Grandpa sipped his tea as he reflected on the house and the years he had spent here with his beloved. “We have lived here nearly seventy-seven years—since we finished building most of the house. We had our eye on this land since we found each other at fifteen; our families were refugees after the Great Obsidigon War destroyed our village on Malinga Island. Many of the families lived a nomadic life, sailing from island to island, seeking a new home—somewhere quiet and far from the reminders of the war. So we decided to marry, and settle here on Palova. We started building this house when we were eighteen. We are both nearly 100 years old and we have spent every day together.”
“You are from Malinga?” asked Jacob. “I am from Darqendia. Well, I mean, I was. My mother and father are long dead, and I have lived on the other side of the island for about twenty years.”
“So we are both refugees in our own way, aren’t we, Jacob?” said Grandpa.
“Yes, I suppose we are . . .” Jacob answered. “I have walked by your cottage many times late at night, but I have never seen the lights. I had heard that an elderly couple lived on the far side of the island, but I never took the time to come visit you. I am sorry we haven’t met before now . . .” his voice trailed off.
“Well,” said Grandpa, “we are meeting now, which is a great thing.”
Grandpa reached over to hold Grandma’s hand. He smiled and said, “She is as beautiful to me now as the first day I laid my eyes on her, dancing in this magical forest with all the animals. We began to meet in the forest every day and to speak with the animals. We fell in love right away. When we were sixteen, we planned to build our home in this beautiful forest, and we started the day we turned eighteen. Both sets of our parents died long ago, of course, and the few relatives we had either are dead, or moved on to other islands long ago.”
He explained how he and Grandma built the house from the ground up, all by themselves. “We made every piece of furniture in it together. We painted everything. It took us ten years to completely finish, and each year since we have made additions and have continued to cultivate our home, like our garden of wildflowers. We live here among the animals, forest, and sea. It is our heaven. We have had a blessed, blessed life.”
Tears came to Jacob’s eyes. “You have been here this entire time, and yet I have only known darkness. I don’t have any friends. I’ve caused only pain in my life.”
Grandpa looked Jacob in the eyes. “We have been waiting for you, Jacob. We have known of you for as long as you have lived in these forests. We first saw the crimes you committed many years ago, and we vowed to live here and shelter this sacred forest and all the animals in it as best we could. We saved many animals from your barbarism, but so many we lost. We made peace long ago, knowing it was the path you’d chosen, and all of the blessed animals that you killed submitted to the fate of being taken by you.
“They all gave their lives for the gift of your transformation—they sacrificed themselves and their families for your rebirth. They are to be thanked, honored, and revered for the light you have found now. You can never go back to that darkness, and you must spend every moment of your life from this day forward making up for the senseless destruction. Do you want to know our secret of eight decades of bliss together? Do you know why our lives are so filled with brightness and color? Well, it’s very simple: we do everything with love. With love everything is possible. Love keeps everything together.”
Grandpa stopped as tears flowed down his cheeks. Grandma walked over to the table and leaned over to embrace him. As they hugged, Jacob looked at them wistfully. “I hope one day I will have what you have,” he said sadly. “I will do as you say. I will devote every day of my life to making restitution. I will create a world in which I give back to all the animals. I will revere this forest and all its blessings.”
Grandma looked at Jacob and placed her right hand over his. “This is your new home, Jacob. Grandpa and I won’t be here forever. You are meant to take over this home and continue our mission. You can have anything you want in life if you only keep love in your heart. Find your life’s love, and together build a community and make the world a brighter place.”
“You can make so many friends and have a beautiful life like Grandma and Grandpa!” Yu-ning said, filled with excitement.
Jacob looked down at the red tabletop. Tears continued to flow. “Right now? I can have this all right now? What about my punishment? I am guilty of such horrible acts. How can I be worthy of living in this world of color and love?” he asked, weeping freely.
“It will take some time for your heart to heal and for you to find forgiveness within yourself,” Grandpa said, nodding with understanding. “There are no punishments, only sacred lessons. You are a beloved child and the moment you accept that truth and honor yourself, your life of color and brightness will begin. This is your work.”
