The Jake Thomas Trilogy: Book 02 - Sword of Light by Steven A. Tolle Page A

saw Cherise dancing with a boy about her age, smiling and clearly enjoying herself.  Madalin was dancing with the blond-haired young man, laughing at something he said.  “No, Norlan.”  Jake said.  “Let them enjoy the party.  I can make it home by myself.”
    “Are you sure?”  Norlan asked.
    “Yeah.” Jake said.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll be fine.”
    Jake slowly made his way to the exit, his mind distant as he considered what had just happened.  The grooms quickly had the carriage brought around and Jake gratefully climbed in.  He stared out of the window, watching the city pass by, the sounds of the carriage echoing off the nearby buildings as it wove its way back to Norlan’s.
    Jake thanked the driver after he had stepped down from the carriage, the main gate to the house only a few feet away.  Jake made his way into the yard as the carriage left to return to the palace.  He went over to Maxis’ enclosure and let the dog out.  Maxis seemed to sense Jake’s mood, staying calm and remaining close to him.  Jake went to his room, Maxis curling up at the foot of the bed while Jake removed and hung his swordbelt on the wall.  Jake quickly undressed and climbed into bed.  He thought about Keria and what the king had said.  He released his magic, hoping that he would quickly drift off to sleep.
    Instead, his emotions and thoughts continued to roil.  He tried to calm his mind, but sleep was a long time in coming.

Chapter Seven
    Jake awoke at the light knock on the door.  He called up his magic and shifted into a seated position just as Norlan entered his room.  Norlan looked like he was somewhat unwell, with a slight pallor to his face and some bags under his eyes.
    “Good morning, Jake.”  Norlan said pleasantly, despite his condition.  “Are you able to join us for the morning meal or should I have Madalin bring you some food?”
    “I will come inside, Norlan.”  Jake replied.  He gestured towards Norlan.  “Are you feeling well?  You look a bit under the weather.”
    “I’m fine, but I don’t think I should have had so much wine.”  Norlan said with a light smile and a rueful shake of his head.  “I still enjoy drinking a good wine, but every year that I grow older, if I drink too much, the next morning gets a bit more unpleasant.”
    “I understand.”  Jake said, remembering his hangover from the party at Matt’s house.  He swung his feet out and stood.  “I’ll be in as soon as I get dressed.”
    Norlan nodded and left.  Jake put on his clothes and stepped out onto the patio.  He saw that the sky was cloudy and a cool wind was blowing.  The clouds were not very dark, so Jake hoped that that meant no rain.  He headed into the house and found the family already at the table.
    During the meal, Jake listened with an amused smile as Cherise excitedly recounted all of the dancing at the celebration.  She spoke almost non-stop, pausing only to take a bite to eat at the prompting of her father.  Madalin listened with a contented look on her face while Norlan shook his head at Cherise’s gushing account of all of the attention that Marcus had shown her.  Looks like Marcus has another admirer.   Jake thought.  But after what she went through, I’m glad she was able to have such a good time.
    After breakfast, Jake returned to his room, settled back onto the bed and released his power.  He lay there, lost in thought.  The good mood that came from seeing Cherise happy faded as he considered what happened last night.  He replayed his conversation with the king in his mind several times, trying to determine if he should or could have said anything different.
    Thinking about Keria made him depressed.  Visualizing her in his head was almost painful as she was so beautiful.  He remembered the feel of her body next to his as they had kissed, the fragrance of her perfume and the smile she gave him like it was for him alone.  He was giving her up and, to make the