Fragments of Ash Vol. 1 (Urban Fantasy)

Chapter Two: A New Home

Ada woke up. She found herself lying in bed in a cosy room, the window next to her bed revealed that she was on the second floor of what looked like a house in the central area of town. Fancy.

It was uncharacteristically sunny, the mist had cleared and light was beating down through the windows. Quite a blessing, considering it was winter. Ada looked around. The room had a couple of soft chairs, a wardrobe, it was large enough to be your standard second bedroom. There was a distinct lack of decorations besides one rather charming flower jar on a table next to her. It looked like a guest room that never saw any guests. An important question to ask was whose house she was in. She was now wearing nothing but pyjamas that were too big for her, and bandages.

Ada's mind started to clear, she remembered that she fell through the floor of the church, the only explanation for her surviving was the strength spell she had cast on herself, which usually increased the toughness of her body to compensate. That was lucky. She had no idea where she was, and a life as a nomad had told her that that was never a good thing. Did someone find her after she fell into the tube? She didn't remember. Either way she had to get out, find her clothes, her satchel.

It was a struggle to get out of the bed, Ada could feel aches and pains all over her body. She almost fell to the floor as she shakily hobbled across the room. Having realised the wardrobe was empty, she shuffled towards the bedroom's exit. Chances were her clothes were still downstairs, she'd have to stealth it if she wanted to escape. She made her way to the door and put her hand on the handle, she rattled it for a bit, to her surprise, it wasn't locked. The surprise itself however was the fact that only a second after she leant on the door, someone on the outside opened it for her. Ada swiftly collapsed onto the floor of the corridor outside. She gasped and looked up at the person who let her out. It was a very surprised Eleanor.

Eventually, Ada was taken back to bed.

"You're not in any condition to walk around right now Ada," said Eleanor, "sorry, I'd offer you some food but I'm afraid I'm not one for tea and biscuits."

"Is this your house?" it certainly seemed so, considering how casually Eleanor was dressed, casual shirt and loose black trousers.

"Yes. Well, I couldn't exactly let you rot at the bottom of an abandoned feeding tube could I?"

"Guess I'd have been pretty doomed if you left me."

"Unlike the other girl, you didn't have any sort of ID, I didn't know where to take you. The Factory hospital wouldn't help so the best I could do is use basic field medicine to fix you up."

"Well, thanks. I'd be dead if it weren't for you, hah," Ada laughed, clearly embarrassed,

"How're you feeling?"

"Aching all over, like a tonne of bricks fell on me..."

"I'm assuming you survived because of some sort of magic?"

Ada took a while to reply, "Yeah."

"There's no need to be so apprehensive." Eleanor sighed, "I don't discriminate, I can use magic too you know."

Of course she could, Eleanor Faris was captain of the King's Guard for Seiruun during the war, if anyone would be able to use magic it'd be her. Besides, Eleanor could probably eat Ada for dinner without using magic if the rumours were true. Still, it was instinct for Ada to be apprehensive about her skills, after all, there was a whole war based on the very existence of practitioners of the art only ten or so years back. Still a sore subject.

"I'm guessing you're new here? Or maybe you were looking for something in particular?" asked Eleanor,

"Yes to both, how'd you guess?" Ada replied, she tried to hide her frustration at the fact that Eleanor still hadn't clocked on to whom she was talking to, her muscles were tensing up underneath the bedcovers.