Journey to Rainbow Island Read online

  She looked at the orb, and then at the hunter, who was standing in front of the cabin; he stared at the orb, and then back at Yu-ning. He looked confused, and was about to say something, but stopped. His eyes hardened once again, his look of confusion replaced by irritation. “That’s a nice trick, little girl. But you can’t fool me with simple illusions!” But rather than walking back into his cabin, he lingered there.

  “This isn’t a magic trick. I’ve never seen it do anything like that, hovering in the air.” She looked up at the orb again, still suspended above her head; it was gently bobbing up and down, as if floating on an invisible, airy sea. “Like I said, it is the Light of Balthazar—he is the man who sent me to you.”

  “Balthazar,” said the hunter evenly, as if he’d been asked a question and was repeating it back, considering how best to respond. Without saying anything else, the hunter turned around, walked back into the cabin, and slammed the door.

  Yu-ning stood there, not sure what to do next. She stood on her tiptoes, extending her hand upward toward the Light of Balthazar, still bobbing and radiating a glittering array of soft yellow lights.

  With the tip of her index finger, she touched the bottom of the orb. When she did, it immediately dropped from the air, as if someone had cut the invisible thread holding it aloft. Just in time, Yu-ning caught the sphere before it hit the ground.

  She weighed the orb in her hand, looking at it in a new light. Metatron’s words came back to her from the night he gave it to her: It will guide you in times of darkness. When Metatron told her that, she had assumed he meant it would serve as some sort of torch or lantern, helping her see at night. But now she wondered if his meaning was something entirely different. She stood for another moment, considering her next move.

  Her mind made up, she walked back to the cabin and again knocked on the door. This time, however, she didn’t wait for the hunter to answer, but gently opened the door herself. She found a new confidence: whether it was from the orb or from the hunter’s reaction to it, she didn’t know. But with boldness she held the light before her again, illuminating the interior of the cabin.

  Curiously, the cabin looked different than it had even a few minutes earlier. It seemed smaller. She had lost her fear. The hunter was sitting in a large chair in the corner, staring at her with a strange, unknowing look. Yu-ning crossed the room silently, holding the Light of Balthazar in front of the man, offering it to him. He stared at her with an intensity she could not read. He just looked at her, refusing to touch the orb.

  “You don’t know me, and you have no right to come here and invade my home,” uttered the hunter, his voice thick and deep. Before Yu-ning could respond, he added, “Is this a trick?” Though his expression was dark, a visible change had come over him—ever since she had mentioned the Light of Balthazar to him, his demeanor had changed.

  “No,” said Yu-ning, now completely confused. Though she was wise for someone as young as eleven, the emotions the man was eliciting were very adult-like, and a bit foreign to her. “I wouldn’t make fun of you, sir. Honest, I don’t know why the orb did that, or how it happened. You must believe me.” No words were spoken for a full minute, which to Yu-ning seemed like an hour. The newfound confidence she’d discovered upon entering the cabin the second time was slowly seeping away; she felt out of her depth, unsure what to do.

  “What is your name again?” the hunter said finally.

  “I am Yu-ning. What’s your name?”

  “Jacob. At least, that is the name my master, Metatron, called me when I first came to Rainbow Island—many, many years ago. I don’t remember much before that—from my life on Darqendia.”

  “What?” said Yu-ning in shock. “Are you saying you used to live on Rainbow Island? That is where I live, and I am also a student of Master Metatron.”

  “Yes, I figured as much, since you carry the Light of Balthazar—I didn’t recognize it at first, though it looked very familiar. It wasn’t until you mentioned its name that I knew for sure where you have come from. There is only one such orb. When I was a boy on Rainbow Island, Metatron would talk about his old friend Balthazar. Sometimes he would bring out the Light of Balthazar and show it to the Rainbow Children.”

  “If you knew I was from Master Metatron and Rainbow Island, why did you ask me if my visit was a trick?” asked Yu-ning.

  “I have been alone for so long, and strangers are an uncommon occurrence on Palova,” Jacob explained. “One can’t be too careful. At first, I thought it might be some sort of trick—someone sent to harm me. But when I realized you carried the one true Light of Balthazar, I knew that your visit was no accident, nor malicious. That you were sent here for a reason.”

