Journey to Rainbow Island (36 page)

James approached Joshua and asked him, “Why do you call this place the Porch of Tranquility?”

“That is an excellent question, young man. When I first saw this place, I found it completely by accident. I was a bit lost, wandering through the boulder field above, and I stumbled upon the narrow cleft that leads to this ledge. When I emerged from the passageway, I was overcome with wonder—the way the cliff walls soar above us on three sides, the large rock ledge with its flat, smooth surface, and the sheer cliff, which drops off in front here. It reminded me of a giant stone porch. And when I sit on this massive porch, high above the kingdoms of the earth, I feel as if it is the most tranquil place this side of heaven. The Porch of Tranquility!” Joshua smiled at James, who was pleased with the tall man's answer.

The company spent a peaceful night at the Porch of Tranquility. Joshua fed them well and gave them soft feather-down blankets, which they heaped upon the ground in mounds. Everyone slept well, the physical and emotional toll of the day driving all to an early bed. In the morning, they gathered round the table for steaming mugs of tea, cream, biscuits, dried fruit, and a wide assortment of nuts. It was common fare, but satisfying, and it tasted wonderful to the visitors.

“You are here for treasure, yes?” said Joshua, his eyes narrow, his pipe perched thoughtfully in his mouth. The question startled the adults; Yu-ning smiled, while James and the twins sat up in their seats at the mention of treasure.

Before anyone could answer his question, Joshua added, “There isn't much gold on Snowy Mountain. Oh, I've looked. I looked for a dozen years. That is what first drew me here—the allure of wealth in the form of a major gold strike. Well, I can tell you with certainty that I have surveyed this entire mountain, roots to peak, and no treasure exists. At least, none that you can trade for money.”

“What do you mean?” asked Elliot.

“The treasure of this place is found in its beauty, its
tranquility.
The wealth of the mountain is its grandeur. It commands respect, deserves reverence, and yields to no man or woman seeking to tame or control it. The treasure is here, all around us,” Joshua said. He gestured toward the cabin windows, beyond which the guests could see the morning mist blanketing the distant mountains and valleys across the expanse of Farcara. “You just need to look for it,” Joshua said, as he rose to refill the teapot.

The children gazed at Joshua, not used to hearing adults talk so forthrightly. James's parents, as well as the twins'
mother and father, looked chastened. Elliot smiled thoughtfully, and even Caroline seemed at peace. After breakfast, the adults gathered their gear; Joshua volunteered to guide them back to the north face for their descent down the mountain.

Yu-ning was staying, much to the chagrin of Lorelei and the three children. But Joshua insisted, and the adults did not argue. “I promise I will treat her well, and will personally escort her back down the mountain when her visit is over,” Joshua assured Lorelei.

With the decision made, the rest of the travelers prepared to leave. Yu-ning hugged them all, and stood apart with Solimar, Marisol, and James. “Please come visit me on Rainbow Island,” Yu-ning said to them. “You will love it there.” Yu-ning removed three rainbow-colored beans from her pack and handed one to each of the children. “These are from Rainbow Island. They glow!” As the children looked at their beans, they began to vibrate and grow in their palms. “When you get lonely, or are in a dark place, they will help you find the light again!”

Solimar used sign language to tell Yu-ning that she would miss her. Yu-ning signed back, saying, “I will miss you, too!” The girls hugged.

Yu-ning remained at the cabin while Joshua escorted the six adults and three children across the summit of the mountain. She was sitting on Joshua's porch upon his return, an hour and a half later. During that day and all the next, Joshua showed her his mountain hideaway, and told her what had happened since he and Jacob parted ways twenty-one years before. After Jacob left the
Paragon
that night on Palova Island, Joshua made his way south to Farcara. There were rumors of a gold strike on Snowy Mountain—gold nuggets
the size of a man's fist were being pulled from the crevasses and hidden caves of the peak. At least, that was what Joshua had heard.

