Ashdown Island

Chapter Eight

Ace awoke to the smells of meat cooking and the sight of a thatched roof above his head. There were noises of people bustling about, speaking in a language he couldn't recognize. Where was he? Why did his head hurt the way it did?

He looked around slowly, and saw Cicely sitting up beside him, clutching a woven blanket around her. He rose from his sitting position slowly, blinking a few times to get used to the light. They were in a small hut, all alone. Though the sounds from outside made it very clear that there were others nearby.

It all came crashing over him like a tidal wave. The house. Victoria. The rain and running scared from the place. Where were they now? How long had they been asleep?

"Cicely?" Ace whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly, looking around. "Are you?"

Ace nodded and stood up slowly, wincing at the ache of his legs from running so fast and hard the day before. Slowly, he helped Cicely up and inched towards the entrance of the hut they were in, he pulled the blanket away from the doorway and blinked in the sunlight.

The reaction was instant, and all of a sudden he was crowded by people, yelling questions and speaking a thousand words per minute, it seemed. Ace looked around, trying to get an idea of where he was and who these people were. They looked nothing like each other. Some had skin as dark as the night, others were almost as pale as Victoria, some were a mix of brown and bronze that seemed to reflect the sun. Hair came in all shades from red to black to yellow, and facial features were also different.

It was as if in this one place, every ethnicity of the world dwelled together.

And at the current moment, they were all focused on him.

"Enough!"

Everyone froze, turning behind them to meet the one who had called out the order. The sea of people parted to reveal a tall, tanned woman. She was the very picture of grace, regality in every feature. She wore a scarf around her head to cover her hair, and a long skirt that almost dragged behind her like a train. The top she wore was loose and flowing, the tan color accenting her skin and dark brown eyes that looked as warm as chocolate, and as deep as the mud on the Nile riverbanks.

"Give the boy some room." She said, stepping closer. "I know that we all have questions. But we must save them for later. He's only just woke up."

The people murmured in agreement, some nodding, others looking disappointed, but no one objected. Ace wondered if it was from awe or fear of this woman, who was so very clearly the leader. He dared himself to look up and meet her gaze. Her eyes were firm, but had a kind gleam to them, she gave him a small smile, before turning to one of the girls nearby her. "Oni, could you fetch some food that was leftover from our afternoon meal? I am sure our visitors are hungry."

The little girl nodded, eyes sparking with silent laughter as she ran off to collect what had been asked of her.

Ace took a step backwards into the tent, swallowing hard as the woman entered just after him.

"Fear not." She said kindly. "We mean you no harm. You are safe here with us."

"Where are we..?" Cicely asked, a bit timid.

"You are in the forests of the island of fallen ashes." The woman replied.

"Fallen ashes..." Ace repeated. "Ashdown."

She nodded. "I am Kalila. We found the two of you hidden beneath the brush in such horrible weather. You would have done better to find a shelter rather than try to brave the rains."