She'd been hoping they'd have covered that when he was brought through. "Like those," Raine agreed. "About a month and a half ago now, a number of cultists attacked a gathering of Foreigners, meeting with the Emperor. The weapons they carried had black blades-- you may still see some on the streets, and you should be very cautious of them, as they carry a poison that has lasting physical and spiritual effects. If I or another healer reach you quickly, you should be fine, but it's not something worth risking. The effects observed include nightmares, compromised judgment, and an increased tendency to anger and violence. The taint still persists in some people, and it remains to be seen if it will cause other problems."

There she paused, stopping briefly in the street to face him, give him a direct look rather than sidelong. "The enemy had been very quiet up till about two and a half weeks ago," she said after a moment, a little quiet. "We'd seen what it had been responsible for, but in late September it murdered the Emperor and five of the turtle-children, left their corpses on the steps of the Palace, and announced to everyone near a console that at least one of us had helped it willingly. So yes. Movement."