A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,52

rinsing off any leftover soap. Dominic finished the shower and head back to the stone bench, drying off as he went. He picked up the robe and slipped it on, sitting down and tying on the sandals. He glanced back at Jake and growled. "Hurry up, boy. It is getting late and you can come back to luxuriate in the water some other time."

Jake stifled a retort and finished his bath. He got out and headed over the waterfall. Hanging his towel on a nearby hook, he stepped into the water flow. Thinking it was heated like the baths, he was not prepared for the ice-cold water that poured over his heated body, which nearly took his breath away. Letting out a curse, he quickly rubbed his body clean and leapt out of the water.

He ran to his towel, grabbing it and drying off as quickly as possible. He started to shiver slightly as he wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to the bench. He saw Dominic watching him, a slight smile on his face.

"Did I forget to tell you about the waterfall?" Dominic asked innocently. "It's a little colder than the baths." Jake glared at him as he threw on his robe. Dominic smiled slightly. "A little cold water won't kill you, boy."

Jake belted the robe and stood up, reaching in to the storage hole to recover his stuff. Now that he was clean, he could really smell the funk coming off of his clothes and shoes.

"You don't need to put those back on." Dominic said. "You can wear the robe for now. I asked Norlan to see if he could find you some clothes to wear."

Grateful, Jake sat down and picked up the sandals. It took a couple of seconds to figure out how they laced up, but he did not want to ask Dominic for assistance for something like putting on shoes. He was sure he would not hear the end of something like that. Jake took out his phone from his pile of clothes, put it into a pocket on the robe, and refolded his old clothes, stacking them on top of his shoes. He tucked them under his right arm and turned to Dominic.

"Help me with this, boy." Dominic said, as he organized his armor and clothes. He belted his sword on over the robe and put his vambraces, greaves and boots inside his breastplate. He handed Jake his bundled clothes and moved towards the door, armor under his left arm. They climbed the stairs and left the building, the attendant wishing them well and encouraging them to return, and walked out into the night air.

The temperature had cooled a bit, the heat of the day fading. Jake could feel the cool air moving over his sandaled feet and under his robe as they walked down the street. It was not uncomfortable, though Jake would have preferred to have more on than just the robe.

They passed several shops that were selling what looked like beer to Jake, with people milling about the entrance with containers. As they made their way down towards Norlan's, Jake tried to remember the names of the shops they passed, so they could act as waypoints if he wandered down here again. They passed several taverns along the way, music and voices spilling out into the street.

"Can I ask you something, Dominic?" Jake said, as a thought occurred to him.

"You can ask me anything." Dominic said, emphasizing the 'ask'. "That does not mean you will get an answer."

"Ok." Jake said, figuring that was the best he could hope for. "What did you mean when you told Genela that Jonas did not have to come when the king called? I mean, he is the king after all."

Dominic snorted. "That is the result of the overreaching of a king. As you have seen, the clerics perform healings and other functions for the people, regardless of station, as part of their calling. They exist on the gifts of the people, as well as some business interests. About two hundred and twenty years ago, some advisors to King Aleren the Third convinced him that the clerics should not give away their services when they could levy charges for them, which, of course, the crown would get its share. At that time, the realm had finished fighting a war with Aletonia, which had drained the royal treasury. The king summoned the Chief Cleric, Bandeos, to court and handed down his demand, even going