Leo went straight to the meeting point, wishing he didn't exist. He hated his whole life at this moment. He hated the way he had had to condemn an innocent woman, all because of that stupid man.

The meeting point was the senate building, in the side wing. Leo hesitantly stepped through the door and into the small room. Waiting for him was the man he hated most in all the world, lazing in a chair with his feet on the desk in front of him. He clapped slowly as Leo came in.

"I saw you out there," Horvath said. "A truly impressive performance. One would believe that you truly saw that woman kill the girl."

Leo glared at Horvath with pure hatred. "I hate you."

"I know you do," Horvath said, smirking. "But I also know you'd do anything when given the right motivation."

Leo slammed his fists on the desk. "Where is my son?!" he yelled.

Horvath clicked his fingers. Instantly, a transparent bubble appeared, levitating a metre or so off the ground. Inside the bubble crouched a terrified five-year-old boy, who immediately caught sight of Leo. "Daddy!" he shrieked.

"Ethan!"

Tears sprung to Leo's eyes as he raced forwards and placed both hands on the bubble, desperately trying to reach his distressed son. He turned his head to face Horvath, who looked rather unaffected, and yelled, "I've done what you asked, now let my son go!"

Horvath waved his hand, causing the bubble around Ethan to disappear. Leo caught the small boy as he fell and fell to his knees, hugging his son tightly. Ethan was sobbing and shaking as Leo clutched him and soothed him. "It's alright, Ethan. I'm here. It's okay, I'm here. Shh…I'm here."

Slowly, Ethan calmed down. His little fists clutched Leo's shirt as he recovered from his terror and began to relax into his father's embrace.

Then Horvath waved his hand for a second time, and Ethan was wrenched away from Leo, who got pushed up against the wall when he tried to move. The force on Leo was so much that he wasn't even moving and he felt dull pain through his whole body.

"Oh Leo," sighed Horvath, shaking his head. "I wish I could let you go. But I can't. If I make you do something else, there's a risk of someone finding out about this. And I can't let you go with your son, or you'll tell someone. So I'm afraid I must incarcerate you and your son."

"Not…Ethan…!" Leo managed to gasp out. "P-please!"

"I'm sorry," Horvath said, not sounding very sorry to Leo.

All of a sudden, Horvath yelped in pain and Leo fell to the floor, dull pain radiating through his whole body. Through bleary eyes, he saw Horvath raise his hand. The sharp slap and Ethan's scream of pain woke Leo up properly. He hurriedly crawled over to his screaming son and hugged him tightly.

"How dare you hit my son!" Leo yelled, livid. He stood up, still clutching Ethan, and glared at Horvath.

The sorcerer shrugged. "He kicked me."

"And I think you deserved it!" Leo snapped. "How dare you hit my son, after everything you've put us through!"

"Watch your tone," Horvath snapped. "I can kill you with a wave of my hand."

"Go ahead," dared Leo. "Kill me, then."

"May I remind you that your wife is still missing," Horvath said sternly. "And I don't think you want to leave your son without any parent to look after him."

Leo glared at Horvath. "I hate you."

"Yes, we've established that." Horvath smirked at Leo. "I was intending to simply lock you two up, but now I have several punishments in mind for you."

Leo's blood ran cold.

"How do you feel about being separated from each other by a glass wall and having to watch your son suffer?" Horvath asked mock-innocently.

"Stay away from my son!" Leo yelled angrily.

Horvath waved his hand, and Leo and Ethan disappeared.

Turning in his chair, Horvath faced the horrified person in the entrance. "I trust you saw all that?" he asked.

The person nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately, I have had to kidnap your loved one as well," Horvath said.

The person's face changed to an expression of shock. "Wh-what?! Why?!"

"To ensure your cooperation," Horvath replied calmly, as if this was obvious. "Now, have you done your part?"

The person visibly forced themself to be calm, clearly deciding that the only way to help their loved one was to cooperate. "Yes. I have found Excalibur. It is in the hands of one of the knights, and I know which one."

"Excellent. Your orders now are to obtain the sword by any means necessary. Kill the knight if you have to."

The person hesitated. "I-I was not under the impression that I would have to kill anyone."

"Are you not used to killing?"

"Yes: bad people," the person snapped. "I kill bad people. That's my job. I can't kill someone who's only doing their job!"

"Then perhaps I will simply kill her," Horvath said lazily, twiddling a coin between his fingers with magic. "In front of you."

"I-I…" The person swallowed. "I-I will do it. But you have to let her go once I've done it, yes?"

"Yes," agreed Horvath. "Now go and get me the sword."