Journey of a Girl

Polite Society: Chapter Five

Around midday, Credence saw smoke in the distance.

Then came the tops of tall chimneys and a glimpse of more buildings than she could count. The ride became considerably easier as mud gave way to smooth stone. Credence had only seen one road before, the one that led to the Collector's tree. This one was different, well paved and carefully placed, and she marveled at the ingenuity of the one who first thought of such a thing.

The caravan stopped before a towering gate with thick sharpened stakes at its top, and one of the drivers conversed with the guards outside, who wore polished metal over their chests and on their heads. The gate blocked Credence's view of the inside, but she could still see the tops of several houses, many of them billowing clouds of black into the sky. Her mouth fell open in an awed gape and Rose nudged her.

"You really weren't lying when you said you've never seen the towns, were you?" Credence shook her head and Rose giggled. "You'll love it. It's better than having to run from wolves and monsters. I can't imagine how awful that kind of life is! It's safe and comfortable here. This is polite society."

One of the guards yelled to someone behind the gate. There was a flurry of activity and noise before the gate parted to allow the carts inside. Credence held her breath, fearful of what lay ahead.

The towns came to life before her eyes.

There were more people than Credence knew existed. There were sellers hawking food and goods to everyone within earshot; men holding gutted fish in the air, or onions, or wool. They called out with increasingly crass language to anyone who might look interested in their wares.

Children with mud-caked faces ran around and beneath the slow-moving carts like it was a game to dodge the wheels.

Animals of all kinds—cats, chickens, dogs, cows, sheep—wandered aimlessly and no one seemed to care.

Men and women poured buckets of gray water from high windows onto the streets, not looking where they were aimed, but always just missing the people below.

Stunningly beautiful youths dressed in elegant gowns, their faces painted to exaggerate their features in the most becoming way, were cooing and beckoning to people from balconies decorated with flowers and colorful scarves.

Rose tried her best to explain it all to Credence, pointing to various things and commenting, but Credence was so wrapped up in the sights and sounds that her companion's voice was quickly drowned out, and nothing but the hum of society rang in her ears.

There was so much noise, and an endless array of things to look at and wonder about! It quickly became overwhelming, and Credence had to drop her gaze to the floor of the cart and cover her ears to dampen the din.

One of the more upsetting aspects was the smell. There was nothing in comparison, for Credence had never known anything like it. The closest equivalence she could think of was an animal carcass left under the sun for too long, but that was yet a distant relative to the punching odor invading her nostrils.

When her discomfort slightly eased, she was able to raise her attention back to the towns, and she tried her best to understand everything she could about this exotic world.

There was a certain rhythm to it, she realized. Everything moved on its own private schedule, but still in tandem with the chaos around. It was a marvel that so much could be contained in so little space and continue to thrive without calamity. As they traveled deeper the streets narrowed to a point where they were barely wide enough to hold the carts and the people around them. It felt cramped, like another cage to be kept in, and Credence noted that the gate they had entered from continued with them, creating a wall to secure the towns.

"How big is this place?" Credence mused out loud, which Rose took as a question directed her way.

"Much bigger than our ride will be," she answered. "So wide and so long that you could walk for days and still not complete the full circle around."

"And the gate goes around all of it?"

" 'Course. It hugs the towns and keeps us safe from danger."

Or keeps danger inside, Credence thought grimly.

The narrow streets eventually opened into a large, circular clearing surrounded by shops and vendors. Dead center in the clearing was a wooden square, a wide stage raised several feet from the ground by numerous beams. A congregation moved around it, all set to various tasks, from sweeping the stage to decorating it with colorful flags, to erecting beams upon it with hammers.

"That's where the Auction happens," Rose said. "You can't understand how lucky you are to see one your first night here. They only happen once every season."

"And every season...black stripes are killed?"

Rose gave a disappointed sigh.

"You're thinking about it all wrong. Black stripes deserve what they get, they're bad people who harm the towns. It's a blessing that the Auction takes care of that sort. And it's just a small part of it. The Auction is a grand thing to see! There's music and sweets and new angels are found—it's the best place to get them actually, other than the school, of course."

"School?"

"All you need to concern yourself with is how many lovely distractions you're going to see tonight. The Auction is the most fun the towns has to offer. We even get travelers from time to time who've heard about it and come to take part. Honestly, you've worried yourself for nothing."

Perhaps Rose was right. Credence had been in the towns for less than an hour and already she was passing judgment. Maybe this was Pa's hatred clouding her perception, and Credence wasn't entirely convinced it was the correct way of thinking.

Pa could have been exaggerating.

He could have been lying.

Several people stopped to gawk at the caravan, some pointing and whispering, some smiling and waving, while others simply stood and frowned. There was commotion behind her, and Credence looked back to see several townsfolk throwing things at the cart with the black stripes, while those inside cursed and spat back.

"Look," Rose said, pulling Credence's attention from the chaos. She was pointing to a decorated balcony where several women, all beautiful and wearing scandalously sheer gowns, were whistling and calling to the approaching caravan.

"That's where I live, at Mistress Cinder's House. See the red-haired one with the blue ribbons? That's Sapphire, but it's not her real name. Patrons adore her, but I don't know why. She's not nice to me. But the one next to her, with black hair and a yellow dress, is Garden. She's real gentle."

Rose waved and called to the girls on Mistress Cinder's balcony.

"Cinder's lot! Down here with the red stripes!"

The women turned to Rose, who stood and gave a curtsy before addressing them once more.

"Home from the wars, my loves! Give us a kiss!" The girl called Sapphire frowned, but Garden blew a kiss that made Rose beam with pride. She sat down and sighed. "I always did like Garden."

"Are they princesses?" Credence asked. 

"They could be. They're angels, like me. Like you will be."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means people pay...for our company."

"Why?"

"Because it makes them happy. It's what pretty faces were made for."

Rose waved to a man walking alongside their cart and staring at them. Her attention made him blush and avert his gaze, and Rose gave a satisfied giggle before turning back to Credence. 

"You've got much to learn, but Mistress Cinder will teach you. Same as she taught me and all the others."