Purity of Mind

Chapter 14: Lady of the Hearth

I did my best to keep moving forward. My accent and looks could sell the idea that I was new to the city, new to the job, but I didn't want to seem entirely naive. Though the Ward appeared high-class, there was no telling what its inhabitants were actually like, and naievity tended to get interpreted as weakness. Of course, if the inhabitants were all Pure like I suspected they were, anything would seem weak to them.

Everyone I'd seen go into the Ward had come out. It couldn't be that bad.

"Un," I heard a voice exclaim, "bhanyanak agandh kyan hai?"

I turned to face the speaker: An old woman, seated at her porch. She was the first person I'd seen outside other than the patrolling guard. I wasn't sure if that was because the other houses were abandoned or if everyone preferred to avoid meeting outsiders.

"Fish delivery, ma'am." I said. "For 22 Crescent." Each of the houses had clearly marked addresses on them, and I'd been taught the Hidna words for the phases of the moon.

"Oh I hope not!" she said. "That's me, if you can't read the address. I can tell Trade's your first language."

"Yes ma'am." I said.

"Of course, nobody speaking Hidna's going to be smelling like that!" She cackled. "Still, it's nice of Kruthina to think of me, even if she does have questionable taste in fishmongers. It could be salvageable. Take it around to the back, I'll be there shortly."

I could tell it wasn't easy for her to stand, but I couldn't help her with my hands full of fish. I walked around the side of the house to its backyard. A firepit had been dug, lined with stone, and a metal platform set up above, presumably for grilling. It was the sort of thing I'd have used to cook with in the desert, though obviously more permanent. A quick glance to the sides showed me the neighbors had nothing like it. I set the fish atop the metal and turned around to help retrieve the old lady, but she'd already hobbled her way halfway to me.

"Did you set it on the grill?" She asked. She was clearly within sight of it, but I supposed her sight might not be as good as mine.

"Yes ma'am." I replied.

"So polite." She said absently, continuing on her course. I stepped aside to stop her from running into me. "Not the casual blasphemy, which is nice."

"Casual blasphemy?" I said.

She chuckled. "Yes, people today take the names of the Lords and Ladies in vain. Not how I was raised. You're new to the city, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am." Politeness seemed to be working.

"From your accent, I'd say you're from one of the jewels. Onyx? Sapphire?"

"Opal, ma'am." I said. "Just arrived in town a week or so ago."

"Ah, Opal. I've always wanted to go, me and the desert would get on well, for obvious reasons. But..." she gestured vaguely to the walls.

"The trip's not expensive," I said, playing up the naivety now that I was fairly sure I was safe.

She laughed again, this time more sadly. "You're new. You don't know better. I'm here because of this."

The woman gestured at the firepit, and it was suddenly full of flame. She hadn't even put any fuel in it. I didn't have to pretend to be startled.

Now her laugh was nearly a cackle. "Ah, it never gets old. I don't imagine a city like Opal has many like me. I'm a Pure, you see."

I'd gathered that. "Not any in Opal, not that I know."

She turned to me. "I doubt that. We spring up, from time to time, no matter the place. I imagine the ones where you're from are just smart enough to stay hidden. Else they'd end up... somewhere like this."