It had been three days since Aster and Anna returned from the home of Kav-deb. Three days in which Aster's condition had greatly improved. All the nagging pains she had become accustomed to having all her life had eased until they finally disappeared completely, and she was full of energy. She still dutifully followed the potion regime prescribed by Kav-deb and administered by Anna, but that was a small price to pay for her current physical condition, which was only getting better. Aster spent most of her time in the garden reading or exploring, alone or with Anna. Anna, while having returned to work and new commissions, still took the time to be with Aster for several hours a day. Aster still felt a little guilty about this but Anna had told her that this was normal and that she enjoyed spending time with her. Anna had introduced her to several games, such as chess, cards, master mind, but especially puzzles. Aster loved puzzles. There was just something really satisfying about building a picture, putting each little piece together and putting it in its proper place. Anna must have realised this because last night she had returned from a client appointment with four new puzzles under her arm. That evening Anna had received a very long hug. Is that what having a mother is like?

This morning Aster had hesitated for a long time but after a long debate with herself she had shyly looked up at Anna, then with a slight blush called her Mum. Aster didn't know if she had done something wrong when Anna suddenly froze and a tear rolled down her cheek. Aster had been really scared at the time that she had done something wrong, that she had been freakish in calling Anna mum and that she was actually like the Dursleys. Anna had slowly gotten up and walked around the table before stopping in front of Aster. Aster then reflexively crouched down, waiting for the blow to fall. But it never did, instead Anna reached down and lifted Aster into her arms before holding her tightly and placing a kiss on top of her head.

Aster felt very silly for thinking that Anna could be like the Dursleys and began to cry against Anna's chest, Anna assuring her that it made her infinitely happy that Aster was accepting her as a mother. Strangely tired after this emotional onslaught, Aster fell asleep in Anna's arms, feeling for one of the first times in her life loved and wanted by someone.

On one of the benches on the shore of the small lake Aster was seated, wrapped tightly in a thick coat, a cap on her head, a scarf around her neck and a book on her lap. Something about the interactions between the magic of power stones and a person's magic when used in mage prosthetics. Aster had wanted to better understand how her arm and the magic of the stone worked with her own magic and at her request Anna had given her this book. But it was very technical and academic and Aster had quickly grown tired of it, bored with only understanding two thirds of the words. She would try again later with a dictionary at hand. No now, her eyes were riveted on the green waters of the lake, watching the movements of some inquisitive carp swimming just below the surface. Her mind drifted back to the conversation between her and Anna from this morning.

She really was someone's daughter, Anna had completely accepted that, despite her freakyness. Well, whatever that means because after seeing Kav-deb Aster was pretty normal after all. Or was it the Dursleys who weren't normal but Anna and Kav-deb who were? It wouldn't surprise her that much in retrospect. After all, yesterday morning she had slipped behind Anna in her office to spy on one of her clients discreetly through the doorway. A certain Yaesh, who according to Anna was one of the most annoying in his requests. He was a strange guy, tall, thin, wearing a long grey tunic, four arms, three eyes blindfolded by a black foulard, a strange four-tiered bonnet but above all three long tails. The most astonishing thing was that with her new eye Aster could see all sorts of strange but very pretty decorative patterns on the creature's tunic. It was hard for Aster to understand, people decorating their clothes with magic invisible to most people? Strange folk. Aster had quickly fled after Yaesh turned his head towards her, and Aster felt herself being watched despite the blindfold on his three eyes.

But this spying session had mostly led Aster to wonder what is supposed to be normal and what is supposed not to be normal. Seeing Mr. Yaesh, the Dursleys would surely have fainted out of fear because of the freakyness of the guy, but Anna had acted like it was normal, the same with Kav-deb. And something told Aster that Anna's other clients were similar in nature.

Which had led her to her current thoughts. Her eyes were riveted on the glittering scales of the carp swimming calmly in the deep waters of the small lake. Was it a pike she had just seen? She would have to check the fish book in the library. More importantly was she normal after all and it was just the Dursleys who were weird for being afraid of everything? Or was she an intruder in a freak world to which the Dursleys said she belonged but after seeing Kav-deb and Yaesh she wasn't really sure.

