Harvey was a really inexperienced leader. Multiple times throughout that day he caught himself wondering how in Titan’s name Albert did it, because he was struggling and he only had the position temporarily.

  He wasn’t even the main driving force in organising the squad that would head north to find Albert – General Woodward was. Harvey had merely given his permission and then the General had set off arranging everything.

  He had taken the day off school, however, just in case he was needed and to make sure he was ready, and Ethan had done the same. Harvey had prepared everything that he believed he would need in a backpack that he would take with him, and he already had his sword sheathed at his waist. Not a day went by that he wasn’t thankful to Asbel for making that thing.

  They were due to begin their rescue mission at four o’clock that evening. The sun was supposed to set at about twenty-five past nine in the evening, so they certainly had plenty of time to at least get to Humberston and set up camp.

  ‘We’ll set off from the north side of the Valley at four on the dot,’ Harvey recalled General Woodward telling him. ‘From there, we’ll head north along the coast until we reach Humberston. We’ll thoroughly search the town until we either find Albert or deem that he is not there. If he’s not there, then, depending on the time, we can continue on to Cleethorpes or Grimsby or settle down in Humberston for the night.’

  The more time that Harvey spent with the General, the more he understood why Albert had appointed him as head of the RoCitian Army. He was a tactical genius, fierce, stubborn, and looked like he could fight. The sight of him would’ve sent the average soldier into a coma.

  But it didn’t matter how good of a leader they had, or how good their tactic was, they were still searching blindly for Albert. Even if Maltor had somehow known where Cecilia was the day before – a terrifying event – Harvey still hadn’t noticed a connection with Albert. He at least hadn’t sensed anything to do with his cousin’s location.

  In an attempt to reassure him, Ethan had said to Harvey earlier that day that Albert was already probably fighting his own way back. Harvey really did want to believe him, he really did. But, if the people who had him were powerful enough to beat him, then they had a decent chance at keeping him.

  But there was another thing about Maltor’s appearance the day prior that struck Harvey. If Maltor was there, then he wasn’t wherever Albert was. That meant one of two things. Either Maltor had left Albert unattended and Albert had potentially used that chance and escaped or Maltor trusted whoever was keeping Albert. And the latter was perhaps the most terrifying theory Harvey had ever conceived. If Maltor trusted somebody other than himself to guard Albert, that would only mean trouble for the rescue squad.

  Every time Maltor crossed Harvey’s mind, he felt sick with fury. He had let him get away. In Paris, he should have won. On all accounts. He and Albert should’ve ended the war right then and there. They had him on the ropes. If Harvey had just stayed conscious for literally ten more seconds, Maltor would be dead.

  ‘Hey, watch out,’ Ethan’s steady voice snapped Harvey out of his train of thought.

  He gently pulled Harvey back, out of the way of a group of three men who were carrying food supplies over to where the pegasi were waiting.

  The rescue team would set out from the Western Military Base. It was a large compound situated at the very edge of the Western Suburbs. No such complex existed on the north side of the Valley, so they had to set out from there instead.

  At half three, the final preparations would begin. Soldiers would organise themselves into their designated squads and they would begin to prepare themselves by sitting atop their designated pegasus.

  Then, at four on the dot, the entire force would march out of the Base and turn north, and head diagonally toward the coastline. Once they had reached the coastline, the trajectory would be steadied, and everybody would march north towards Humberston.

  ‘I haven’t shown you the pegasus you’ll be taking, have I?’ Ethan voiced aloud to Harvey.

  Harvey shook his head. ‘‘Midnight’, right? Albert’s pegasus?’

  Ethan nodded. ‘You’ve never even seen him before, have you?’

  Harvey shook his head again. ‘I’ve obviously heard the name and I’ve heard the story of how Albert got him, but I haven’t seen him, no. I didn’t even catch a glimpse of him when they moved him off Rex Aquarum.’

  ‘Alright, follow me down to the stables,’ Ethan said, before turning and marching toward the stables building.

  The two were outside, observing preparations. The sun was high in the sky, blasting Harvey with so much heat that he was already sweating. Behind him was the main building. A giant grey cuboid with tinted windows, it looked just like a military base. The stables building was at the far side of the complex; it was the closest building to the main exit gate.

  The entire compound was secluded from the rest of the world by its giant metal fence that ran around all four sides of its area. The fence towered at twenty feet tall, and it looked rather feeble, but, Harvey had been reassured by General Woodward many times, it was one of the most durable structures in the city.

  Harvey walked with Ethan across the grey concrete, feeling as though he wasn’t really in the moment. It didn’t really feel real. The sun was shining a lot more than it should have been. It wasn’t a happy day.

  When they reached the giant grey double door at the front of the stables, a voice came from…the wall? It sounded both clear and muffled.

  ‘Names and purpose?’

  Oh, that made sense. They wouldn’t open the door to just anyone.

