‘Hey, hey, hey!’ Ethan cried, leaping forward to catch Harvey as he fell forward. ‘Be careful, man. You okay?’

  Harvey didn’t say anything. He merely winced in Ethan’s arms before beginning to breathe heavily.

  ‘Cecilia, lock the library door again,’ Ethan ordered. ‘We’ll take Harvey back to The Tower and decide what to do from there.’

  Ethan grabbed Harvey’s right arm and tossed it over his shoulder. Natasha, taking the hint, grabbed his left and put it over her own shoulders. The two of them began to slowly trek towards The Tower.

  ‘A-Albert…’ Harvey breathed as Cecilia caught up to them. ‘I…I left…him behind…’

  ‘What happened?’ Natasha asked quickly. ‘I thought you were just-’

  ‘Natasha, leave him,’ Ethan said quietly. ‘Let’s get him sat down before we overload him with questions.’

  His head was pounding. Yes, he was dying to know the answer to Natasha’s question. But that wasn’t the most important thing at that moment. They had to get Harvey to sit down with some water.

  Surely, it didn’t matter if Albert had been left behind. He was strong. The strongest person Ethan knew. No matter what had happened in Llangollen, no matter how many enemies he had faced, Albert was fine. Or, at the very least, he was alive.

  This was the boy that had killed Amy Wright that they were talking about. There was no way he wasn’t okay.

  The trio walked into the lobby of The Tower and Natasha and Ethan placed Harvey down on one of the sofas. The middle-aged blonde receptionist stared at them, aghast.

  ‘Excuse me, do you have any water back there?’ Ethan hollered at her. ‘We’ve got an injured soldier to attend to.’

  ‘Soldier?’ she inquired. ‘He doesn’t even look fifteen.’

  ‘Can we please just have some water?’ Ethan tried again, trying not to raise his voice.

  This time, the woman nodded her head and scurried off through a door behind her.

  ‘Harvey…’ Cecilia breathed. ‘You’re injuries…’

  ‘They-They’re not deep,’ Harvey choked. ‘Al-Albert’s…are worse…’

  Ethan began to feel sick. While it was true that Harvey’s injuries didn’t exactly look lethal, the fact that Albert had been injured worse could only mean something absolutely terrible had happened.

  Not just anybody could harm Albert. It took someone with power, determination, and speed to even land a hit on that boy.

  The worst thing about Harvey wasn’t his physical injuries. To Ethan, he just looked exhausted. He was pale and struggling to get his breath.

  Cecilia, too, seemed rather alarmed at the reveal that her boyfriend had been injured.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked quickly. ‘What happened to him?’

  Harvey didn’t say a word. He looked at his feet as he shuffled them awkwardly. ‘I promise I didn’t mean for it. H-He had been trying to protect me.’

  ‘All he ever does is protect people,’ Ethan murmured darkly. ‘It’s nothing new. Don’t blame yourself.’

  ‘But has he ever lost both his arms protecting someone?’

  Ethan shrugged. ‘I can’t remember it happening off the top of my head but I wouldn’t be surprised at all.’

  ‘H-He lost his arms?’ Cecilia breathed as the receptionist hurried over with two bottles of water for Harvey. He thanked her and immediately began to chug one.

  ‘Drink it slowly,’ Natasha chided. ‘Small sips.’

  Harvey sighed after downing half of his first water bottle. ‘Y-Yeah. Both of them. Before he could even react.’

  Ethan immediately realised that this meant one of three things. Either Maltor had been there, Righello had been there, or both of them. And if both of his arms were gone, Ethan would’ve wagered that it was both.

  But Righello was dead, wasn’t he? Albert had killed him in Paris. They had fought and Albert had won.

  ‘He was just lying there motionless as Albert charged towards Harvey fighting Maltor,' Ethan remembered Isaac explaining to him merely a few days prior. ‘There’s no way he’s not dead.’

  ‘Natasha,’ Ethan began darkly. ‘Is there any possibility that Righello is alive? Or can you tell me with complete confidence that Albert killed him?’

  She paused for a moment before answering quietly, ‘It definitely looked like he was dead. But once he hit the floor Albert immediately changed directions and headed for Harvey and Maltor’s fight. Nobody finished him off.’

  ‘He’s the only person that could’ve possibly gotten both of Albert’s arms,’ Ethan murmured. ‘Well, Maltor might be able to, but I doubt he would’ve wanted to show his face to Albert and Harvey after what happened in Paris.’