“Just like that?” Jacob asked in disbelief.
“Just like that,” Yu-ning, Grandma, and Grandpa said in unison.
“But I am all alone,” Jacob said, filled with regret.
“No longer. You have all of us! And you can go out and share your love with everyone you meet, and you will never feel lonely. You will see how beautiful your life can be when you share your love,” Grandpa said, smiling.
“You will never return to that dark cabin,” Yu-ning said. “It no longer exists. The light will transform it into a beautiful field in which the animals can roam safely. There is only this moment now and every moment to follow, and all of those moments are filled with color.” Yu-ning’s words were powerful, and Jacob’s eyes and heart were wide open to receive them.
Grandma exclaimed, “Oh, I just remembered, I made hot cocoa and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Would you all like to have some?” She rose and started for the kitchen, her cheeks round and rosy from the fire. It was hard to believe she was almost 100 years old; in the light of the fire she looked like a young girl.
Yu-ning clapped. “Oooh, hot chocolate and warm chocolate chip cookies. My favorite! Thank you, Grandma, thank you!” she said, as she followed Grandma to the kitchen to help with the cookies and cocoa. When everyone had their fill of cookies, Jacob poured a little more cocoa into each of their mugs. Grandma and Grandpa walked to the living room to sit, bringing their mugs with them and gesturing for Yu-ning and Jacob to follow.
In the living room, Yu-ning saw a short pink and purple cabinet with flowers painted on each side. Next to it was a large colorful console with a thick photo album on top. “Oh, wow! It’s a rainbow book!” Yu-ning exclaimed with excitement.
Grandma and Grandpa nodded together. In an animated tone, Grandma said, “Oh, yes! Those pictures are of our adventures together in our younger days. You can look through it if you wish,” she said.
Yu-ning opened the photo album carefully and started to turn the pages very slowly, and then returned to the first page, savoring each image. On the first page was a black and white photograph of the young couple holding hands in the back of the garden. They were planting trees and flowers and looked to be about twenty years old.
“Come see this!” Yu-ning said to Jacob, who walked over to Yu-ning and stood next to her, looking at the picture. Page after page showed their life together. There were images of the two of them atop a mountain peak; laughing in the ocean; smiling by a cave with a black and brown bear; climbing a tall green mountain; feeding each other exotic fruit on a tropical island; sitting under a waterfall; making food in their kitchen; Grandpa giving Grandma a bouquet of tulips in a field.
The photos were numerous, and the album glowed with bright lights as she turned the pages. Jacob stood next to her, and they were both deeply moved. “You will have a life like this with your love one day,” Yu-ning whispered only to Jacob, smiling up at him.
“You saved my life, Yu-ning,” Jacob managed, thickness gathering in his throat.
Grandma approached, her arms wrapped around two bright, shining books. She gave a pink one to Yu-ning and a yello
w one to Jacob.
“They are photo albums!” Yu-ning cried out, hugging hers to her chest. She and Jacob opened the albums. The pages were illuminated but blank.
“These are for your new lives; you can put anything inside,” Grandpa said lovingly. “Make your life; make it beautiful and make it colorful. It is our gift to you.”
“Thank you so much, Grandma and Grandpa. I will make it beautiful and colorful!” Yu-ning said, squeezing the pink photo album to her chest.
“I can’t thank you enough for giving me another chance,” Jacob said quietly. “I will make my new life colorful. I will build a new home.” He looked wistful and vulnerable.
“You are home,” Grandpa said.
“This is your home,” Grandma added.
Tears filled Jacob’s eyes. “How can I ever thank you?”
“You will thank us by making your life matter and by filling it with love and color,” Grandma said.
In that moment there was a loud rushing sound, like beating wings, just outside the cottage. Yu-ning gasped, ran to the front door, and quickly opened it. There before her was Suparna, who had landed in the small yard between the cottage, the forest, and the cliffs overlooking the sea. And hopping down from his back was Magic, smiling broadly and leaping thirty feet into the air, excited to see Yu-ning safe and sound. “Hello, Suparna! I am sorry I never returned to tell you where I went after I left you in the meadow this morning.”
