Half Heart Hero: Rise of Sifa [Book 2]

Tail Clan

Their first stop, Raya decided, would be the Tail ruins. Raya had seen the crumbling sandstone temple as she passed though Tail. It seemed the most likely place for the Tail chief and her gem shard to be hiding. She has been there for a long time searching for Sisu ever since. Ever since the dragoness had blasted the Druun away, she fell into the river and slowly drifted to the hot deserts.

As they raced through the desert on the roly poly creature's back Raya caught Sisu up on her plan. "Okay, so here's the snitch. After the gem broke, each piece was taken by one of the chiefs of the five lands, Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail. Where we are now."

They arrived at the ruins. The great sandstone fortress rose up before them, silent as a tomb. As Raya climbed off her pet, Tuk Tuk's back, she stared up at the tall rock walls. Symbols of the five lands of Kumandra had been carved into stone.

Raya had disguised Sisu in a broad hat and red long traveling coat. "Wow. So many questions," Sisu said. "First one, why am I wearing this?

"Well, we don't want to attract attention," Raya explained.

"Oh, she definitely chose the right hats for that, " Sisu said as she hopped down from Tuk Tuk and stared forward. "So, what makes you think the Tail chief's here?"

The words were hardly out of Sisu's mouth when her foot brushed against a wire no wider than a bait. A tree trunk covered in metal spikes toppled, crashing toward the spot where Sisu was standing. Raya dove and pushed her out of the way in the nick of time. She got to her feet dusting herself off. "Because this place didn't just booby-trap itself," she replied.

Leaving Tuk Tuk outside, Raya and Sisu entered the temple. Inside they had to move slowly, stepping carefully over trap wires and crisscrossing the corridors. Raya was certain now they'd found the home of the Tail's Gem shard. She'd never seen so many traps in one place. Sisu watched as the young warrior made her way through the traps.

"This doesn't make sense," Sisu said, uncertain and confused. "None of this would stop a Druun."

"It's not to stop Druun. It's to stop people," Raya explained.

They arrived at a hallway that was filled with an intricate array of trip wires. While Raya again carefully worked her way through it, Sisu quickly and smoothly flew through it without a single problem, ending with a smile. Raya watched in astonishment.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Sisu asked.

Raya smiled. "Nothing. I'm just not used to seeing dragons."

"Impressed, huh? Wait until you see my backstroke. I'm wicked when I hit that liquid. I got water skills that kill. I slaughter when I hit the water. I'm, like, really good at swimming, through rhyme. I was trying to make that... That I'm really good at swim... I'm a good swimmer, which is basically what I'm..." Sisu trailed off.

"Okay, um, we need to keep going," Raya said.

They soon rounded another dark corner. As soon as they were about to go on, Sisu's eyes went wide with horror.

"Oh, no!" Sisu cried suddenly.

Raya nearly jumped out of her boots. She spun around drawing her sword. but she couldn't see any danger. "What? What is it?"

"We forgot to bring a gift for the Tail chief," said the dragon. She seemed truly upset.

Raya looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry. A gift?"

"Yeah. A gift says, "You can trust me, can I trust you?" "

Raya just didn't want to stop now. They had to keep moving. A shiny beetle flew down and landed on Sisu's nose. She held it up to the light and laughed. "Aw. Hey there, little fella. Ha ha! This beetle's got a booty."

When Raya saw what Sisu was holding she froze. "Uh... Careful. It's a Toot N Boom."

"Why is it called a..."

But before Sisu could finish, the beetle spread its wings and rose into the air. Raya tackled Sisu as it exploded into a blue greenish puff of smoke.

"Got it," said Sisu. "Noted. Makes sense."

Raya didn't respond. She was peering into a narrow tunnel ahead. By the light of the touch, they could see the walls were covered in beetles.

Holding their breath, Raya and Sisu crept through the tunnel, being careful not to disturb the insects. Raya could hear the bugs crawling on top of each other. The sound of their legs caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. But she and Sisu made it through the passage without an explosion.

"You have to admit though, these bug booties are kind of cute," Sisu said.

They entered a vast cavern. A deep chasm separated them from a natural rock platform. A dead tree stood in the middle of the rock. Its bare branches twisted like claws. Curled in the hollow of the tree was a skeleton. The Dragon Gem shard clasped tight in its bony fingers. Raya and Sisu silently took in the grisly sight.

"I'd say we found the Tail chief," Raya said at last.

"What happened to her?" Sisu murmured.

"From the looks of it, she was hoarding the gem and became a victim of her own traps," Raya replied.

"Well, you gotta admire her commitment," Sisu said.

They looked around for a way across, but the bridge was long gone. They needed another way to get onto the platform.

"Okay. Hold on," Raya told Sisu.

Sisu grabbed Raya's shoulders as Raya used her grappling sword to swing them across the chasm. But halfway across, they stopped in mid air. Raya glanced back and saw that Sisu was still clinging to the ledge with her hind feet.

"Oh, we were doing a jumpy thing! So sorry. My bad. I get it now. I'm with it." The dragoness looked embarrassed.

Sisu jumped carrying Raya with her. They landed easily on the other side where Sisu reached for the gem shard.

"Sisu... don't," Raya said.

She froze. Raya pointed to the thin wire connected to the skeleton's hand. She traced the wire's path up and across the ceiling, where it ended in a trapdoor above the entrance to the cavern.

Raya studied the trap, the wire was tied to the same hand that held the shard. Removing the shard would cause the skeleton's hand to rise. She had to figure out a way to take it without trapping the wire. Raya found a stick at the base of the tree. Carefully, she wedged the stick between the hollow of the tree and the skeleton's hand. Once it was ready, she picked up the gem.

"Phew," she said, tossing the shard to Sisu. "Two down, three to go."