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of Anna's footsteps in the snow. "Aster, you've been outside for over an hour, please get inside, you'll freeze to death."

Aster jumped to her feet, turned to Anna and ran towards her before hugging her tightly with her arms around her waist. "Yes Mum."

Anna laughed softly and said, "It's okay, I know what you want," before picking Aster up and heading back towards the house. Aster smiled, she couldn't quite explain it but being held by Anna had become one of her favourite things.

Once inside Anna helped Aster out of her coat and outerwear before leading her to one of the sofas in the living room. Anna sat down and motioned for Aster to do the same next to her. Aster sat down and gave Anna a questioning look.

Anna gave a long sigh, hesitated for a moment and then said. "Aster, my dear. There is a discussion we need to have that is better done now than later."

"What's going on, Mum?" Aster tilted her head slightly, trying to figure out what could be making her new mother so uncomfortable.

Anna gave her a reassuring smile, put her hands on her shoulders before looking into her eyes and said. "I know it will be hard for you to talk about this, but it's important for me to know how you came to be in the edges, and who your old family was and how they treated you.

Aster couldn't help but fidget for a moment and look the other way. "Why does it matter? I'm with you now. You're going to send me back to them?"

Anna didn't have to think long to understand. "No my dear, you're never going back to those monsters. Not ever. Just by looking at you I know they didn't treat you right.

Aster looked up at them, her big green eyes slightly moist. "Why then?"

Unable to resist Anna hugged her and whispered in her ear. "This is important because I know that this kind of treatment leaves more than just physical wounds. They hurt your body, but they also hurt your mind. And I need to know what was done to you so I can know how to care for you better.

Aster nodded but still hesitated to speak, her eyes turned to the ground. And if after telling her how the Dursleys treated her and what her demon had done to make Vernon want to kill her Anna didn't want to be her mother anymore, the thought terrified her.

"Don't be afraid, Aster. I know it's hard. But know that no matter what happened, no matter what they said or did to you, you will always be my daughter and I will always love you as much as I do. Is that okay?

Aster nodded shyly before speaking in a trembling voice. "I lived in a house with my Aunt Petunia Dursley, my Uncle Vernon Dursley and my cousin Dudley Dursley. They didn't like me at all and used to call me girl or freak, rarely Aster." A sob escaped her and Anna hugged her again which gave her the courage to continue. "Every time my dem... sorry each time i was doing magic unintentionally Vernon would hit me and lock me in the cupboard for days. I..."

With those few words Anna's blood ran cold in her veins. She was going to talk to Kav-deb and the Dursleys would not get away with it. She took Aster's silence as an opportunity to encourage her. "The cupboard?"

"Yes, the cupboard under the stairs, that's where I slept. Dudley used to hit me too, and I did all the chores around the house. If I did them wrong or not fast enough Aunt Petunia would yell at me..."

Anna was dumbfounded, what could she say to that? Never, even in her younger days when she had not been a good person, far from it, would she have treated a little girl or boy like this. It hadn't even occurred to her that some people were capable of this kind of thing.

After a few ragged breaths, Aster resumed. "A few days ago, I don't quite remember how it happened, my magic exploded, Vernon hit me and then threw me into the cupboard. I woke up in the trunk of the car, and when Vernon parked in a forest I managed to get away, he shot at me a few times with his rifle but I managed to get away, then I was surrounded by weird mists, and I was propped up on a path in the edges. A few hours later I think, you found me and saved me." Aster burst into tears.

"It's all right, darling, I'm with you now, now you'll be all right."

Aster snuggled into Anna's lap, her sobs muffled in her chest. Anna stroked her hair gently. "Shh, it's okay. They're gone. You'll never have to see them again, okay? Here we'll take care of you."

Aster nodded, sniffling, trying to stop her tears wetting Anna's top.

"You were brave, my dear, to tell me all this. I know someone who can heal wounds of the heart and mind. We'll go to him soon and he'll heal you. You'll have to come back and see him regularly for a long time, but I assure you he's a good man.

Aster nodded, her face still buried in Anna's chest. "Who is he?" her voice said, muffled in the fabric of Anna's shirt.

"His name is Tùche. He is a Yujul. A Fahri Yujul. The same species as Yaesh, the one you saw in my office yesterday, little spy."

