Question: Do you guys remember all the stories in italics or would you like me to recap them?

For many years, the friends succeeded in hiding the Key and the very existence of the elite army from the world. But this was not meant to always be the case. One grew angry with the divided nature of humankind and wanted to use the army to reunite the world. The others disagreed, promising that the forceful take-over he was suggesting would only further the war. Arguments broke out among the friends, growing more and more heated as time passed. Finally, they saw that he would not change his course, instead being fixated on the idea of 'reuniting' but they feared he meant to rule. They became desperate and so broke the Key...

The gates of the Capital swing back on their hinges with a groan, the wood splintered from where the battering ram had hit it multiple times. General Ian leads the charge, his left arm holding the Shield in front of him, his sword ready to spring from his right. The Squids clash against them and the bloodshed begins, each side hacking and slashing their way forward. The battle is confusing with the bright, flickering torches casting a strange light. The moon has finally broken over the horizon and it smiles gently down on the chaos.

The Squids quickly begin to lose ground as the Benjas rain arrows down at them from the top of the Capital's wall, hacking at their number as efficiently as the Doods' swords. The Dead Army and the Kippers leap down from the wall and spread out through the city, flushing out rogue Squid warriors from their hiding spaces. The Stars, although late to join the battle, swarm in to add their numbers to the Doods and the Sorcerers split up with the Dead Army and the Kippers, many of them wearing mischievous smiles as they handle small bundles very delicately.

Mitch directs his Benjas around the Capital, most spreading out along the Capital wall, others using the roofs of the buildings as shooting platforms while three divisions follow him down to the fighting. The Doods and the Stars have made good progress and the Squids' line is faltering as they get pushed further and further back into the Capital. Mitch marches behind the line of Stars, his divisions behind him, his bow loaded with another arrow. His first and second quiver of arrows are empty and lying on the wall but the one on his back now is almost completely full. He double checks that his dagger and short sword are still at his waist. Seto jogs up to him, a strange contraption in his hand.

"Hey," he says as if they just happened to meet on a walk.

"Having fun?" Mitch asks.

Seto grins. "Oh yeah, we're testing out a lot of destructive weapons and I'm glad to say that most of them are successful."

"Most?" the Benja General asks suspiciously.

"We have had a few backfire," Seto admits.

A movement in the alleyway on Mitch's left causes him to turn and swing his aim around, the string of his bow going back until he can feel the arrow feathers against his cheek. Seto copies his movements but raises his contraption, sighting down the main wood piece. Several people rise up out of the ground of the alley and run towards them, their identities hidden in the darkness but they can clearly see Mitch and his armed Benjas and they slid to a halt just before the torchlight can shine on them.

"Don't shoot!" the one at the front says, raising his hands and slowly stepping into the light. "We're Sky Army recruits, not Squid warriors."

Relief fills Mitch and he grins, jerking his head behind him. "Brilliant, you came to us. Now do me a favour and get out of here."

"Gladly," the recruit says and the group sprint out of the alley, protected by the Guardian's armies. The line is long and Mitch calls out to a nearby Star warrior.

"I want anyone who can be spared to go out and make sure the Sky Army recruits are okay," he orders. "They might need medical attention and I want them to be safe no matter what."

"Yes sir," the warrior says and he quickly calls some friends, following the line of recruits out of the city. Mitch scans the battle carefully, his bow ready to fire at any Squid warrior who might present themselves as a target.

"What is that thing you've got there anyway?" he asks idly, firing an arrow at a Squid warrior attempting to leave the battle.

"I call it a crossed bow," Seto says, tapping the contraption slightly. It is made of what seems to be two pieces of wood, one straight and thick but with a groove down the middle and the other curved and nailed to the end of the first. A thick string connects the ends of the curve piece and is held to the back of the first by what looks like a nail of some kind. Something that looks like an arrow (but with no feathers) rests in the groove.

"A crossed bow?" Mitch asks, shaking his head. "Like, a normal bow?"

"But it's easier to fire and takes a lot less strength," Seto explains. "The only drawbacks are that it's less accurate and takes longer to load."

"I'll stick to my bow, thanks."

Ty and a few of his warriors sprint out of a street behind Seto, followed by another long line of people, some limping or holding injured arms. Mitch spots one who is missing everything below her right elbow and his grip on his bow tightens momentarily. Ty joins Mitch, watching the recruits who have just emptied the alley behind Mitch.

"I see you've found your own recruits," the Dead Army General says.

"More like they found me," Mitch corrects.

"I reckon we still go to the castle, just in case any are left behind." Ty's face has small smears of blood on it but it doesn't seem to be his own and the steel of his dagger is red. "I don't like how little Squid warriors there seem to be."

Seto frowns and nods. "I agree, I could have sworn there were more than we're seeing."

