Half Heart Hero: Rise of Sifa [Book 2]

Namaari

As Sisu caught the gem piece, there was a small poof. The dragon vanished. In her place stood a woman with a thick mane of silvery iridescent hair and Sisu's bright curious eyes. She was dressed in loose fitting clothing made from a blue green fabric.

"Ah! I just shape-changed! Into people!" Sisu gasped.

"Dragons can do that?" Raya asked.

'This was my sister, Pranee's thing. Look at my people arms and my people face. Look how close my butt is to my head. Now that you don't have to hide me, getting the rest of the gems is gonna be a breeze."

Raya laughed. "Yeah, well, this one was easy. But the rest of them are being held by a bunch of no-good binturis."

"Binturi? That's not a very nice way to describe an old friend," a cold voice said near the entrance to the caverns.

Raya turned and saw a group of soldiers entering the room.

Sisu had never seen that woman before. She is older, taller and stronger than Raya. Her hair was shaved on one side, with a hairpin on her head. She wore a beige tank top, a gold belt with a crimson sash, baggy pants, dark boots, and gold arm bracelets on both of her biceps.

A surge of hatred washed through Raya at the sight of the woman. "Namaari."

"What's drippin', dep la?" Namaari sneered. "Oh, I see you've finally made a new friend. And here I was worried you were gonna end up becoming a cat lady like me."

At that, Namaari's Serlot, felines of unusual size from the land of Fang, slinked into the chamber. She ran a hand over the head of her monstrous cat, who held a perfectly still except for the tip of its tail, which flicked back and forth as if the Serlot was waiting for the chance to pounce.

"Something tells me you're not besties," Sisu whispered to RAya.

"Stealing Dragon Gem pieces, are we? Why?" Namaari asked.

"What can I say? Bling is my thing," Raya retorted.

"Hmm. I gotta admit, Raya, until a few months ago, I thought you were stone. But then, someone stole Fang's dragon scroll," Namaari started.

"Oh, is that why you're chasing me? And here I thought it was because you missed me," Raya interrupted, throwing Namaari the folded up manuscript.

"Are you really looking for Sisu? What are you, twelve?"

"Yeah, I actually was looking for Sisu. Oh, and guess what? I found her. Say hi, Sisu."

Raya kept her voice steady. But her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape. Sisu glanced at Raya with alarm. Namaari looked startled.

"Hi! It's very nice to meet you, and I love your hair and your cats' hair," Sisu said.

Namaari was not amused. "Take them!" Her warriors raised their crossbows. With a deft kick, Raya tripped the wire connected to the skeleton's hand. An ominous rumble comes from overhead. The trapdoor over the entrance fell open. A mountain of sand poured down on the Fang warriors and their Serlots.

As Namaari and her soldiers struggled to dig themselves out, Raya grabbed Sisu and swung them both back across the chasm. "Run!" she told Sisu.

Sisu fell onto all fours and tried to run on her hands and legs. She had forgotten she had a human body.

"Not like that! Two legs!" Raya hollered.

"Right!" Sisu hopped to her feet and hurried after Raya, weaving crazily on her unsteady legs. Raya glanced back. Namaari and her gang were almost clear of the sand. She had not found another way to slow them down.

As they charged through the tunnel, Raya ran her hands along the walls. disturbing the Toot N Booms. The beetles swarm filling the tunnel with tiny flaming explosions. Behind them, Raya heard curses and shouts as the Fang warriors dodged the blasts.

Moments later, Raya and Sisu burst out into the bright sunlight. Tuk Tuk was standing right where they'd left him. Raya had never been so happy to see her roly poly friend. She leapt onto his saddle then pulled Sisu behind her.

"Tuk Tuk! Roll!" Raya screamed.

Tuk Tuk rolled into a ball and they rode away. As they barreled through narrow canyons away from the Tail ruins, Sisu looked back over her shoulder. "Who was that girl?" she asked.

"That's Namaari," Raya said through gritted teeth. "She's the backstabbing binturi that broke the world."

"Wow, " Sisu said, looking back. "those cats are really fast, huh?"

She was right. Those serlots are very quick and started to catch up to them. Raya looked back too. Namaari and her soldiers were following. The Serlots bounded easily over the rocky landscape. They are closing the distance fast. Raya knew it would take more than just speed to escape there.

They had almost reached the Kumandra River. Ahead was the port of Tail, a sleepy cluster of wooden houses and ramshackle socks. A cluster of boats bobbed in the muddy river.

Raya suddenly had an idea. "What do cats and Druun have in common?" she said, thinking aloud.

Sisu paused as if giving the question serious thought. "Um... They have no souls?"

Raya raised an eyebrow. That wasn't exactly the answer she'd been expecting. "And they both hate water."

"Oh."

"Hold on!"

The Serlots were almost upon them. With a sudden swerve to the left, Raya steered Tuk Tuk over the edge of the embankment. They sailed down and landed with a splash in the water.

Tuk Tuk started swimming toward the nearest boat, a low wooden stiff with what appeared to be a giant crustacean on the rood. Raya glanced back. Namaari and the Fang soldiers had turned and were headed toward the docks.