She nodded. "They have been a scourge in Great Britian for near fifty years. Some parts of England have become so infested or prone to attack that they have become virtually inhabitable otherwise."

The Inbetween was especially dangerous. No one traveled there without some form of weaponry. "All young people-even ladies-are sent to parts of the orient to train in the deadly arts. The more elite travel to Japan as marks of status, those who take the arts more seriously train in China."