Journey to Rainbow Island (19 page)

Y
U-NING AND
S
UPARNA
flew most of the night to get back to Rainbow Island. A shining full moon bathed them in shimmering light, and they encountered no trouble. Suparna was aided in flight by a gentle wind at his back, which was a welcome relief after all the flying he had done the past few weeks.

The first hints of dawn were breaking as the majestic bird, along with a sleeping Yu-ning and Magic, approached Rainbow Island. From far away, in the early morning light, the Island looked perfect and undisturbed. It wasn't until the trio flew into Rainbow Cove that the telltale signs of the obsidigon's attack could still be seen. Though most of the village was rebuilt, there were ugly scorch marks upon the earth, and dark scars on the hillsides where the forest had burned from the dragon's fire.

As they landed on the beach, Yu-ning removed her pack and the great bow, Lightcaster, and headed straight for the
school hall/hospital in search of Metatron. She found him awake, sitting up in bed eating his breakfast. She hugged him sweetly and perched herself on the edge of his cot.

“It is indeed very good to see you again, Yu-ning,” said Metatron, smiling at the dark-eyed girl. “You and Suparna have been in my prayers, and it is a great relief to know that you are safe and sound.” Yu-ning felt as if she had been gone for months and months, even though it had only been two weeks since she had left for the Tower of Light and the Grey City. So much had transpired, and she didn't know where to begin.

“I see you have brought something back from your travels?” asked Metatron, pointing at Lightcaster. Yu-ning looked at the bow, running her hand along the finely carved surface and tracing along the inscription etched into the inner curve of the bow.

“May I see the bow, Yu-ning?” asked Metatron. Yu-ning handed Lightcaster to him, and he examined it carefully for several minutes. It was a magnificent artifact—like none that Metatron had ever seen. “I knew many of the Darq Render archers, but this is the finest bow I have ever seen,” marveled the wizard. He tested its weight and read the inscription on the inside:

Strike sure, strike bright.

Strike with stealth, strike with might.

Rend the darkness, bring the light,

Invite the day, or fade as night

Yu-ning asked the meaning of the inscription, and Metatron said, “‘Rend the darkness, bring the light' refers to the
light in all of us, Yu-ning. I cannot discern the rest—Darq Render ways are well-guarded secrets, and there is very little known about the power of their bows and arrows, or what magic lies within. But what I do know is that the bow and the arrow are useless against an obsidigon unless used together. Do you have the arrows, Yu-ning?”

“No, Master, I don't,” Yu-ning said. “The man who gave me the bow, a hunter named Jacob from Palova Island, says that his brother has the arrows. The problem is that he and his brother parted ways twenty years ago, and he doesn't know where his brother lives.”

“Jacob,” repeated Metatron. “We once had a Rainbow Child here on the Island named Jacob. What is his brother's name?”

“Joshua. And that is the same Jacob—both brothers once lived here on Rainbow Island.”

“Yes, I remember them very well,” Metatron recollected. “They were sad boys who had suffered a terrible ordeal. I believe they lost both their parents and were brought here by ship from Darqendia. Set off on their own when they came of age.”

“Yes, that's right, Master. The one I met has guarded Lightcaster all these years. After he and Joshua left Rainbow Island, they traveled back to Darqendia to their old village and retrieved the bow and the quiver of arrows. But then Jacob stayed on Palova, keeping Lightcaster, while Joshua went back to sea on a merchant ship and kept the arrows. And Jacob hasn't seen him since—that was more than twenty years ago.”

“Then we need to find Joshua, Yu-ning,” concluded Metatron. “Does Jacob have any clues as to where his brother might have gone?”

“No, none,” replied Yu-ning.

Metatron and Yu-ning talked for a long time and eventually took their conversation outside onto the shaded veranda surrounding the school hall. Metatron moved slowly, using his sturdy staff for support. It was a perfect Rainbow Island day, the sun shining warmly, white puffy clouds dotting the sky, and a lovely warm breeze blowing. When they moved outside, Suparna joined them, and they discussed what steps needed to be taken to track down the long-lost brother, Joshua.

“There is no way of knowing where he is, Metatron,” offered Suparna. “All we know is that when they left here they went back to Darqendia, to their old village. A close relative showed them where Lightcaster was hidden, and then they left again on a merchant ship. From there, they traveled throughout the islands until the night that Jacob decided to stay on Palova. That is all we know.”

“It seems to me that we need to go back to the beginning, so we might pursue a successful end,” mused Metatron.

“What do you mean, my friend?” asked Suparna.

“We need to go to Darqendia, and see if Joshua ever returned to his boyhood home. Even if he is not there, perhaps he has visited, and someone in his old village will know where he lives now.”

Suparna looked thoughtful, considering Metatron's logic. He nodded in agreement, and both he and the wizard looked at Yu-ning, who was rubbing her left arm where her scars were healing. Though the wound was not as painful as even a week before, the arm still caused her pain.

“Yu-ning, I need to send you out again—with Suparna. I wish I could take on this task myself, but I am still quite weak,” said Metatron. He nodded at Suparna, who took his
leave so that Yu-ning and her master could be alone. It was now late in the day, and Yu-ning felt very, very tired.

“I don't want to leave you, Metatron. I am frightened, and my arm hurts me still.”

