The Angkhora Warriors

Part 22: Massacre

No matter which way Arjana shone his torch he was greeted with piles of dead bodies at every turn. Some were missing their heads and others had their internal organs ripped out. The scent of blood was from the pooling that had begun in the ruts of the alley, while the burnt smell of flesh was obvious, from the few huts that had burned down with people still inside them. Arjana gulped, covering his nose in an effort not to vomit. No matter where he turned, he was greeted by the sight of corpses. The entire village had been brutally massacred by something sinister.

The very sight sent chills down Arjana's spine, and the echo of agonized screams began to flood his memories. Memories from his own village in the past. Memories that had been haunting him all these years. Memories of burning huts and people fleeing for their lives. Every person, no matter their age, was cut down by the Dark Lord's guards. Women. Children. All slain in cold blood and all for the hunt of a baby. The Inquisition.

Arjana continued his search, hoping to find survivors, but it only led to further despair as he came across a woman, whose womb had been torn from her body, leaving her both lifeless and without child. Arjana closed his eyes. The sight brought him back to a great pain that had carved deeply into his own heart. He remembered it clearly.

The sight of the woman's insides, torn open, and her unborn child robbed from inside her. His own lover and his unborn child torn away from her body because the Dark Lord hunted for the Naga baby. The Inquisition was led by Muntha, a dark wizard tasked to hunt for the Naga baby, who was prophesied if grown up would destroy the Shadow Kingdom.

"Please! Stop this madness!" Arjana had cried out loudly, his arms restrained and tears streaming down his face. The dark wizard's soldiers held him in place, pushed him down to his knees, and forced him to watch the nightmare unfold around him. Hundreds, if not more, were slaughtered. Babies were ripped from their mothers' arms and killed 'just to be sure,' as the guards would say.

"The Naga Child isn't here! It never was!" Arjana screamed. His desperation begging to be heard but falling on deaf ears. Two soldiers dragged his pregnant lover out from their hut by her hair. She kicked and clawed at their arms, trying to break free but did herself no good in her struggles. She was thrown down in front of the dark wizard, her long robe barely covering her pregnant belly as she was left exposed in the middle of the alley.

"Is thisss the last one?" Muntha spoke slowly.

"Yes, my lord," the shadow soldier replied.

"No! You can't!" Arjana shouted, looking over at his lover.

She quickly covered herself, trying to veil herself from the prying eyes of the soldiers and the dark wizard, feeling shame for both herself and Arjana.

"There is no Naga Child here!" Arjana screamed, his voice breaking.

"Arjana," she called out weakly.

"A shame, really," the Dark Wizard said, "you are very beautiful," ogling the pregnant girl.

"ISHYA!" Arjana screamed.

Muntha clasped her chin with his bare hands, looking her over once, then again, before driving his hands into her stomach. The Dark Wizard practiced the dark arts of hand-surgery, removing organs from a human body using only their naked hands.

"Ishya!" Arjana called out to his lover, shaking violently, breaking from the guards' restraint and rushed toward his love. His hope quashed as the two soldiers pinned him down again to the ground. "Do your job!" the Wizard said, turning to the two soldiers who were a little careless.

Arjana twisted and squirmed, his free hand stretching toward Ishya but still too far to reach her. She managed to break her hands free and clawed at the Dark Wizard. Soldiers quickly moved in to pin her down. She turned to Arjana, mouthing 'do not blame yourself.'