“That’s all right, Yu-ning. Magic and I decided to fly over the forest, and I was keeping my eye on you from a distance,” said Suparna, winking at her as a sly smile formed at the corners of his beak.
“Suparna, wait until you see what I have!” she said, hurrying back into the cabin to retrieve Lightcaster from where she had placed it along with her backpack when they arrived.
“Is that the bow, Yu-ning? Let me see it.” Yu-ning walked to Suparna and reverently placed Lightcaster at the great bird’s feet. Suparna gazed at the bow in amazement and said, “It is a beautiful bow, even after all these years—you can see that it yet has power within it.”
Yu-ning pondered this thoughtfully as the elderly couple emerged from the cottage, smiling and waving at Suparna. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Suparna. It’s been a long time,” said Grandpa.
“You know Suparna?” said Yu-ning, turning toward Grandpa.
“Yes, my dear. Suparna has been a good friend to us over the years,” answered Grandma.
“And you must be the hunter,” Suparna said, turning his gaze toward Jacob.
“Yes—I am Jacob. You probably don’t remember me, Suparna, but I grew up on Rainbow Island. I left when I turned eighteen. That was more than twenty years ago, though . . .” Jacob’s voice trailed off, his mind filled with distant memories.
Suparna nodded at Jacob. “It is very good to see you again, Jacob. It’s been many years.” Suparna shifted his attention back to Lightcaster. “But I have not seen Lightcaster in many decades. I knew its owner.” As Suparna said this, he looked again at Jacob. “If this is Lightcaster, and you have had it all these years,” Suparna said, “then you must be Corain’s grandson . . .”
“Yes, Corain was my grandfather . . . how did you know?” said Jacob, amazed.
“I knew many of the Darq Renders and was a scout for the Darq Render army. Your grandfather was legendary, Jacob. He was known as the greatest archer in Darqendia. All those years you spent as a child on Rainbow Island, but I never knew you were Corain’s kin. This day is most certainly full of surprises,” he added. With that, Suparna bowed solemnly toward Jacob, in honor of the hunter’s grandfather.
Suparna turned toward Yu-ning, with Magic on her shoulder. “Night is upon us, Yu-ning, and there is much to do. I am afraid we must leave now and return to Rainbow Island with Lightcaster. Metatron will be anxious to see you, and to hear about the events of these past weeks.”
Yu-ning hugged Grandma and Grandpa and thanked them for their help. She turned to Jacob, whose eyes sparkled; he gave Yu-ning a long, strong hug. “I can never repay you, Yu-ning,” he whispered in her ear. “You believed in a stranger, and that stranger is now your friend for life. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Won’t you come back with us, Jacob? I know that Metatron would love to see you again after all these years.”
“No, Yu-ning, not now. My place is here—it’s time that I started to give back to Palova, as I have taken much from it over these past years. But I promise to visit you someday soon,” Jacob added.
She walked to Suparna, placed Magic gently inside the outer pocket of her backpack, lashed it to the harness, and tied Lightcaster crossways behind the saddle. “Goodbye, everyone!” croaked Magic, who smiled from ear to ear.
As Suparna, Yu-ning, and Magic lifted off from the grassy knoll next to the cabin, the moon began to rise over the ocean. Its light cast a beam across the glassy sea, which Suparna followed into the night—a gleaming beacon that led them safely back to the familiar shores of Rainbow Island.
Thirteen
Baggul
THE WARLOCK RAN HIS HAND ALONG the top of the razor-sharp wing of the obsidigon. The hard obsidian scales made a click click click sound as they hit against one another under the sweep of the warlock’s bony fingers. The dragon lowered its enormous head in submission at the touch of its master. “You have done very, very well, my friend,” said Hobaling, continuing to stroke along the top of the creature’s scales.
