Journey to Rainbow Island

by Christie Hsiao

  Journey to

  Rainbow

  Island

  Journey to

  Rainbow

  Island

  Christie Hsiao

  BENBELLA BOOKS, INC.

  DALLAS, TX

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 by Christie Hsiao

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  BenBella Books, Inc.

  10300 N. Central Expressway

  Suite #530

  Dallas, TX 75231

  www.benbellabooks.com

  Send feedback to feedback@benbellabooks.com

  First e-book edition: November 2013

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Hsiao, Christie.

  Journey to Rainbow Island / Christie Hsiao.

  pages cm

  Summary: When her idyllic life on Rainbow Island is destroyed by the dragon, Obsidigon, Yu-ning must embark on a dangerous journey, guided by her master teacher, Metatron, in hopes of overcoming the darkness attacking her home and also the scars of sadness marking her own heart.

  ISBN 978-1-939529-24-4 (hardback)—ISBN 978-1-939529-28-2 (electronic) [1. Fantasy. 2. Self-reliance—Fiction. 3. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. 4. Dragons—Fiction. 5. Islands—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.H85618Jou 2013

  [Fic]--dc23

  2013027275

  Editing by Kyle Duncan

  Copyediting by Annie Gottlieb

  Proofreading by Michael Fedison and Amy Zarkos

  Cover and interior illustrations by Ralph Voltz, www.ralphvoltz.com

  Cover design by Sarah Dombrowsky

  Text design and composition by Publishers’ Design and Production Services, Inc.

  Printed by Bang Printing

  Distributed by Perseus Distribution

  www.perseusdistribution.com

  To place orders through Perseus Distribution:

  Tel: (800) 343-4499

  Fax: (800) 351-5073

  E-mail: orderentry@perseusbooks.com

  Significant discounts for bulk sales are available. Please contact Glenn Yeffeth at glenn@benbellabooks.com or (214) 750-3628.

  To the light, to the children, and to all the

  beautiful beings in the world . . .

  And to the infinite love that we all are.

  Contents

  ONE:Conjured

  TWO:Home

  THREE:Destruction

  FOUR:Aftermath

  FIVE:Departure

  SIX:Storm

  SEVEN:Tower

  EIGHT:Anteroom

  NINE:Balthazar

  TEN:Hunter

  ELEVEN:Forest

  TWELVE:Cottage

  THIRTEEN:Baggul

  FOURTEEN:Lightcaster

  FIFTEEN:Darqendia

  SIXTEEN:Factory

  SEVENTEEN:Hearts

  EIGHTEEN:Minkaro

  NINETEEN:School

  TWENTY:Suparna

  TWENTY-ONE:Confrontation

  TWENTY-TWO:Ship

  TWENTY-THREE:Visitor

  TWENTY-FOUR:Vortex

  TWENTY-FIVE:Escape

  TWENTY-SIX:Farcara

  TWENTY-SEVEN:Mountain

  TWENTY-EIGHT:Quiver

  TWENTY-NINE:Sharks

  THIRTY:Tunzai

  THIRTY-ONE:Hobaling

  THIRTY-TWO:Butterflies

  THIRTY-THREE:Empress

  THIRTY-FOUR:Nest

  About the Author

  One

  Conjured

  THOUGH IT WAS DAY, it was quite dark, with no sun in the slate grey sky. The ocean was all froth and rage. The wind and rain slammed against the waves as the elements crashed against one another with violent fury. In the distance was an enormous mass of rock—a desolate grey island alone in a vast ocean. Waves crashed against steep, treacherous cliffs. There were no beaches or bays—just walls of rock and cliff surrounding the entire island. High on a bluff, a dark opening could be seen: a cave. Inside was a strange dwelling, full of old scrolls, bones, books, and items of enchantment. It was the dwelling of a sorcerer.

