THE sun stood high in the sky, its heat spilling over the tiled roofs of the Black Fur province like molten gold. A calm breeze moved through the open yards, carrying with it the faint smells of firewood smoke and damp soil from the morning’s farm work.

Xaniyah pushed open the door, her arms straining slightly under the weight of a green plastic basket full of household waste. The stench wasn’t too pleasant, but she had learned to bear it. This was one of her many daily chores: clearing ...