It was dusk, and the wind and rain that had earlier been swirling around Baggul Island had eased considerably. As the winds died, the cold rain turned to silent drizzle, falling straight from the sky—a quiet, muffled mist clothing the island in a grey shroud. The sea was dark grey, blending seamlessly with the granite rocks jutting from the sea like long, thin fingers grasping upward. The sea cliffs revealed no signs of life—no trees or grass, just the orange glow of a single fire flickering from a cave high above the desolate waters.
Inside Hobaling’s grotto, the conjurer stood before the obsidigon, admiring his creation by the light of the large fire blazing near the entrance of the cavern. The past several days had been fruitful. The dragon had successfully attacked villages on many islands, including Rainbow Island, which had suffered the most of all. It was more than Hobaling had hoped for: he had thought the Seven Sacred Crystals would be heavily guarded, and was shocked to learn that the dragon had only had to break through the protective glass to reach the large, gleaming gems. But even better, the obsidigon was able to bring back another prize: the boy.
“I sense the light in that boy, which means that his companions from Rainbow Island will come for him,” Hobaling said. “And when they do, we will kill them all—and destroy the light’s best chance of defeating us.” The warlock understood that without the crystals the rainbow could not exist and that the power of light and love would slowly drain from Rainbow Island and the world; and as the light faded, Darq power—and Hobaling—would rise.
The dragon opened and closed its massive jaws and shook its head, causing the scales to click together—the sound of sea pebbles tumbling against one another. The obsidigon slowly walked away from Hobaling to the far end of the cave. As the cavern receded into the mountain, it narrowed to a tight passage. At the end of the passage was a heavy, rusted metal gate with massive bars, secured with a heavy chain and ancient lock. Inside was the boy. The obisidigon pressed its head against the bars to peer inside, turning its head, one yellow eye scanning the darkness for signs of life.
Behind the gate, the tunnel made a sharp left turn and opened up into a huge, cavernous hall. When Hobaling had Christie Hsiao thrown him in this prison, Romeo had stumbled, half conscious, deeper into the cave, away from the gated entrance, and collapsed from exhaustion. He now slept in a corner of the cave where a bed of sand had collected over the years, making the hard floor of the alcove at least a bit more tolerable.
Finally, Romeo awakened.
Blackness.
He fe
lt around him. Under the thin layer of sand all was hard, cold rock. Though his mind was foggy, he remembered being placed in some sort of cave or cavernous dungeon. There was no light at all; even when he held his hand an inch from his face, he could see nothing.
He did not know where he was, but he did remember how he had gotten here. The beast had snatched him from Rainbow Island too quickly for him to react or flee. The trip had been like a nightmare. He felt his neck and shoulders, remembering the pain—excruciating pain from the talons of the dark beast.
He shuddered, remembering the ugly dragon, and stared into the dark. As he lay there, listening to the sounds of the cave, he could just make out the far-off but distinct sound of trickling water. He tried to stand but felt wobbly on his feet. How long had it been since he had eaten? It was pitch black in every direction.
In the distance, however, it seemed there was a slight flicker of light. He started walking toward the speck of light but he could not see at all, and the ground was rocky and slick with moisture. His head collided with a stalactite, and before he knew it, he was on the ground again.
All went completely black.
And then he was out of the cave, with warm sun on his face. A glowing light hovered above him, just overhead, and then transformed into a shimmering man dressed all in white. It was One, whom Romeo had first seen in Yu-ning’s cave, just before he was kidnapped! It was a bright day, and he could feel the sweet breeze and smell the Island’s tropical aromas. He was on Rainbow Island.
“Romeo, can you hear me?” One was standing in front of him, radiating light in brilliant, pulsating rays. The white sand beach was just beyond One, and the gentle, clear turquoise waters of Rainbow Cove beyond that.
“Yes, One, I can hear you. Where am I?”
“You are in the lair of the obsidigon and his master, in a place called Baggul Island.”
“What am I doing here?” said Romeo.
Journey to Rainbow Island Page 12