  Ethan and Harvey were not officially part of the military as they were too young – you had to be fifteen. However, they both had special permission to fight in battles due to their connection to Albert. And Harvey in particular had special permission to take part in battles if he was called upon, due to having passed his magic test. But they were not official soldiers.

  ‘Ethan Brown and Harvey Bèstia,’ Ethan said clearly. ‘We are here to tend to the pegasus that Harvey will take with him on the expedition tonight: Midnight.’

  ‘Alright, head on through, thank you.’

  The doors slid apart, revealing the inside of the stable.

  It stank of horse. That was the first thing that Harvey noticed. The smell was so strong that Harvey could’ve flinched.

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  As they stepped inside, Harvey began to scan the aisles of stalls for a black pegasus. The floor was a sort of light brick red colour, but it was littered with hay. The walls were a slightly darker shade of that same colour, and they extended upward to reach the high roof.

  As they walked, Harvey couldn’t help but notice that every single damn pegasi in the stable stopped to stare at them as they walked by. And, as a descendant of Titan, Harvey could hear everything that they were saying.

  That one’s a bit short, isn’t he?

  Indeed. And he has glasses. Poor soul.

  Ethan seemed particularly irked by those comments, and he hurriedly stormed in the direction of Midnight’s stall.

  ‘Ethan!’ a voice called as Harvey and Ethan were marching.

  Harvey turned on the spot. Two men were tending to two adjacent pegasi. The man tending to the brown pegasus on the left seemed familiar to Harvey, but not familiar enough so that a name immediately sprung to mind. And the man on the right, who was tending to a slightly darker brown pegasus, was completely new to Harvey.

  The man on the left was of average build with close-cropped black hair and comforting brown eyes. The man on the right had medium-length hazel hair and eyes that sported the same colour. Both men wore the standard RoCitian Army uniform: a forest green topcoat with the RoCitian crest on the left sleeve, a white button-up collared short-sleeve shirt tucked into the black trousers that descended down to the black army boots.

  Harvey had learnt that the uniform had been designed to be good for all weathers, conditions, and terrains, whilst also being comfortable to wear and allowing for protection whilst also being agile. Soldiers were allowed to untuck their shirts and take their topcoats off under certain conditions, so they didn’t always have to be so formal. The topcoats worn also had numerous pockets, so soldiers could carry supplies with them.

  Ethan and Harvey were exempt from this uniform, however, due to not being official members of the army.

  Harvey gazed at the RoCitian crest for a moment. It was rather simple, just being a golden orb with two swords crossed in an ‘X’ over it, but it served as a source of great pride for the RoCitian people.

  ‘I didn’t realise you two were coming!’ Ethan exclaimed cheerily, seemingly forgetting the previous comments of the pegasi that had ruined his mood.

  ‘Of course we are!’ the man on the left proclaimed happily. ‘How could we not? It’s only right for me to protect Albert, after all.’

  ‘And I suppose you’re Harvey, right?’ the man on the right said, offering his hand out.

  Harvey shook his hand before even questioning who he was.

  ‘Oh, yeah, you don’t know either of these guys,’ Ethan said. ‘This is Joseph. And the guy who’s shaking your hand is Tom.’

  ‘Nice to meet you,’ Harvey said sheepishly.

  ‘Nice to meet you too, young man,’ Joseph said. ‘I was a member of Albert’s Aid until it was disbanded. I was the closest government official to him.’

  ‘And I was part of the squad that rescued Albert when he came face-to-face with Amy for the first time,’ Tom said. ‘I’m one of the people that brought him to RoCity.’

  ‘You two really are important then,’ Harvey replied with a smile.

  ‘Only as important as any other soldier,’ Tom fired back, also smiling.

  ‘What squad are you two a part of?’ Joseph asked, looking at Ethan. ‘Right Aerial Scout?’

  Ethan shook his head, smirking. ‘As if. We’re Front Centre. Where else would we be?’

  General Woodward had devised a formation he believed to be optimal for the advance north. It consisted of three squads upfront – Front Left, Front Centre, and Front Right – being supported by five squads in the Mid Line – Mid Far Left, Mid Left, Mid Centre, Mid Right, and Mid Far Right – who were backed by the Supporting Line, which consisted of two Supply squads and the Supporting Left, Supporting Centre, and Supporting Right. The back of the formation was held by the three Flank squads – Flank Left, Flank Centre, and Flank Right – who were supported by a semi-circle of Supply squads behind them. On either side of the formation were two Scouting squads – one of which was aerial, the other grounded. Each squad consisted of around ten people, meaning that the force heading out to rescue Albert was three hundred strong.

  Joseph smiled. ‘Stupid question to ask I suppose. That’s the squad commanded by General Woodward, right?’

  Ethan nodded, which prompted Tom to say, ‘Nobody better to supervise you.’

  Ethan scoffed. ‘We don’t need supervision.’

