“You want me to heal someone’s mind?” Amir asked incredulously. He raised a finger to a customer and continued grinding coffee beans. “You’ve been gone for weeks and nobody will tell me where you are. Then you show up, order five pounds of coffee, and want me to run off to heal something that the highest members of the Hospital rarely attempt. I want to make sure I’m hearing you right.”

“Amir, you must take orders from paying customers before talking with friends, yes?” an older copy of Orrin’s friend poked his head out from behind the steam-spitting knobs and copper pipes. Amir’s father.

“Yes, Father,” Amir answered, mouthing a sorry to Orrin. He quickly pushed two cups of fresh black coffee and the first pound of ground beans across the counter before turning away to help the waiting line.

Orrin and Brandt took their coffee and sat at one of the small tables outside the shop to wait.

“Do you think this is a good use of time?” Brandt stirred some sugar and milk into his coffee, ignoring Orrin’s disapproving glare. A splash of milk he could tolerate, but the Knight was essentially drinking sweet milk at this point.

“Compared to what? Daniel knows my suggestions for defending Dey and Madi can argue my points better than I could ever hope to do. I’m not going to spend the next few days trying to power-level myself and I’ve missed my friends,” Orrin replied, sipping his coffee. The blend was a bit darker than Amir usually gave him, so he added a drop of cream. “While we wait, can I ask a favor?”

“Anything,” Brandt answered immediately. “You know how much we owe… how much I owe you.”

Orrin sighed and pulled one of the spell glass orbs from his [Dimension Hole]. “I don’t know how many times I need to say this before it sinks in, Brandt. You don’t owe me or Daniel anything. I’m going to put a [Increase Strength] into this and I want you to break it.”

Brandt frowned in thought and then opened his eyes wide. “You want to take [Spell Orb] and make them yourself. I’d argue against the mana expenditure but you can already use more than anyone else I know. Give it here.”

Orrin held the clear ball in his hand and cast the spell at its weakest level, targeting the glass. He trailed the mana through his fingers and watched it swirl about inside the globe in his palm. “I think I did it.”

Brandt took the spell orb and crushed it in his fist. His eyes glazed over and he smiled.

“It worked?”

Brandt nodded. “How many can you make?”

“I have to buy the spells first, but I have a lot of points left after the Quest reward.”

Orrin considered buying the spell while waiting but held off. It was a nice day and his coffee was delicious. He talked with Brandt and relaxed a little. The entire world might end in a few days and there was little he could do about it right now. The sun peaked through the clouds and warmed the area around him. Orrin closed his eyes and smiled.

“If I knew that being part of the [Hero]’s party meant sitting around being lazy, I would have joined up years ago,” Amir joked as he slumped into a chair next to Orrin. “He gave me ten minutes off. Tell me what the problem with the patient is.”

Orrin recounted what had happened in Nina’s shop, giving Amir a few theories. He might not have psychological training but he’d watched enough medical procedural shows and listened to his mom on Earth. That gave him a better working knowledge of the human psyche than perhaps anyone on Asmea. As far as he knew, psychology wasn’t a field of study here.

“If she has trauma to the soul, that is not a physical injury that I can heal,” Amir sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Orrin. I work here during the day and spend my nights trying to start my small clinic. I heal others but must work slowly. Lord Catanzano promised me protection but I would rather not have to ask for it. Slow progress is my future and I have yet to unlock more healing spells than when last we spoke.”

Orrin nodded. He’d figured as much but the extra few pounds of ground coffee sitting in a bag near Amir’s feet was more than worth the stop. “It’s fine, Amir. The elf I talked to told me about a class… [Mind Walker], I think. I hoped it would be something easier but I can just pop over to the elven forest and ask for some pointers.”

Amir raised an eyebrow and then laughed. Brandt chuckled as well.

“What? What’s so funny?” Orrin pouted.

“You just suggested talking with elves about a probably hidden class by teleporting hundreds of miles to help a random lady you met this morning,” Amir pointed out, holding his side. “If anyone else said something like that, I would bring them to the Hospital myself. With you, it’s another day’s work.”

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Orrin grumbled but stopped when Brandt put his hand on Orrin’s shoulder. “You have a way of caring for others that society has forgotten. It helps me keep my perspective and reminds me why I became a guard in the first place but you are becoming powerful. This isn’t something you have to do.”

Orrin knew in his mind that there were a dozen things he should be doing instead. The spell orbs idea worked, and if he were smart, he’d head back to the Catanzano estate right now. Every minute he spent filling those glass balls with buff spells was another person’s life he could theoretically save. He suppressed a laugh, realizing for the first time exactly why his mom worked so much at the hospital.

“Mom, why do you work such long hours? You don’t have to pick up every shift. I can get a job after school and help with the bills,” Orrin had asked his mom one night shortly after entering high school. He had seen her only once in three days, catching her between her second double shift. “Someone else can look after your patients. You aren’t the only doctor working there.”

