Foulques almost snorted at the warning, but refrained, as it was given in good faith and would likely have been needed by many. "I thank you for your warning, but the cruelties that the world and the people in it can perpetrate have long since ceased to shock me," he said. "Anger me, perhaps, but not shock."

"And I can unfortunately confirm some of what you suspect. Sun noticed certain things about them, and told me that as his task was to mind children, he was obliged to report any suspicions of abuse to the authorities; I suppose I was the nearest thing available. And moreover, I have seen some of the scars on their body, though I suspect they're unaware of this. No doubt they thought they were being quite stealthy, but children generally think they are much more so than they are."

"As to their innocence, it was meant in the sense that both they and their adopted brother were too young to truly understand death and killing. What it takes from those that strike the blow... and those that are left behind. Though in living through the act, I fear they are learning the latter at some great cost, in part thanks to the visions they witnessed."