"I'm smelling a plan here, and I don't like it."

Mitch hums in agreement. His eyes follow the line of fleeing recruits and spots a third group sprinting out of the streets further along. He recognises most of them as even more recruits but only three run up to him, two whom he doesn't know and one he sees is Commander Jordan.

"What's wrong?" he asks instantly, seeing their worried faces.

"Well, the good news is that all of the recruits and the Commanders are out of the Squid's dungeons," one of them says, a girl. "But the bad news-"

"The Squids took General Adam," the boy interrupts.

"They what?" Seto asks, his voice full of nerves.

"Squid guards came and took him a few minutes before we were released by these guys," Commander Jordan says, gesturing to the two recruits beside him. "I don't know what they're gonna do to him, but I can guarantee it's about the Amulet."

"He hasn't told them where the Piece is, right?" Ty asks.

Commander Jordan seems slightly stunned that Ty knows that little snippet of information but he quickly recovers and shakes his head. "And I doubt he will."

"We need to find him and fast," Mitch says. "He could be in danger."

"I'd say that's a certainty," Seto mutters. "We'll have to take a back way into the castle."

"I found a way there," Ty says quickly. "Let's go."

Mitch motions for his divisions to follow and they sprint off, the three recruits joining their fellows outside of the Capital. The sounds of the fighting between the Stars, the Doods and the Squids fade as they sprint through the back streets of the Capital and in only minutes, the group run up the stairs and into the castle.

"Bears, cover the west wing," Mitch orders, his right hand gesturing directions. "Delta, the east. Xenon, with me. I want all Squid warriors captured and under guard!"

"That's not a good idea, Mitch," Seto warned as the divisions split off.

"My army, I do what I want," Mitch said back.

Mitch, Seto and Ty sprint through the main halls of the castle, the Xenon division following them with swords and shields ready. Their footsteps echo loudly in the otherwise silent castle and they turn the corner, nearing the heart of the castle. Two large double doors are in the wall up ahead to their right and they slow as they neared it, Mitch slinging his bow onto his back and holding up his hand to his warriors.

"Get ready," he says, one hand on the door while the other draws his sword. When he is sure everyone is ready, he heaves open the door, his sword coming up into an offensive position.

The hall inside is large, with tall walls decorated with banners displaying the Squid's crest. It's easily large enough to hold a few hundred people but right now, it is completely deserted. The back wall is completely blank and an empty throne made of a dark wood sits at the end but Mitch's eyes jump almost instantly to the dark shape lying at the other end of the room, near the foot of the throne. The pants are a dark fabric and the shirt is a light brown, the hands cuffed behind the back. But a sinister red splatters the shirt and the figure is too still.

"Adam," Mitch breathes before sprinting up to the body. Even before he kneels down beside him, Mitch knows that there is too much blood for anything to be done. He presses his fingers to Adam's neck, feeling for a pulse. The skin still bears a trace of warmth but it is still and the blood that is still not fully dry stains the floor.

Seto kneels down next to Mitch. "We're too late then?" he asks, both of them knowing it's a statement but Mitch nods anyway. Ty stands a step away, his hands uncomfortably in his pockets. While Mitch and Seto kneel silently next to their friend's body, he looks around the room. The wall above the throne is a single colour except for a small circular patch that is a shade lighter than everything else. It is about as wide as Ty's forearm, although that's a rough guess. A door frame is set flush to the wall, near the corner of the two walls, the door ever so slightly opened.

Ty walks up to the door that would be invisible if it was closed and opens it with his left hand, his right hand ready to leap forward to slash with his dagger. The door opens up to a tunnel that is dark and quickly slopes downwards. There are candles on the walls and Ty gingerly touches the wick with his fingers. They come away sooty and just to be sure, he goes down the tunnel for a few minutes.

"The Squid General escaped," he says when he comes back. Mitch and Seto stand from where Adam lies. "I'm assuming that this tunnel here leads somewhere outside the city. We could follow it, but-"

"But the Squids could be waiting for us in an ambush on the other side," Mitch finishes and Ty nods.

There are hurried footsteps outside the hall and the Benja division splits, allowing a Doods warrior to run inside. "The Squids have retreated," he says quickly. "Many of them ran to the sea and we can see ships in the distance sailing away. There's no enemies left."

The three Generals looked at each other. "Well, we can't go after them," Mitch said, his shoulders sagging. 'Let's just finish up here and go home." He bends down and picks up Adam's body, carrying it out of the hall.

I'm sorry Adam, I really am.

When I was creating the plans for the book, I spent a few days trying to figure out how to save Adam. I had actually come up with an idea that would save him, but it would add another layer of complexity to the book and make it unrealistic, so I had to ditch it.

If you poke the bear, you're gonna get the claws, and that's what Adam got.

But we're not quite done yet.