  If Righello had Albert…Ethan could’ve cried. If Albert hadn’t been killed, then he would’ve been captured. But what could they want from him if he were captured? He wouldn’t defect to their side if they offered him everything in the world. Maybe he wouldn’t even defect if the lives of all of his friends were threatened.

  Could it be his Power? If Albert had gotten it at The School, then it was likely that Maltor knew what it was, even if Albert wasn’t fully aware himself. Maltor seemed to know Albert scarily well. Maybe they were going to take it off him. Ethan worried that that would hurt.

  But if Albert hadn’t been captured then that left only one other option. Albert was dead.

  ‘Harvey, did you get a look at who it was that cut off Albert’s arms?’ Ethan asked calmly, trying to keep his voice level.

  ‘I-It…’ Harvey began before wincing and clutching his arm. After taking a few sips of water, he finished, 'I don't…don’t think I should-’

  ‘Harvey,’ Ethan repeated, ice creeping into his voice as he drilled his eyes into Harvey’s.

  Harvey locked eyes with Ethan. After what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

  ‘H-He…I think he h-had black hair.’

  That sentence alone was enough to make Ethan’s body freeze. Cecilia’s eyes widened and Natasha’s face changed.

  ‘A-And he…could…he was using lightning.’

  Ethan felt completely grounded. So, Righello was alive. And, by the sounds of it, he had either killed Albert or taken him captive.

  He couldn’t tell which one was worse. Who knew what they would do if they had Albert captive?

  Natasha and Ethan exchanged glances. Clearly, she had put two and two together as well.

  Ethan thought back to Albert’s fight with Righello aboard Rex Aquarum. He had never seen a more destructive fight. If Righello had shown up unprovoked again…Ethan could’ve shuddered.

  ‘Well, Albert’s either dead or captured,’ Ethan voiced his thoughts, much to the evident displeasure of Natasha and Cecilia. ‘I would like to think that it’s the latter, but we can’t be sure.’

  Harvey shuddered. ‘And what if he is dead?’

  ‘Then you best get used to being Prime Minister.’

  ‘Ethan!’ Natasha shrieked.

  He shrugged.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He hated how blunt he got whenever he was upset. It always happened. It’s like he lost his sense of self. Every time he got hurt, he resorted to just speaking without thinking, no matter how much it hurt those around him.

  He didn’t really want to think about it. There was no way that Albert was actually dead, right? It was the Albert Santrrer. It would take more than a surprise attack to kill him. And if he had been captured, he would definitely be giving his captors the most difficult time possible.

  ‘If he’s captured, how would we find him?’ Harvey tried sheepishly.

  Everybody looked at Ethan. With a sinking feeling, Ethan realised that he was the one everybody looked to for help if Albert wasn’t around.

  ‘I’ve got no clue,’ Ethan said, feeling almost embarrassed. ‘He could be anywhere.’

  ‘Maybe in France?’ Natasha tried. ‘It’s a foreign nation that they have control over. It’d make sense if he’s there, right?’

  ‘And by the time we find him, he’d be dead,’ Ethan mumbled. ‘Not that we shouldn’t try, but it’d be a pretty hopeless mission.’

  ‘We have to try,’ Cecilia fired up, sounding much stronger now.

  ‘It’s risky to have him in France, though, isn’t it?’ Harvey piped up. ‘Don’t we have soldiers over there, like, right now?’

  ‘It’s safer than having him here in his home nation,’ Ethan reasoned. ‘Our best hope would be to somehow contact Albert or to get the information from someone on Maltor’s side.’

  Ethan could’ve scoffed at his own suggestions. There was not a chance that Albert would have his phone if he were captured. And Ethan would’ve had a better chance fighting the Council of Olympus than getting the information out of one of Maltor’s goons.

  His followers were surprisingly loyal. Ethan had seen on numerous occasions that they were at least ready to sacrifice themselves to save Maltor. Not that Ethan wouldn’t do the same for Albert – he wouldn’t think twice – but it was astonishing that someone could be so loyal to a genocidal maniac.

  ‘We should tell someone, right?’ Cecilia mumbled. ‘The four of us alone can’t do anything to get him back.’

  ‘We have to tell Charlotte at least,’ Natasha said firmly. ‘And the rest of our friends.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we tell the citizens as well?’ Harvey murmured. ‘They have a right to know, right?’

