Please Don't Cry; Third Book in the Sky Army's Defeat Series

Chapter Two

Silence fell over the generals, all eyes trained on the terribly messy and soggy sticky-note. The squids were here? After all this time?

"An arrow nearly killed me when I made it to his room. This note was attached. Something seriously wrong is going on," I informed them.

"You're right about that, Adam. If we somehow missed the squids and they managed to get Ty, there's no telling what could happen if they revolted," Seto commented.

"What should we do Sky?" Jason asked.

"Jerome, Mitch, gather the soldiers. All of them. Train them with each other and find ways to combine their skills so they can be stronger together. Ian, gather the cooks and make healthy snacks and energy boosting food for the recruits that get hungry. Seto and Jason work with the sorcerers and try to pinpoint where the squids could be. Quentin, I need you to prepare the nurses and doctors for the worst. I'll interview the guards and see if they saw Ty leave or something suspicious."

The generals nodded and dispersed, quickly filing out, one stopping as I grabbed their wrist. It was Seto. "Gather the recruits that were most affected by the squids during our defeat. Arella and Hydrangea and the others. Maybe they'll know about what's going on."

The sorcerer general nodded in a silent acknowledgment before following the others out the door.

I sighed heavily. "Ty, Notch dammit, where are you?"

Little did the Leader know, that his friend was just below his nose. At the squid's unknown base, the Dead General was pacing his holding cell, trying to piece together what had come over him during the imposter's interview.

It was all a blur, the minute his eyes met the fake general's it was like he was pulled into a warm dream where nothing else mattered but spilling every detail possible about the Sky Army and its allies.

He growled a curse at how weak he had been, his pacing increasing in speed. The general had betrayed his army and his leader. How could they accept him back after what he had done? Would he ever get the chance to go back and explain himself? What did the squids want with him anyway? Revenge? Information?

The sound of a door creaking open dragged him from his wondering and angry thoughts as a brighter light flooded into the semi-dark room. The silhouette of a large figure stood in the doorway of the dungeons, his broad shoulders prominently showing off his muscular state. Authority practically radiated from him as he held his head high and back with confidence. This man held power, and seemingly a lot of it.

A glowing smirk stood out from his dark features, the light reflecting off his bright pearly whites. "We appreciate your cooperation, Deadlox. Your willingness to give into your enemy's every whim was astounding."

Ty growled in anger, more at himself than the figure, before retorting with a snarl, "Not like I had a choice."

"Oh. You had the choice to fall under your sweet General's trance, and you made it instantly. I'm surprised by how quick you did. Almost like you've wanted to be with us the whole time." His voice was alluring, taunting Ty's senses and emotions. The cocky smirk sounded heavily in his voice.

"I would never want to be with you slimy creatures," the general scowled.

The figure laughed the sound of a low, dark rumble before approaching the cell where Ty was locked away. "Oh, trust me, my dear general. You will want nothing more than to be by us when we're through with you."

Ty's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as the identity of the figure was revealed through the uneven lighting. "I will never serve a king as cruel as you," he growled out slow and fierce, making sure his point came across.

A tentacle reached through the bars and wrapped tightly around the boy's waist. "We will see, won't we?"

Struggling to get out of the cold and moist grasp, Ty glared. "I won't let you win. I will fight you until the end."

"Good, I like a good challenge," the king grinned as he forced the general out of the cell, dragging him along the cold cement floor and into the underground base.

For the squids to have gone through such a tremendous fall, it was a surprise to see thousands of them scurrying around with building supplies, ores, and other random objects in their tentacles (and arms for some hybrids). Many bowed respectfully to the king and others gave him a smile of acknowledgment, before all eyes narrowed in harsh glares at the general, who gladly returned them.

The king dragged Ty through many hallways, probably going around in circles to make sure the general would have no hope of escape if he managed to break free, then turning into an alchemy lab.

A man stood next to a hospital like cot, fastening the last pair of four handcuffs to the metal railing on either side of the bed, no doubt to keep the general retrained during whatever they planned to do to him.

The man was an average height, most likely five foot five, give or take a few inches, with wet looking, reddish-brown hair that almost reached his pale shoulders which were hidden under a long sleeve black t-shirt and a black cloak with blue lining underneath. On bottom there were a pair of midnight black pants and brown boots. To Ty's surprise, he found not a trace of squid DNA or influence on the body of the man.

With a grunt the king basically threw Ty onto the cot, the man quickly fastening his ankles and wrists with the slightly glowing cuffs too fast for the dazed general to register.

The new man smirked, eyes glowing slightly with mysterious power. "A new toy, hmm?" He asked, to which the supposedly dead king nodded.

"Indeed. Feel free to mess with him a bit, but when you're done, do what we planned on doing. I'll need him ready for our vengeance."

"Yes, sir. I'll have him worshiping your existence very soon," the mysterious man bowed his head slightly.

The king patted his back. "Good man. Call if you need anything."

With a final nod the king was off and out the door, shutting it quietly behind him. The strange man's face moved in front of Ty's, green eyes glowing with hidden power and promises to no doubt bring the retrained and captive general to his downfall.

"Just relax, Tyler. You're in good hands. My name is Hunter." Hunter muttered softly, a cool hand placed on the General's forehead.

Ty's eyes were trained on the softly glowing green orbs that belonged to the sorcerer next to him, a feeling of warmth and calmness taking over his senses and chasing out any fear or worry. With a shaky sigh he relaxed, welcoming the all to tempting feeling.

"Good," Hunter murmured, "Just let me take your worries away. Everything will be okay if you just let me in."

A yawn forced its way out of the generals mouth as he snuggled closer to the surprisingly comfortable for before his eyes closed and he drifted off into a light, dreamless sleep