{“Why are you whispering, Tanya?”}

  Nerice repeated her sonar clicks and after seeing the yout of the fields almost like a blue grid in her mind, answered Ruby.

  {“Not a thing behind us Tanya, Why?”}

  Nerice asked and in doing so exposed her ck of fighting experience to the pirate. Ruby looked on the ground and finally spotted a medium-sized rock and picked it up.

  {“Okay, Ner-Ner. You hold perfectly still and when I toss the rock, the whatever it is…will turn. When that happens, drop quickly to the ground and get as small as possible. I’ll handle the rest.”}

  Biting on the edge of her finger nervously, Nerice barely nodded and blew Ruby a kiss for luck. Aiming for a spot a few feet in front of her, Ruby threw the stone in a high arch so it could gather enough energy to make a loud enough thud to draw the attention of her stalker.

  -Thud!-

  When the creature turned its head in the direction of the rock, Ruby felt Nerice drop as instructed and got as close to the corn stalks as she could. Ruby watched the thing quickly reach the spot where the stone made a small crater. She’d just flipped her dagger against her forearm when the second creature got close enough for her to make out an odd shape that she recognized as a blend of a frog and human head. Wide eyes blinked from a wider angle than any human yet still faced forward. Scanning the creature further, the frog person had slimy and leathery-looking skin with wart-like bumps all over its form. Pulsing the bubble under its chin, it breathed like a normal frog and occasionally made an ‘erup’ sound like Ruby had heard on calm nights in Kissamos. Its hands were exactly like she’d spotted before, with little round bck pearl-looking fingertips.

  -One weapon, I have to make this count.-

  Ruby told herself and tightened the grip on her bde.

  -No neck that I can see, so sever the spine and the battle is mine.-

  Counting down from five, Ruby steadied her nerves and imagined herself swinging and nding exactly where she would as part of a boarding party. Crouched and ready to pounce like a cat, Ruby reached one and sprung into the air, and nded squarely on the frogman’s back. Using all the weight she had, Ruby forced the beast to the ground, where it yelped a warning to its companion. A swift and accurate stab into her target's spine neutralized the first one and Ruby jerked the dagger free, swirling her red-scaled form like she would underwater and managed to dodge the incoming trident. A blue shimmer came from the corner of Ruby’s one eye and she watched as Nerice threw herself into the frog's legs, causing it to fall helplessly to the ground.

  “Tanya!” Nerice pinned the frog to the ground where it struggled to get the blind woman off its back. “Toss it!”

  Half-stunned that her innocent dymate had the vision to actually hit the frog, it took Ruby a second to register that Nerice was waving her hand desperately. “Oh…” Ruby lobbed the dagger to her lover and watched in amazement when she caught the red gemmed bde and shoved it in the base of the frog's head, killing it instantly. “Nerice?” Ruby slowly walked up to the dead frog and pulled her dagger free before she helped Nerice to her feet. “I didn’t think you knew how to fight.”

  Laughing and waving her hand dismissively, Nerice casually responded, “You just assumed I couldn’t because I was a little frightened.” She smacked the dirt from her scales and then her hands. “Air is a little trickier than water, but the principle is the same.” Leaning over to pick up the two tridents, Nerice handed one to Ruby. “I told you I can see through your memories. I also had the yout in my head.” She kicked the dead frogman and then finished, “Try fighting a great white while on its back and trying to toss you for a meal, then you’ll get the idea.” She giggled.

  Digging around on the two dead creatures' bodies, Ruby found a few pieces of honed coral that functioned as a dagger, and six strings of pearls that alternated white and bck. “Hmmm, these are worth a fortune up here.” Hastily tying the strings together, Ruby made a neckce and pced it on Nerice. “Here’s a few more to tease me with ter.”

  Almost glowing from the compliment, Nerice touched her hot cheeks and tossed her arms around Ruby’s neck and resumed her space on her lover’s back. “I’m still not walking.”

  “I don’t know that we will find the answer to the kraken here on nd, so walking might be a moot point.” Ruby looked down at the bodies, “Should we bury them, or forget it?”

  Looking over Ruby’s shoulder, Nerice kissed her lover and pyfully flicked one of Ruby’s pointed ears. “Bury them with what? I can’t see how we can make a hole to do it.” Sarcastically, Nerice added, “You can always drag them to the goon if it’s that important to you.”

  “What? You have arms too, you know.” Ruby stopped walking and looked up at the stars and thought about their situation. “These froggy people add another yer of complexity to this whole thing, Nerice.” Bouncing her lover on her back until Nerice started to giggle, Ruby offered a couple of choices to Nerice. “Okay, I am pretty sure what you are going to say, but I am going to ask anyway.”

  “Okay.” Nerice stopped ughing and id her head on Ruby’s shoulder.

  “Okay.” Ruby toyed, “We check out the town and see what’s going on…other than the kraken, maybe find out why that damned beast is here, or…” Ruby paused for a breath, “...we find out where the frogs came from.”

  Considering everything that had occurred since they flopped on the beach and her affinity for water, Nerice didn’t hesitate with her decision. “Since I suspect the froggies, as you call them, are probably from that goon somewhere, I think we start there.” Running her hand through Ruby’s long bck locks, Nerice took in the natural salty essence her lover pulsed with. “I have better command underwater, Tanya. Fish, whales, sharks..you name it. I can call things like Lord Neptune himself.”

  “I’m not going to ask if Neptune is real.” Ruby did an about-face and headed back to the water. “I swear you did this on purpose to make me your seahorse.”

  Massaging Ruby’s sore muscles, Nerice tweeted like an innocent penguin before responding. “You know…you just asked in the most bizarre manner if Neptune was real…He is by the way.” A few clicks to establish her direction, Nerice ran her fingers along Ruby’s long neck. “Love? We don’t ride seahorses, it's dolphins.”

  “I hate you, let’s find some frogs.” Ruby quipped.

  “You love me, and let’s find some ugly froggies.” Nerice concurred.