“I am sorry it has come to this, Yu-ning,” said the wizard with love in his eyes, removing a wisp of hair from Yu-ning's face and tucking it behind her ear. “This is your path to follow, Yu-ning, and I think that has been confirmed to you, as it has to me. In another place and another time, others older, stronger, or more experienced might have been chosen for this task. But today, for this time, and this task, it comes to you.”

Yu-ning nodded sadly, not wanting to face the full force of Metatron's words. She knew he was right, but wished with all her heart he wasn't. The two sat quietly for a while, the soft breeze blowing across the veranda. It was so peaceful that Yu-ning just rested in the tranquility of the moment, almost able to forget all the unsettling problems of the world.

After Yu-ning shared a quiet meal with Suparna and Metatron, Suparna flew back up the hillside, depositing Yu-ning, her backpack, and Magic on the trail in front of the cave.

“Magic, I am so glad you are here with me—because I feel so alone right now.”

“I won't leave you, Yu-ning,” croaked Magic. “I will always have your back.” Magic jumped onto her shoulder, and Yu-ning scratched his head with her finger and smiled. They entered the cave together and took comfort in the cozy surroundings. That night Yu-ning tossed and turned, but finally drifted off to sleep from sheer exhaustion. When she did sleep, she rested deeply and soundly, and woke feeling calm and refreshed.

She made her way down to the school hall, ate breakfast with Metatron, and readied herself for the trip to Darqendia. As she and Suparna walked down to the beach, she saw many friends coming out of the village and the nearby meadow to say goodbye. It made her feel sad. She turned to Suparna and said, “If we don't go now, Suparna, I don't know if I ever will. To Darqendia.”

“To Darqendia,” Suparna responded, as the two left the jungle path for the soft sand of the idyllic beach.

All her friends came out to see her off, including her bear friends, Stout and Madrigal, Shamza the zebra, Lightmere the deer, Octavian the owl, Prometheus the horse, many of the Rainbow Children, and most of the teachers from the school, including Cristobel.

“Yu-ning,” said Cristobel, as she approached. She pointed at the bow, Lightcaster, slung over Yu-ning's back. “Remember to keep your arm straight and your eye steady. You know how to shoot, Yu-ning. Remember your training, and you will shoot true,” Cristobel said in an encouraging tone. Yu-ning thanked her and gave her a hug.

From out of the crowd came Julian, looking healthy and handsome. His short time on Rainbow Island had already transformed him for the better. As he approached her, he produced an apple from his pocket, holding it in front of her. “Yu-ning, you once gave me an apple—a small act of kindness that opened my heart to a brand-new life. Take this apple, and remember that you have friends who believe in you.”

Tears filled Yu-ning's eyes as the two friends hugged. “Thank you, Julian. I hope to see you soon.” The mood was solemn, as all who gathered had a sense that Yu-ning's mission was very important—not just for Rainbow Island, but for
all the islands of their once-peaceful realm. One by one, each animal, child, and adult approached Yu-ning, some bowing before her, some giving hugs, and others offering small gifts.

Octavian flew forward, landing on a tree branch next to Yu-ning. “This seedpod is from the great kapok tree,” he said, producing a brown four-inch pod from under his wing. “Remember that within this pod are tiny seeds—all the elements needed to create a mighty tree. You have that strength in you too, Yu-ning. You might be small like these seeds, but you are also mighty like the kapok.”

Yu-ning was moved and stroked Octavian's feathery cheek. “Thank you, my wise friend. I will carry this in my satchel next to my water flask, so whenever I take a drink, I will remember your words.”

Yu-ning mounted Suparna and waved goodbye to all the people and creatures she loved most in the world. Suparna ascended swiftly with the morning breeze, rising high above Rainbow Cove, as the farewell party grew smaller on the sliver of beach below them. As Suparna turned north and began to fly in the direction of Darqendia, Yu-ning strained to keep her friends in view. Soon they were out of sight, and Yu-ning could no longer see the village, or even the great kapok tree.

“One, I am too afraid to do this for myself,” she whispered quietly. “So give me the courage to do this for those who love and believe in me.” She tightened the harness around her waist, double-checked to make sure her pack was lashed securely to the back of the saddle, adjusted the leather cords that secured Lightcaster, and turned her gaze toward the northern realms. As she glanced over her shoulder one last time, she watched as Rainbow Island receded behind her, disappearing on the shimmering horizon.

T
HE LARGE ISLAND OF
D
ARQENDIA
had not always been such a desolate place.

But now, wind and heat blasted the land for most of the year. Sandstorms raged across the island, and food and water were precious resources. The rains that had once been so common had all but disappeared, turning the island into a virtual desert. Most of the clans had left Darqendia long ago for more temperate islands, in search of dependable sources of water. They left behind a lonely patchwork of abandoned villages, now scattered across the desert like skeletons—wells long dry, buildings collapsed and bleached white by the intense sun and unrelenting winds.

The island was divided by a long mountain range covering the western side of the island, running north to south. The Steppes, a vast area of flat, treeless land straddling the northern quarter of the island, had been the site of the last great obisidigon battle, where Suparna, Balthazar, Metatron,
and the Darq Render army had come against the obsidigons and their overlords.

In days past, plentiful rains in the lush western mountains had produced a healthy watershed, with many streams and rivers bringing life to the plains on the eastern side of Darqendia. But after the end of the Great Obsidigon War, the health of the land began to falter. With the war came the destruction of vast tracts of forest—fodder to feed the war machines. And with the destruction of most of the forests came a decrease in rainfall, which eventually led to the evaporation of all but the largest rivers.