"You saw me?" Aster's voice said, worried.

"No, but Yaesh told me you were hiding behind the door. Next time knock and I'll tell you if you can get in. Yaesh is unbearable as a customer but he's not a bad guy. However, I sometimes deal with people of questionable morals or whom I don't know well. In those cases I'd rather you knock and I can tell you no if it's someone i don't trust, okay?"

Aster poked her head out of Anna's shirt and said, her eyes reddened by tears but a faint smile on her lips. "Yes, Mum, sorry."

Anna took her face in her hands and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry, dear, but it was a necessary discussion. Do you understand?"

Aster nodded.

"Well, do you want to do something with me, a puzzle?"

Aster hesitated for a moment, stood up and took her mother by the hand, pulling her off the couch and saying, "I think I saw a pike in the lake earlier, can you come with me to look in the fish book?

"Anna followed her towards the library, a smile returning to her face but making a note in her head to get in touch with Tùche for an appointment as soon as possible.

A week later. Anna and Aster were sitting around the table and had just finished their meal, a pumpkin pie with bacon, one of Aster's new favorites, and were just clearing away when Aster's stomach rumbled.

Aster blushed and placed a hand on her stomach in shame, Anna laughed softly and said. "It's not like you to be hungry like that just after eating, Aster."

The little girl blushed even more. "I don't know why I've been hungry all day."

Anna set the plates down beside the sink before kneeling down in front of Aster, gently grasping her chin and looking at her skin and eyes. Her pupils were slightly dilated and her skin whiter and her lips redder than usual. The symptoms were obvious. "Tonight my dear we are going out."

"To go where Mum?" said Aster her eyes shining with excitement. The only time they had been out since Aster's arrival had been on a visit to Kav-deb and Aster was keen to see new things.

A toothy grin spread across Anna's lips. "We're going hunting."

Aster frowned, "Hunting?"

"Yes, my dear. You know that vampires need to drink blood? Well the time has come for you to have your first time.

Aster's eyes widened, "Drinking blood... from someone's neck? Like the vampires in the stories?"

"Yes, exactly. The neck doesn't have to be that way though, it can be the wrist or the inner thigh, where the veins are thick."

Aster shuddered. "Do we really have to?

"Yes, unfortunately."

"I heard about blood donation where I used to live. And that there are blood bags. Can't we just drink what's in them instead of attacking people?"

Anna shook her head. "No, we can't do that, although I agree it would make things a lot easier. We don't just drink blood to drink blood, it's a ritual, sinking our fangs directly into a person allows us to drink not only their blood, but also their essence, their magic for wizards and magicians, their life energy for muggles, people without magic. And no, we don't necessarily attack people. You see, vampires have an aura of seduction and calm which makes us desirable to other creatures, human or not, and makes hunting much easier. Finally, drinking someone's blood gives them pleasure, so there are special clubs where people go for the specific purpose of meeting a vampire on the hunt."

At these words Aster's face took on a scarlet hue. Something about Anna's explanation felt strange, "I see the ritual aspect. But if these clubs exist, why do we need to hunt?"

Anna sighed and her eyes wandered for a moment before refocusing on Aster. "Do you know how old I am, Aster?"

"No... Petunia said it was rude to ask a lady's age."

At these words Anna burst out laughing. After a minute she caught her breath. "No Aster, you don't have to worry. I'm 590 years old or 595, I've lost count."

Aster's jaw almost dropped and fell to the floor in astonishment "That old?"

Anna blushed. "Yes, so what? Kav-deb is much older than me," she said with a pout.

Aster shook her head, sighing at her mother's antics. "What does your age have to do with having to hunt?"

Anna blushed even more, ashamed. "Well you see, in my youth I was reckless, violent and far too passionate. And I met a man who was another vampire as terrible as I was. His name was Vlad III Basarab. Also known today as Vlad the Impaler. He was an awful person when I look back on it, but as I said, I was reckless, stupid, but above all, in love... He is one of the most terrible dark lords in history, and I, the foolish and reckless young Anna Karrasinqi, happened to be his right-hand woman and general of his second army."

Aster shook her head in amazement.