  Ethan considered this. Yes, it was morally right for the citizens to know. Albert was their Prime Minister, after all. But it hadn’t even been a week since the attempt on Albert’s life. What if a similar thing happened because the people found out that the leader was gone? Telling the city could put everybody in danger. But it was morally right.

  Ethan’s head began to hurt. He was sure that Albert was under more stress than this every second of every day, and he always seemed to cope. Ethan felt sorry for him. Was this how demanding it was to be a leader?

  ‘Yes. We have to tell the citizens. But who should do it?’ Ethan decided. ‘It’s not exactly something we can just put in a paragraph in the newspapers or mention in passing on the morning news. We’ll have to do a televised speech or something.’

  ‘Who though?’ Cecilia asked. ‘Charlotte?’

  Ethan already had his answer prepared.

  ‘I think the three best candidates to do a televised speech are me, you, and Harvey,’ he said simply. ‘If Albert is dead, Harvey is the new Prime Minister. And, technically, while Albert isn’t here, Harvey should be acting as a de facto Prime Minister.

  ‘And you’re his girlfriend. And if the population don’t trust you now because of your relation to Maltor, giving a speech may make them see you in a bit of a better light. But the city knows that I am Albert’s best friend and that they can trust me, so if I did the speech, they would trust pretty much every word that left my mouth.’

  ‘I don’t think I could stomach giving a speech to over a million people,’ Cecilia said quietly without even pausing to think after Ethan had finished. ‘And you’re right. The people here don’t exactly trust me. Knowing my luck, they’ll probably think I’ve killed Albert.’

  ‘So it’s down to me or you,’ Ethan summarised the obvious, looking at Harvey.

  Ethan had a feeling he knew what answer Harvey was about to give him. Not that he minded, but he knew that Harvey would feel awkward saying it aloud.

  ‘I’ll do it if you want,’ Ethan continued. ‘If you’d feel more comfortable that way, I’ll happily do it.’

  Harvey’s face would’ve lit up if he hadn’t been so exhausted.

  ‘After all, you should rest,’ Ethan said, smiling.

  ‘Thanks, man,’ Harvey replied weakly.

  ‘Come on, let’s get you upstairs,’ Ethan offered his hand out to Harvey. ‘You’ve had a long day.’

  ***

  ‘What do you mean, Albert could be dead?’ Isaac breathed.

  The rest of the friend group had been informed of the situation by either Ethan or Cecilia, and Isaac was the last person that Ethan had been able to reach.

  It was about noon, and Ethan was due to give his speech in two hours. He had been up almost all night rehearsing what he believed to be the best possible speech, and Asbel had reviewed it and said it was good, too. He just hoped that if anybody asked him questions, he would be able to give a good response.

  Ethan had resolved that it didn’t matter what the people wanted to hear, we would tell them the truth. No matter what question was hurled his way, he would respond with nothing but honesty. That may not have been the best for public image, but it was right.

  Ethan had spent his entire morning wondering how on Earth Albert coped with being Prime Minister. Ethan could’ve thrown up at the mere thought of giving a single speech. Albert had done this multiple times and always seemed fine. Either he was really good at hiding his nerves, or public speaking was just something that one got used to after a while.

  In complete fairness, the last time Albert had given a speech, an attempt had been made on his life. In Ethan’s mind, he had every right to be at least a little bit nervous.

  ‘We’re still holding out hope that he isn’t,’ Ethan reassured him. ‘Once I’ve given my speech later, we’ll do everything in our power to get him back.’

  ‘You’re giving a speech?’ Isaac spluttered, aghast.

  ‘The citizens have to find out one way or another, and it’s not just something you can put on page twenty of a newspaper.’

  Isaac patted Ethan on the shoulder. ‘Good luck, man. Genuinely. I’ll make sure to be there just in case anyone tries anything again.’

  ‘Thanks, man,’ Ethan murmured. ‘I’d like to think I’m gonna be safe, but it means a lot.’

  Isaac smiled at him. ‘You’ve got this, man, don’t stress it.’

  ***

  Natasha had been stressing about the book she had seen ever since she had seen it. As she paced back and forth in her bedroom waiting for Ethan’s speech to begin, it was the only thing that was on her mind.

  She wanted nothing more than to go back for it. She would of course have to do it on her own, otherwise she would have to reveal to at least someone else that the book existed.

