“She didn't raze the whole town, obviously, as we're in it. And I don't know the guy who tried it but I know they had him custody until the Duchess was well again for his trial. I think he works with Ianthe now?” Little does he know he's talking about her brother, but at least he doesn't have any strong opinions on him like several others still do. “Other than that, political tensions escalated — the Zlatniki are the pro-Duchess group, the Blackguards are the Pro Void-Touched. The Zlatniki forced some Void-Touched out of their jobs, got violent with many, so obviously not great, and they're still not very chill with us. The Blackguards tend to think we're nascent gods who can .. I guess take over power from the Duchess with enough support, it's weird. Obviously there are pros and cons to aligning yourself publicly with one over the other regardless which side you pick.”