"I did some pretty terrible things with him and in his name. And though it's calmed down since then I'm still being hunted by a lot of vampire hunters and the ICW still has a bounty on my head from that time. The lucky one who gets me will receive the modest sum of 1,500,000 galleons... Don't look at me like that, I've settled down since then and I'm sure that in a century or two nobody will remember me. I just prefer to avoid vampire gatherings. The last time I went to one of them twenty years ago I was almost caught by a weird guy. An English psychopath, moody I think his name was. He got off with a few extra scars and I managed to get away without too much trouble but I do try to avoid appearing in public..."

Aster didn't know how to react. Her mother was not only the nicest person in the world, she was epic! She threw herself on top of her in a powerful embrace with her face buried against her stomach. She mumbled into her belly for a moment before releasing her face and looking up at her with hopeful eyes, "Will you tell me stories of your youth, Mum?"

Anna hesitated for a moment before blushing even more if such a high deed could be possible before saying "I'm ashamed of that time, you know? I was stupid and convinced of the rightfulness of my actions at the time. Persuaded that what I was doing was right. But I still think I can tell you some things from that period. Oh, and I had many other adventures later in my life that I could tell you about."

"Yes please!"

Stroking her head and back Anna said with a smile "But that will be later, tonight we are hunting. Wait for me here, I'll be back in a minute."

Aster leaned back and continued to put the dishes away after seeing her mother off to her workshop.

A minute later Anna returned holding a strange little piece of wood in her hand. "Come on, Aster, dress warmly, it's cold tonight."

She put on a coat, a scarf, a cap, thick winter boots and three minutes later Anna and Aster were standing at the front door. Anna took the piece of wood from her pocket and turned a tiny handle on it. A moment later and before them was a small, thin, slightly canoe-like boat. Anna took a bluish stone from her pocket and slipped it into a notch in the front of the strange boat and sat down in it. "Honey, sit on my lap in front of me." Aster nodded and sat down comfortably in front of Anna. Anna grabbed two strange levers on either side of her and the boat rose gently from the ground. Aster could not believe her eyes.

"We're flying!"

Anna laughed softly. "Yes, it's a gift from kav-deb, very useful for international and medium distance travel, he calls it a shokra, it's inspired by Khre Yujul technology apparently.

The shokra rose higher and higher until the house looked ridiculously small, at this altitude the wind was starting to blow fiercely and the cold was biting hard. Anna pulled one of the cranks to her right and a transparent and intangible dome covered the two passengers, protecting them from the wind and the cold. Aster turned her wide, curious eyes to Anna, "What is it?"

"A heat and insulation shield for high altitude travel. It also makes the shokra invisible from the outside."

"And where are you going?"

"Far away, vampire attacks if discovered often lead to investigations and we don't want that near our home. No point in giving the authorities a reason to search the forest and find the house. The wards are strong but nothing that a full team of cursebreakers and a week's worth of effort can't break."

"Wards, cursebreaker?"

"The magical defences that surround the house and garden and people specialise in breaking through them to get into ancient shrine tombs or catch people like me in hiding."

" Hm I understand mum."

A turn of the lever later and the shokra was flying at full speed towards the west, the journey being at night the ground was plunged in darkness, but at this altitude and the sky being clear the stars were magnificent, the milky way clearly visible, splitting the sky in two. During the whole journey Aster was immersed in her contemplation of the night sky, until a thought came to her. " Mum, the stars here are beautiful, but how come they are so much more beautiful in the edges, above and in the starry lake?"

Anna looked away from the map to let her gaze drift back to the starry sky. "Aster, the edges don't work the same way as the normal world, and it becomes more and more obvious the deeper you go into them. The starry lake is the last layer of the edges before the door and the entrance to the outer circles. It is the only place in the edges where time as well as space begins to be distorted. The things you saw most in the lake at the end of the edges are the stars that have died and the ones that are yet to be born. I think that's why the sky here seems a bit empty in comparison.

Returning to her contemplation of the sky, Aster leaned against Anna enjoying her warmth and softness. The journey was more than comfortable and if it went on too long Aster knew she would start to nod off. Anna's soft, quiet breathing wasn't going to help her stay awake either. But before her eyes could close completely Anna's hand came to rest on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Don't fall asleep darling, we're almost there, look down."

