Journey to Rainbow Island Page 26

  “So how did you ignite the light in your heart again, Joshua?” There was a silence then. Yu-ning could hear the wind moving through the rocks, a low whistling that punctuated the quiet.

  “I didn’t ignite it myself—I know that,” said Joshua. “I rediscovered beauty, Yu-ning. It was this place—and I remember the exact day when it happened, some eight years ago. I had been in the mountains for about two weeks, surveying a new section of the mountain I had never explored before. It was brutally cold, and I became lost. I was high on the western face of the mountain, and as darkness fell, I realized I was in real trouble . . .”

  Joshua stared out across the range of mountains below as he recalled the experience. “By morning, I couldn’t feel my hands or feet, and I became very sleepy. I knew I had frostbite, and if I didn’t move, I would die. As I prepared to leave, I saw a white flash on a rock ledge above me. Yu-ning, it was the largest snow leopard I’ve ever seen, and it was staring at me. And then, it dipped its head three times, and moved off the ledge. It disappeared for a moment, but then there it was, right in front of me. We locked eyes for a second, and the leopard just closed its eyes slowly, and opened them. It turned slowly, and walked in a direction I had not yet explored. Then it stopped and turned to look at me, as if to say, ‘Well, are you coming?’”

  Yu-ning laughed, and Joshua, still gazing into the distance, continued. “So I followed it. Every few hundred yards, the snow leopard would stop and turn to make sure I was still following. Seven hours later I met up with the main trail, but when I turned to thank the leopard, it had vanished.”

  “That is an amazing story, Joshua!” said Yu-ning, as they descended the trail back to the Porch of Tranquility. It was late afternoon, and the sun was casting long shadows across the rock faces above. As they walked inside the cabin, Yu-ning asked Joshua if he ever saw the snow leopard again.

  “Oh, you mean Snowheart? Wait here for me.” Joshua walked to the cabin door and gave a long whistle. He turned around and smiled at Yu-ning for a moment, then peered back outside. The most beautiful cat Yu-ning had ever seen padded into the cabin and began brushing against Joshua’s leg. It was four feet long, with magnificent white fur and dark spots, and was purring loudly as Joshua scratched its fluffy head.

  “Yu-ning, meet Snowheart. Snowheart, this is the girl I was telling you about—the girl in my dreams!”

  Yu-ning was delighted as Snowheart crossed the cabin and sat next to her chair, allowing Yu-ning to pet him. “Yu-ning, thank you for coming here,” said the leopard in a deep, resonant voice, looking up at her with piercing light green eyes. “We know it was hard for you, but we also know that this is a critical task you have undertaken.”

  “But how do you know who I am?” asked Yu-ning, stunned by the amazing cat.

  “In my kingdom, Yu-ning, word travels fast. I was hunting yesterday low on the mountain and saw my friend Gamaliel. He is a grizzly bear who lives on the slopes of the fjord—he likes to fish where the rivers flow strong and full of salmon. Gamaliel told me that he met your friend King Minkaro at the water’s edge. He is the one who told the story.” Yu-ning was overcome with joy—it was heartening to know that she had friends even here, at the end of the world.

  The following day, Joshua removed the Quiver of Light from its place above his mantle and laid it on the large stone table next to Lightcaster. “Do you realize, Yu-ning, that it has been nearly a quarter century since the arrows have been reunited with the bow? Look at the arrow tips, here.” With a swift motion Joshua ran his finger along the edge of one of the arrows. “Nothing!” said Joshua, raising his finger and showing it to Yu-ning. She expected to see blood, but his finger was uncut.

  “They are dull,” Joshua said. “Why? I have studied these arrows for more than twenty years, and have never unlocked the mystery—how can arrows with dull points take down an obsidigon?” Yu-ning had no answer for Joshua, nor did he expect one.

  “But there is something else, Yu-ning. Something I have not told you. Before I met Snowheart, I often hunted the animals that live in these mountains. On that expedition when I first met Snowheart, I experienced something I couldn’t believe—even now, I don’t fully understand it.” With this, he looked over at Snowheart, who was stretched out on the hearthrug, enjoying the warmth of Joshua’s fire. The snow leopard nodded at Joshua, a peaceful smile upon its face.

