Journey to Rainbow Island (39 page)

“I don't see Suparna!” Romeo said, scanning the skies above the city.

“What we need, Romeo, is a terralight basket,” Metatron said, scanning the skies. He explained that on Tunzai, the island's most precious gemstone, called tunzanite, contained propulsion properties that allowed the inhabitants to ride through the air for short distances in large baskets powered by the amazing gems.

As they pondered where to find a terralight basket, a bright flash of color flew overhead—it was Suparna, who landed next to them. Suparna had tried his best to hinder the obsidigon, but soon found that he was no match for the immense dragon. He had sought shelter as best he could, biding his time for a better advantage. Metatron and Romeo thanked Captain Darius for his hospitality and mounted Suparna for the trip to the Floating Imperial Palace.

As they flew over the city in the direction of the palace in the clouds, Suparna told them he had just seen the obsidigon and Hobaling flying away from the city. As they passed over the walled city of Tunzai, the devastation wrought by the dragon was all around—burned buildings, smoldering piles of timber, and people in the streets clearing debris.

Growing closer in the sky, a spectacular structure floated before them. It was an enormous double-eave building set on a gargantuan, single-level white quartz platform that glistened in the sunlight. The sloping triangle roofs featured hundreds of intricate ridges, each decorated with a line of statuettes. The first was of a phoenix, followed by an imperial coiled dragon, a lion, deer, and koi fish. The palatial architecture measured 3,033 feet from north to south, and 2,002 feet from east to west. It was surrounded by a beautiful, crystal clear moat, with a wide wooden bridge leading to the entrance of the palace. The tall, wide, rustic wooden double doors at the entrance held two majestic hanging tablets in red silk, with black calligraphic writing beautifully inscribed onto each. They read, “Love/Peace” and “Power/Wisdom.”

Beyond the moat were multiple levels of imperial gardens, descending into an oasis of greenery surrounded by a circular stone wall pierced by four golden gates at the north, east,
south, and west points. Flags hung at each of these points, adorned in red with black calligraphy. Romeo read the characters slowly as the red material blew in the wind. “Justice and honor,” he whispered, lost in the reverie of this magical empire. Beyond this beautiful bastion were clouds and sky.

Romeo was overcome by the majesty and beauty of the palace and was full of anticipation when Suparna touched down in the courtyard near the entrance. Finely dressed guards approached. “Welcome to the Floating Imperial Palace of the Empress of Tunzai,” they said, bowing before the travelers. “Master Metatron, her highness is expecting you and your companions. Please follow us.”

They were escorted across a finely built stone bridge that covered the moat, and through the doors of the gate into the grounds of the palace. While the outside of the Floating Palace was grand and spectacular, the inside grounds were lovely, calming, and beautiful. Gardens, fountains, and finely formed statuary ringed the entire grounds directly in front of the enormous palace.

They walked up the beautiful marble stairs in front of the palace. The wooden doors had intricate hand-carved designs laced throughout, painted in the most vivid, striking colors he had ever seen. “As colorful and bright as our rainbow!” he whispered to Metatron, who simply nodded at Romeo.

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.

I
T 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 looked 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.