  Inside the cave a bent figure waved his arms about him slowly, from side to side, hands whipping to and fro, front to back, back to front. The man seemed neither young nor old, but mysteriously ageless. His eyes were pale—the color of moonlight on a cold winter’s night. He was tall and thin as death, with dark robes draped across his bony shoulders. The light of a nearby fire danced off his shaved head, his skin nearly as pale as his eyes. He was in a trance. Over a large murky pool before him, arms outstretched, he held a huge skull—the skull of a long-dead creature. Though you wouldn’t know to look at it, the skull was a very rare specimen, belonging to a race of dragons long thought erased from the face of the world.

  The pale-eyed sorcerer lowered the skull into the water, and immediately the dark, still surface began to roil and turn as smoke rose from the inky waters. The roiling turned to violent crashing as waves of water spouted upward; and soon, out of the angry black liquid the outline of a dark, scaled head rose slowly. A pale yellow eye appeared, followed by a long, hard-scaled neck. It was indeed a Darq creature—a black dragon. And it was the first of its kind to rise from dark waters in 100 years.

  The man smiled, closed his eyes; his hands stopped their macabre, slow beating, and rose in front of him. His creation at last was born. The creature continued to rise from the water and stepped onto the floor of the sorcerer’s dwelling, dark water pouring from its body onto the hard, smooth surface of the grotto. The sorcerer stood before the creature, took its enormous head in his hands, and whispered an indecipherable incantation into the black creature’s ear. The dragon pulled back, stared into the man’s eyes, and, ever so slightly, nodded its head in recognition.

  The creature ambled toward the entrance of the cave and moved to the precipice of the cliff. It beat its massive leathered wings three times and took flight into the dusky sky. It rose higher and higher into the stormy elements, racing through cloud and rain. Lightning flashed intermittently, revealing rock-hard, obsidian black scales as it flew into the coming night. Its blackness merged with the ever-darkening sky, a black shadow that blended into the young, violent night.

  Two

  Home

  IT WAS ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY on Rainbow Island. The sky was soft baby blue, and plush cotton clouds darted across the azure expanse. A comfortable breeze blew as summer’s mild sun pulsated gentle rays onto the Island, warming it slowly and sweetly. A brilliant, gigantic rainbow covered the sky over the Island; its seven-banded light streaked out from the Island as far as the eye could see.

  Beneath the large rainbow were lush, verdant trees, mountains of green, and grasslands that rolled for miles, speckled with colorful flowers. Large morpho, hairstreak, and swallowtail butterflies skipped through the afternoon air as honeybees drank sweet nectar from voluptuous tropical blooms. The calls of resplendent quetzals echoed from the cloud forest above, while lower on the slopes military macaws, toucans, and blue-crowned trogons hunted for ripe fruit in the thick forest canopy. The Island was surrounded by pristine ocean, and a dazzling tropical reef ringed the entire Island—a beautiful band of teeming life and color.

  This was paradise—the most beautiful and joyful place in the universe.

  A dark-haired girl of eleven sat blissfully in the middle of a field of heliconia, plumeria, and hibisc
us flowers. Her frame was petite, and her long, dark brown hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail, renegade wisps blowing across her face in the breeze. She swept the hair out of her face as she leaned over to escort a ladybug from a blade of grass onto her finger.

  Her large, round brown eyes focused on the tiny creature as a smile danced across her open, beatific face. Her spirit was one with the bountiful nature that surrounded her, glowing, joyful, and luminous.

  But she was not any ordinary child. This particular girl was endowed with powerful spiritual and healing gifts—abilities she had received from birth. This special place was called Rainbow Island. As with all the children of the Island, she had a purity and goodness of heart that gave strength and vibrancy to the rainbow that shined above. Though only eleven, she was the leader of all the Island children and was deeply adored by all. You see, there was nothing known of jealousy, strife, or hatred on Rainbow Island.

  Her name was Yu-ning, which means love and serenity.

  Yu-ning smiled happily as she basked in the splendor of her surroundings. She began each morning lying in this exact field of flowers, daily filled with the same wonderment and delight. She gently placed the ladybug upon the leaf of an orange plumeria blossom. As she did, she swept her right hand across all the flowers in front of her. A wave of warm pink light appeared and began to sparkle and spread across the entire field. Sparkling, heart-shaped pink gemstones could be seen all across the field, shimmering in the sun. These were the precious pink crystals of Rainbow Island, Yu-ning’s favorite gemstones. Yu-ning looked into the distance beyond the field with excited expectation. Her eyes gleamed with joy as a huge smile spread across her face.