  Joshua walked to the corner of the room and grabbed an old bow resting against the stone wall. It was dusty and clearly had not been used in a great while. “Follow us,” he said, as Snowheart rose and followed Joshua outside. Snowheart trotted about thirty feet away, stopped, and turned to face Joshua. Without saying a word, Joshua nocked one of the magic arrows, raised his old bow, and let loose, the arrow flying directly at Snowheart. It happened so quickly that Yu-ning could not intervene—she watched in horror as the arrow flew directly at the leopard’s head. Just before it made impact, however, it stopped in midair. It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed it and was holding it, suspended, an inch from the leopard’s face! “What? How did it . . . ?” Yu-ning stared in disbelief.

  “I had never hunted with the Darq Render arrows before,” said Joshua, lowering the weapon. “I always told myself they were not for hunting—that they were sacred, to be protected. But that winter I was low on ammunition, and so before I left on that mining expedition, I grabbed four of the arrows from the Quiver of Light, just in case I ran out of my own hunting arrows—which I did,” Joshua said.

  “When Snowheart found me near-frozen that morning, I hadn’t eaten in days and was desperate. So, as the leopard stood on the ledge above me, I grabbed one of the Darq Render arrows, raised my bow, and loosed the arrow. But the arrow didn’t penetrate Snowheart’s fur—it did just as it is doing now! It just stopped, floating in the air.”

  Yu-ning reached her hand toward the arrow, and as her finger touched the shaft, the arrow immediately fell to the ground. She picked it up; it looked just the same as it had before—yew wood shaft, with a black, dull tip.

  “Yu-ning, these arrows are not made for destroying nature’s creatures or for harming men. Do you understand? Though I cannot be certain, I believe these arrows are only effective on creatures that are unnatural—that have been created by evil, for evil. Does that make sense?”

  “I think so,” said Yu-ning.

  “The Quiver of Light and the Darq Render arrows are yours now, Yu-ning. I don’t understand all that is going on, but in my dreams these past several nights, I was visited by a man surrounded by white light, and he spoke to me,” Joshua added.

  “That is One! He visits me in my dreams, and sometimes when I’m awake,” explained Yu-ning.

  “In my dream, this man of light—One, as you say—told me to give the Quiver of Light to you,” Joshua continued. “And then I heard these words, which I will never forget: ‘What you give is an instrument, not a weapon. What you offer is love, not death. And what will come is light, not darkness.’ Do you understand it, Yu-ning?”

  “I believe I am beginning to understand,” said Yu-ning.

  Joshua smiled at her, and she smiled back.

  Twenty-Nine

  Sharks

  EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Yu-ning took Lightcaster, along with the Quiver of Light, and strapped them to her pack as she prepared to leave the Porch of Tranquility. As she rearranged her supplies, she removed the Light of Balthazar, admiring its beauty. For the first time, she noticed that its light shimmered in undulating waves, just like the light pattern of her pink crystal heart necklace. The only difference was the Light of Balthazar cast a yellow light.

  Yu-ning informed Joshua that her friend would be meeting her at noon, in the bay in front of Caer-a-mor. Joshua assured her that he would have her there by midday. It was a calm, clear, cloudless day. The air was very cold, but as Yu-ning and Joshua descended the mountain, their brisk pace kept her blood pumping, and she was not cold. For the first three hours, Snowheart traveled alongside Joshua, keeping a watchful e
ye out for danger.

  Though Joshua knew every path and trail on the mountain, Yu-ning’s crystal heart necklace was shining brightly upon the path. “You don’t really need that, you know,” said Joshua, breaking the rhythm of their boots crunching upon the trail.

  “What, my crystal heart?” Yu-ning asked.

  “Yes. You know I know the way, right?”

  “Oh, I didn’t know you could see the pink lights, Joshua!”

  “Well, of course I can see the lights—look how bright they are, even on a sunny day like this. Who could miss them?”

  “Oh, you’d be surprised!” Yu-ning said, giving Joshua a big smile.

