Journey to Rainbow Island

by Christie Hsiao

  The man crawled up the first thirty steps and paused to reach for the large key ring in his coat pocket. He threw them at Yu-ning and bounded up the final ten stairs, rushing to his chambers. Through the window the children could see him taking a key from around his neck and opening a lock on a small wooden chest. He took out several ingots of gold and hugged them to him, looking back and forth in a state of panic. He rushed to the window and quickly pulled down a shade, closing himself off in darkness. Yu-ning picked up the keys. “He needs the crystal heart the most, but he doesn’t want it. Now everything around him will remain dark forever. The light is within him, but he doesn’t realize it.”

  She looked at her friends and held up the keys. “I told you that with our power we would open the doors.” The children were still in a circular chain with their hands clasped together. Yu-ning entered the circle and gripped the hands of the child on either side of her, lifting their arms and swinging them with determination. “It’s time. Let’s go outside.”

  Yu-ning saw a little boy, no older than four, standing timidly on the end of the circular chain. He was weeping and frightened, and he was the youngest of all the children. Yu-ning knelt down to hug the boy. “What is it?” Yu-ning asked, filled with compassion.

  The boy was so tiny, and he was trembling like a leaf. “I’m scared. He’s up there watching us with his stick.”

  “Don’t worry, he can’t hurt you,” Yu-ning said, hugging him again. “And look, his stick is broken!” she said, pointing to the wooden pieces on the floor nearby. “Hold your crystal heart and come with us. It’s all right . . . we are all here for you.” Yu-ning ushered him into the center of the circle.

  Yu-ning waved to the man above. “Goodbye! I’m taking everyone to my Island. Everyone is welcome, and you can come with us if you want.”

  The man opened his door, still shielding his eyes. He screamed spitefully, “Never! Who cares about an island with rainbows and no gold? I can always get more children!”

  Yu-ning looked at him intently, eye to eye, and shook her head. “No. There will be no more children in this lonely place. We are leaving the mountain of crystal hearts here. Anyone who comes here will know only light. You can come with us or be trapped in your dark chambers forever. These are your only choices.”

  The man’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. “No! Take them with you. You said you’d leave with all of those things.”

  Yu-ning repeated herself slowly and deliberately. “There will be no more children in this place—ever. There will be no more suffering. We all have to go now.”

  “You have no power over us any longer. There is no power without love,” another girl shouted to the man above.

  “We will only make toys for ourselves to play with from now on!” a little boy called out.

  Yu-ning nodded and smiled with pride. “Yes! Let’s go! Let’s go to my Island.”

  All 500 children had their crystal hearts around their necks, glowing pink in unison. Yu-ning led the circle, holding the little boy’s hand, as they all moved forward up the stairs toward the door leading to the courtyard. Before they left, they found the kitchen and took large quantities of food as well as a good supply of water—each child carrying a water skin. The children were amazed at the variety of food the man stored in his larders—most of which he had never shared with them.

  They left the kitchen and pantry and headed down a corridor toward the exit. They all stopped in front of the foreboding door. It was enormous and heavy. Yu-ning fumbled with the large key ring and worked hard to unlock the bolts. Once it was unlocked, she tried to push the heavy door open, but it wouldn’t move. She realized that only an adult could push open a door of this weight.

  Yu-ning continued pushing, and then saw Caspar standing next to her, pushing with all his might. Soon several children were pushing the door on either side of Yu-ning and Caspar, and the others were giving them support from behind. Slowly the door swung open, and the children shouted with joy.

  Yu-ning felt someone take her hand. It was Caspar, and he was smiling. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the toy rocking horse he was making. “This is for you. We will play with it together on Rainbow Island.”

  Yu-ning hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Caspar! Thank you.”

  The children followed Yu-ning and Caspar out the door, across the inner courtyard of the fortress, through the far passage, and out the side door near the main gate. They looked proud, happy, and relieved. All the children were celebrating as they exited the fortress and walked down the path that led toward the beach.

