A tall, elegant man in a flowing robe and shaved head approached them, bowed, and said, “Empress is expecting you. Come now.”
“The Empress!” Romeo exclaimed. Together they all followed the tall man through the glorious palace—the ceilings were high, and were also inlaid with delicate, hand-carved designs and patterns, painted in all the colors of the rainbow. The floor was glistening white marble. High, open windows lined both sides of the long room, as diaphanous white curtains gently swayed in the afternoon breeze. It was lovely and elegant, and its delicate beauty enchanted Romeo and the others. Magic peeked out from Metatron’s robe and was about to bound away to explore—Metatron caught him in midair, and whispered, “Not now, Magic. There will be gardens and insects soon enough for you. But right now, you must stay put!”
Two double golden doors opened on the opposite end of the room, and out drifted a breathtakingly beautiful woman. She was elegant and graceful as she swept toward them like a vision. She was the most stunning woman Romeo had ever seen. She had long dark hair, dark angelic eyes, and flawless ivory skin, and she was wearing a long, shining white gown.
Atop her head was a glistening crown covered in crystals and jewels. She was glowing. A stunning, ornately crafted necklace adorned her neck, pulsating pink hues that shined outward in a ten-foot radius. She moved gracefully in her flowing gown, waving and smiling at everyone as her gaze fell tenderly upon Romeo, Metatron, and Suparna. She nodded her head with dignity. “Welcome, all. Welcome to my palace. I know the trials you have endured, my boy, and what your protectors have risked to save you.” She gazed at Romeo as she said this. Romeo said nothing but bowed deeply before the Empress.
“And my good friends Metatron and Suparna—thank you for coming to our aid. The kingdom of Tunzai thanks you, and I thank you.” Metatron and Suparna bowed, and Metatron said, “My Empress, the obsidigon was seen flying toward the Cliffs of Conundrum, but we do not know why. As well, we are awaiting the arrival of our companion—a small girl, eleven years old. Her name is Yu-ning, and she possesses the last known Darq Render bow, Lightcaster. Have you seen her, your highness?”
“We have no knowledge of such a girl, Metatron. Are you sure she has arrived here on Tunzai?” said the Empress.
“No, all we know is that Minkaro, King of the Pink Dolphins, was to escort her here from Farcara Island, where they were on a quest to find the long-lost arrows of Darqendia.”
“Ah, Lightcaster and the Quiver of Light, yes? When I was a girl my grandfather, Emperor Ming, used to tell me stories about the great Darq Render bow and quiver of arrows. I didn’t believe the stories, but again, I didn’t believe there was an obsidigon skull hidden in the catacombs below this palace—until I saw with my own eyes the obsidigon wreaking havoc on the city below,” added the Empress. “Hobaling deceived the imperial court, tricked my beloved sister, and stole the obsidigon skull from the catacombs below this very palace! There is no love in his heart, and if he is not stopped, I fear a great darkness will overcome all the islands of our fair realm,” she said with increasing emotion.
The doors of the palace swung open, and all heads turned toward the entrance. The tall man entered swiftly, followed by Captain Darius and Lieutenant Marcus. “Your highness, I am sorry to disturb you, but we come with urgent news,” said Captain Darius. “We believe the girl these three are looking for has gone in pursuit of the dragon and the warlock. We would have been here sooner, but we had difficulty finding a terralight basket that hadn’t been incinerated by the dragon.”
“What did this girl look like, Captain?” said Metatron.
“I was with her on the battlefield, Master Metatron,” said Marcus, stepping forward. “She shot a single light rod at the dragon, and it seemed to startle the creature, which fled the battlefield.”
“What do you mean, she shot a light rod at the dragon?” asked Metatron.
“She nocked a normal arrow, but when she loosed the missile, it transformed into a blinding yellow light rod—it was the brightest light I have ever seen. It stunned the creature, which made its retreat. The girl took one of our horses and rode in the direction of the obsidigon. We pursued her as far as the Cliffs of Conundrum, where she abandoned the horse and entered the cliffs on foot. Soon the trail went cold. We returned as swiftly as we could to report the news to you.”
