Candidates for future Nemfection?

[Bad Alias]

This means she is exposed to the "infection or infestation."

We don't know that. Many don't even suspect that, but I see why you do, and you aren't being unreasonable. For all we know, it may be a simple matter to cleanse an object of infection. As Yuillegan says, "Whether the Athame is still tainted or not is hard to say."

[Mira]

We don't know that. Many don't even suspect that, but I see why you do, and you aren't being unreasonable. For all we know, it may be a simple matter to cleanse an object of infection. As Yuillegan says, "Whether the Athame is still tainted or not is hard to say."

It is hard to say, except we do know that two of the three known handlers of the Knife were affected.
I also think it is safe to say since she did wear it on her belt Mab either didn't know the danger or is immune to it's effects..  I doubt that she was able to rid it of the infection or is immune because since it is an object of power you'd think she'd still be wearing it..

[morriswalters]

It is hard to say, except we do know that two of the three known handlers of the Knife were affected.

?

[Mira]

?

  Here are the three who came into physical contact with the Knife after the party, Lea, Mab, and Maeve... Of those three, Lea and Maeve definitely got infected,  other than she put herself on ice as well, not confirmed that Mab was infected..  It is possible that Cat Sith perhaps came in contact, but that would be total speculation, however confirmed that he was infected.

[morriswalters]

When did Maeve handle it?

[Mira]

When did Maeve handle it?

 Mab confirms that the infection came from the knife in Cold Days.  Though granted unclear if Maeve caught the infection from directly from Lea or from handling the Knife... Page 503

"It was the knife," Mab said.
"Knife?"
"Morgana's athame," Mab  said in a neutral tone--but her eyes were far away.  "The one given her by the Red Court at Bianca's masquerade.  That is how the Leananside was tainted--and your godmother spread it to Maeve before I could set it right."

[kbrizzle]

Well here’s a question - are Maeve & Lea Nfected at the same time? We know from DB that Lea has been a Sidhecicle since before the events of the book. And I’m sure Maeve has been Nfected for a little while before the events of PG.

[Mira]

Well here’s a question - are Maeve & Lea Nfected at the same time? We know from DB that Lea has been a Sidhecicle since before the events of the book. And I’m sure Maeve has been Nfected for a little while before the events of PG.

  But we don't know it is possible that Mab knew that Maeve was infected as of Small Favor and that is why she was so angry, that is also hinted at in Cold Days..

[morriswalters]

Lea gets the Athame in Grave Peril. There may be a foretelling of sorts in Summer Knight. She warns Harry about the Stone Table, and she is furtive as if she doesn't want Mab to hear.  There is a callback to this moment in Cold Days where she reminds Harry in Mab's presence.  It is almost certain that Lea and Maeve were on the field in Summer Knight and this would have given Lea a shot at Maeve.  By Dead Beat we know that Lea is detained because of a dispute with Mab.  However Mab still isn't aware the Maeve is compromised.  When we next see Mab in Small Favor she has ceased speaking directly.  She will only speak directly after she has made Harry her Knight.  She know knows that Maeve is infected, Harry relays what he believes to Mab in Cold Days.

"A few years back, you got angry. So angry that when you spoke it made people bleed from the ears.  That was why.  Because you figured out the the adversary had taken Maeve.  And it hurt.  To know that the adversary had gotten to her."
"It was the knife."  Mab said.
"Knife?"
"Morgana's athame," Mab said in a neutral tone-but her eyes were far away.
"The one given to her by the Red Court at Bianca's masquerade.  That was how the Leanansidhe was tainted-and your godmother spread it to Maeve before I could set it right."

I find this particular passage to be one of the most powerful of the series.  The sense of melancholy as Mab faces the loss of her children, Maeve dead and Sarissa lost to Summer.  Almost certainly knowing that the worst is still to come.

[Mira]

Lea gets the Athame in Grave Peril. There may be a foretelling of sorts in Summer Knight. She warns Harry about the Stone Table, and she is furtive as if she doesn't want Mab to hear.  There is a callback to this moment in Cold Days where she reminds Harry in Mab's presence.  It is almost certain that Lea and Maeve were on the field in Summer Knight and this would have given Lea a shot at Maeve.  By Dead Beat we know that Lea is detained because of a dispute with Mab.  However Mab still isn't aware the Maeve is compromised.  When we next see Mab in Small Favor she has ceased speaking directly.  She will only speak directly after she has made Harry her Knight.  She know knows that Maeve is infected, Harry relays what he believes to Mab in Cold Days.I find this particular passage to be one of the most powerful of the series.  The sense of melancholy as Mab faces the loss of her children, Maeve dead and Sarissa lost to Summer.  Almost certainly knowing that the worst is still to come.

Yes, she showed vulnerability to Harry,  deep down Mab is a very human mother, and for all her Fae
cleverness she was unable to save her children. which she loved..  As Kringle warns Harry not to challenge her on that point..

"but never challenge her pride, wizard.  I don't know exactly what passed between you, but I suspect that if it had been witnessed by another, she would break you to pieces.  Terrible pride in that creature.  She'll never bend it."

[KurtinStGeorge]

When did Maeve handle it?