  As they passed through the dunes, Yu-ning asked Caspar how he ended up working at the factory. He told her that when he was five, his parents had both died in a flood, and he was left without a home. He was sent away to a boarding school on the island of Malinga. “It was an awful place,” said Caspar. “I was only there for a year, but I had a hard time reading, because sometimes the letters get jumbled on the page. The teachers thought I was lazy.”

  “Oh!” said Yu-ning. “One of the children in my school has the same struggle—our teachers have him make up a story out loud, and they write it down for him. Because he knows the story, it makes it easier for him to read the words on the page, and then write it himself! Our teachers have lots of ways to help children learn.”

  “They didn’t help me like that at the boarding school,” Caspar said. “The headmistress told everyone I was better off living with my aunt. But it was a lie. Instead, the headmistress sold me to that man in there, to come work at the factory. One night he came to the school, and many of us were taken away in his boat while everyone else was asleep. Anne was taken then too. All the kids that were sold were orphans—I guess because no one would miss us if we disappeared . . .” Caspar grew silent, just looking up at Yu-ning.

  Dumbfounded, Yu-ning asked, “Sold? You were sold as a slave?”

  “Yes,” said Caspar, with great sadness.

  Yu-ning stopped in the midst of the windswept dunes and hugged Caspar. “You will never be a slave again, Caspar,” she whispered.

  As the afternoon advanced, Suparna and Magic joined the large group of children at the beach. Together, they constructed a makeshift camp nestled against the shelter of the dunes. They used driftwood collected from the beach and tall grass from the dunes to make lean-tos. The children spread blankets inside for sleeping.

  But the greatest excitement surrounded Suparna. The children were fascinated by the enormous, rainbow-colored raptor, and begged him for rides around the cove. Suparna spent hours taking groups of children on rides high above the bay. Toward the end of each ride—to the children’s delight—he would fly low toward the water and then splash down in the bay, drenching the screaming children in warm salt water.

  Anne stood next to Yu-ning watching the younger children laugh and play in the ocean. “Some of us have been here for years, Yu-ning, and this is the first time we have swum in the ocean. I have never seen some of these children smile before,” Anne marveled.

  “Caspar told me how you both came to be here on Darqendia . . . I am so sorry about what has happened to you, Anne,” said Yu-ning, squeezing Anne’s hand.

  “Caspar is like a little brother to me now,” Anne said. “We have been through a lot together.”

  “Are you originally from Malinga Island, near the boarding school?” Yu-ning asked.

  “No, I am from Farcara Island, from a village called Caer-a-mor. When I was six, my parents were killed in an avalanche while working in the mountains. My younger sister and I didn’t have any known relatives, so the elders of our village thought it wise to send us to boarding school on Malinga. But I doubt they would have sent us away had they known what would happen to me . . .”

  “Is your sister here on the beach with us?” asked Yu-ning.

  “No, Ariadne is still at the school. She’s very smart, which makes the school look good. Smart kids get to stay, I guess . . .” Anne said with a wan smile.

 
Yu-ning squeezed the girl’s hand. “Suparna and the teachers on Rainbow Island will not let this continue, Anne. We will go to Malinga Island and take your sister away from that boarding school. Any adults who would sell children for not getting good enough grades . . .” Yu-ning couldn’t say another word, but just choked back her own anger and tears.

  “Why are you here on Darqendia, Yu-ning?” asked Anne.

  Yu-ning felt a connection with Anne; like Yu-ning, she had lost her parents. And right about now, having a girlfriend her age was a welcome change. Yu-ning explained all the events of the past three weeks. She described Rainbow Island, the attack of the obsidigon, and the stolen crystals. She also told Anne about Lightcaster and that she and Suparna were looking for clues about the missing arrows.

  “That’s why we came here to this island,” Yu-ning said. “We were hoping to find someone who might know more about the Darq Render arrows that used to be made here on Darqendia.”

  Anne grew keenly interested and said, “My village is at the foot of Snowy Mountain, the tallest peak on Farcara Island. There is a local legend that a mysterious warrior lives near the peak of the mountain, and that he has magic arrows that were once used to kill dragons. It’s just a story that I used to hear around the campfire as a young girl, but many of the elders swear it’s true.”