  “But how did you end up here? Are you alone?”

  “I live alone, but there are others on the island. I keep to myself, though. After my mother died, I was brought to Rainbow Island,” he continued. “I never knew my father, and the people of my village thought it best that the teachers of Rainbow Island take me in—along with my twin brother, Joshua. So, when I was four years old, we went to live there; Metatron became our teacher—he was the only father we ever had.”

  “How did your mother die?” asked Yu-ning, still in shock from these latest revelations.

  “Our mother was from Darqendia,” Jacob said, deflecting the question. “My father was a Darq Render. Do you know what that is?”

  “Yes, I do,” answered Yu-ning, but saying no more for the time being.

  “Our mother had a secret, and someone found out about it. The man who found out came for my mother—but she refused to give up the secret. So this man killed her.”

  “And what is the secret?” said Yu-ning.

  The second the words left her mouth, she wished she could bring them back. She must have blushed, because Jacob said, “It’s a fair question. And it seems that today is a good day for sharing answers,” he added, deciding in his mind to trust Yu-ning.

  “My grandfather, like my father, was a Darq Render. He was a great archer, and fought alongside the Renders of Darqendia against the dragons that invaded our island. Though my father died in the war, my grandfather survived,” added Jacob. He looked at Yu-ning, making sure she understood his story.

  Jacob explained that after the war, the Darq Renders were scattered, their numbers decimated by the obsidigons and their warlock masters. Though they won the war, it all but destroyed their clans. Jacob’s grandfather, Corain, was one of the only surviving Darq Renders, and his most prized possession was the bow he had carried with him as a warrior and had used against the obsidigons. Before his grandfather died, Corain had given the bow to Jacob’s mother for safekeeping. The evil warlock Hobaling feared that bow, because it was the only one remaining after the war—the only one capable of killing an obisidigon.

  Though the obsidigons were destroyed, Hobaling was searching for an obisidigon skull, with the intent of creating another obsidigon army using his Darq magic. Rumor from one of his many spies must have reached him, however, that one last obisidigon bow yet existed. And so terrified was he of that bow that he hunted for it until finally his search paid off, and he tracked it to Jacob’s family on Darqendia.

  After Jacob’s grandfather died, Jacob’s mother, Calia, was left alone to raise her young sons. One night Hobaling broke into their home, confronted Calia, and demanded she give up the bow. Unwilling to tell the warlock where the bow was hidden, she was seriously wounded by the sorcerer’s blade. Though Hobaling tore apart the house, he did not find the bow. The next morning, townsfolk found Calia clinging to life and the young twins hiding under a bed in a back room. Before she died, Calia told her cousin, Silas, where the bow was hidden: inside a compartment beneath the floorboards of the house.

  The mother urged Silas to take the boys to Rainbow Island to be raised by the teachers, and to never tell a soul about the hidden bow—unless one of the boys were to return to claim it for his own. It was better to leave it buried and hidden from the world than to risk
its being discovered again by the warlocks. Silas was the only person who knew where the bow was hidden, and he kept an eye on the house to make sure it was left undisturbed.

  “And so,” Jacob said, “when Joshua and I turned eighteen, we left Rainbow Island and sailed back to Darqendia to visit the home we left as children. It was then that we visited our old village and were welcomed by Silas, who by that time was a very old man. He took us to our old house and led us inside. He told us about my mother’s death, and then showed us the secret compartment hewn into the floorboards of our home. And buried within was my grandfather’s bow and his quiver of arrows.”

  Jacob paused, gathering his thoughts. “Silas urged us to stay, but it was too painful for us; we wanted nothing to do with Darqendia and all its sad memories. So we left again, traveling for nearly a year as first mates on a merchant ship called the Paragon. One day the Paragon docked in one of the bays here on Palova, and without saying a word to anyone other than Jacob, I took the few possessions I owned, including my grandfather’s bow, and slipped off the ship late one night, never to return to life at sea. I was weary of the ocean, and just wanted to be alone. Joshua remained on the ship, but agreed to return to Palova within a year’s time. That was twenty-one years ago . . .”