  They could see Caer-a-mor far below. Here Snowheart said goodbye. “It is too dangerous for me to venture any closer to the village, Yu-ning. I must leave you now. May the light forever caress your heart, and may we meet again someday.”

  Yu-ning knelt down and wrapped her arms around the leopard’s head. “May it be so, Snowheart,” she said in return.

  She and Joshua reached Caer-a-mor just before noon, having made the descent in five hours—less than half the time it took Yu-ning and the treasure seekers to negotiate the summit three days before. Not wanting to draw attention, Joshua led Yu-ning on a hidden deer trail that circumvented the village and ended at the water’s edge on the far side of the cove.

  As the deer path exited the fir trees at water’s edge, the still blue depths of the bay lay just below them; the beach and village were to their left, a quarter mile away. They heard loud rustling in the bushes beyond, and out stepped the largest bear Yu-ning had ever seen—much larger than Stout or Madrigal, or the bears of Palova. “Hello, Joshua, you grumpy hermit!” bellowed the huge brown grizzly.

  “Gamaliel, my friend—I see you have grown even fatter since the last time I saw you. Have you increased your salmon intake, old bear?” Gamaliel laughed and rose upon his hind legs, walking toward Joshua. The bear was at least ten feet tall! He enveloped Joshua in a stout hug, and then dropped to all fours as he turned toward Yu-ning.

  “Hello, young lady. I am Gamaliel, Prince of the Lower Hills of the Great Fjord. Snowheart has told me about the light you have brought to this mountain, and your valiant efforts to bring the light to the gold seekers. I wanted to see you off safely!”

  “It is very nice to meet you, Gamaliel,” Yu-ning said, bowing low before the great bear. “Thank you for coming.” Yu-ning turned toward the water and held her necklace high in the air. The sunlight reflected pink shards of light in all directions. Soon they could see a pink form swimming upward from the depths of the bay. Minkaro’s pink nose and head were visible first, and then his entire body as he broke the surface of the water, a loud phutt! coming from his blowhole as a fine spray of water rose into the air.

  “Hello again, King Minkaro. I wish you and your little friend here safe travels, and a fruitful journey,” said Gamaliel. Minkaro smiled at the enormous grizzly and dipped his head low in respect.

  Yu-ning turned to Joshua. “Thank you for everything. You have deeply touched my heart. Remember that Palova Island is not far from my Island. It would warm Metatron’s heart to see you and Jacob again. Perhaps it is time for a visit?”

  “I will think on it, Yu-ning. If anything could wrest me from the warm hearth of the Porch of Tranquility, it would be the prospect of seeing Jacob again and my friends on Rainbow Island—especially you,” said Joshua, bowing before Yu-ning. Joshua hugged her, and watched as she and the great dolphin glided across the still waters of the bay. Yu-ning looked back in time to see Joshua slip quietly into the forest for the long trek back to the Porch of Tranquility.

  As Minkaro and Yu-ning left the protective waters of the fjord and entered the open sea, they turned northeast, in the direction of Tunzai Island. Their destination was the Floating Imperial Palace of Tunzai, residence of the Empress. “We should reach the Imperial Palace by dawn tomorrow, Yu-ning, barring any trouble!”

  “Look, Minkaro!” Yu-ning exclaimed, pointing to her left. In the distance, slicing through the water, were four pink dorsal fins.

  “Yu-ning, they are members of my royal dolphin guard—I would know those fins anywhere!” Minkaro lit out in the direction of the four pink dolphins, amazed to see friendly faces in waters so far south.

  “My king, we have come to warn you about the Darq waters,” said Molikan, one of Minkaro’s most trusted lieutenants. “There are increasing numbers of Darq creatures roaming the oceans, from Rainbow to Tunzai Island.”

  “How did you know where to find us, Molikan?” asked Minkaro.

  “When we returned from our patrols around Rainbow Island, Master Cristobel told us you had gone to Snowy Mountain on Farcara Island.”

  “Did the Darq creatures stop pursuing you once you hit the ice floes?” Minkaro asked.

