A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,87

world, separated from your home. My family and I write each other often and I know that I can go see them if I need to. You have no way to communicate with your family. I think you are being very brave, considering the situation."

Hailyn's compliment took Jake by surprise. He had never had anyone tell him that he was brave before. He squared his shoulders back, trying to look more confident. "I'm sorry I interrupted you. You were talking about your training. Why did you decide to become a cleric?"

"'Decide' may not be the right word." Hailyn replied. "'Chosen' would be a better one. I was around fourteen when a messenger came to our village, announcing that a group of clerics were coming to Altdantos, the largest town in the area. They would be testing any who came to see if they had the spark to be a healing cleric. I had not selected the type of apprenticeship I would apply for, so my parents took me to be tested." She noticed the look of surprise on Jake's face. "Remember, being able to become a healer is considered a great honor. My parents saw it as an opportunity for me. Obviously, the clerics detected the spark." She gave a little sigh. "The most difficult thing was that I was only given a day to gather my things and accompany them to Sanduas."

She smiled. "Still, I do not regret coming. As I said, even though being away from my family has been hard, my trainers and mentors here have been very kind and understanding. I have learned so much and I get great satisfaction with helping people."

They had reached the stables and Jake led her to Dontas' stall. The horse was already standing near the door. Jake thought the horse recognized him, as it lowered its head towards him as he got close. He reached over and patted its head while Hailyn came up and stroked its face, Dontas seemingly enjoying the attention. Jake could see that Hailyn clearly loved animals. While she continued to talk softly to the horse, Jake went over and got Dontas' bridle and reins. He put them on and led him out of the stall, so he could clean it. To his bemusement, Hailyn actually offered to help shovel out the stall. Instead, he asked her to go get some fresh straw, then the hay and feed. Between them, they made short work of it.

After Dontas was cared for, they headed over to Shadow's stall. The soldiers and trainees working in the stables nearby were amused, and a bit scandalized, to see Hailyn helping Jake do the dirty work of cleaning the stall. It appeared that those menial tasks were not normally done by clerics. Once they finished, they headed out of the stables and left the training grounds.

"Thanks for the help, Hailyn." Jake said, as they made their way to the palace courtyard. "Maybe once I learn to ride, we can take Dontas out to see more of the countryside. It would be nice to get outside of the city for a while."

Hailyn looked over at him, a slight smile on her face, her eyes warm. "I would like that, Jake." She said simply.

They walked in silence until they reached the courtyard. There Hailyn said goodbye and declined Jake's offer to walk her back to the Temple. "You have been training all day, Jake. You don't need to add additional walking to it for me. Go home and rest." She reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze, then headed off into the crowd.

Jake lazily made his way back to Norlan's, strolling along slowly and easily, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the late afternoon crowd, feeling pretty content on how the day went, with the exception of his new bruises. He was glad he was able to talk to Hailyn. She was easy to get along with and had a kind personality. He found that it was nice to have her as a friend. "All in all, not a bad day." He thought to himself.

He arrived back at the house, cleaned himself off and went inside for dinner. He was in a good mood, joking and making conversation with the family. By the time he helped with the dishes and bid everyone good night, darkness had descended over the city. He went to his room, got his equipment organized for the next day, then crawled into bed and fell into a contented