Metatron had a mind to scold the lieutenant for allowing an eleven-year-old girl to outsmart him. But then again, this was Yu-ning, and she was no ordinary girl. Yu-ning was well skilled in the art of tracking—she had Metatron and the instructors of Rainbow Island to thank for that!
“We must make haste, Empress! Suparna, Romeo, and I must pursue Yu-ning! She is in grave danger and needs our assistance!”
“Of course, Metatron! Go quickly—my prayers are with you all!”
Metatron, Suparna, and Romeo raced from the palace and swiftly took flight in the direction of the Cliffs of Conundrum, just northwest of the Floating Palace of Tunzai.
Thirty-Two
Butterflies
IT WAS RELATIVELY EASY for Yu-ning to lose the soldiers in the twisted labyrinth of rocks and boulders along the sea cliffs. She had pursued Hobaling and the dragon across the plain, and had seen the beast fly over the cliffs and disappear behind a rock formation that resembled a finger pointing toward the sky. As she reached the rock outcroppings near the coast, she found herself staring at a maze of gigantic rocks and boulders that stretched in both directions as far as she could see. It would be easy to get lost in those rocks, and that was her plan.
She glanced behind her to see the five horsemen approaching swiftly. Dismounting her horse, she took off on foot, Lightcaster in one hand, the Quiver of Light slung over her right shoulder. She darted into a narrow opening between two massive boulders, barely able to squeeze through the narrow passage, which continued for about 100 feet before opening onto a wider passage. She knew the larger soldiers would not be able to negotiate the passage, but she found some tall, dried grass nearby and erased her tracks, just to be safe.
She knew her only chance to get close enough to the obsidigon was by using her small size and stealth. And she knew she would be more effective alone, without the soldiers in tow. The larger passage wove around the rocks until it emerged at the cliff face, which dropped hundreds of feet to the rocky shoreline below. Here the passage gave way to a narrow path that hugged the side of the cliff that led in both directions. She remembered seeing the finger rock to her right, so she set off in that direction. Behind her she could hear the shouts of the horse archers, searching for a sign of her trail. She quickened her pace, using the tall finger rock as a point of reference. She was getting closer. The cliff trail, however, ended abruptly at a huge rock. No way around. What now?
“I must have missed something,” she whispered, as she retraced her steps along the trail she had just walked down. About fifty feet back, she saw an enormous slab of rock that had fallen from above and was now leaning against the side of the cliff. She’d barely given the rock any notice as she’d slipped past it a minute before.
Now, however, she could see faint light coming from behind the large rock. She peered inside—there was a slim opening that had been blocked when the slab fell onto the trail. It was very narrow, and she had to remove her backpack to squeeze through. Once on the other side, the going was very slow, as the walls of the cliffs were barely a foot apart. As small as Yu-ning was, she had to turn sideways to inch her way along the passageway, dragging her pack and Lightcaster at her side. As she peered down the narrow space, she could see daylight—and a rock formation in the shape of a long finger.
She smelled the obsidigon before she saw it. She inched toward the end of the narrow passage and peered around the edge. The passageway opened onto a rock ledge, with cliffs rising all around. In front of her the ledge dropped off to the plains far below—the Imperial Palace of Tunzai floated serenely in the distance. The dragon and the warlock had their backs to her, about thirty feet away. It look
ed as if Hobaling was trying to calm the wounded dragon, having brought it to rest on the exposed ledge after they fled the battlefield.
As quietly as she could, Yu-ning removed an arrow from the Quiver of Light and nocked it into place. She stood still at the end of the passage, still hidden from the view of the dragon. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. She had to step out onto the ledge to have room to fire the arrow. She knew this was risky, but in the tight confines of the passage, it would be impossible for her to maneuver a shot. She stealthily stepped out onto the ledge, brought the weapon to her shoulder, and pulled back hard on the bowstring.
A memory flashed through her mind. During an archery lesson given by her instructor, Cristobel, back on Rainbow Island, Cristobel had said, “Clear your mind before you let fly the arrow. Take a cleansing breath, and hold it—and gently let go of the bowstring. Do not shoot the arrow, but release the arrow—set it free.” Yu-ning narrowed her left eye, aimed the arrow at the dragon, and let fly. As before, the instant the arrow left the string, it flared into a brilliant yellow rod, trailing blinding light as it streaked toward the dragon’s head.