  Across the field a cluster of happy children and animals skipped, ran, and twirled toward her. “Yu-ning, Yu-ning!” they called out, laughing as they approached. Some of the children were dripping wet, having spent the morning frolicking on the beach. Others wore garlands of flowers in their hair, and all were admiring the beautiful pink crystals. Some of the children trailed colorful pieces of silk as they ran through the field, the diaphanous material blowing above them in the breeze.

  Several children bit into mangos and papayas freshly picked from surrounding trees. As they gathered to play and dance, melodious music played softly beyond the meadow. A gigantic kapok tree loomed in the distance, its full, lush leaves shining subtly in the soft sun. The base of the kapok was vast, its massive trunk branching out in many directions. The noble tree was 40 feet in diameter and rose 150 feet into the sky. As Yu-ning gazed up into its great branches, she saw a riot of life, including large, elegant bromeliads and other colorful epiphytes. The late morning sun grew warmer and they enjoyed the cool grass and shade beneath the shelter of the massive tree. Families of colorful toucans, parrots, and toucanettes landed on the outstretched branches and sang playful summer melodies to the children.

  “Hello, my friends, it is such a beautiful song you are singing,” Yu-ning called to a boisterous flock of red-lored parrots on the branch above.

  The parrots squawked, “Hello, Yu-ning. We are singing this song for you.”

  “Thank you,” Yu-ning laughed. “Let’s all sing together.”

  Yu-ning and the other children produced wooden flutes, small lyres, and harps from small, colorful bags. Yu-ning sang a beautiful melody as she strummed her lyre to the tune of the parrots. As she rested her head against the trunk of the tree, a flash of rainbow colors undulated through the bark and moved upward into all of the branches. The tree too began to sing—the voice of the wind, but with words that were clear and bright.

  “My rainbow tree,” she sighed with reverence as she looked up into its leaves. All the children were enraptured by its magical presence. They felt the power as the tree radiated light and energy, and Yu-ning heard enchanting music playing on the other side of the great trunk. Yu-ning walked to the other side of the tree, following the gentle, sweet sounds of a flute. A handsome eleven-year-old boy with large round eyes and brown hair sat with his back against the trunk. The melody he played was sweet but sad. Yu-ning jumped happily at the sight of her best friend. “Romeo!” Yu-ning exclaimed.

  Romeo looked up and smiled tenderly, lowering his flute. “Hi, Yu-ning,” he sighed, his voice filled with apprehension.

  Yu-ning knelt down next to him and furrowed her brow. “It’s such lovely music you are playing. Why aren’t you happy?” she asked.

  “I had a dream filled with many dark faces, and one face in particular. It was large and black, with yellow, dead-looking eyes. Almost like stone,” he said softly.

  Yu-ning looked at him pensively, concern filling her eyes. She could see the vision. She leaned in to hug her friend and said, “Don’t worry, Romeo, there’s only the rainbow in the sky and beauty all around us.” Together they looked up through the leaves of the kapok tree to see the clear blue sky and sunshine.

  “Let’s play more music. It will make you feel better,” Yu-ning encouraged him.

  Romeo was quiet. Yu-ning nudged him to look at the rainbow above them. “Look, Romeo, the rainbow! I’ll sing a song for you. You are like that shining rainbow in the sky!”

  Yu-ning opened her arms wide toward the sky. “Whatever our lessons, Romeo, always remember that only the light and color in this world matters. Come on; let’s sing a song together. Let’s sing a song with the birds,” Yu-ning said eagerly, trying to distract her friend.

  “All right . . .” Romeo nodded and smiled slightly as he started to hum with Yu-ning. He picked up his flute and played his gentle tune.

