No.

Dago hadn’t paid attention to where this flight was going, so he wanted to stay awake and find out. If all else failed, he could get a room and sleep during the day, like he usually did. He just had to hope they had really thick curtains, like most places. The flight was surprisingly short and after exiting the terminal, he realized he was in California. He had to be somewhere busy; he could see a lot of lights already. He picked a direction and started walking.

It wasn’t too long after he wandered into the city that he ran right smack into someone, who appeared to be paying very little attention to where they were going.

“Excuse me, I’m so sorry,” the woman said, still trying to rush past him.

Dago grabbed the woman’s elbow and she whirled around, looking like she was ready for a fight. It was Invidia Trinh or Vida to her friends, one of the newer mages from the Order. She looked frightened and defensive, her pretty features were drawn into stressed lines. She relaxed almost immediately when she saw who was trying to stop her.

“Dago!” she cried, “Oh it’s you, you scared me!”

“What’s wrong, Vida?” he asked, “You look like you’re running from something.”

It was true; her normally pristine black hair was wind-blown and mussed. She looked out of breath and nervous; her clothes were even out of disarray. She quickly grabbed Dago’s hand and pulled him along with her, before she ducked into an alleyway.

“I came here to visit Alex’s grave,” she said in a hushed tone, “But I think… I think something’s after me!”

Alex, Dago knew, was Vida’s friend who had died in the car accident that had caused Vida’s seal to break. Dago had been there and pulled her out of the car, but there wasn’t anything he could have done for her friend, unfortunately.

“Wait, wait, calm down. What’s after you?” Dago tried to clarify.

Suddenly, a sweet voice started calling over the din of the crowd in the street, “Viiiiidaaaa, where aaaare you?” it called.