As Orrin hoped she would, Madi rolled her eyes and scoffed. “How do you expect to make war on the ruling family of Odrana? Don’t forget that Lord Sanerris already forced us to flee during our last fight.”

Orrin pointed at Finley.

Finley turned to make sure nothing was behind him. “What?”

“Finley has the backing of his dad. Maeve is bringing her dad to the Mistwater Lanterns. Iona… uhm, that’s Rhys’s bodyguard… is going to bring Lady Tonsa there as well. I think if we can convince them to stage a coup, we don’t need an actual war. Lord Sanerris and his mommy have been fighting so much lately that they seem to have forgotten that there are other people with power.”

“You are suggesting we instigate a civil war?” Madi asked, tucking one of her braids behind her ear. She’d changed her hair again. “Orrin, if I’m caught anywhere near that situation, all of Dey will be dragged into the fallout. No offense, Finley, but any surviving Lords of Odrana would take umbrage with my help in a power struggle.”

Finley chuckled. “He suggests overpowering and ousting two of the most powerful members of the most powerful family in Odrana and you automatically assume we’d survive.”

Daniel cracked his knuckles. “Damn right, we will. I’ve been working on something special for that slippery fuck.”

“I’m more worried about Anabella,” Orrin confessed. “She’s powerful and scary… but I can take her if it’s just one on one. I think we can weaken them both first if we get them to fight.”

Madi’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.”

Orrin recounted the conversations he’d had with Anabella, telling the group about her comments regarding time-delayed attacks and their fraught history. “She’s thought about ways to take out her son. They’ve known a [Demon Lord] was coming for years. He wants to attack the demons and wipe them out but she played a longer game. If she thinks that the demons have reached the Pass, she might feel rushed and make a mistake. Madi, I need you to help me convince the other leaders to push her into fighting her son. I don’t know what they need to do, whether it’s vote for a new chancellor or make them duel to the death. I’ve got half an idea but not enough information to make it work.”

Madi tapped her finger to her lips for a minute. “Finley, how much do you know about the appointment of your chancellors?”

Orrin smiled as they started talking. Brandt asked him a few questions about his experience as a prisoner. Orrin could tell he was worried to have left him behind while being rescued, so he lied and denied any real torture had happened.

“Maybe playing Kala with Anabella,” Orrin joked. “That was painful.”

Tem, the [Mapmaker], coughed pointedly and Brandt excused himself, muttering about hired help. Orrin waved at the elf, Reyhana. She ignored him.

“You’re really fine?” Daniel stood close to him. “We tried finding you, I swear.”

“I know you did,” Orrin said, putting his arm around Daniel’s neck. “Are you alright? I heard you did some serious fighting out here.”

Daniel remained quiet for too long.

“If you want to talk, I’m always here. I won’t push,” Orrin whispered just for his friend. “No more splitting the party.”

“Come with me.” Daniel’s grip above Orrin’s elbow didn’t hurt but he’d need to [Teleport] to get out of it. Orrin let himself be steered farther from the main group. Daniel’s eyes glittered in the light streaming through the trees. “We can’t bring Madi with us. Her father is angry that she’s out here as it is. I promised him that I would keep her safe after we… almost lost you.”

There’s more to that story but he’s hanging on by a thread. Orrin simply nodded. “Whatever you think is best.”

Daniel released Orrin’s arm

Daniel released Orrin’s arm and let out a long breath. He scratched at his beard. “She’ll be pissed off but Brandt will keep her back. Silas took him to the Hospital himself. Good to know that missing fingers can be regrown but Brandt said the pain is intense. Silas also had a talk with him and Brandt doesn’t leave her side now.”

Orrin nodded toward the Tem and Reyhana. “Are they worth bringing with us?”

“Tem should stay. He’s no good in a fight. I’d love to bring Reyhana but she won’t go. Her orders are very clear,” a hint of distaste entered his voice. “She doesn’t leave the trees no matter who is getting killed.”

Yeah, Daniel’s not okay. Orrin let a [Calm Mind] seep out toward his friend. He frowned when the magic disappeared before it touched Daniel.

