A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,90
said, recalling their conversation. "He mentioned that Dominic gave up those titles years ago, but would not explain why. He said that it was Dominic's story to tell, but he also told me not to ask him about it."
"That is good advice and I would encourage you to follow it." He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "The reason I reacted is that Dominic's old home is to the east, near the foothills. He hasn't been there in a while and plans to visit it on his patrol."
They rode in silence, as Jake tried to figure out why that was important, until they reached the front doors and dismounted. They led the horses into the stable.
"I know that we will see each other every three days, Jake, but I encourage you to take Dontas out as often as you can." Armartas said as he handed the reins of his horse to a trainee. "You have access to the stables and your tack room anytime you want, so feel free to go for rides. As with most things, the more you do it, the better you become. Until next time." He shook Jake's hand and headed to his office.
Jake could feel a little tightness in his legs and groin from the riding, as he led Dontas back to his stall. He hoped that would pass as he got better. When he reached the stall, he found Hailyn waiting for him. She helped him unsaddle and brush Dontas, as well as feed and water him. As they worked, he asked Hailyn about the lame horse.
"Oh, he will be fine." Hailyn replied. "It seemed to be a strain rather than something more serious. I healed him, just to be sure."
"You can heal animals as well?" Jake asked, realizing after he asked that it sounded pretty stupid since she just said that she had.
"Yes, Jake." She replied. "We actually come and spend time at the stables as part of our training. People will also bring their pets to the Temple when they are hurt or sick. We believe they are creatures of the One, the same as we are, so healing is provided."
"That makes sense, I guess." Jake said.
Once Dontas was back in his stall, they headed out. As they made their way out of the training grounds, Jake mentioned to Hailyn about what he had learned about Dominic's old home.
"I don't get what the big deal is." Jake said. "Why is Dominic visiting his old house something that shouldn't be spoken about?"
"What did Master Jonas tell you about Dominic?" Hailyn asked cautiously. As they weaved their way through the crowd to the courtyards, Jake told Hailyn about his conversation with Jonas the night he arrived.
When he finished, Hailyn stepped closer, dropping her voice. "Master Jonas must have his reasons for not sharing Dominic's complete story with you, Jake. The most likely one is loyalty to his life-long friend; the story is not a happy one." She placed a hand on his arm. "I cannot say anything more than this: the reason we treat Dominic going to his old home with sensitivity is because his wife and son are buried there."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Dominic, can I ask you something? It's a personal question." Jake cautiously asked, looking up at Dominic.
"I told you before you can ask me anything." Dominic replied, standing in front of Jake with his arms crossed.
Jake, sitting under the tree during a break in training, softly rubbing his hands and arms to alleviate the aches and pain, had been thinking of a way to ask this for the last two days. Two nights ago, Hailyn had recommended that Jake be satisfied with the information he had; she had refused to tell him anything else. When Jake pressed her on it, she'd simply told him that if it was that important to him, he should ask Dominic himself.
However, when he met Dominic for the training session the day after he had learned about his family, the timing had not felt right. When Jake asked how his trip went, Dominic simply told him "uneventful" and set him to training. There had been an intensity to Dominic in the training session that had not been there before and Jake could tell that he was not in the mood for conversation.
Jake took a deep breath before speaking. "I've heard that you had a family. First of all, I'm very sorry that they passed away, but why would no one tell me?"