Joshua spent a dozen years searching every crease and crevasse for the elusive gold. And while he found a little gold, its worth was barely enough to scratch out a meager existence. Though he built a crude cabin only two miles outside Caer-a-mor, only a few villagers had ever been inside his home. One or two of the old folks who entered the cabin told the story of a beautiful quiver of arrows that hung on the wall. They said the quiver looked remarkably similar to pictures in dusty books depicting Darq Render warriors—the kind who'd fought in the Great War against the obsidigons a century earlier. Only the oldest villagers had relatives who had fought against the obsidigons. Still, the elders recognized the craftsmanship as the work of Darq Render fletchers.

After a light midday supper, Joshua and Yu-ning took advantage of the cloud-free afternoon, hiking the trails surrounding the Porch of Tranquility, taking in the stunning beauty of endless snowcapped peaks as far as the eye could see, with deep green valleys below. Shining ribbons split the deepest valleys—fast-moving rivers flush with snowmelt from the peaks above. As they walked, Joshua asked Yu-ning many questions about his brother, Jacob, and his life on Palova Island. Yu-ning assured him that Jacob was now in a place of harmony and that he had discovered the light of love.

Joshua was gladdened by the news of his brother and explained that over the years the mountain had slowly changed his own heart—that as he explored its terrain seeking gold, he began to awaken to its true wonders. “Even
though Metatron and the teachers of Rainbow Island were kind to Jacob and me, I had to rediscover the light in my own heart, in my own way. Metatron tried to show us the light, but a part of me died that night in Darqendia when my mother was slain by the warlock. He not only stole my mother's light, but mine as well. I had a choice to either stay in that dark sadness, or allow the fire within my heart to be rekindled.”

“So how did you ignite the light in your heart again, Joshua?” There was a silence then. Yu-ning could hear the wind moving through the rocks, a low whistling that punctuated the quiet.

“I didn't ignite it myself—I know that,” said Joshua. “I rediscovered beauty, Yu-ning. It was this place—and I remember the exact day when it happened, some eight years ago. I had been in the mountains for about two weeks, surveying a new section of the mountain I had never explored before. It was brutally cold, and I became lost. I was high on the western face of the mountain, and as darkness fell, I realized I was in real trouble . . .”

Joshua stared out across the range of mountains below as he recalled the experience. “By morning, I couldn't feel my hands or feet, and I became very sleepy. I knew I had frostbite, and if I didn't move, I would die. As I prepared to leave, I saw a white flash on a rock ledge above me. Yu-ning, it was the largest snow leopard I've ever seen, and it was staring at me. And then, it dipped its head three times, and moved off the ledge. It disappeared for a moment, but then there it was, right in front of me. We locked eyes for a second, and the leopard just closed its eyes slowly, and opened them. It turned
slowly, and walked in a direction I had not yet explored. Then it stopped and turned to look at me, as if to say, ‘Well, are you coming?'”

Yu-ning laughed, and Joshua, still gazing into the distance, continued. “So I followed it. Every few hundred yards, the snow leopard would stop and turn to make sure I was still following. Seven hours later I met up with the main trail, but when I turned to thank the leopard, it had vanished.”

“That is an amazing story, Joshua!” said Yu-ning, as they descended the trail back to the Porch of Tranquility. It was late afternoon, and the sun was casting long shadows across the rock faces above. As they walked inside the cabin, Yu-ning asked Joshua if he ever saw the snow leopard again.

“Oh, you mean Snowheart? Wait here for me.” Joshua walked to the cabin door and gave a long whistle. He turned around and smiled at Yu-ning for a moment, then peered back outside. The most beautiful cat Yu-ning had ever seen padded into the cabin and began brushing against Joshua's leg. It was four feet long, with magnificent white fur and dark spots, and was purring loudly as Joshua scratched its fluffy head.

“Yu-ning, meet Snowheart. Snowheart, this is the girl I was telling you about—the girl in my dreams!”

Yu-ning was delighted as Snowheart crossed the cabin and sat next to her chair, allowing Yu-ning to pet him. “Yu-ning, thank you for coming here,” said the leopard in a deep, resonant voice, looking up at her with piercing light green eyes. “We know it was hard for you, but we also know that this is a critical task you have undertaken.”