“It’s rude to cast spells on people, you know?” Daniel punched Orrin lightly in the shoulder. “Did you try [Calm Mind]?”

Orrin nodded. “I thought it would help. You seem on edge. How’d you block it?”

“New skill from my class. I can… sort of eat… any magic that is thrown at me, to a degree.”

“Explain,” Orrin demanded. “If I can’t buff or heal you, that isn’t something that—”

“I can let things through if I want,” Daniel interrupted him. “It’s like a black hole that takes in all the magic that comes my way but I can move it away. It won’t block anything I subconsciously want to get to me though. I don’t need healing right now. I just want to live in this moment for a minute. You’re alive. Bad shit is happening. The [Demon Lord] picked up speed and is going to arrive at the outskirts of the Pass in a week or two. It helps to feel alive.”

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“The good and the shit…” Orrin murmured.

Daniel laughed a small breath of air. “Yeah. I forgot to turn in some stupid assignment in English class last year and my dad told me off for not being on top of things. My mom waited for him to leave the room and said something similar. That I needed to learn from my mistakes just as much as I needed to enjoy the good things happening in life. I made a few mistakes while you were gone, O. I don’t want you to numb my brain right now. I want to enjoy having this good thing back.”

Daniel shook Orrin’s shoulder.

Madi waved at them. “What are you two doing over there? Come back. We might have an idea.”

The seven people moved together, with even Reyhana the elf pushing herself off a tree to join.

“Before we discuss this in detail,” Daniel spoke first, holding up a hand. “Reyhana, I’m assuming you won’t join us if we move into Odrana.”

The elf shook her head once, keeping her silence.

“Once Madi explains the plan, I want you to tell Arandir everything. Tem, you’ll take Madi and Brandt back to Dey to report to Lord Catanzano.”

Immediate arguments came from Madi and Brandt.

Orrin was impressed with Daniel. He let Madi and Brandt vent for a minute before clapping once. They both quieted.

“You said it yourself, Madi. If you get caught in Odrana, it’ll look bad for Dey. I’m not bringing Brandt back, either. For all we know, there’s a warrant out for his arrest or something.” Daniel stood taller and Orrin noticed his friend was actually taller.

He used [Identify] and frowned. Daniel had reached level twenty-two, outpacing him again.

Brandt crossed his arms but accepted Daniel’s orders. Madi was a different matter entirely.

“The plan needs me to be there, Daniel. If I can’t convince Lady Tonsa, the entire thing falls apart.”

“Tell us the plan. Maybe we can tweak it,” Orrin offered.

“Not until you promise I can go,” Madi said, digging in her heels. “I’m not letting you two go off to do something stupid.”

“I can tell you,” Finley cut in. He raised an eyebrow at Madi. “Don’t give me that look. This is my country we’re talking about.”

Madi’s hand closed around her spear haft and Orrin sighed as he walked toward her. “Come with me for a second.”

As he walked Madi away from the group, Finley yelled after them, “Can I have a secret conversation with you next? I’m feeling left out.”

Orrin raised a middle finger over his shoulder.

“Orrin, you can’t ask me to make a plan and then tell me I can’t go into the fight. I’m not even doing anything dangerous, just talking with Lady Tonsa. She’s the key,” Madi started trying to make her case before they stopped walking.

How would I feel if they left me behind? Oh wait, you already did that a few times before we rescued Brandt. Orrin shook the thought out of his head. It wasn’t helpful.

“I’m going to give you what you want,” he said simply.

“Good. Let’s go back and I’ll explain everything. The way the Odranan chancellor council is set up, we can—”

“Not that. I’m going to give you what you want and then ask Tem to [Teleport] you and Brandt back to Dey. You’ll be helpless for a while.”

Madi tilted her head in confusion.

This is worth it. Daniel wants to keep her safe and I only have an hour to get everyone back to the dungeon. It’s the quickest way to keep her out of harm’s way.

