Journey to Rainbow Island Read Online Free

the Darq wizard who helped unleash the fury of the last Obsidigon Conjuring.”
    â€œWhat is an Obsidigon Conjuring, Metatron? I don’t understand,” persisted Yu-ning.
    â€œThese creatures are called Darq because they are not natural. They are conjured, or crafted using dark magic, and live only to destroy and bring darkness to the world. In the dark is where they thrive and breed, and only through the light of love can they be defeated.”
    â€œWhen will it come, Metatron—this darkness?” inquired Yu-ning.
    â€œWe do not know, my child. And the trick is that recognizing the dark is not always easy. Sometimes, telling the difference between good and bad—light and dark—takes more than your physical senses. The key is to also measure a thing in your heart to help you tell the difference. Remember, everyone has light within their heart—only some choose to ignore it, or allow it to be extinguished. And so it’s important to always lean on your friends for guidance and wisdom.”
    â€œHow can we stop it . . . this sorcerer, from creating another obsidigon? Isn’t there something you can do to contain it, Metatron?”
    â€œI cannot predict its arrival or discern how it will be stopped,” said the wizard. “No one knows the future. All we have is today, Yu-ning. Each day is its own page in life’s mysterious book. If we try to read ahead, we lose the story.”
    â€œBut Metatron . . .” said Yu-ning, before the wizard leaned down and took her face in his hands.
    â€œIt is late, the hour past midnight. Sleep, and we will talk more of these things in the morning.”
    And just as suddenly as he had arrived, the wise wizard was gone.

Three

Destruction
    T HE DARKNESS CAME QUICKLY .
    The children of Rainbow Island, along with all the animals, were asleep. This would not have been unusual, for children and animals tend to sleep when they are tired. Particularly when the night is still, the moon a silver sliver in the southern sky, and a soft breeze blows gently from the east. That night was such a night. But this darkness—this sleep—was not normal. In fact, it was unnatural. That is to say, the evil presence that brought the darkness cast it off of itself like a sinister cloak. Whatever and whoever came in contact with the cloak fell even further into slumber. A deep, dark, dreamless sleep.
    All were asleep, that is, except Romeo, Yu-ning’s most trusted friend. Romeo could not stop thinking of his dark visions, and as much as he wanted to sleep, he couldn’t. He tried counting pink dolphins jumping out of the sea, but eventhat didn’t work. Finally, exhaustion overtook him and he nodded off.
    Four hours later Romeo woke with a start. Something was not right. He bounded off the oversized chair upon which he had been sleeping and headed for the entrance of the cave. As he exited the small cavern, he knew for sure that something was wrong. It wasn’t a sense of strong alarm—just a gnawing twinge of danger.
    It was very late—well past midnight—and the slice of moon was beginning to set on the horizon. And the darkness—it was a darker dark, a deep, frightening darkness. “What is the source of this strange darkness?” Romeo asked himself as he made his way down the path toward the beach.
    And then he saw the creature.
    It stood at least fifteen feet tall, its wings flapping slowly as it hovered just a few feet from the ground. There, an inky silhouette against the white of the sandy beach, was what looked like an obsidigon. But could it be? They were said to be extinct—erased from the world decades ago. Its body, wings, talons, and head were angular, shining, scaled, and very black. Except for its eyes. They were a jaundiced shade of pale yellow. “This is what I saw in my dream,” Romeo whispered to himself.
    The obsidigon searched the beach, making sure it was not being observed. As its