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

Chapter Twelve

The Sky Army general sat in a secret quarters hidden under the floorboards of a house in silence. The homeowners didn't know he was there, which was a safety precaution for if that sorcerer showed up again. He didn't want to fall victim to a power like Hunter's again, and who could blame him?

He found out about the gem the minute he woke up from his trance and swore he'd never leave without it again while on this journey. The king still had a ton of work to do, and very little time to do it. Luckily he was good friends with the kingdoms he was trying to keep an alliance up with, and the kings understood. Now set the problem of how to get back before all was left of his beloved kingdom was rubble.

Adam let out a deep sigh, knowing the homeowners weren't home. He didn't risk looking out of the quarters door, despite this knowledge. He needed time to make sure all the suggestions in his head were gone.

Alone, cold, defeated, useless, helpless, afraid; he recognized these feelings from the day he had first been captured by these foul squids. Despair gnawed at his chest, trying to lure him into giving up on everything and accepting his fate, but fear stood between him and despair's ultimate goal. He feared death as much as any human being would, but he feared being controlled even more.

A general should never give up on his own recruits, but dammit it was really hard not to when all your recruits were brainwashed or dead, he thought.

The creaking of the floorboards brought his attention to above his head, black, heavy boots standing only a few inches from his face. He froze, stopping even his breathing as he stared at the soles of an intruder.

Then out of nowhere the hatch to the quarters flew off its hinges and many tentacles lashed inside at the king, grabbing him in a cold, damp grasp before yanking him up into plain view.

King Evan's blue eyes shown with victory as he smirked widely at the Sky Army general. "Sky. It's so nice to see you again," he mused as his enemy struggled to break free from his hold, "I think you're in for another stay at Squid Castle, don't you think?"

Adam's eyes narrowed at the king in a deadly glare as he kicked and jerked to get away. He was not about to loose to this squid again.

The king laughed at his enemy's silence and walked out of the house, dragging Adam behind him on the ground.

"Adam, wake up!" A voice screamed suddenly as the king's eyes flew open to reveal the night sky, the sound of heavy breathing and crickets the only thing he heard.

Once he realized he wasn't in his enemy's grasp heading to his doom, he let out a breath of relief and laid back on his pile of leaves to catch his breath. It was all a terrible nightmare.

The recruit that had woken him up looked down at him in worry. "Are you okay, sir?" He asked softly.

Adam nodded slowly. "I'm okay, thank you. Just a terrible dream." One he hoped didn't become a reality.

~

Word count: 544