“I’ll change your class to [Superior Prism Conjurer],” Orrin whispered. “But on the condition that you go back to Dey and prepare. You need to have your father power level you because you’re going to be level one.”

Madi glared at him, her hands clenching and unclenching as she tried to breathe. “That’s not fair. You can’t ask…”

“Daniel is worried about you. I don’t know what happened while I was gone but he’s my friend. He wants you safe and I’ll do what I have to. I’m offering this to soften the blow, Madi. We can’t risk you going into Odrana.”

Orrin kept her gaze until she broke and looked away. “I know. I don’t have to like it but I know, okay? If those idiots would just stop their fighting, we could all focus on the real threat. We can’t let the [Demon Lord] through the Pass, O. It’ll be the end of the world. You have to stay safe.”

“I’ll keep Daniel alive, don’t worry.”

Madi punched him in the shoulder, mimicking Daniel’s earlier hit. “Not just him. We need both of you if we’re going to survive.”

She lowered her voice. “I need both of you.”

The vulnerability hit Orrin like a Steel Boar. How did I miss it? Madi’s better at hiding her trauma but I should have seen…

“What happened to you guys?”

Madi flinched.

“This entire thing might be a bad idea if you and Daniel are this messed up. Madi, I want to help.”

“There was a patrol,” she whispered, staring down at her feet. She spoke with the monotonous voice of a soldier giving a report to her superior. “They stayed near the edge of the forest and wouldn’t come close enough for the elves to attack. Brandt was in Dey, recovering still. Daniel and I offered to drive them away.”

Orrin clucked his tongue. He could see Daniel getting impatient but Madi usually kept him in line. She must have read his thoughts because she let out a pained, sarcastic laugh.

“I should have talked him down, I know that. He’s a great guy but he’s young and stupid sometimes, just like you. I was angry at what they’d done to Brandt and angry at my father and angry at everything. I agreed with him and we attacked. There were twenty soldiers around the edges. We counted after…”

Orrin no longer wanted to hear this story.

“They dressed up another twenty people in leather armor and some chainmail. None of them could have been above level ten. We didn’t even realize until…”

Madi stifled a sob. “One of my [Lightbeam]s went right through a girl who couldn’t have been more than eighteen. Daniel used a [Gravity Well] and some of them lost their grips on swords… spears… In all the confusion, it took us a minute to realize the Odranan soldiers were attacking each other. They killed their own people. Arandir said later that they were probably under orders to bring the bodies back as proof that the elves were evil and killing commoners but we didn’t give the soldiers that chance.”

Orrin wrapped his arms around his friend as she tried not to cry. “You aren’t responsible for their deaths. They would have been killed regardless.”

“We could have saved them if we’d taken our time and paid attention,” Madi whispered into his chest. “One of the soldiers had a short-range teleportation skill. He kept running but Daniel caught him. I’ve never seen him so angry. We tried to ask questions but the soldier laughed and Daniel…”

Orrin hugged her tighter. “It’s not your fault. It’s not Daniel’s fault.”

Orrin used [Calm Mind] on Madi, waiting until she disengaged from the hug to let go.

“Arandir buried the bodies in the forest. He said they would find peace under the trees but those people had families that will never know what happened to them,” she said as she blinked hard, rubbing the tears away. “That’s why I want to be part of this. I need to avenge those innocents.”

Orrin thought for a long moment and picked his words with care. “Let me do it for you. Tell me your plan and I’ll convince Lady Tonsa. Take the class upgrade and level yourself up. If we can end the war, you might even get a chunk of experience from the Quest. We need you preparing in Dey. Avenge those people by saving their families from the [Demon Lord].”

Madi wiped a leaf off his shirt. Some of the trees rustled in the wind, letting more fall to the ground. “When did you get so eloquent? A few weeks at the Sanerris School and you come back this confident…”

Orrin smirked. “I’m still the same idiot.”

Madi smiled back. “Yes. You are.” She sighed heavily and steeled her shoulders. “Do it. End this war and bring your idiot self and that other idiot friend of ours back alive. I’ll go to Dey and get everyone ready.”