Hobaling cried out, just in time for the dragon to swing its head out of the path of the flashing arrow. Yu-ning knew she had now lost the element of surprise, and she frantically fumbled for another arrow. As she lowered it into place, she saw that Hobaling was almost upon her. He had raced across the ledge faster than she could have imagined, and she had little time to react. She let the arrow fly, but it banged harmlessly against the cliff wall in a cloud of sparks. She turned to make her retreat down the passageway, hoping the space would be too narrow for Hobaling to follow.
Wedging her body sideways, she moved away as quickly as she could. She took two steps—and was yanked backward. She lost her footing and fell hard on her tender left shoulder, red-hot pain shooting up her arm and into her body. The warlock pulled her back as she tried to grab hold of the cliff wall. Her hand found a rock hold, and she pulled with all her might, kicking at Hobaling. She scrambled away, crawling deeper into the passage, out of reach of Hobaling’s grasping hands. She was free!
But her heart sank as she realized that in the chaos, Lightcaster had slipped out of her hands and was lying on the ground near the entrance to the ledge. Hobaling had seen it too, and was stretching his hand toward it. It was just out of his reach. Yu-ning turned to flee, but paused, looking back at Lightcaster. Making a split-second decision, she lunged for the bow just as Hobaling’s bony fingers curled around the wooden frame. She grabbed Lightcaster from the opposite end and pulled. But Hobaling had ferocious strength, and he heaved the bow backward, grabbing Yu-ning’s wrist with his free hand.
She was lifted off the ground, pulled through the passage and onto the rock ledge. They both hit the ground hard as Lightcaster fell from Hobaling’s hands. Yu-ning scrambled away, lunged for Lightcaster, and pulled it toward her. Hobaling stood and advanced toward her as the obisidigon rose up behind the warlock. Yu-ning saw a swirling circle of fire forming in the dragon’s mouth, but the warlock was between them, causing the dragon to hold back. Yu-ning rolled away from the warlock and scrambled toward the tall, fingerlike rock formation.
“Now!” screamed Hobaling at the dragon. Yu-ning made herself small behind the large rock formation just as the fireball exploded against the outer side of the rock, sending flames past her face. She had one last chance, and she knew it. Swiftly she removed another arrow from the quiver and nocked it in place.
“Did you really think you could defeat me?” hissed Hobaling, moving toward the finger rock. “That you could stop me from spreading this darkness? From here, I will spread the darkness to the rest of the world—especially now that I have your precious sacred crystals!”
Yu-ning glanced around the rock, gauging the distance to the dragon. She leaned out from behind the rock, seeing her chance: the dragon lowered his head, the soft spot on the back of its neck momentarily exposed. Everything moved as if in slow motion as Hobaling appeared before her, diving to tackle her just as she readied herself to loose the arrow.
Sensing danger, the obsidigon raised his head high and gave a loud cry. As Hobaling’s weight crashed into her, Yu-ning released the bowstring—but the arrow was heading for the front of the obsidigon’s head. As she hit the ground, she looked back as the dragon swatted at the arrow, pushing the light missile off course so that it smashed against the cliff behind the creature.
The obsidigon was above Yu-ning now, preparing to release its fire upon her head. Hobaling, however, rose to his feet close by—too close for the dragon to release its fire. Instead, the obsidigon raised its razor-sharp talon high into the air, ready to bring destruction upon the girl’s head.
At that moment there was a terrible crash, and Yu-ning and Hobaling were knocked sideways. Yu-ning looked up and saw that the obsidigon had been thrown against the rock wall, boulders and loose stones crashing down from above. Hobaling, too, had been knocked against the rocks, and lay still on the ground. Suparna landed in the middle of the fight, with Metatron and Romeo on his back. The dragon recovered, and swiped at Suparna with his tail, knocking him sideways and sending Romeo sprawling across the rocky ground. Romeo’s head hit hard against the stones. He lay motionless next to Hobaling.