Orrin’s mom had her wet hair tied back, having had enough time to shower but foregoing using the hairdryer to spend a few minutes asking about his first weeks in ninth grade. She poured a mountain of coffee into her extra large mug that she carried everywhere. The dark circles around her eyes were a little less pronounced after her six-hour nap but it would be ten hours before her next break and a day before she came home again.

“Orrin, honey, you don’t need to worry about me. Focus on school. Helping people gives me purpose and is something I’m good at. You don’t need me around as much and if I can help one more person by going in, it’s something I want to do.”

Orrin stored the extra coffee, pushing the bags into his pocket where they disappeared. “It’s not something I have to do, Brandt. It’s something I want to do. I can help her now. I’m not Daniel. I can’t help with logistics. But I can help someone today.”

Brandt put his cup down. “You should at least check with the elven reinforcements first. There might be some [Healers] here already.”

Orrin noticed Amir glance back into the shop. “We can go in a few minutes. I’m being a shitty friend. Sit down, Amir. I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”

When Amir’s father came looking for him fifteen minutes later, Orrin was recounting his and Daniel’s fight against Lord Sanerris. The older man waited for Orrin to finish before pouring a fresh coffee into his mug.

“Was that a true story?” he asked quietly. “Telling lies of killing powerful men is a dangerous pastime.”

Orrin nodded in thanks and slurped a little hot nectar before answering. “Lord Sanerris is dead and the council is replacing the leader in Mistlight. The war with the elves is over and hopefully, reinforcements arrive in time to help fight the demon Horde that is coming for Dey.”

Amir took his father’s hand and squeezed. “We’ll be safe, father. Orrin and Daniel will save us.”

Orrin felt awkward after that and answered a few questions. The general information that a Horde was coming had been disseminated but there was something different from hearing an official announcement and learning something from a trusted friend. Amir shook his head as his father returned to behind the counter.

“He didn’t even yell at me to come back to work,” he muttered. “Orrin, would we be safer if we left the city for a bit?”

Orrin didn’t even consider lying. “If the [Demon Lord] gets through the Pass and attacks Dey, I’m not sure anywhere will be safe in the long run but I’ll bring you and your dad to Odrana if you want.”

Amir considered while Brandt sat quietly between them.

“We’ll stay. I believe what I told him. You’ll find a way to save Dey.”

Amir gave Orrin a hug before Brandt guided him to the elven outpost set up along the Wall.

“Once this is over, I’d like to visit your elf friend. I have questions about healing but no one to ask,” Amir said with a smile. “Sorry that I can’t help with your other problem.”

Orrin rapped knuckles with Amir when they broke apart. “Keep a fresh pot ready for me when I get back. Keep up your training.”

Amir waved from the door to his shop as Brandt guided Orrin to the elven encampment.

The entire elven command was a picture of organization and order, a distinct difference from Orrin’s time in their forest. The elves set their camp away from the Wall but within running distance. The muted green and brown canvas tents sat in lines, with clearly marked paths and signposts designated directions to command, the mess, and latrines set farther away. Brandt spent time delivering messages between the captain and the Lords of Dey and walked the paths with confidence.

“Brandt from house Catanzano for Captain Leanthun,” Brandt announced as he knocked on the wooden post outside the captain’s tent. “With a special guest.”

An ancient elf, with brittle white hair, pulled back the tent door and beckoned them inside. “Welcome back, Knight Brandt. Your timing is fortuitous. We have reports for Lord Catanzano and Lady Timpe. What news from the west?”

The inside of the tent was spacious, with a wooden table taking up nearly half of the inside. Elves moved around a crudely drawn map of the Pass, with markers for different troops moving as various strategies were discussed.

Leanthun, the first elf that Orrin had met and the leader of the elven forces in Dey, stared gloomily at everything with his arms resting on the table. The gust of fresh air that traveled into the tent with them caught his attention and he smiled warmly as his eyes fell on Orrin.

“You survived,” he said simply. “Did they find you or did you escape?”

Orrin was worried that their allies were not being kept informed and shot a look at Brandt that promised a long talk later. To Leanthun, he rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles over his head. “What do you think?”

Leanthun laughed and clapped twice, loudly. “Give us the tent for five minutes. Return to training and make sure we get those supplies set up for quick transport. I want us ready to move at the first sighting.”

Everyone cleared out except the old elf who shuffled to the side and began cleaning up the mess left behind. Leanthun gave the man a long-suffering stare but was ignored completely. He leaned against the table, readjusted his khopesh so it didn’t ding the wood, and crossed his arms. “I told my uncle not to worry when the [Hero] told us of your capture. You survive situations like a fated cat. No one knows how you land on your feet and yet here you are again. What can I help you with?”