Aster looked at the ground and saw the multitude of lights synonymous of a large city below. "Where are we?"

"A few kilometres above Paris, there's a little park I happen to know where we can land discreetly."

With that Anna pulled a lever and the shokra began its descent, landing a few minutes later among some trees in the middle of a well-kept lawn in a small city park. The thermal shield disappeared and Aster jumped out of the aircraft. Anna did the same a few seconds later. She retrieved the bluish stone from its notch in the front of the shokra and a turn of the handle afterwards the device had grown small enough to fit into one of Anna's pockets.

"We are in Le Parc Monceau, give me your hand Aster, Paris is a big city and I wouldn't want you to get lost."

Aster grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed it in her own. "Yes, Mom. How exactly do you hunt?"

"Well, you go to a busy street and when you spot someone you are attracted to you follow them. You'll recognize the person you're most attracted to if you feel a slight itch in your fangs, a greater hunger and if the person's scent attracts you."

nodding, Aster looked thoughtful. "It won't hurt the person will it?

"No, when we're done I'll hypnotize her and she won't remember a thing, I'll teach you how to do that too later. Let's go, I have a feeling you're already tired."

Anna and Aster left the park and headed for one of the capital's tourist avenues, which even at this late hour was still very busy. Aster was amazed, all the lights, the big Haussmann buildings, the people in the streets, the shops, the bars, all this was new to her. She clutched Anna's hand a little tighter in hers for fear of losing her mother in the midst of this hostile environment.

Trying to follow Anna's directions to find their target, Aster stared at the people one by one, looking at their faces, smelling the scent, an old lady with long grey hair, a wrinkled face and bright blue eyes walked down the street accompanied by what appeared to be her grandson, a young man with brown hair slicked back with a good layer of hair gel and proudly wearing a leather jacket. No, Aster thought, there was something wrong with them, a group of drunken young revellers perhaps? No, not either. A good thirty people later and Aster hadn't found anything when her eyes fell on a young woman with long black hair, pale skin and blue eyes, dressed in a elegant suit and looking tired, she was obviously on her way home from work. Aster tugged lightly on Anna's hand to point out the young woman.

"Have you found our target for the evening, darling? Anna watched the young woman, sniffed the air for a moment before turning back to her daughter. "Good choice, she looks particularly delicious. Now step two, the stalking." At these words Anna and Aster turned to follow their target. The first five minutes of their stalking passed without incident but unfortunately without any opportunity to attack. When the young woman turned into a less busy street, she was accosted by a group of drunks making pathetic advances towards her. The young woman looked particularly embarrassed and uncomfortable by the altercation. "Aster, this is our chance, look how I'm doing."

Anna stepped forward towards the group as one of the drunks grabbed the young woman's arm as she tried desperately to get away.

"Hey you! Leave her alone!"

At these words the group of drunks turned towards Anna.
The rudest of them, a fat, paunchy man in a dirty t-shirt and a big second-hand coat, replied, "Oh, we've got good company tonight. Come here girl, come to daddy."

The other members of the group snickered loudly, another one speaking up as well. "Come on, girl, let's show you what we can do."

A third didn't have time to start speaking before Anna's fist smashed into his face and he flew across the street before collapsing miserably into a pile of rubbish, unconscious.

The young woman took advantage of the moment of stupor caused by Anna's attack to hide behind her. The fat man from earlier frowned and drew a switchblade. "So we're playing hard to get, I'll teach you..."

His sentence was interrupted when he was lifted off the ground by Anna's foot, crushing his family jewellery. He fell back to the ground heavily, holding his purse, or at least what was left of it, groaning. The other drunks saw Anna's fiery gaze and ran off without looking back.

Anna turned to the pretty young woman and put a hand on her shoulder. "It is not good to hang around here lady, follow me" the young woman nodded, stars in her tired eyes as she admired her rescuer. Anna took her hand and Aster's as well and the three girls made their way out of the alley.

A block away they stopped to catch their breath. The young woman looked into Anna's eyes, her gaze full of gratitude. "Thank you ma'am, I, I didn't know how to react, this alley was a shortcut to my house that I take when I get home late and I guess I was unlucky today. My name is Eva, what's yours?"