  A silence hung between the girl and the hunter, and neither spoke for a while. Yu-ning sensed great sorrow in Jacob, but she didn’t know what to say. She had never had a brother of her own, though she knew how sad she would feel if she weren’t able to see her friends on Rainbow Island for so long. That made her think of Romeo, and tears came to her eyes.

  “In my heart I know Joshua is safe, and I am sure that one day I will see him again,” Jacob said, breaking the silence. “I just don’t know where he is now.”

  Yu-ning collected herself and had another thought. “Are you . . . are you a Darq Render, Jacob?”

  “No, I am not. Neither is my brother. Though my father and grandfather bore the mark, we do not. My mother was not a Darq Render, and we took after her kin,” added Jacob. He looked at Yu-ning with a sharper gaze. “How do you know about Darq Renders, Yu-ning? Few folk speak of the old bloodlines these days.” Yu-ning didn’t say anything but slowly rolled up her left sleeve, revealing the new red scar on her arm and the large, undisturbed bow-shaped birthmark in the center. It had been years since Jacob had seen the Darq Render mark.

  “I was sent by Master Balthazar,” said Yu-ning. “He believed that the bow still exists, and that it might be found here on Palova. There is a growing darkness in the land, Jacob, and Hobaling, the man who killed your mother, has successfully conjured another obsidigon. So far, we only know of the one, but there might be more. We just don’t know.”

  Jacob looked concerned. “If Balthazar and folk as far as the Grey City have heard rumors of the bow, it means the enemy will soon hear the rumors as well. The bow is no longer safe here, Yu-ning. You must take it for safekeeping and seek the protection of those who can help you use it against the obsidigon.”

  With that, Jacob rose and disappeared into a back room. In a moment, he returned carrying the most beautiful bow Yu-ning had ever seen. It seemed twice as large as her Rainbow Island bow and was made of a beautiful blond wood, polished to a fine sheen. Jacob handed the bow to her, and she whispered, “Lightcaster.”

  “Yes, this is Lightcaster—the last remaining obsidigon bow. With it, a Darq Render wields something strong enough to stop an obsidigon. You are a Darq Render, Yu-ning—which means you have the ability to wield this bow. If, of course, you have the proper missiles.”

  “Missiles? Oh, you mean the special arrows?” queried Yu-ning. “Don’t you have the arrows for the bow?”

  “No, I don’t. My brother, Joshua, took the quiver and arrows, and I kept the bow. We each wanted something of our old life by which to remember our family. When we parted ways that night on the Paragon, little did we know that we wouldn’t see each other for two decades . . .”

  Yu-ning asked how she might be able to track down Joshua, but Jacob did not know. “Yu-ning, these past two decades have been sad ones for me. I have become more and more isolated on this island—in this cabin,” he said, sweeping his hand outward at all the trophy heads on the walls. “I typically only come out at night to hunt, and rarely see the light of day. I have so many dark memories . . . so many years of killing. It seems it’s all I know any longer.” Remorse hung on Jacob with great weight.

  Tears of both surprise and joy sprung to Yu-ning’s eyes. She had truly doubted if the light would still be able to reach this troubled soul. “It isn’t all you have ever known. You remember the light—when you were a boy. Your mother was in the light; you saw the light—and not just this orb here,” Yu-ning said, holding the Light of Balthazar in front of Jacob. “I can take you to the light you once shared with your mother and your brother. You can leave all this darkness behind.”

  Jacob cowered, looking weak and vulnerable. “You would forgive me? You would let me walk with you back to the light?”

  Yu-ning nodded. “Though I came here looking for Lightcaster, I believe there’s another reason why I came, and why you were supposed to see the Light of Balthazar again. And, there’s nothing to forgive. Yes, you can come with me.”

  Jacob was doubtful. “But didn’t you say that I need your crystal orb to see?”

  “You won’t need my orb if you stay in the light and choose love over hate,” Yu-ning replied in a comforting voice.

  Jacob looked at Yu-ning, truly wanting to believe her. Slowly he rose from his chair, and the two walked toward the door of the cabin. Yu-ning placed the Light of Balthazar back into her robe, slipped Lightcaster around her shoulder, and left the cabin. Jacob turned to look back into his house and stood just inside the doorframe. He shook his head. “I . . . I can’t leave. I have work to do here.” His voice and demeanor became slightly defensive.

