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

Chapter Four

"Did you hear that King Sky was found in his office, asleep?"

"No, is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine, except for the fact he was willingly sleeping while everyone else was in a chaotic mess."

"Don't be like that, Hydrangea."

"You know it's true! What good is a general that sleeps on the job?" The illusion master retorted to the sorcerer recruit.

Hope huffed. "You're so judgmental. What's gotten into you?"

Just as the girl was about to reply their commander walked in. "You two stop bickering and find the others that were held captive, the select few of you that were most affected and meet us at the meeting room," he ordered quickly before running off.

Hydra smirked. "See? He's so lazy he can't even get us himself."

Hope scowled at her and walking off without another word, going to do as her commander asked. The illusion master watched her with a mischievous smile, thinking of how easy it was to do her job.

"Make them question their generals, and their generals question their king. Tear them apart from the inside so we can have a perfect moment to strike," the king's orders echoed through her mind. She nodded.

"Oh yes, my king. It will be done," Hydra muttered under her breath just as someone happened to turn the corner.

Oh, the poor general. At the wrong place and in the wrong time of all things! What horrible luck General Ian had to have walked in on the betrayer's muttering.

He gasped, having heard her, thus making his fate so much worse, and Hydra was on him in a flash. The cake cooking master was on his stomach before he could know what hit him, sky blue eyes glazed over in a false reality as he gave no struggle to the girl forcing him back to his feet.

The general unknowingly led her through the base and to the dungeons, silently staring ahead with a normal, real looking smile. He walked willingly into the cell and even locked himself in, but this didn't surprise the girl, as she knew his actions were her doing. Her king's sorcerer had trained her to perfect her illusions just before the generals had brainwashed her into becoming their mindless drone again. Luckily, her king had saved her again from doing things she'd later regret.

Hydra flashed a coy smirk at the general and traced one of the bars with her finger. "Tell me anything and everything that help me in getting your recruits to turn against you and the other leaders," she demanded smoothly, eyes looking up to meet the general's. He did as she asked without hesitation, having no reason to fight her influence since his mind was somewhere else.

The general told her what made each of his peers snap, break, give up and keep pushing. He also told of favorite pastimes as well as strengths and weaknesses. When satisfied, she made the general sleep on the rotten cot in the corner before running off to find the king. Her plan was just beginning to take affect.

~

General Deadlox was turning out to be a great leader for the squids. Ever since his change of mind he'd been stricter, more demanding of the recruits' limits, even pushing many to their breaking points. Was he a little mean? Maybe, but he got the job done, and that pleased his king.

His mind possessed little memories of the 'Dead Army' he led back at Sky Army, due to the removal of all influence from the wretched place that the poor general was brainwashed into serving. Oh, when his king gave the O.K. Deadlox would reign nether on the terrible kingdom.

A small smirk made its way onto the general's face as he made his way to Hunter's alchemy lab, the sorcerer having called him over through a messenger.

Taking a left, he entered the massive lab. "Ah, Deadlox, I was just wondering if you were okay. Come sit, please. I need to speak to you about something," Hunter's warm smile was a happy greeting to the dark lab as the green eyed sorcerer patted the same cot that he was strapped to when he was made into who he was then.

The general did so. "Is something wrong, Hunter?"

Hunter smiled sweetly. "Nothing at all, Deadlox, I just need to show you something that King Evan wanted me to share with you."

Nodding, the general watched as an ancient book was pulled from the shelf and placed next to him, a page flipped to the image of a circle. The top of the circle contained a normal human being, brown eyes blank almost. On what would be considered the East side, was the same person, only on a cot with his ankles and wrists cuffed to the sides. The south side contained the same human, but with an almost dazed smile. Finally, the west side had a squid humanoid on a cot, with a platter of syringes next to it. Each picture was connected through a solid black line that created the circle, except for the north and west sides, those had dotted marks.

"Why are there dotted marks connecting the humanoid and normal human?" Ty asked, frowning deeply in curiosity.

"It's dotted because very few people have returned to the beginning of the cycle," Hunter explained.

"What's the cycle?"

With the wave of his hand, Hunter revealed a box with words in the center of the circle. 'Turning Humans Back To Squids,' it read.

"Oh... Why are you showing me this?"

With a chuckle, the sorcerer patted the general's back. "Because we need to complete your process of becoming one of us again by making you a hybrid."

Slowly nodding, the general took in the information. "So, would it change anything?"

Hunter shrugged. "Other than your appearance, I don't think so. It's designed to change the human anatomy really, not so much the mindset of someone."

It took a while for the general to answer, his eyes conflicted. Half of him wanted to get it done with, the other half wanted to do some research, but the earlier won the battle and he found himself agreeing to become a humanoid.

Hiding a victorious smirk, the sorcerer instructed the fooled boy to lay back on the cot and relax completely. "Now, this will sting a little, but it'll only last for a second, okay?" He forewarned the general, who nodded and did as instructed.

"I need you to think of something that makes you happy and calm," Hunter murmured, sending a warm feeling to Ty as he got the syringe ready.

Ty let out a soft sigh, relaxing even more under the warmth. "Is it bad if I fall asleep?" He mumbled drowsily, as Hunter let out a soft chuckle.

"Not at all. Feel free to sleep through this." And that the general did. Just as the sorcerer went to inject the syringe that would rip away Ty's free will and life away from the squids, the dead general fell into a deep sleep.

"Good boy, my little puppet. Just rest. That way when you wake up, you can help us destroy all that you worked so hard to create as you had to us." Hunter smirked as he injected the syringe. "And soon, my king's wishes will become reality."

~

Word Count: 1228