  Yu-ning was skeptical; what were the odds that this mysterious warrior could be Jacob’s long lost brother, Joshua? “Did this hunter have a name, Anne?” asked Yu-ning.

  “I think his name was Jeremiah,” Anne said. “No, wait, it was Joshua. I remember his name because I used to have a cat named Joshua. Funny how I remember that after so many years.”

  Yu-ning became animated and smiled broadly at Anne. “Thank you, Anne. I think the man on Snowy Mountain might actually be the person we are searching for!” Yu-ning sprinted down the beach in search of Suparna, whom she found splashing in the waves with a large group of children. The kids were climbing up on Suparna’s back and jumping and diving into the waves. Suparna was very encouraged to hear the news and told Yu-ning that they would need to make a plan for traveling to Farcara Island.

  Once the sun set on that momentous day, the children all pitched in to cook a meal of rice, carrots, and beans, which they had brought from the fortress’s pantries. When night fell, it became surprisingly chilly. The children gathered up a large amount of driftwood, and soon a huge bonfire was blazing on the beach in front of the camp. Yu-ning and Suparna stood apart from the warming glow of the flames, discussing what to do with the children.

  Suparna would return to Rainbow Island and gather all the pink dolphins he could find to come to the bay, so the children could return to Rainbow Island. At first light, Suparna prepared to head back to Rainbow Island to arrange transportation for the children. He and Yu-ning calculated that he would need to gather a pod of at least fifty pink dolphins, each of whom could carry ten children on its back. “I will see you in two days’ time, Yu-ning, assuming the weather remains fair,” Suparna said. “Take care of yourself, and make sure the children don’t wander away from the beach camp. The desert here is cruel, and a child could easily get lost out there.”

  “Anne, myself, and the older children will keep a close eye on all the little ones, Suparna,” Yu-ning assured her feathered friend. “Safe travels!”

  Suparna headed out, flying swiftly southward, as Yu-ning looked on, watching her friend until he was out of sight.

  Eighteen

  Minkaro

  TWO DAYS HAD PASSED since Suparna had left for Rainbow Island to gather the pink dolphins. All was well on the beach, as the children were still celebrating their release from the factory and the joy of knowing they would never have to return. Despite all the happiness surrounding her, Yu-ning felt tired and lonely. And though her scar was no longer painful to the touch, it ached at night when the temperature dropped. At both ends of the long beach, the land poked out into the sea—two long fingers that nearly met in the middle, forming a natural cove within. Yu-ning walked to the end of one of these fingers, a rocky peninsula that led her away from the laughter and playful sounds of the children.

  At the end of the headland, she found a soft patch of grass growing atop the rocks, which afforded her a full view of both the ocean and the bay. It was hot, but the cool ocean breeze made for a perfect day. She lay down on the grass, wishing she were back on Rainbow Island. For a while she dozed off but was awakened by a wave that crashed against the rocks, hitting her face with sea spray. From the position of the sun, she guessed she had slept for two hours.

  She stared up at the perfect blue sky, feeling small and ill-equipped for the task of retrieving the arrows or confronting Hobaling—not to mention the unthinkable prospect of fighting the obsidigon! “One,” she whispered. “There are surely others in this world better able to find the sacred crystals than me.” The only response was the sound of the wind through the grass and the waves against the rocks. Magic had accompanied her on her walk, and had been hunting for bugs nearby. He brushed up against her leg, and she picked up her sleek green friend and held him in her hand. Yu-ning began to cry, sitting with her knees tucked up against her chest.

  “What are these tears about? The little girl I know is more full of laughter than tears,” came a voice from behind.

  “Metatron!” Yu-ning yelled, as she sprang to her feet and ran into his arms. He was walking heavily, with his staff as a crutch, and nearly fell down from her hug.

  “Easy, child, your master teacher is still weak! But when Suparna told me you were here with the children, contemplating a trip to Farcara Island, it seemed to accelerate my recovery,” Metatron said. “So I returned with Suparna to see how you are faring.”