"My name is Anna and this is my daughter Aster." Anna put a hand on Eva's shoulder and Eva blushed. Anna's eyes glowed slightly as Eva seemed to relax noticeably. "Would you be willing to accompany us somewhere a little quieter? We need your help with a small personal problem."

Eva nodded, her eyes unfocused. Aster stared at Anna. "What did you do to her, Mom?"

"Just a strong dose of vampiric allure, she'll be docile for the next few hours. Let's get a hotel room and you can drink for the first time."

Aster hesitated , was it alright to do that? She guessed she didn't have much choice with the predicament her mom was in.

The trio then headed for the nearest quality hotel. A small, unpretentious but comfortable hotel did the trick and a room was quickly rented. Anna and Aster, accompanied by Eva who was still staring into the distance, entered a small room with a single queen size bed. The coats were hung on the coat racks and Anna gestured for Eva to sit on the edge of the bed. "She's all yours, darling, do what you want, I'll stop you if you drink too much."

A toothy grin appeared on Aster's face. Normally she would not have liked to attack a defenceless young woman like that, but she was hungry. And Eva in front of her was so appetizing, her creamy skin and the soft bluish veins barely visible under the velvety skin, her wide blue eyes, her tantalizing perfume, Aster's mouth was watering. Guided only by her instincts to bite, Aster knelt down on the bed beside Eva before hugging her gently. To her surprise Eva allowed herself to be embraced completely without the slightest trace of resistance. At this point Aster's pupils were dilated and her breathing quick, she pressed her lips into Eva's neck and Eva let out a soft moan. Aster's fangs itched terribly, Eva's scent was entrancing, her skin soft and supple beneath her lips, the rapid beating of her heart all awakened something in her. She hugged Eva as tightly as she could and sank her fangs gently into her neck.

A warm, exquisite liquid filled her mouth, and for her, time seemed to stand still, she had suddenly found herself in a more than intimate connection with the young woman, her new eye allowing her to see that her magic and Eva's life force had connected completely as one. A wave of contentment, soothing and pleasure passed through her as Eva gasped in her arms. Aster closed her eyes and couldn't resist the delicious feeling of completeness as her magic and Anna's life force joined together, it was as if her heart began to beat again and something she didn't realise had been taken from her had been given back to her in that moment of sharing.

After a moment that she couldn't quite define how long Aster felt soothed, complete again, she pulled her fangs gently from Anna's neck and licked the soft scarlet nectar flowing over Eva's creamy skin out of the two small stings caused by her sharp little fangs. the little puncture point closed leaving Eva's skin flawless. Aster released her embrace and Eva gently fell backwards, sprawling motionless on the bed, her breathing ragged, her eyes bright and pupils dilated, her cheeks flushed.

Aster got up and leaned against the wall panting, the event had not left her unscathed, her cheeks were flushed and she felt as if she were on cloud nine. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Anna who had been standing on the sidelines watching them all this time. "Mum, that was..."

Anna smiled at her. "Amazing? Beautiful?"

"Extremely intimate, I, I don't know if I could do that with strangers like that every time... The connection I felt, the pure affection... it was..."

Anna sighed, "I know, Aster, many vampires choose one person and only feed on them for as long as they live and develop an intimate relationship with them... I know how you feel, but we don't really have a choice."

Aster sat down on the sofa by the window and motioned for Aster to join her. Once Aster was seated beside her she resumed. "A few decades ago I had someone like that, a dear friend who I fed exclusively from. Unfortunately our interactions led to me being discovered and ambushed. Anna's gaze wandered into the distance, her voice full of sadness and nostalgia as she continued. "I managed to escape without too much trouble Manna was not so lucky. And it wasn't the first time I'd lost a mate like that. Since then I have avoided getting involved in this kind of long-term relationship. As for you, Aster, you're still too young to be in a relationship like this."

Aster nodded sadly, the experience with Eva had been incredible and she didn't want to do it with just anyone. " Can' t I drink your blood mum?"

"Unfortunately not. A vampire can't feed on another vampire, remember it's more than just drinking blood. It's a ritual, and drinking another vampire's blood is poisonous to us."

"I see, I'll make an effort..."