  “Yes sir, they did, but there are so many now, I am afraid it will be difficult for you to find a safe route to Tunzai. We would have been here sooner, but a dozen Darq creatures followed us. It took some time to lose them in the depths before heading south into safer waters.”

  “I have an idea,” said Yu-ning, which she shared with Minkaro. The five dolphins formed a circle as Minkaro shared the plan for safely transporting Yu-ning to Tunzai Island. The conversation took only several minutes, but all the dolphins knew how critical it was for it to succeed. After making sure every dolphin knew their role in the plan, they split up—one group heading northwest, and the other group heading northeast.

  After the sinking of the ghost ships, the Darq sharks had continued to cruise the waters surrounding the wreck, looking for any survivors. There were none, so they decided to swim south again, in hopes of picking up the trail of the large pink dolphin and the girl who rode him. For days they swam back and forth along the northern edge of the ice floes, looking for signs of the pink dolphin.

  “Look—back toward the north!” hissed one of the sharks, directing the attention of the rest of the pack to a faint light trail in the water, heading northward. Senses heightened by the thought of picking up the trail of the girl and her dolphin, they turned north again, the glow of the water leaving an easy trail for them to follow. The sharks swam swiftly through the water, the glow growing stronger every mile. After three hours, their search was rewarded: up ahead, they could see movement no more than 300 yards away. They quickened their pace, and all converged on the mass swimming quickly through the water. Though their quarry tried its best to escape, it could not outrace the blood-crazed sharks.

  The sharks closed in and finally were on top of their targets. The light was just in front of the sharks, and its rays were painful and blinding. The sharks struggled to see clearly through the bright lights in the water, but descended upon their prey with a vicious fury. Minkaro’s first lieutenant, Molikan, burst high out of the water, the Light of Balthazar around his neck—where Yu-ning had tied it just hours before. The beautiful orb projected brilliant lights that reflected off the dolphin’s sleek body. The blinding lights of the orb disoriented the sharks and allowed the dolphins to burst forward with great speed—for they had been swimming slowly on purpose, to make sure the sharks followed them away from Yu-ning! They left the confused sharks in their wake, easily outswimming the larger, slower creatures.

  Because of their color blindness, the sharks couldn’t tell the difference between the yellow glow of the Light of Balthazar and the pink glow of Yu-ning’s crystal heart necklace! And once they realized they had been tricked into following the wrong party, the sharks lost resolve. Knowing that Minkaro and the girl were long gone by now, the sharks made their retreat, heading north away from Molikan and his lieutenants. The Light of Balthazar had been the perfect decoy, as its light led the sharks away from Yu-ning and the Dolphin King.

  Thirty

  Tunzai

  NO MATTER HOW HARD SUPARNA FLEW, he could not lose the obsidigon.

  Suparna, Romeo, Metatron, and Magic had traveled swiftly away from Baggul Island, knowing that sooner rather than later
, Romeo’s escape would be discovered. And sure enough, within an hour of their departure from the warlock’s lair the obsidigon had discovered Romeo’s escape. The obsidigon could no longer smell the boy through the bars of the gate—and knew he was gone.

  It wasn’t difficult to track the escape party—the boy’s purple gemstone left a trail of light, and the dragon and his master easily followed it across the sea. Though it was normally a day-and-a-half flight across the Tunzai Strait to the Floating Imperial Palace, Suparna made the crossing in just twenty-four hours. The great bird was exhausted and feared he could not keep up the pace. And no matter how quickly he beat his enormous wings, the obisidigon remained fixed on his tail, no more than half a mile behind.

  Dawn broke and the sun rose before them as they made landfall. They flew over a wide beach, which led into low green hills. The obsidigon flew with renewed urgency, sensing the colorful bird was nearing safe refuge. The dragon was now only a few hundred yards behind Suparna.

  The first sign of civilization gleamed before Suparna high in the sky—it was the majestic Floating Imperial Palace of Tunzai. It was a few miles in the distance, perched in the clouds, as if anchored there by angels. It was the most beautiful structure Romeo had ever seen, with gleaming walls, elegant buildings, and huge multicolored tiles on its dramatic, arched roofs and towers.

  “Make for the Floating Palace!” yelled Romeo.