  She wondered whether that was the right thing to do. Surely at least Albert had a right to know about it, right? If he was still alive, that was. But maybe Ethan or Cecilia also had a right to know. Maybe Harvey did, too.

  But it was in the restricted section for a reason, right? Its existence was supposed to be kept a secret.

  To Natasha, it felt as though she knew something that she shouldn’t have ever been made aware of. Ignoring the fact that Albert shared his name with the literal founder of RoCity, Albert Santrrer I also seemed to have a connection to somebody with the surname Confussée.

  Thinking about that made Natasha realise that maybe there wasn’t any point going back for the book or even telling anyone. After all, the chapter that would draw the most attention had had all of its pages ripped out.

  But that also begged the question: who had ripped the pages out? Who had been so desperate to hide that part of history? Natasha hoped that the chapter wasn’t as important as it seemed. What if – and she felt almost insane for even thinking this – that chapter held something that would help them win the war?

  Natasha had never been the best with long trains of thought, nor had she ever been exactly good at connecting dots, so it was rather astonishing to even her that she was thinking so deeply about this matter.

  Sighing, Natasha fell backwards onto her silky white bedsheets. What were the chances? What were the chances that another Albert Santrrer had had a feud with a Confussée? Albert would flip if he found out, Natasha was sure of it. So maybe it would be wrong to tell him.

  This seemingly endless battle with her thoughts was cut short by Ethan’s voice suddenly coming from her TV at the foot of her bed.

  Natasha’s head shot up the moment she heard him begin to say, ‘Good afternoon, all. Today I bring to you news that I am sorry to bring to you and I suspect will bring about a rather sombre mood across the city.’

  Looking at her TV, she saw Ethan dressed in a black and white suit with a black tie. He stared at the camera for a few seconds before looking around at what could’ve only been the crowd.

  Natasha found that she was rather thankful that Ethan had begun his speech at that moment. It allowed her to stop thinking about the worrying things for a little bit.

  It was obvious even through a TV screen that Ethan was nervous. As hard as he tried to keep his eyes on either the cameras or the crowd, they kept flicking in every direction and it looked as though he was shuffling awkwardly on his feet.

  ‘Yesterday afternoon, in a rather shocking turn of events, our Prime Minister Albert Santrrer was kidnapped by Maltor Confussée’s forces. We are unsure as to how exactly this happened, but it is the grim reality that we are faced with.

  ‘I ask one simple thing of you all: please, remain calm. The government, army, and I will be working tirelessly to get Albert back and return order to the city. I firmly believe that without our Prime Minister, our chances of winning this seemingly endless war become almost hopelessly thin. And that is why I will pour my blood, sweat, and tears into getting him back.’

  Ethan cleared his throat before continuing.

  ‘Without him, this city has entered its new darkest hour. Without our strongest soldier, we find ourselves in the most vulnerable state of this war so far. But I am confident that he is alive. Although shocking that he let himself be captured, I promise each and every one of you that Albert Santrrer did not let himself get killed.’

  Every fibre of Natasha’s being hoped that he was correct. Not only would it be a devastating emotional blow, but Albert being dead would render them almost powerless. Other than Albert, the only person who could possibly stand up to Maltor and Righello was Ethan. And if they cornered him in a two-against-one, a sickening feeling in Natasha’s stomach led her to believe that there would be only one outcome.

  ‘During this time, I ask that you all act particularly cautiously, as there is no telling what Maltor Confussée may do now that we have lost our most valuable weapon. If an attack on the city should begin, trust that the RoCitian Army and I will fiercely defend you: our people.

  ‘However, I must make it absolutely crystal clear that we are trying our absolute hardest to get Albert back before Maltor and his army can take advantage of his absence. Albert will return to the city. And you will all be safe. Consider that a promise to you from me. I bid you all a good afternoon and a restful evening.’

  To Natasha’s surprise, she could hear applause as Ethan’s speech came to a close. Apparently, he was a pretty popular figure among the people. Perhaps even more popular than their own damn Prime Minister.

  Some aspects of the speech had worried Natasha, however. Ethan had told the people over and over that Albert would be found. Of course, Natasha wanted Albert to be rescued, and she wanted to be on the rescue team, but they didn’t even have an idea about where to start looking. If they didn’t find him quick, not only would Ethan’s reputation be ruined, but the people would be angered.

  Natasha sighed as she turned off her TV. Being friends with Albert Santrrer sure did have its disadvantages.