The Angkhora Warriors

Part 24: The Frogs Followed Her

I love you.

The voice a familiar one that would always make his whole body go soft. She looked at the small hut surrounded by green grass, her eyes filled with joy as radiant as the morning sun.

"So, this will be our home?" she asked, clutching Arjana's hand in her own as they sat together on the green field.

"This is it," he replied, turning to her. "It isn't much. I know. It's no magical palace, but it's..."

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed.

She'd always stuck up for him, even when he doubted himself and his accomplishments. Arjana was always a hunter, a man of nature. He'd spent much of his young life farming and helping others in his own village, building things with his bare hands. He had not planned to amass gold to move to the city, nor was he tempted to join the spice trade. He had always stuck to his village roots, and Ishya loved him for that, ever since they were young.

"It should be more," Arjana said lowly.

"More? More what? More of me? Or of you? The wooden hut is so much you. But the green grass in the field is definitely more me."

Arjana paused, amused at her response. "No. No! Not like that. I mean. I should've had more for you."

"You're more than enough for me," she insisted, lightly curling his hand in hers. "Am I not enough for you?"

Arjana turned, pulling her into his arms for a tight hug, "Never say that," he insisted. "You're the world to me. And all I will ever need in this world. And the next."

She shifted position and laid her head in Arjana's lap. He stroked her hair and they stared into each other's eyes deeply. A drop of a tear flowed from the side of her eye. Then a stream of black blood streamed down from her eyes.

"Ishya, what's wrong?" Arjana shook her shoulder.

More black blood streamed down from her eyes. She started crying.

"You didn't save our baby. You did not save us," Ishya said with a broken voice.

Arjana's heart sank into the depth of darkness when he heard that. It was like he had lost the other half of his heart. The smell of blood and fire once more filled the air.

As Arjana held the woman he loved, he could feel her body grow cold. He pulled back to see her corpse in his arms and her body torn open with an empty womb.

Ishya screamed.

Arjana opened his eyes.

He turned around. She wasn't there. Mute Girl was not there. He woke up and walked out of the camp. His eyes scanned the surroundings quickly, trying to see if she was walking among the trees, but she was nowhere to be found. Without a name to call for, Arjana was confused and frantic.

I must save this one.

That was his immediate thought. Arjana looked for fresh prints in the dampened ground. He shuffled some leaves, looking for any signs before finding a single, fresh footprint just off to his right. She had headed south, and down.

"Hello?"

Arjana called out, waiting for a reply or a sign of movement. She wasn't much for words before but if she were in any sort of danger, Arjana hoped she'd scream just as she had before.

The morning was heavily fogged. Arjana strode past the stream he'd cleaned himself at but she was not there. She seemed to be following the signs of water but she never stuck around long enough for him to pick up any footprint in the forest beyond the usual critters that ran off in the presence of predators.

Arjana emerged in a clearing to find a pool that was heavily shaded by trees. Part of it was dark, almost as good as night, with a little ray of sunlight piercing through. From the darkness, the frogs trilled, chirped, sang, clucked, croaked, and quacked. It sounded like there was an army of them. Then a soft splash hit the water. Arjana waited for the ripple to move closer where there was light. Something swam under the ripple. Silky hair slowly rose from the surface, and there she was, swimming in the water like a nymph. She turned toward Arjana and they locked eyes for a moment. She swam to the shore and stood out from the water, her naked body glistened under the little sliver of light. Arjana felt breathless as his eyes scanned over the girl's shadowed body. Her wounds cleansed and nearly perfectly healed as if the waters themselves cleansed her of her pain. With the blood and mud wiped from her body, she was more beautiful than he imagined.

Her steps were light as she walked from the waters, her eyes locked on Arjana as if he was her prey. She stopped just inches from his body, her expression filled with a hunger Arjana could feel in his chest. She moved in on him, pressing her lips against his with a passion and ferocity that Arjana hadn't felt for years. Fueled by the desire for a naked body, and without much thinking, his arms wrapped around the girl, pulling her closer as he could feel his fingers graze her bare skin. Her nails gently glided along his arms and to his back, sharing the same sense of urgency as the pair shared a long and passionate kiss. Arjana's mind struggled to pull himself away.

He snapped back to reality, pulling himself away from the girl and pushing her back lightly. He placed a hand to his lips, trying to fight off the memories now replaying in his mind. His heart pounded as a lump developed in his throat. Finally, he looked up at the girl who only seemed to stare at him with concern.

"I-I'm sorry," Arjana choked back. "I-I can't."

The mute girl didn't seem to nod or refuse his apology. She stood still, looking at him with curiosity, yet she didn't move in or back away. No words escaped her, but, slowly, she began to move, walking past Arjana and pausing for only a moment, turning to look back at him briefly before carrying on.