  She hugged him again, more gently this time, understanding that the trip had been difficult for him. She had missed him more than she realized and was encouraged to see how far he had come in his recovery. The afternoon was gone and the sun was ready to set by the time they reached the beach camp. Metatron was delighted to meet all the children, and he told them about their impending journey back to Rainbow Island.

  He and Suparna had left Rainbow Island at the same time as the great pod of pink dolphins, but despite how quickly the magnificent mammals could swim, Suparna could fly nearly twice as fast. So the dolphins weren’t expected to reach the cove until the next morning. That evening after a simple meal of rice and fish, Yu-ning, Metatron, and Suparna talked around the fire about the plan ahead. Yu-ning relayed all that Balthazar had told her about Hobaling and his grandfather, the strengths and weaknesses of the obsidigons, and the strategies and methods of warlocks.

  “As to why Hobaling stole the stones, the answer is not complicated,” Metatron offered. “Though the Seven Sacred Crystals have little power of their own, they project the light of love further into the world. In this sense, the stones are like the moon, which reflects the light of the sun—the crystals simply reflect the light of love from our hearts, and project it outward. Those who embrace goodness and love bring the light, and the rainbow sends it further into the world. Hobaling understands this, and by taking the crystals, he reduces the reach of the light. Could he win a war without the crystals? Perhaps. But he knows he needs every advantage he can muster.”

  Suparna and Metatron informed Yu-ning that darkness was spreading across the ocean—they had seen it in the distance as they flew from Rainbow Island to Darqendia. It looked like a large dark stain, moving across the ocean’s surface. As well, several sea friends—including a pod of Tunzai blue whales—reported seeing the darkness coming from Baggul Island, a main nesting site for the last Great Obsidigon Horde a century earlier. The whales also spotted strange, shadowy creatures racing across the sea, coming from the direction of the dark pool.

  “Master Balthazar also believes that Baggul Island is the most likely place for Hobaling to hide,” Yu-ning said. “It is where Hobaling’s grandfather hid from the royal armies after the Great Obsidigon War.”

  Metatron sm
iled with pride at his young student. “Very good, Yu-ning. I see you were listening to old Balthazar’s lessons.” Yu-ning gave a sheepish grin, and Metatron continued in a more serious tone. “This changes our plans, Yu-ning, as I did not realize that this darkness had spread so far so quickly. Suparna and I will need to bring the children to Rainbow Island as swiftly as possible. I don’t know if the ocean lanes are safe, so Suparna and I will stay with the dolphins in case there is trouble. Though I don’t like to split up, I believe we will have to: Yu-ning, when the royal pod of dolphins arrives tomorrow, I want you to rendezvous with King Minkaro and travel with him to Farcara Island to see what you can find out about this mysterious man who lives atop Snowy Mountain. With any luck, it is the hunter, Joshua, whom we are seeking.”

  “But Master, why can’t Suparna take me—I would feel so much better if I was going with him,” Yu-ning said. Suparna smiled kindly at Yu-ning as Metatron said, “That would be our first choice, Yu-ning, but Suparna is not built to fly in frigid temperatures. Minkaro, on the other hand, is used to swimming in cold waters. There is no other way.”

  Yu-ning did not want to leave Metatron again so soon. She understood, however, that she needed to be the one to bring Lightcaster to Farcara. Showing Joshua her Darq Render birthmark, along with the great bow, should be sufficient proof to convince Joshua that she was, indeed, the right person to receive the Darq Render arrows.

  “But what about the children at the boarding school—Anne’s sister, and the other kids who are being mistreated?” Yu-ning said. “We must help them, Metatron!”

  “We will, Yu-ning, in due time. But that is of secondary concern to us right now, with Hobaling on the move, and these Darq creatures prowling the waters—coming ever closer to Rainbow Island. We will not forget the children of Malinga Island, but they will have to wait a little longer for relief.”

  “Metatron, this school is a horrible place, and we must—”