  ‘He’s right, you know,’ Joseph agreed, looking sideways at Tom. ‘These kids have been through Tartarus and more.’

  There was a moment of rather awkward silence. Joseph was right. They really had been through a lot. Even before Harvey had joined the group, his friends had been through more than any ordinary kids should have. And none of them were even fifteen yet. Gods, Harvey and Isaac were still thirteen.

  And here they were, preparing to go and rescue Harvey’s fourteen-year-old cousin from a genocidal teenager’s base.

  ‘You two don’t have pegasi of your own though, do you?’ Tom asked innocently.

  ‘Nah,’ Ethan replied simply. ‘Harvey’s gonna use Midnight just for this mission, and they’ve given me a standard military pegasus. I saw to him earlier.’

  Tom nodded. ‘I see. Well, good luck, boys. I’ll see you again at four.’

  ‘See you,’ Harvey replied joyfully, but Ethan didn’t seem to be in such a hurry to leave.

  ‘What squad are the two of you in?’ he asked.

  ‘Left Aerial Scout,’ Joseph replied quickly. ‘The pair of us.’

  ‘Who’s commanding that squad?’ Ethan continued.

  Joseph simply pointed his thumb at his own chest.

  Ethan smirked. ‘Well, good luck to you too. I’ll see you when we head for Humberston.’

  And, with that, Ethan and Harvey continued their walk to Midnight’s stall.

  He wasn’t that far – it only took them about another thirty seconds to reach him. And, to their surprise, Charlotte was there tending to him. She was gently feeding him something from her palm, and in her spare hand, she was holding a water bottle for him.

  ‘How come you’re here?’ Ethan asked joyfully as the two of them strode up beside her.

  She flinched slightly, but when she looked at the two boys, she smiled. ‘I thought I’d tend to him seeing as nobody else had.’

  She’s nice, Ethan.

  Harvey didn’t think he’d ever get used to being able to hear pegasi’s words.

  ‘He’s gonna be yours for tonight, right, Harvey?’ Charlotte asked sweetly.

  Harvey nodded.

  He’d never ridden a pegasus before. At Apercaput they did teach you how to, but Harvey hadn’t reached the point in the curriculum where they actually did – he’d only learnt theory. He’d come to RoCity a mere two months before he was due to ride his first pegasus.

  Harvey peered around Midnight’s stall. He was a marvellous pegasus and the only black one that he’d seen in the stables. His coat seemed to glisten even in the dim stable lights. But there was no saddle in Midnight’s stall as there had been in all of the others.

  ‘Uh, how am I supposed to ride him with no saddle?’ Harvey asked awkwardly.

  ‘Oh, you’ll be fine,’ Ethan said quickly. ‘Albert can ride him without a saddle.’

  ‘That’s Albert,’ Harvey countered immediately, ignoring the You got that right from Midnight. ‘I’ve never ridden a pegasus before.’

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Charlotte assured him. ‘Although I can’t hear what he’s saying, I can promise you he’s a gooden.’

  Midnight stared at Harvey. She’s right.

  ‘I’ve got an idea,’ Ethan piped up, smirking wickedly at Charlotte. ‘We’ll leave you alone with him for a bit, you know, so you get to know each other.’

  Harvey stared at him, aghast. ‘No-’

  ‘Too late, we’re leaving,’ Charlotte interrupted, beginning to walk away with Ethan.

  Once Ethan was out of earshot, Midnight’s voice invaded Harvey’s mind. You seem positively charming.

  Harvey snapped back, ‘Ditto.’

  There was a moment of silence, but there was something Harvey wanted to say, and he took that as his chance.

  ‘Look, Midnight,’ he sighed, ‘I know we haven’t started on great terms, but I’ve gotta ask you something. You don’t have to agree to it, but it’d be a great help if you did.’

  After a pause, Midnight replied Go on…

  ‘You know what mission we’re heading on tonight, right?’

  Obviously.

  ‘Well, I don’t exactly know where we’re gonna find Albert or what state we’re gonna find him in, but I know that we’re gonna find him. And, please, it doesn’t matter what he says or what position you’re in, if you see Albert, leave everything else behind and take him and bring him back here. Kick me off your back if you have to. Just grab him and go.’

  Midnight didn’t respond for a moment, but Harvey got the impression that he was smiling, if that was even possible for a pegasus.

  You’ve got yourself a deal, he said after what felt like an eternity. He’s a good master. And maybe you’re not so bad.

  ‘I appreciate it,’ Harvey grumbled.

  Just don’t be too rough when you ride me.

  ‘I’ll try,’ Harvey murmured. ‘But I’ve never ridden a pegasus before. We’re going to have to communicate if we want to get there safely.’

  I would roll my eyes if I could.

  ‘Thanks?’

  You’re worried. Don’t be. We’ll get my master back.

  Harvey nodded firmly. ‘I sure hope we will.’

  And Harvey meant those words more than he had ever meant any other words in his life.