A World Apart (27 page)

"Of course, Captain."  Hailyn said, concern in her eyes.

"I apologize for the delay, Dominic.  I will return as quickly as possible."  Armartas said to Dominic, gesturing towards Jake.

"No apologies are needed, Armartas."  Dominic replied, making a small gesture with his hand.  "The boy can help me saddle Shadow while you attend to this.  He will meet you over at Dontas' stall."

"Are you going outside the walls?"  Armartas asked.

"Yes.  I thought to do a patrol to the southeast."  Dominic replied.  "I have been in the city too long and I need to exercise Shadow anyway."

"So, you won't be back before the gates close?"  Armartas asked, even though it seemed more of a statement than a question.  "Can I ask your path in case you are needed?"

"I will leave by the east gate and head to the foothills.  I will work my way south from there."  Dominic said.

"I understand.  Safe journey, then."  Armartas said.  Jake thought he heard something more, something unspoken, in that statement, but did not know how to ask.  Hailyn and Armartas left to see to the injured horse, while Jake followed Dominic to Shadow's stable.

"Do you want me to come with you?"  Jake asked impulsively.  "I can always practice my riding with you."

Dominic turned his head at Jake's question.  "I'll be fine, boy."  He replied, sarcastically.  "I have managed on my own without a nursemaid for quite a while."

As soon as he said it, Dominic saw the disappointment and embarrassment on Jake's face.  He said more gently.  "It was a kind offer.  The truth of it is that you are not yet ready.  Also, you cannot do better than Armartas to train you in riding."  He gave Jake a gentle slap on the back.  "Don't worry. There will be opportunities for you to accompany me once you have some more training under your belt."

They finished the walk to Shadow's stall in silence.  With Jake helping, hauling out the armor sections as Dominic attached them to Shadow, they had Shadow armored and saddled quickly.  Jake noticed that Shadow seemed to become more animated, stomping his hooves, snorting and shaking his head, as the armor was put on.  He asked Dominic about it.

"He has been trained to be aggressive in battle."  Dominic replied, as he continued to check the straps and cinches.  "He knows to stay calm in the stable, but once the armor goes on, he expects combat.  Also, he has not had much activity this last week.  He will calm again once I get him moving."

Dominic locked up the tack room, gave everything one last check, then slung his saddlebags and swung into the saddle.  Shadow gave a couple of short chopping steps, anxious to move.

Dominic looked down at Jake.  "I'll be back before our training session; I will see you then.  Learn well from Armartas, boy."  Giving Jake a quick nod, Dominic spurred Shadow down the hall and out the door.

Jake made his way over to Dontas' stall, passing by some trainees stacking straw bales under the supervision of a soldier.  The trainees saw him and paused in their work, staring at him and whispering to each other, while the soldier gave him a respectful nod as he went by.  Jake returned the nod, though it was a little shock to him, as that was the first time that had happened.  The soldier, noticing the trainees' focus, shouted for them to return to work.

He unlocked his tack room, retrieved the bridle and went over to Dontas.  He put the bridle on and led him out of the stall.  He began to brush Dontas, losing himself in the work, as he waited for Armartas.  He did not know how long he had been brushing when Armartas joined him.

"Are you ready to start, Jake?"  Armartas asked as he came up.

"Sure, Captain."  Jake replied, trying to be respectful.  He returned the brush to the rack room as Armartas patted Dontas.  He came back out, anxious to begin.

"You can call me Armartas, Jake."  Armartas said, a smile on his face.  "You're not a soldier, so you do not need to use my rank."

"Ok, Armartas."  Jake replied.

"Let's get started."  Armartas said, clapping Jake on the shoulder.  "The first thing you should always do is check your horse, looking for any signs of injury or illness."  He led Jake around Dontas, pointing out areas to focus on, showing Jake how to feel along the knees and lift the hooves to inspect their condition.  He had Jake demonstrate back what he had just shown him.

Once Dontas had been checked out, Armartas had Jake saddle the horse.  He did not assist, testing to see if Jake remembered the earlier lesson.  Once Jake had the saddle on, Armartas inspected the fit, explaining a couple of minor errors that Jake should correct.  Satisfied, he had Jake get on, showing him how to adjust the stirrups for a proper fit.  Having Jake remain in the saddle, Armartas took the reins and led Dontas outside to a training corral.

Handing Jake the reins, Armartas told him to just sit there and get used to being on the back of the horse.  He left, limping back into the stables.  Jake shifted in the saddle, trying to get comfortable.  Dontas took a couple of steps when Jake moved, but did not start forward.  Jake stroked his neck and made some soothing sounds.  He felt a little thrill, feeling empowered as he sat on the back of his horse.

