-- Aster --

I felt myself just staring at Violet's dropped jaw, doing my best to hold back a giggle.

"Blight! Seriously Aster! What were you thinking?" I heard James yell behind me.

I could only shrug.

Violet shook herself, then asked, "Aren't you supposed to be with Bay and Rowan?"

"Uh..." Was I? I think I was. "Yes?" Why is it so hard to think?

"Where are they?" Violet asked shortly.

I shrugged, "I don't know." Shrugging feels kinda nice. I did it again just for the feeling of it.

"What do you mean?" Violet asked as annoyance crept into her voice.

"Well." I had to think hard to remember. I slowly answered, "Bay. She wandered off, as she does, and Rowan..." I had to fight to remember, "...and I were looking for her." I said triumphantly.

"Is this really one of your team members?" A deep male voice spoke from the group of people. I turned to see an older man with deep circles under his eyes. Who is he?

"Unfortunately," Violet answered, tiredly.

It took me a moment to realize they were talking about me. "Hey! I help." I said indignantly.

"Sure you do." Violet agreed. I could only smile. Then she turned to the older man, "Now if your men will please move I can heal him."

I finally noticed the group of well-armed men in-between me and Violet. When did they get there? Wait what did she say? Was I injured? I tried to move my leg and found it in a lot of pain, "That would be nice. Is it hot to anyone else here?"

The old man shook his head. "Just patch him up, and we can talk at my office."

What an odd thing to say/ "You sure you're not being captured?" I asked.

"Yes, now lie still." The group of men parted and Violet came over putting her hands on me.

"Ok."

I felt fire rush through my leg rapidly healing it, and something in my hands. Then all of a sudden I felt a massive flow of energy shut off. The sudden cut-off made me seize, and spasm. I was breathing fast, as my body began to cool. With that my mind started to become clear, finally allowing me to think straight. Though the last few minutes were still hazy.

I blinked, "Violet what happened?"

She looked at me like I'm an idiot. "I healed you." She said dryly.

I thought back to the fighting if it could be called that. "But. Did I really just do that?"

"Yes?"

"Why did I do that?" It was dumb and beyond short-sided. I didn't even use any skills. Blight I didn't even use my dagger. All I knew was I saw the two and I saw red. I felt for the tether I accidentally created and found it gone or closed. I guess violet closed it. With the power closed off I could feel each and every cell in my body absorbing and assimilating the power. I felt as strong as I did when I had fought the city. I needed to be careful about absorbing power here. It's too strong, and next time I might not be able to close the channel.

I must have been lost in thought for a while as I found myself already up and walking with the man and his guards.

"Aster where are Bay and Rowan?" James turned to me and asked.

I had to think, to try and remember, "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head, "Bay literally wandered off. She mentioned something about following the flow before disappearing."

"How could you lose her?" James accused.

"I swear we looked away for like a minute, and when we looked back she was gone." I defended myself

"And Rowan? Where is he?" Violet asked.

"Supposedly looking for her, but we were supposed to contact each other after an hour and... He hasn't." I paused I realized I hadn't either. I pulled out my phone and gave a quick call, as the phone rang the man I had attacked spoke up.

"Don't know about him but your mage is most likely in one of the towers."

"Towers?" James asked.

"Filter towers. Happens when mages follow the flow. Don't worry there safe. But stuck until they can get out." The man said casually.

"That doesn't sound safe," Violet commented.

The phone was just ringing as the man with rings around his eyes, spoke tiredly, "Look you're new here. So I'm cutting you some slack. But, you all are a disruption I can't have right now. People will want to do their own storylines and will try to put u in compromising situations."

"Who are you anyway?" Violet asked

"I'm Edelweiss, I lead this city. And the man you fought is Hawthorn."

"Nice to meet you." Hawthorn waved smiling.

"But. Why?" James asked.

"Why what?" Edelweiss asked.

"All of this."

Edelweiss blinked, "To be in the show."

"Show?" I asked confused. The phone finally hit Rowan's voice mail, and I hung up my phone. Now focused on the conversation. What was this about a show?

"People will come out of the woodwork just to be a part of the 'quest'. Normally we have a storyline for you to follow, but things are to going to work like that right now." The man said annoyed.

"I am so lost." I chimed hoping someone would fill me in.

"Aster, shh" Violet chided.

I looked askance at her, "What?"

"How would anyone even know?" James asked Edelweiss. I was wondering the same thing myself.

The man let out a long breath, "You're new." He pointed out, "And. It has been eighteen years since the last migration. During this time a group of quester always shows up."

"So. The quester could be someone else who just came in." James defended.

Shaking his head he answered, "Only questers come out here during the migration. Everyone else knows better, or just plain doesn't have a reason."

"Oh." James sounded defeated, "So as soon as anyone knows we know..."

"They know exactly what you are." Edelweiss finished.

"Why did we ever agree to this?" James lamented.

"The growth, and money," Violet answered tiredly.

"Agree to what?" I could only look at them confused trying to understand what blight they were even talking about.

"But ever since we left the city we've just been harassed," James whined.

"Look it's too late now. We just going to have to deal."

James reluctantly agreed, "Yeah. You're right."

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" I practically yelled.

"The quester show?" James answered

Show? It took me a few minutes to remember, "Oh!"

"Yeah. Did you forget?"

"I may have."

"How could you forget?"

"Hey, It's not like it's come up all that often" I defended myself. I really should have understood them but it's been a long day. ""Hey, It's not like it's come up all that often" I defended myself. I really should have understood them but it's been a long day. "Besides how would they get the footage? Do they have cameras everywhere or something?"

James and Violet looked at each other confused before James asked, "Did we not tell you?"

"I could have sworn we did," Violet commented

I narrowed my eyes, " All I know is that you're reality stars now and that there might be things pushing us. I thought we'd see cameras or something."

"Wow...We didn't tell you anything. Did we?" Violet said offhandedly.

"Apparently not," I said, annoyed.

James began to explain, "The egg, and you remember the items that came from the first mission. I think you got a mask. I got the scales, she got the staff thing."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"They are what record everything," James answered.

Why did that sound familiar? The city mission! "I think I've heard of missions that record you." I admitted, before asking, "So you're saying the symbols are recording to?"

James looked concerned before asking, "Don't you have yours with you?"

"No, I didn't even take it from the mansion. The mayor threw me out remember?" I never even had the chance to grab it.

James looked shocked, "Seriously?"

Violet looked us over before asking, "Wow. How did this not come up?"

"I don't know how I feel about this." I could only thank the keepers that I didn't have the mask. They could expose me to so much. In fact, I could only worry how much they've already seen. The conversation died and was silent the rest of the way, to Edelweiss's office.