“Yu-ning, to me!” yelled Metatron, reaching a hand out to the little girl, who was still clutching her bow and a single arrow. The Quiver of Light was empty of its missiles; the remaining arrows had been strewn across the ledge during the battle. She grabbed Metatron’s hand, and he pulled her onto Suparna’s back. As the great bird took wing, the obsidigon’s tail crashed down on the rocks, missing them by inches.
The dragon was pacing, his head swinging between Suparna, suspended above him in the air, and Romeo, who lay unconscious next to Hobaling. Now hovering above the dragon, Suparna was considering his next move. The dragon drew back and unleashed a molten fireball. Suparna anticipated the flames, however, and dodged the fiery missile. The dragon roared in frustration. Swiveling his jaundiced eyes back to Romeo, the dragon crossed toward the unmoving boy, who lay a dozen feet away.
Suparna and Metatron saw what was happening, but realized they were too far above the scene to reach Romeo in time. Yu-ning froze, realizing that Romeo was about to die. A love she had never known flooded her heart as she stared down at her best friend in the world. She remembered that she still held the last arrow, and her bow. With a fierceness in her heart, she recalled what Balthazar told her in the Tower of Light: The arc of the bow is like the curve of the rainbow—as the arrow of light shoots forth into the world, it tears the darkness, and brings its love with it.
The dragon looked up at her with malice in its eyes. With resolve in her mind, and love in her heart for Romeo, she narrowed her sights, nocked the final arrow, and aimed at the creature that stood directly over Romeo now. The dragon swung his head upward at Yu-ning, a dark gleam in his eye. Yu-ning resisted the urge to loose her arrow—it was not yet time. She waited for the obsidigon to turn its head back toward Romeo, the arrow poised and ready. As the dragon swung its head down and raised a talon above the boy, Yu-ning knew it was time—she loosed the arrow directly toward the back of the obisidigon’s neck. The arrow became infused with blinding, swirling yellow light as it raced toward its target.
The arrow stopped in midair just before it reached the dragon’s neck. The barren spot on the obsidigon’s neck was glowing—a vivid circle of yellow light. The dragon froze, as if unable to move as the arrow floated just an inch from the creature—just as it had when Joshua had fired the arrow at Snowheart. As the arrow hovered there, the light grew brighter, and flowed toward the exposed circle of light on the creature. The beautiful yellow beam streamed directly toward the barren circle on the dragon’s neck and entered into the dragon. The obsidigon slowly rose from the ledge—its massive body floated upward into the air, as the lights from the arrow flowed into the dragon, filling it with clean, pure light.
In a flash, t
he yellow, swirling display exploded, sending streams of light in every direction. Yu-ning and Metatron had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the explosion. “Look, everyone,” whispered Yu-ning, in deep reverence. The dragon’s body had changed—the light had infused it, and the dragon was becoming transparent. Small individual points of light began to form, and these sprouted wings—vivid wings adorned with the seven colors of the rainbow! Thousands of beautiful, multicolored butterflies appeared, still holding the shape of the dragon. The light of the arrow had penetrated the soft spot on the dragon’s neck and invaded the hulking creature with the light of love. The anger and malice of the dragon was gone, and in its place thousands of delicate butterflies hovered close together, in the form of the dragon.
“Butterflies, just like during the Great Obsidigon War . . .” marveled Metatron, as he finally understood the old mystery. “That is why, after every battle, waves of butterflies would follow the Darq Renders home.”
Metatron raised his staff, and spoke toward the dragon-shaped mass of winged creatures. “Be free, and fly!” The colorful creatures fluttered their wings and took off in every direction. As they flew away in the afternoon light, the only thing that remained of the obsidigon was its skull. Clean, white, ancient—it was as if all the hatred and malice that Hobaling had poured into his creation had died, replaced by the arc of light extending from Lightcaster—and the love it represented.
Suparna landed on the ledge, and Yu-ning scrambled down to check on Romeo. He lay by himself where he had fallen—Hobaling was nowhere in sight.
There was no movement or sign of life. Tears began to roll down Yu-ning’s cheeks as she whispered, “Oh, Romeo.” She knelt down, hugging his still body, weeping quietly. Metatron and Suparna exchanged pained looks as they observed the sad scene, Metatron resting his hand upon the grief-stricken girl’s delicate shoulder.
Journey to Rainbow Island Page 28