"A few years back, you got angry. So angry that when you spoke it made people bleed from the ears.  That was why.  Because you figured out the the adversary had taken Maeve.  And it hurt.  To know that the adversary had gotten to her."
"It was the knife."  Mab said.
"Knife?"
"Morgana's athame," Mab said in a neutral tone-but her eyes were far away.
"The one given to her by the Red Court at Bianca's masquerade.  That was how the Leanansidhe was tainted-and your godmother spread it to Maeve before I could set it right."

There is no reason to think Maeve physically handled the knife.  It seems more likely to me that Lea found a way to directly infect Maeve.

There is another related idea that I think needs to be challenged.  Because Mab wore the Athame on her belt, it is easy to conclude that Mab has been exposed to Nemesis.  I think that is incorrect and I will say why further below.  First, I suppose an alternative to this thought is that Mab found some way to shield herself from the infection, but that seems unlikely to me because it's too simple and too easy.  If Mab could protect herself than Nemesis is no longer so scary a weapon. 

A more subtle alternative is that the Athame's nemesis infection was a one shot item.  Mab could wear the Athame because it had lost its power to do harm to the one who uses it.  I think that is also an unlikely explanation; however, if you reread the previous sentence I just wrote, the clue to how I think the Athame works is found at the end of that sentence.  I'll just wait while you reread that.....

I think Lea didn't become nemfected until she used the Athame to summon everyone in Winter who owed her a favor to capture Harry, near the end of Grave Peril.  If simply touching the item passed the infection, it would have been all too easy for Bianca to infect herself, assuming she was just a patsy and not the mastermind of the operation.  I can't describe it in exact terms, but something about using the Athame's magic passes the poison to its user.  So it makes sense for Mab to permanently keep hold of the item.  It can't harm her as long as she doesn't use it and it can't harm anyone else either. 

[morriswalters]

I have no idea about the precise mechanism.  I come at it backwards.  Of all the creatures in faerie, Mab, more so than anyone else, understands the hazard of infection.  The Gatekeeper exists to forestall this very possibility.  Since I presume that Mab is no fool I dismiss the possibility that the adversary could infect her.

In addition, just for a basis for my thinking, I assume the infection works much like the coins. Jim is into adaptive reuse.  So I think the Athame has had its moment and that as long as the shadow is still on Lea, that the knife can't infect anyone else.  And the shadow is still there, she tells us so in Changes.  I think this sets up a scenario where Lea backslides and backstabs Mab.

Other possibilities exist.  Lea was under the radar for some time, it isn't out of the realm of speculation that Cowl or some other member of the circle gave Lea more infected artifacts before she was discovered.

[Mira]

[quote
I think Lea didn't become nemfected until she used the Athame to summon everyone in Winter who owed her a favor to capture Harry, near the end of Grave Peril.  If simply touching the item passed the infection, it would have been all too easy for Bianca to infect herself, assuming she was just a patsy and not the mastermind of the operation.  I can't describe it in exact terms, but something about using the Athame's magic passes the poison to its user.  So it makes sense for Mab to permanently keep hold of the item.  It can't harm her as long as she doesn't use it and it can't harm anyone else either.  quote]


Or Bianca never handled the knife herself... 

Grave Peril page 270 paperback

Bianca presented her with a small black case.  Lea opened it, and a slow tremble ran down her body, made her flame-red hair shift and glisten.

 

Possible but doubtful that Bianca handled the knife herself..  Or Bianca could very well have been infected, but we will never know because she was killed by the ghosts of her victims.  Or she was showing symptoms in the guise of her delusions of grandeur and power.. 

Also in Cold Days Mab confirms that "it was the knife..."  That this is how Lea was infected and from her to Maeve..   So somehow Lea was infected by the knife and in turn infected Maeve,  Mab suspected and was able to deal with Lea in time, but not Maeve..  So is Mab wrong about this?

[Snark Knight]

I don't think Victor Sells was infected, in my opinion he was what is called a "useful idiot.."   You forgot that Mab, herself, was infected but she caught it in time.

There's a WOJ that the first Nemfected character to appear on stage did so in Grave Peril. So barring the remote possibility that this was one of the times he absolutely had to lie when answering a fan question because "I'm not going to tell you" would itself have been confirmation that someone was onto a big spoiler, I think you're right about Sells being a pawn. (Presumably, so were the FBI werewolves. Kravos is technically a candidate for the first N-fectee seen, but I lean towards him being another pawn and the WOJ most likely referring to Bianca or Cowl).

The question is, was Sells a pawn aimed at Marcone, or a pawn aimed at Harry?

[Bad Alias]

So somehow Lea was infected by the knife and in turn infected Maeve,  Mab suspected and was able to deal with Lea in time, but not Maeve..  So is Mab wrong about this?

The knife is like the monkey from Outbreak. It didn't infect everybody. It was patient zero. Lea is infected by the knife. What happens to the knife at this point doesn't matter. Lea throws it into the river. Lea's infected. Lea sneezes on Maeve. Maeve is infected. Mab never says "Lea infected Maeve with the knife." She says "knife --> Lea --> Maeve."