“But how do you know who I am?” asked Yu-ning, stunned by the amazing cat.

“In my kingdom, Yu-ning, word travels fast. I was hunting yesterday low on the mountain and saw my friend Gamaliel. He is a grizzly bear who lives on the slopes of the fjord—he likes to fish where the rivers flow strong and full of salmon. Gamaliel told me that he met your friend King Minkaro at the water's edge. He is the one who told the story.” Yu-ning was overcome with joy—it was heartening to know that she had friends even here, at the end of the world.

The following day, Joshua removed the Quiver of Light from its place above his mantle and laid it on the large stone table next to Lightcaster. “Do you realize, Yu-ning, that it has been nearly a quarter century since the arrows have been reunited with the bow? Look at the arrow tips, here.” With a swift motion Joshua ran his finger along the edge of one of the arrows. “Nothing!” said Joshua, raising his finger and showing it to Yu-ning. She expected to see blood, but his finger was uncut.

“They are dull,” Joshua said. “Why? I have studied these arrows for more than twenty years, and have never unlocked the mystery—how can arrows with dull points take down an obsidigon?” Yu-ning had no answer for Joshua, nor did he expect one.

“But there is something else, Yu-ning. Something I have not told you. Before I met Snowheart, I often hunted the animals that live in these mountains. On that expedition when I first met Snowheart, I experienced something I couldn't believe—even now, I don't fully understand it.” With this, he looked over at Snowheart, who was stretched out on the hearthrug, enjoying the warmth of Joshua's fire. The snow leopard nodded at Joshua, a peaceful smile upon its face.

Joshua walked to the corner of the room and grabbed an old bow resting against the stone wall. It was dusty and clearly had not been used in a great while. “Follow us,” he said, as Snowheart rose and followed Joshua outside. Snowheart trotted about thirty feet away, stopped, and turned to face Joshua. Without saying a word, Joshua nocked one of the magic arrows, raised his old bow, and let loose, the arrow flying directly at Snowheart. It happened so quickly that Yu-ning could not intervene—she watched in horror as the arrow flew directly at the leopard's head. Just before it made impact, however, it stopped in midair. It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed it and was holding it, suspended, an inch from the leopard's face! “What? How did it . . . ?” Yu-ning stared in disbelief.

“I had never hunted with the Darq Render arrows before,” said Joshua, lowering the weapon. “I always told myself they were not for hunting—that they were sacred, to be protected. But that winter I was low on ammunition, and so before I left on that mining expedition, I grabbed four of the arrows from the Quiver of Light, just in case I ran out of my own hunting arrows—which I did,” Joshua said.

“When Snowheart found me near-frozen that morning, I hadn't eaten in days and was desperate. So, as the leopard stood on the ledge above me, I grabbed one of the Darq Render arrows, raised my bow, and loosed the arrow. But the arrow didn't penetrate Snowheart's fur—it did just as it is doing now! It just stopped, floating in the air.”

Yu-ning reached her hand toward the arrow, and as her finger touched the shaft, the arrow immediately fell to the ground. She picked it up; it looked just the same as it had before—yew wood shaft, with a black, dull tip.

“Yu-ning, these arrows are not made for destroying nature's creatures or for harming men. Do you understand? Though I cannot be certain, I believe these arrows are only effective on creatures that are unnatural—that have been created
by
evil,
for
evil. Does that make sense?”

“I think so,” said Yu-ning.

“The Quiver of Light and the Darq Render arrows are yours now, Yu-ning. I don't understand all that is going on, but in my dreams these past several nights, I was visited by a man surrounded by white light, and he spoke to me,” Joshua added.

“That is One! He visits me in my dreams, and sometimes when I'm awake,” explained Yu-ning.

“In my dream, this man of light—One, as you say—told me to give the Quiver of Light to you,” Joshua continued. “And then I heard these words, which I will never forget: ‘What you give is an instrument, not a weapon. What you offer is love, not death. And what will come is light, not darkness.' Do you understand it, Yu-ning?”

“I believe I am beginning to understand,” said Yu-ning.

Joshua smiled at her, and she smiled back.