Journey to Rainbow Island (20 page)

With few rivers to support them, the villages of the eastern plains were forced to dig deep wells to tap into the aquifers far beneath the soil. For several decades the underground sources of water were sufficient to sustain their farms and mining operations. But the aquifers began to drop, and it became increasingly difficult to dig wells deep enough to access the water. Many clans were forced to abandon land their forefathers had worked for centuries. Life as these hardworking farmers and miners had known it for generations came to an end. Thus, they quietly sailed out of the eastern bays in search of new, more suitable lands.

Only small outposts of stiff-necked settlers remained, there to harvest the minerals buried beneath the desert, or to mine the diamonds and precious metals found in the western mountains. But settlements were few and far between and were located almost exclusively along the foot of the mountains, where mining deposits were the richest and water more plentiful. On the eastern shore, however, the desert that once only occupied the very center of the island had slowly crept
all the way to the sea. Sand dunes now kissed beaches where green fields and farms once thrived.

It was toward this desolate eastern shore that Suparna and Yu-ning now flew in search of Jacob and Joshua's boyhood village. It was where the twins' mother had died and where Silas, their mother's cousin, had guarded Lightcaster until the boys came to reclaim it two decades ago.

Metatron had drawn a map for Suparna and Yu-ning before they departed Rainbow Island, showing the village to be about three hours north of the southern horn of Darqendia, along the eastern shore of the island. The fact that they were looking for a coastal village at least eliminated the need for Suparna to venture inland, across the trackless desert where the island was most inhospitable. But truly, they didn't know what to expect—or whether or not the village was even still there.

Suparna flew hard most of the night, and just as he picked up the scent of earth on the early morning wind, he spotted a long brown slice of land in the distance. He met the coast on the southernmost tip of Darqendia and followed it north. The heat rose with the sun, as an offshore breeze blew hot and strong.

Suparna recalled Metatron's instructions: “When you see a large citadel—a fortress made of sandstone—you will know you are there. That is the old southern garrison of the Darq Renders, a staging point in their war against the obsidigons.”

Just when he and Yu-ning were starting to feel the full effects of the intense sun, they saw what looked like an old castle, about a quarter mile from a protected bay. “There! Suparna, do you see it?” yelled Yu-ning, the hot wind blowing
through her hair as she pointed to her left, inland from the coast.

“Yes, Yu-ning, I see it. Hold on, we are going in,” said Suparna, as he banked and turned inland. To be safe, he maintained his altitude, now high above the turquoise waters of the sheltered bay. They made a wide sweep of the surrounding area, searching for signs of life. Beyond a high bank of sand dunes hugging the beach, the terrain gave way to flat, sandy desert, dotted with scrub brush. They flew over the large desert fortress, whose walls and squat, turreted towers were still in good shape. They saw no one.

“There, Suparna!” said Yu-ning, pointing further inland. Past the citadel, another quarter mile away, were some buildings and houses. Suparna descended, alighting on the soft desert sand next to what looked like an old stone-rimmed well. Yu-ning dismounted, instructing Magic to stay in her backpack, which she left strapped to her saddle. She peered over the edge of the well and was disappointed to see it filled with sand and bricks. She felt thirsty and took a draw from her water skin before putting it back in the pocket of her pack. When she did, she noticed the seedpod Octavian had given her the day before, resting next to Julian's apple.

The town was abandoned, with no signs of life. The roofs of the houses were collapsed or missing altogether. The larger buildings—a barn, an inn, and a school—had fallen inward, with very little remaining other than broken walls and bleached timber.

As she walked back to rejoin Suparna, she noticed another house in the distance. This one had an intact roof and walls. To her surprise, the front door of the house opened, and a
tall, gaunt man dressed in a dirty robe strode out, slamming the front door behind him. He did not notice Yu-ning as she crouched behind the well. Catching her drift, Suparna furtively slipped behind a broken wall.

The man was heading for the old fortress, kicking up dust as he crossed the desert toward the main gate. Yu-ning approached Suparna behind the wall and told him she was going to follow the man. Suparna would keep his distance until the man went inside and then take to the sky, keeping watch from above.

Yu-ning crossed the desert behind the man, crouching behind low bushes so as not to be seen. The man kept his head down, his stride long and his demeanor serious. He walked up to the main gate of the fortress, which was large and heavy, with two enormous doors. She saw the man walk to the side of the gate, where there was a smaller door through a narrow arch. Shoulders hunched, his energy dark and heavy, the man pulled out a large ring of keys and unlocked several bolts on the ancient door.

Yu-ning quickly ran on her tiptoes toward the main gate, crouching down behind some wooden barrels. The man was so preoccupied with the last large bolt that he didn't notice the dark-haired girl behind him. He pulled the door open with a loud grunt, and Yu-ning noticed there was a second large, heavy door, just past the first, that the man now began to unlock.

Like a mouse, she quickly darted through the first door. The vestibule was dark, and Yu-ning concealed herself between two sandstone columns. She watched as the man swung open the second door, then casually swung it shut as he walked into
a passage in front of him. Quickly, Yu-ning slipped through the second door and moved into the space beyond.

She followed the man down the dark passageway, which ended at a large courtyard near the center of the fortress. He walked across the courtyard, with an old, dry fountain in the center, and approached another wooden door on the other side. After unlocking that door, he swung it shut behind him. Again, Yu-ning used her speed and stealth to just squeeze through as the door closed behind her. The man disappeared around a near corner; she waited a moment before moving, to make sure she didn't get too close.

