E49 朗读版｜The death of Sisu

Immediately, Raya could see the gleam of the blue-green shard. Without taking her eyes from Raya, Namaari placed the Gem piece on a rock between them and backed away.

At that moment, Sisu emerged from the woods, her eyes on Namaari. Namaari gasped and quickly bowed to her, then stood, looking a little shy.

“The final piece!” Sisu said to Raya.

“Time to bring everyone back,” Raya said, and smiled.

Then she started to open her satchel, where the rest of the Gem shards sat, but she stopped when she heard a threatening click. She looked up, and her heart seemed to stop. Namaari held a raised crossbow. Her finger was on the trigger. Raya frowned and slowly put her hands up.

“Sisu and the Gem pieces are coming with me,” Namaari said.

Behind them, the bushes rustled. Tong emerged from the forest. Boun, Noi, and the Ongis were right behind him.

“Sisu!” Boun yelled.

“Stay back!” Namaari warned.

Tong bared his teeth. “It was foolish to trust someone from Fang.”

“Don’t come any closer!” Namaari warned again.

Raya pleaded. “Namaari, it doesn’t have to be like this.”

Tears glittered in Namaari’s eyes. But she didn’t lower the weapon. “I don’t have any other choice.”

Raya’s hand went to her sword.

“Hey. I got this,” Sisu said softly. Raya paused, then slowly took her hand off her sword.

Sisu, starting to glow, took a few steps toward Namaari. Namaari now pointed her crossbow at Sisu.

But Sisu kept moving forward. “I know you don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“What are you doing?” Namaari asked.

“You just want a better world. Like we all do.”

Namaari hesitated. She lowered her crossbow an inch. “Sisu . . .”

“I trust you, Namaari.”

But Raya still wasn’t so sure. She kept her eye on Namaari’s trigger finger. Suddenly, it seemed to move. Raya didn’t waste a moment. She pulled out her sword and rushed at Namaari.

But as she struck the crossbow, the trigger released. With a sound as quiet as the breeze, the arrow flew through the air and sank into Sisu’s heart.

For one long, terrible moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Raya, Namaari, and the others watched, frozen in horror, as Sisu tipped backward and plunged into the canal.

“No!” Raya screamed.

Namaari threw down her crossbow, grabbed her Gem piece, and took off.

Raya ran toward the water. “Sisu!” She could see the faint outline of Sisu below the surface. “No…”

Tong, Boun, Tuk Tuk, Noi, and the Ongis all came to her side, but she hardly noticed. She was overcome with rage.

Abruptly, the water in the canal began to roil and sink, as if it was rapidly draining away.

“What’s happening?” Boun cried. His eyes were wide with fear.

“I don’t know. It appears that with the last dragon gone, so too goes the water,” Tong replied. “Now there is nothing to stop the Druun. Nothing.”

Across the newly empty riverbed, clouds of Druun emerged to overtake the city of Fang.

“Raya — ” Boun said, then broke off. He looked around. “Where’s Raya?”

On the ground lay the sheath of Raya’s sword and the satchel holding three Gem pieces. Raya was gone.