Journey to Rainbow Island (32 page)

Jonas hugged her back and said, “Not me, Yu-ning. You! I told them all about you. These are the people you saved! Come on, we don't have any more time,” Jonas said as they both eyed the waterspout swirling in the distance, but growing closer to the bow of the ship. The ship's captain grabbed the rope ladder, steadying it in the howling wind. Jonas descended first and, following Minkaro's instructions, latched himself to Yu-ning's saddle. He helped people down from the rope ladder onto the back of the great dolphin.

The captain threw down extra ropes, and Jonas instructed the passengers to tie themselves together, and hold on for dear life. Once Minkaro had about twenty-five passengers on his back, he raced the short distance to the white ship, where crew members waited to help the stunned survivors climb ladders onto the deck of the naval vessel.

In a matter of seven minutes, Minkaro was able to shuttle all the willing passengers to the other ship. It was an amazing feat, aided by the precise actions of both captains working in unison. Sarah and Yu-ning helped each passenger descend
the ladder toward the safe haven of the white boat. Yu-ning tried one last time to save anyone who would listen, but everyone was gone. The remaining passengers had all disappeared below decks.

The captain of the ship waved to the captain of the white boat and signaled him that he, Yu-ning, Sarah, and Jonas were the only ones remaining. Minkaro returned for them, and the captain grabbed onto Yu-ning's and Sarah's hands as he helped them climb onto the dolphin's back. Yu-ning noticed tears in the captain's eyes, though he didn't say a word. Yu-ning reached out to the captain and squeezed his hand. “I'm so glad you are here leading us, Captain. You opened your heart,” she said.

The captain nodded at her and said, “Thank you for saving us.”

From atop Minkaro, Yu-ning tried one last time to reach the other passengers, some of whom were staring blankly over the railing of the ship from above. “Everyone, please. This is your very last chance. If you don't leave now, you will never get out!” Some of the passengers simply stared, while others left the railing, walking away from their last hope for survival. A young man, however, climbed onto the railing and dove into the water. Minkaro reached him quickly, and the captain and Jonas helped him climb onto the dolphin.

Tears streamed down Yu-ning's face as Minkaro tried to comfort her. “Yu-ning, we have to go now. You tried. They chose their journey,” he said kindly. “Hold on now. It's time to leave.”

Yu-ning nodded wistfully. “It's time.”

As Minkaro swam away, they saw the gigantic ship pulled toward the funnel of the waterspout; an enormous whirlpool
circled where the monstrous funnel met the sea. The ship lurched toward the whirlpool and was sucked into the dark swirling sinkhole, which was pulling down everything around it. The ship disappeared into the deep darkness in less than two minutes. As it sank, Yu-ning thought she could see dark shadows in the water, circling around the ship.

Minkaro raced away from danger, plunging through the stormy waters with Yu-ning, Jonas, Sarah, the captain, and the young man looking on in sadness and silence. Within less than a minute they arrived at the white boat, and one by one they climbed aboard as the crew welcomed each person with a warm blanket. The other passengers were all staring at the terrible scene—the place where the ship had once been was now empty, and the whirlpool seemed to be moving away from the naval vessel. They were out of danger, but their hearts were heavy as they grieved for their lost friends and loved ones.

As the imperial naval vessel headed east, the storm began to abate, and within an hour the sea swells were smaller. The rain kept on, but it too had lessened. The water changed color too, growing less dark. It seemed they had left the Darq waters behind.

As much as Yu-ning wished she could stay with the naval vessel, she knew she had unfinished business away south, on Farcara Island. After refilling her pack with fresh water skins and provisions, she climbed down one of the steel ladders, assisted by Jonas. “You will be safe in the imperial city on Tunzai, Jonas. Perhaps we will meet again some day!” she said.

Jonas waved goodbye as Yu-ning settled herself in the saddle, removing Lightcaster from around her shoulder and
tying it securely to the back of the saddle next to her pack. Minkaro pulled away from the white vessel and headed due south. Soon the ship was out of sight, and they were back on course toward their original destination. The farther they traveled, the fairer the weather. Through the night they traveled without incident. The sky was clear, and the stars were out, but there was an increasing chill in the air.

Early the next morning, Yu-ning awoke to find Minkaro swimming with renewed urgency. “They are back, Yu-ning.” About a half mile behind them she could see four dark dorsal fins slicing through the smooth waters. “How did they pick up our trail so easily again, Minkaro?” asked Yu-ning, as she turned around to look at their pursuers.

Behind her, though, she found her answer. “Minkaro, look! My pink crystal necklace is leaving a trail of light in the water—maybe that is how they picked up our trail again!” Though the sharks were color-blind, they must indeed have found Yu-ning and Minkaro by the light trail they left in their wake. Yu-ning quickly dropped the necklace under her jacket, which caused the pink lights to stop glowing. But it was too late—the creatures had them in their sights, and no longer needed a light trail.

By midday, the Darq creatures had cut in half the distance to their quarry. They sensed that they were gaining, and increased their speed. Soon, Yu-ning and the pink dolphin could see white shapes ahead. “Icebergs!” shouted Yu-ning.

“Perhaps I can drop you on one of the larger ice floes, Yu-ning, and once again lose those horrible creatures!” As they ventured south, chunks of sea ice increased in number, but none were large enough for Yu-ning to climb upon. The
Darq creatures were now only about a quarter mile behind them.