Shortly, Armartas came out of the stables, riding a large brown horse.  He came over and instructed Jake on some basic commands, how to handle the reins and some tips on comfortable riding.  Once Jake demonstrated that he had the commands down, Armartas said.  "Let's start with a walk.  Get Dontas moving."

For the next couple of hours, Jake rode around the corral, getting more comfortable as time went on.  Once Armartas was satisfied that Jake could handle his horse, he led them out of the corral and to the main training grounds.

"Let's pick up the pace."  Armartas said.  "See how you feel at a gallop."  Jake tapped Dontas with his heels and the tan horse took off, hitting his stride quickly.  Armartas caught up and rode next to Jake, keeping a watchful eye on his technique.  Soon, they were having the horses taking short sprints at full speed.  Jake was having a great time, the wind rushing by as he leaned over the pommel as Dontas powered forward.

Jake was a bit disappointed when Armartas called an end of the training and headed back to the stables.  They slowed the horses to a walk, letting them cool down.  As they made their way, Jake decided to ask about Dominic leaving for the night.

"Armartas, this may sound strange, but there seemed to be something about Dominic heading east that you recognized.  Why did it matter which way he went?"  Jake asked.

Armartas was quiet for a moment, as he thought about the question.  "How much do you know of Dominic's history?"  He asked quietly in reply.

"Jonas had told me that he was a great warrior and commander of the Army and Royal Guards."  Jake 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."

C
HAPTER
S
EVENTEEN

"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?"

Dominic simply stared down at Jake, his scarred face unreadable, but his bright blue eyes seeming to shine.  As the seconds stretched on with Dominic standing there silent, Jake cursed himself for not listening to Hailyn.  He was sure he had just stepped into it.  Before he could say he was sorry, Dominic squatted down in front of Jake, bringing himself to eye level.

"Where you come from, do people share other's life stories with strangers, boy?"  Dominic asked, voice even and calm.  "Jonas told me about your questions regarding me the night you arrived here.  He also told me he warned you not to ask me about it.  Since then, we have been training together and you have never asked me about it, so I assumed you were following Jonas' suggestion."

"I wasn't sure how you would react."  Jake said quietly.  "I don't want to upset you or have you pissed off at me."

"Well, now you know."  Dominic said, his face becoming hard, his voice tightening.  "I was once married and had a son."  His face hardened further, his scars twisting as the skin drew tight, giving him a frightening appearance, his eyes like chips of blue ice.  "The demons and their half-men took them from me."  He said, voice suddenly cold and hard, hands curling into fists.

Jake hesitated for a moment, intimidated by Dominic's deadly passion.  Steeling his courage, he asked as gently as he could.  "Is that why you resigned your positions and hunt the half-men?"

"Something like that, boy."  Dominic replied, standing.  He took a deep breath and blew it out, his face relaxing.  "If we have time to gossip like a couple of ladies at court, we should be training.  Get up."

"Are you mad at me for asking about this?"  Jake asked as he stood.

"No, boy."  Dominic said, moving back into their training area.  "There is no harm in being curious."  He turned to fix Jake with those hard eyes, pointing a finger at him.  "Just know when to press and when to back off."

Jake spoke to Hailyn about it as they walked to the stables.  She had arrived towards the end of the training session, as usual.  He declined her offer of healing, as he and Dominic headed back to the shady area to retrieve their swords.  Dominic gave her a quick greeting, told Jake to care for the horses and left in the direction of the courtyards.

"I'm glad you got your answers, Jake."  Hailyn said.  "It says something about you that Dominic chose to share with you."

"I guess so."  Jake said, rubbing at his arms.  "I think from now on, though, I'll let him tell me about things as he feels comfortable.  For a couple of seconds there, I thought I had really crossed the line."  Hailyn gave him a smile and a reassuring pat on the arm.

Jake, an idea forming in his head, went to Shadow's stall first, quickly cleaning it out and putting in food and water while Hailyn brushed down the horse.  Once they finished, they made their way to Dontas' stall.  Several of the trainees working in the stables greeted both Jake and Hailyn as they passed.

Jake unlocked the tack room and went in to get the bridle.  Once he had Dontas out of his stall, Jake went back into the tack room. Hailyn gave Jake a curious look when he came out carrying his saddle.

"Armartas said I should try to ride often if I want to get better."  Jake said, setting the saddle on Dontas.  "Do you want to ride with me?"