  “That’s not work,” Yu-ning said, pointing back into the cabin full of dead animals. “That’s just death. If you come, you will see,” Yu-ning urged.

  “No, I can’t go,” the hunter insisted, still standing just inside the door of the cabin.

  “There is nothing in your house for you anymore, Jacob. It is darkness and pain.” Yu-ning stood on the patchy grass that ringed the clearing of Jacob’s cabin. The air was fresh, and a soft breeze was blowing. The fragrance of honeysuckle filled the air. She breathed in deeply and smiled. “Jacob,” she said, trying to appeal to him. “It is so beautiful here, and only twenty feet beyond your cabin door the air is pure, clean, and fresh. Come outside,” she said, extending her hand.

  At that moment, Yu-ning heard a shuffling and chuffing nearby. “I know that sound . . .” said Yu-ning as she turned around to confirm her hopes.

  It was Leonidas, her lion friend from Rainbow Island. He emerged from the forest and walked toward Yu-ning, head held high, looking very regal. He began to play his flute. “Leonidas! Oh, Leonidas. Hello! I’m so happy to see you. Such lovely music; I should have known,” she said with joy. “But how did you get here?”

  “Hello, Yu-ning. It’s wonderful to see you.” Leonidas smiled, holding his flute. “It’s not an overly long journey from Rainbow Island to Palova—especially if you ask the pink dolphins nicely,” added the lion, chuckling. The pink dolphins of Rainbow Island were a helpful source of transportation for anyone wanting to travel to nearby islands—and as large as the dolphins were, even a lion could ride comfortably atop one’s back. “I come here often, Yu-ning, to visit my kin. I was walking nearby and heard the sound of voices. What a pleasant surprise it is to find you here,” exclaimed Leonidas.

  Yu-ning reached for his mane and snuggled his large furry cheeks, scratching him behind his ears. After they rubbed noses and laughed, Yu-ning looked over toward the cabin, and though the door was ajar, she couldn’t see Jacob. “Jacob, my lion friend is here; come out and meet him!” Yu-ning called out loudly, while still scratching and cuddling her friend.

  The hunter stood back in t
he darkness of the cabin and said, “There’s no lion here, Yu-ning. The lions live deep in the forest, away from people.”

  “You heard his music,” Yu-ning continued. “He was playing his flute. Come outside and you will see.” Yu-ning nodded and winked at Leonidas, who stood proud and protective at her side.

  Jacob retorted, “There is no lion!” Leonidas lifted his flute and began to play another soft, sweet melody. Jacob paused once again, utterly surprised for the second time that day, for he remembered a tune like this from his childhood. He peeked from the doorway and his eyes strained to focus in the distance. He squinted and saw Leonidas playing the flute next to Yu-ning.

  “There’s a lion!” he said, turning back to retrieve his crossbow from above the steel table. He emerged from the cabin with his weapon, nocked an arrow, and took aim at Leonidas. His arms, however, were shaking, as he could see that the lion held a flute.

  “Jacob, stop!” shouted Yu-ning. “It was Leonidas who was playing the beautiful melody that calls you. He is my friend, and he is playing beautiful music for you.” Jacob seemed not to be listening as his finger started to squeeze back on the crossbow trigger.

  “No, stop! Please don’t hurt Leonidas! He’s my friend!” She stood in front of the lion, extending her arms to protect him. Leonidas pulled Yu-ning softly aside with his teeth on her collar, and stood to face the hunter some thirty feet away. His eyes were without fear as he looked directly into Jacob’s lethal gaze. Leonidas began to play his flute again, with Jacob’s crossbow pointed directly at his head.

  Yu-ning hugged Leonidas, calling out to Jacob, “Leonidas won’t hurt you, so please don’t hurt him. He is our friend.”

  Time seemed to pause as Jacob’s gaze was frozen on the fantastic scene of a lion playing a flute. Then, calmly and slowly, he lowered his weapon. It was almost as if he remembered something long forgotten. “I had forgotten that animals could play music. But now it’s coming back to me—from when I was a very young boy on Rainbow Island,” Jacob murmured.