Anna stood up and walked over to the bed where Eva was still in a trance-like state. She leaned over her and looked into her eyes. Anna's eyes glowed and Eva fell unconscious. "She won't remember anything tomorrow morning and will wake up in the hotel. I'll leave a note explaining that after her altercation with the drunks we took her to a hotel because of her exhaustion and trauma."

Anna took Aster's hand and they quietly left the hotel after depositing Eva safely under the covers. They made their way to the nearest park to go home, Aster was exhausted and the feeling of well being and fullness made her want to go home and curl up under some blankets to sleep. Preferably snuggled up to Anna. Her wish was soon granted after a quick trip back through the shokra when she found herself warm in the house, dressed in a white nightgown, under the covers, her head resting comfortably against her mother's chest. It had been an exhausting day and Aster didn't know what to make of it yet. But right now only one thing mattered, she was safe, warm against her mother, full, and feeling, nothing in the world could be better as far as she was concerned.

Two days later. On a beautiful but too cold morning to go outside Aster was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room in front of a half-completed puzzle. A beautiful landscape depicting a lake in the middle of a forest and in the distance high snow-capped mountains in the heart of autumn, red, ochre and gold leaves falling on the calm water reflecting the mountains. A poetic landscape resembling in many ways the landscape surrounding Anna's home. Aster still hesitated to call this house home, but the hope she had gradually grown accustomed to in her chest whispered to her that in a month or two she would feel comfortable enough to call this place home with confidence. Without hesitation she placed one of the pieces of the puzzle among the trees on the right side of the lake before looking for another, thinking about where she could put it.

Her musings were interrupted by Anna's voice calling to her from the living room door. "Aster, can you start getting ready? We'll be leaving soon."

This immediately reminded Aster that she was not expected to stay at home quietly today. Anna was determined to take Aster to see the mind healer and to take the opportunity to get her a complete wardrobe of her own and to buy anything else she might need. Aster got up and headed to the lobby to get ready to leave. "Yes, Mom."

Aster hesitated for a moment trying to remember if Anna had told her exactly where she was going to take Aster to buy all this stuff and see this guy Tùche, but when nothing came to mind she decided to ask the question. Her voice came out shyly between her lips, Aster was not yet used to asking questions so openly and no matter how many times Anna encouraged her to do so it was still difficult for her. "Where do we go to see Mind healer Tùche and buy all this? Are we going into town like the other day?"

A light laugh came from the hallway, the question seemed to have amused Anna for some reason and Aster had to make an effort to remind herself that it wasn't serious. "No dear, we're not going into town." Anna posed for a moment as if to think before resuming. "It's true I didn't tell you about the Fahri Yujul... They are a nomadic people of traders, travelers and explorers, their caravans are known between worlds as the place to go to find quality or exotic goods. They have trading posts on many worlds... Unfortunately not on ours. But today we are lucky The caravan, or as they call it Fahrichà, in which Tùche lives, is stopping over on Earth for a month or two."

Aster hummed approvingly before tilting his head slightly with confusion and asking. "A trading post?"

"Yes, a small permanent city serving as a lasting base for trade with the various worlds."

"And there are none on Earth? Why not? Wouldn't it be more convenient to have a trading post rather than to wait for a caravan to come by?"

Anna sighed sadly. "There used to be at least one on each continent before the Statute of Secrecy, but after the separation of the magical and non-magical worlds that I told you about, the Great Caravan decided that keeping trading posts on Earth wasn't lucrative enough anymore, as muggles no longer had access to them. Today they've been all but forgotten by the normal magical population except for a few people like me." Anna winked at Aster and smiled.

Aster smiled at Anna but her face became thoughtful as her eyes wandered for a moment. "You explained the status to me the other day but not why exactly..."

"Simple, fear. The magical population has always been outnumbered and misunderstood by the non-magical. After a difficult period due to major religions pushing for the murder of the magical population the magical states of the world decided and voted for the application of the statute. There was and still is resistance from the old immortals and many other people, but fear won out. Now there's not much we can do about it.

"I understand mum. So where is the caravan, Fahrichà, where are we going?

"On the highland of Leng in Tibet. You'll see it's a very beautiful place." With these words Anna took Aster by the hand and mother and daughter, warmly dressed on that bright winter morning, stepped out onto the sun-drenched landing for a new journey.