the world I'm from is called Earth."

"It is known to us as simply 'the world'." Jonas replied. "I wish I could help you better, Jake, have something more reassuring to tell you, but some of your questions are beyond me."

"Ok." Jake said quietly, resigned.

Jonas reached out and grasped Jake's hand, giving it a squeeze. "What I will do is send a message to Tomaris. As I mentioned, he is a scholar, powerful and very wise. He has knowledge of many things, like how he made this staff, so maybe he can understand what has occurred to bring you here and why. I'll send it first thing tomorrow."

Jonas paused, then continued. "Jake, I know that this is hard for you, but you should prepare yourself to stay here for the foreseeable future. Even if Tomaris can help, it may be weeks before we have an answer. It will take several days just to get the message to him."

Jonas stood up. "I'll make arrangements for you to stay with friends while you are here." He looked Jake in the eye. "I believe that you are a good and honest young man, Jake. Know that, while you are here, I will do whatever I can to make you feel welcome and safe. I am sure Dom will do the same."

He headed to the door. "I will ask that you stay here for now, Jake. Try to relax; you are safe here. I shouldn't be long." He left, closing the door behind him.

Jake slumped in his chair, gazing at the map, despair rising. He felt trapped and alone, despite Jonas' warmth and reassurances. None of this made any sense to him. He could not believe that he was here, in a strange world, parted from his family and friends. Would he ever see them again? He reached and grabbed his phone, an anchor to his real life, and held it like a talisman to ward off this nightmare.

He had been sitting there for a time, lost in his thoughts, when the door banged open, startling him, causing him to jump out of his seat. He looked at the open doorway to see Dominic striding through, his face angry. "Where's Jonas?" He demanded.

"He said that he was going to make some arraignments for me to stay while I'm here." Jake replied, unsure of what caused Dominic's obvious anger.

"Just when I need him, he is gone." Dominic stated. He motioned to Jake. "Put the cloak back on, boy, and let's go. We have been summoned to the palace."

"What for?" Jake asked, concerned, as he fastened the cloak back on.

"Obviously, word has reached the king that I brought a stranger to the city." Dominic spat. "I assume he wants to poke and prod you for a bit. Let's go and close the door behind you." He turned and headed back out into