Jon doesn't know how much more time he has here, or how long he can continue to Ask. This is the strongest he's felt since arriving here, but strength and energy are not the same, and this is effort. The only other time it was so hard was the instance with Peter Lucas, his will against another's.

"Why the secrecy with us? When you've paraded the fact that we're here?" The other authorities in the world, after all, must have known what it would mean if Thorne was bringing in strange otherworldly guests again, after so long. And the festival ensured that was no secret.