As she stood in the passageway, she could hear sounds of tools and hammering. She walked to the edge of the passage and peered around the corner. There on the floor below were hundreds of children sitting at long wooden tables, working with tools. She was startled to see so many children in such a desolate place, especially in the middle of an abandoned fortress.

The room that housed the children was large, with a high ceiling. There was a narrow stairway on the opposite side of the hall, with stone steps leading up to a third floor and down to the first. She watched the tall man climb the stairs to the third floor and open a door into a room with a large window, which afforded him a view of the entire work area where the children were seated.

The children appeared to be making toys. Other than the sounds of woodworking tools, it was completely silent. Yu-ning estimated about 500 children were sitting and working at tables, assembling wooden toy parts. They looked sad and exhausted, their eyes hollow, showing signs of anxiety and weariness. The man emerged from his office; he seemed
to be coming out to observe the children. Narrowly escaping the man's notice, Yu-ning scrambled behind a rough, paint-stained drop cloth hanging on the wall.

She watched the man look down at the children, systematically scanning from row to row. He gave a perfunctory nod and walked back to his office, which was dimly lit. He sat down again and peered through the window at the children for a brief moment before resuming his work.

Deep concern swept over Yu-ning as she peeked out from the drop cloth. She searched for the nearest stairway to the work area below and found it to her left. She swiftly descended the stone steps as quietly as was possible. She kicked a small block of wood on the last step and noticed many of the children jump in fear.

When they looked up to see a strange girl in their midst, expressions of astonishment could be seen all down the rows before the children quickly looked back down and continued with their work. It was clear they were terrified to be caught looking at the stranger rather than at their work. Yu-ning walked over to a boy who looked to be about nine years old, but who was small for his age. His eyes were downcast and sunken in despair.

“Hello, my name is Yu-ning; what is your name?” Yu-ning asked.

The boy looked around nervously and whispered, “Caspar.” He quickly looked back down at the workbench, hoping this strange intruder would leave.

“Hi, Caspar. What are you making?” Yu-ning continued.

“A rocking horse,” Caspar said with a hollow look.

“A rocking horse! How fun. Are you making it to play with later?” Yu-ning asked with a smile.

Caspar looked up at Yu-ning, confusion in his eyes. She noticed that his clothes were threadbare and his hands were dirty. His socks were mismatched and his shoes were falling apart. He was shivering.

“These toys are not for me,” he said.

“Why not?” Yu-ning asked.

“We work here. They make us work . . . Please go away. I'm going to get in trouble if he catches us,” Caspar whispered loudly.

Yu-ning was confused by his answer. “You should be outside playing. You don't need to be in here if you don't want. You should be at school.”

Caspar's eyes grew wide. “I want to go outside. I want to go to school. We sleep here and wake up here. We never go outside. I think I've been here for three years.”

A five-year-old girl with blonde hair sitting next to Caspar said, “We work all day, and we don't have much food to eat.”

“My name is Yu-ning. I can take you out of here. Come leave with me. Come outside.”

Another girl who looked to be about Yu-ning's age chimed in. “Hi, Yu-ning. I'm Anne. I don't want to be here, and I'm hungry and cold.” Even though it was hot outside the fortress, here in this enclosed hall there was a distinct chill in the air.

Voice after voice spoke up. “Me too, I go to sleep hungry every night. I want to leave this place,” a little boy said.

“I don't want to be here either. He keeps us locked in here . . . it's so cold. We never see the sun,” another little girl's voice called out.

Yu-ning was angry to hear what the man was doing to them. She listened to every little voice and nodded in
support. “Come on, everyone. Let's go outside! This is no place for you!”

“We can't leave,” a boy called out. “He locks us in. You can't open the doors.”

“Who is the man?” Yu-ning asked.

Caspar pointed up to the window on the third level. His hand was shaking and his voice was trembling. “The man up there. He watches us. He is scary and mean. He would hurt us if he saw us leave.”

“Oh no, he's looking down at us!” Anne called out, her face petrified. Instantly, all the children bowed their heads and began working again.

“Don't worry. I will take all of you outside,” Yu-ning continued.

“He's coming. He's coming. He's coming this way. Back to work!” Caspar called out in a hushed tone.

Yu-ning looked up to catch the gaze of the tall, slender man. His eyes were cold and black. His dark, oily hair was pulled back to a sleek sheen. His eyes fixed on Yu-ning as he exited his office and negotiated the narrow set of stairs to the factory floor. As he moved, he held a long wooden stick in his hand and was hitting it against the stone steps; the noise was jarring and unsettling.

Yu-ning was also intimidated, but she tried to comfort the children. “Don't worry, everyone. I will go talk to him. I will be right back.” She stiffened her spine as she walked over to the steps to meet the man.

“Oh no . . . don't go,” Caspar called out. “He is very mean and scary; he will hurt you.”

“What do you mean, Caspar?” Yu-ning asked.

“He'll take you to the monsters
. . .”

“D
ON'T WORRY,”
Yu-ning said to Caspar, shaking her head. “I don't think there are monsters—and he won't be able to hurt us. There are more of us! Wait for me here, and I will go talk to him.”

The man noticed Yu-ning walking toward him, and his face shriveled up with anger. His pace quickened. The hall was huge and it took time to walk from the upstairs office to the children's work area two floors below. As he approached, there was fury in his cold, sinister eyes. “What are you doing standing up?” he shouted loudly at Yu-ning. He didn't distinguish her from the other children, and just viewed her as an errant worker.

“Oh, sir,” Caspar piped up in a small, timid voice. “She was just picking up that wooden piece on the stair; no need to be upset.”