A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,51

them to the curtain on their left and pulled it back.

"Please enter. These are the men's baths." As they went through, Jake found himself in a large room that echoed with the sound of running water. The room had an open space near the door and rows of rectangular holes cut into the floor to the right. These holes were tubs, Jake realized. There was steam rising from the tubs and Jake could see that several were occupied, the men's heads leaning back against the edge of their tubs. There was a long stone bench next to the left wall. The wall was pocketed with square holes, with a row of ten, each about three feet wide, lining the bottom. Above them were two rows of one foot wide holes. Dominic walked over to the holes as the man helping them left.

"You can store your clothes and other items in these spaces." Dominic said, pointing at the holes as he unbelted his sword and sat down. He wrapped the belt around the sword and dagger and slid it into one of the large holes in at the bottom. He started to remove his armor, unbuckling his breastplate and sliding it in next to his sword.

Jake came over to the bench and sat down. He was surprised that he felt a little weird getting undressed. He had never had a problem showering in the gym back home. Maybe it was because he was a stranger here or that he really didn't know Dominic. Shaking his head, realizing that he was letting his mind get carried away, he undid the cloak and put it into one of the smaller holes. He bent over and untied his shoes, nose wrinkling at the smell. As he was putting them in the hole, the man helping them came back, carrying a pile of clothing.

The man set his bundle down between Dominic and Jake. Jake saw that there were towels and soap, cream colored robes and leather sandals. He divided it, placing a pair of sandals, a robe, towel and soap next to each of them.

"I hope that the sandals fit." The man said. "If you have any problems, please see me and I will find a better pair." He gave a small bow and left.

Dominic finished undressing and stood to wrap the towel around him. Jake could see that Dominic was scarred not just on his face, but there was a patchwork of scars crisscrossing his arms, legs and body. Dominic saw Jake's look and simply stared back at him. Jake turned away, embarrassed.

"When you finish undressing, you can use any bath you like." Dominic said, as he grabbed his soap. "The water is heated and pumped into the baths. The water is circulated out quickly, so every bath is clean. When you finish the bath, you can rinse off over there." He pointed to what looked like a waterfall against the back wall, the source of the running water sound. He headed for a bath near the bench and got in.

Jake finished undressing, wrapping his towel around his waist and placing his clothes in the storage hole. He made sure to wrap up his phone inside his clothes to protect it from the moisture. He grabbed his soap, which had the same floral scent as the one Dominic had given him, and headed for the nearest bath. He quickly got in, the hot water giving him a little shock. He sank into the bath, submerging his head and giving his hair a quick scrub, then came back up. He laid his head back against the edge, enjoying the hot water, and closed his eyes, the face of the princess filling his mind.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jake, eyes closed, was enjoying the hot water and thoughts of the princess when Dominic's voice intruded.

"You are supposed to be washing, not sleeping, boy." Dominic called over.

Jake opened his eyes and glanced over at Dominic, who was two tubs away. His head and shoulders were above the tub edge, which was level with the floor, and he was lathering his short hair and face with the soap. He ducked under the water, rinsing the suds away.

Jake roused himself and grabbed his soap. He washed his hair first, then worked his way down his body. After a few minutes, he was feeling better about himself as he got clean after several days without a shower.

He was washing his feet when Dominic got out of the tub and went over to the waterfall,