The ice floes were all around them now, and the air had turned frigid. Yu-ning removed the jacket from her pack—the down jacket Metatron had given her before she left Darqendia—and buttoned it all the way up. She looked around again, fearful that the creatures had gained even more ground. Instead, it seemed that they had fallen behind—the distance had grown between them. “Minkaro, look! They are falling behind!”

It seemed too good to be true, but Minkaro saw that Yu-ning was right. As he looked back, the four fins stopped all together. They were turning around! “Yu-ning! It's the cold—they cannot tolerate the icy waters. Remember how I told you that when I dove deep, they stopped their pursuit? It is the same thing here—they are giving up!”

As the pair surged onward, they saw the four dorsal fins fade in the distance as the creatures swam northward, in the opposite direction. “Thank you, One,” Yu-ning whispered as Minkaro glided across the glassy water in the direction of Farcara Island.

D
EEP DOWN
, Romeo knew he wasn't on Rainbow Island, running with Yu-ning on the beach. He knew he was drowning. The heavy cloth from his makeshift rope entombed him, the weight dragging him deeper into the churning waters.

Still, the water
was
purple and glowing around him. Then he saw it, bobbing against his chest—his crystal heart necklace was glowing, and a soft purple light was shimmering in the water around him.
But if I am drowning,
thought Romeo,
whose hand is that?

There! He grabbed Yu-ning's hand, and she was pulling him upward. As he teetered just on the brink of consciousness, his final thought was that it was impossible.
Yu-ning is far away
—
a world away. She is safe on Rainbow Island, isn't she?
But the hand definitely was grabbing his, and he felt himself surging upward.

He broke the surface, air exploding into his lungs. Suparna was paddling in the water, and Metatron was on his back, leaning low—it was the wizard who had reached down to grab hold of Romeo's hand. Suparna helped push Romeo upward as Metatron pulled the exhausted boy onto Suparna's wing. The bird turned himself around to exit the large sea cave.

Romeo dragged himself onto Suparna's back, wrapping his arms around Metatron as they emerged from the cave into the choppy waters below the cliffs. Magic poked his head out of Metatron's pocket and jumped onto Romeo's shoulder. “I am so happy that you made it, Romeo. Our plan worked!”

“Magic, I hope you are right. Hopefully the warlock and his dragon won't discover I am gone until we are far away from this terrible place!”

Romeo saw that they were directly below the obsidigon's lair. The foreboding cliffs of Baggul Island loomed above them, sending a shiver down Romeo's spine. “Hold on—here we go!” said Suparna as he took flight, heading east toward Tunzai Island, the home of the imperial princess in her floating palace. As they made their way away from the island, Romeo was full of questions. “Metatron, how did you find me?” the boy asked.

“Magic returned to the cliff above the obsidigon's lair just before dawn, and told us your plan about the underground river,” said Metatron. “We flew above the island, using the low clouds as cover. We kept circling the island, looking for you along the coast. It was Magic who spotted a very faint purple glow coming from that sea cave. We quickly deduced that it was your purple crystal heart that was causing the
light. Thankfully, the cave was large enough for Suparna to enter.”

Romeo held the small purple gem in his hands, thankful for its light and for his friends. “Thank you, Magic. Thank you, everyone, for helping me.” The small frog jumped into Romeo's pocket, a smile of contentment on his face.

“Romeo, did you see any sign of the Seven Sacred Crystals?” Metatron asked.

“No, Master. I didn't really have a chance to explore, though—they threw me in the cave prison straight away,” Romeo said.

“That's all right, Romeo. We will find the crystals. For now, we are off to Tunzai Island, to seek counsel with the Royal Empress. I must give her a full report on everything that is happening.”

They flew east as the sun rose before them, warming Romeo's chilled bones and raising the spirits of the small party. Romeo's purple heart crystal rested against his chest, casting its light outward. As they flew across the sky, a vivid purple trail of light could be seen for miles behind them.

As Suparna flew away from Baggul Island, little did he know that the very gem that had saved Romeo's life was also leaving a telltale trail for the enemy to follow. And it didn't take long for the dragon to realize the boy was gone: the obsidigon could no longer smell Romeo's flesh.

Enraged, Hobaling mounted the dragon and set out with terrible speed, heading in the direction of his quarry. The purple path was faint but visible, making easy tracking for the obsidigon and the warlock.

“W
E ARE SAFE FOR NOW
, Yu-ning, for those creatures won't follow us into the frosty waters around Farcara Island,” Minkaro said. In the distance, a breathtaking island appeared, with tall, snowcapped peaks rising above the sea. The pair swam into an immense fjord—a steep ocean passage with ice and rock jutting up hundreds of feet on either side. The fjord narrowed and came to an end where a long, rocky beach met the water. Just beyond the beach was a village. Here Minkaro and Yu-ning parted ways, the dark-haired girl removing her pack along with Lightcaster.

“I will come to this spot, Yu-ning, every day at noon to rendezvous with you once your business is done. Use your pink crystal to signal me when you return. Best of luck, and may the light be with you.” Yu-ning crossed the rocky beach and then turned to wave goodbye. Minkaro decided to stay the night in this protected place—close to the village, in case Yu-ning needed him.