  “Romeo! Let’s play in the tree!” Yu-ning exclaimed. “We’ll make our music with the tree.” Together they watched as the massive branches swept down, grabbed hold of them, and carried them high into the foliage above. Yu-ning laughed with delight as the tree pulled them higher and higher until they were sitting in the center of its vastness. Romeo looked down at all the children as they danced and sang below. Yu-ning leaned back and tucked herself into a comfortable nook within the branches. “Let’s play, Romeo.” Together they played a lilting melody and smiled together as they closed their eyes and felt the coolness of the bark beneath their bodies.

  Yu-ning looked up as four large leaves fluttered into her right palm. Slowly she inspected each leaf, reading each one like a book. She saw words, drawings, and little pictures etched into the green chlorophyll veins of each sheath, and nodded slowly as she thanked the tree. She looked at her friend compassionately, with a deep, knowing gaze. “It’s going to be all right, Romeo. I will be here for you.”

  Romeo just looked at her and nodded. He asked no questions and stared out across the serene ocean. Yu-ning looked back at the leaves and whispered, “Thank you, wisdom tree.” She placed the leaves gently on the branches.

  “I have something for you, Romeo.” She reached into her pocket and produced a particularly brilliant purple crystal heart, attached to a red silk thread, which she handed to Romeo. He held it up as soft purple light flowed out of the crystal and out from the tree. “Keep this close to your heart when you are in need of comfort, and hold it before you when you need light to guide your way.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered as Yu-ning tied the necklace around his neck. It was identical to one that Yu-ning had around her neck, except his stone was dark lavender instead of pink. “May its light always remind you of my friendship,” said Yu-ning. “Now play some music, Romeo, and let’s sing with the parrots; it will make you feel better!”

  A crooked smile slowly broke across his face. “All right,” said Romeo. He played music on his flute and started singing, along with a chorus of three-wattled bellbirds, blue-crowned motmots, and sleek rufous-tailed jacamars in nearby trees. Afterward, the boy and girl gazed out at the Island, taking in the beautiful view.

  “Race you to Rainbow Meadow!” Romeo pushed Yu-ning sideways on the branch as he raced down the tree. They descended the tree as the limbs of the kapok grabbed them and gently passed them down to lower limbs, which deposited them
softly on the springy green turf. They ran across the field, leaving the other children to play near the great kapok tree.

  They began to slow down as they reached a steep cliff with a narrow path that zigzagged back and forth to a higher meadow above. Romeo picked a pink plumeria blossom and handed it to Yu-ning. He reached for a yellow one, then orange, red, and blue-violet. “All the colors of the rainbow,” he said tenderly, handing her the flowers with a nod of his head. “You are my closest and dearest friend, and I know I am not alone with you by my side,” Romeo said softly.

  Yu-ning held the aromatic bouquet in her small hand and, with her other hand, reached for Romeo’s fingers. “It’s going to be all right, Romeo. We’re together and we’ll always have each other.”

  “Last one to the Seven Sacred Crystals is a tortoise!” Romeo yelled as he pushed her sideways and raced to the head of the path. Yu-ning gave chase, just steps behind him as they ascended the steep trail up the side of the cliff. Many of the other Rainbow Children had followed them, along with their animal friends Leonidas the lion; Shamza the zebra; Stout and Madrigal, who were black and brown bears; Lightmere the deer; Prometheus the horse; and several members of the pink rabbit clan. But most important of all was Octavian the owl, Yu-ning’s closest animal friend—her mentor in all things of nature and wildlife.

  From a rock that overlooked the path, a green tree frog leapt into the air, headed right for Yu-ning. Yu-ning laughed as the frog landed on her chest, the surprise of it knocking her to the ground as she rolled over giggling. It was Magic, Yu-ning’s tiny pet frog—a ball of energy and green lightning. “Hi, Magic!” called Yu-ning, scratching the frog on top of its head as it croaked with delight.

  The three ran across the meadow toward a green cliff and were joined by the other Rainbow Children. Cascading waterfalls dotted the side of the steep, lush green cliffs. As they crested the cliff onto a small plateau, before them was a large, flat golden rock. On top of the rock, resting on a natural stone altar, were seven beautiful crystals, each the size of a man’s forearm, each with its own beautiful, hand-crafted placeholder hewn into the top of the stone altar.