A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,65

same. As Jake went to remove his shirt, Dominic grabbed the pail, filled it with water, and dumped it over Shadow's back. "Grab a brush and get some soap out of the barrel." He told Jake.

Jake picked up a brush and opened the barrel, finding a fine pinkish white powder with a faint floral scent inside. He grabbed a handful of the powder and turned back to Shadow. "Just toss it on the wet areas and gently brush it in. Once you have worked a section, take the bucket of water and rinse it off." Dominic told him as he took the other brush and some soap and went to the other side of Shadow.

It took them a good thirty minutes to wash Shadow. With the sun beating down from a cloudless sky, Jake was sweating profusely by the time they were done. Dominic left for a moment, returning with a waterskin and several towels. He tossed the waterskin to Jake and began rubbing down Shadow with a towel. Jake took a long drink, then handed the waterskin to Dominic and grabbed a towel.

Once they finished, Dominic handed Jake a fresh towel. Jake dried himself off and put his shirt back on. Dominic untied Shadow and led him back towards the stable, telling Jake to gather the used towels and put them in a nearby bin. Dominic explained that the military trainees were responsible for cleaning the towels.

Once they got to Shadow's stable, Dominic tied the horse to a rail outside the stall and handed Jake a shovel. He had him clean out the stall, then get some fresh straw and spread it around, while he went to get some hay and grain. Once Dominic was satisfied with the stall's condition and the food and water, he led Shadow in and removed the rein. He closed and locked the stall door.

"This is something you will need to do for Dontas." Dominic said as they left the stable. "You are responsible to make sure your horse is properly cared for. A properly cared-for horse may be all that stands between you and death. Remember that."

Dominic went back to his room to retrieve his armor and sword, Jake waiting outside. When Dominic was finished, he came out with a small pouch, which he handed to Jake. When Jake took the pouch, he could feel and hear the sound of coins shifting around. He looked questioning at Dominic.

"You may need some coin from time to time." Dominic explained. He pointed at the pouch. "It does not make you rich, but it should be enough for most things. I would recommend that you take that girl cleric with you, if you decide you need something. She should be able to keep you from getting fleeced by the merchants."

"Thank you, Dominic." Jake said, genuinely surprised. He pushed the pouch into his pants pocket. "I really appreciate everything you, Jonas and Norlan are doing for me."

"No thanks are needed, boy." Dominic replied, waving off the gratitude. He suddenly smiled. "We will see how truly appreciative you are shortly. You will earn all of that in sweat." He headed towards the other buildings. "Let's get something to eat and then we will outfit you with armor and a sword."

They reached the middle building, passing through a group of soldiers waiting in line. They went around the back of the building and entered a kitchen. Dominic had Jake sit at a small table in the back and went over to talk with the head cook. After a few minutes, a pair of apprentice cooks came over with two plates of food and a pitcher of water. Jake found the food, consisting of a slab of meat, some beans and carrots and a piece of bread, filling, though a bit bland.

After they finished, Dominic led Jake over to the far building. They came up to a thick wooden door, bound in heavy iron. Dominic knocked on the door, waited a second, and then pushed it open, stepping inside with Jake following. Inside, Jake stopped, looking around, and saw that the room was filled with armor and weapons. When he finished gazing at all of the different weapons, he saw that Dominic was standing near a wooden counter, speaking with short stout man, clothed in leather and chainmail and armed with a mace. The man was older, with more gray hairs than brown on his head and in his short beard.

Dominic waved Jake over. "This is Sergeant Mordun, the chief