Page 4 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” said a new voice behind them. Shinji saw Oliver tense, fingers tightening around his cane. “I’ll be taking extra good care of our young guardian.”

Awoman stood in the doorway, beaming a bright smile as she peered into the room. Shinji had never seen her before, but by the way Zoe gasped and Oliver’s eyes widened, the Society members recognized her. She was almost painfully thin, with jet-black hair pulled into a messy bun, and wore a bright sea-green coat. A large red umbrella, thankfully closed, was clutched in one hand, though there hadn’t been any rain for weeks.

“Hello there!” she called, raising the umbrella in greeting. “Sorry I’m late. There were a few complications with the plane before we took off. Nothing serious—I’m here now!”

On the couch, Kali jerked up with a grunt. Seeing the

newcomer, she gave a happy bellow and rolled onto the floor. With a huff, she started loping across the room. Shinji knew from experience that a bear tackle was imminent, and hoped Kali’s overenthusiastic greeting wouldn’t break the thin woman in half.

To his surprise, the woman laughed, waving cheerfully at the three hundred pounds of bear lumbering toward her. “Hello, Kali!” she called, sticking her free hand into the pocket of her long coat. “Yes, I have something for you! I wouldn’t forget my favoriteUrsus americanus.” She pulled out a peppermint stick that was nearly a foot long, holding it high above her head. “Sit!”

Kali skidded to a halt a mere two feet away. With a grunt, she plopped into a sit, nose twitching as she gazed up at the candy. “That’s my adorable elite predator,” the woman crooned, handing her the stick. Kali snatched the peppermint in her jaws and turned, snuffling happily, to waddle back to the couch.

Impressed, Shinji leaned in toward Lucy and whispered, “I gotta try that.”

“Phoebe?” Oliver sounded surprised, and not entirely happy about the sudden arrival. “What are you doing here?”

“I called her,” Priya said, stepping around the table. “Shinji, Lucy, this is Phoebe Mystic. She and her family have been part of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers for a very long time. She has advanced degrees in philosophy, anthropology, kinesiology, world mythology, and juggling.”

“You can have an advanced degree in juggling?” Lucy whispered.

“She has also studied ancient magic, yoga, and meditation with some of the world’s finest practitioners,” Priya continued. “Phoebe was kind enough to travel all the way from Tokyo to help Shinji better understand his magic.”

“Phoebeis your specialist?” Oliver asked incredulously, but Phoebe was already bounding into the room, coat flapping behind her, that beaming smile directed fully at Shinji.

“And this must be Mr. Takahashi!” Coming right up to him, she stuck the umbrella in the crook of her elbow and thrust a dainty hand out before her. “Shinji Takahashi, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. We of the Eastern chapter house have heard all about your exciting adventures with Hightower and the font. Imagine seeing the legendary Coatl with your own eyes…Oh!” She gave a dreamy, dramatic sigh. “I can only hope to be so fortunate one day.”

“Yeah. Fortunate.” Uncertain, Shinji glanced at Oliver, who rolled his eyes. Not wanting to seem rude or awkward, Shinji grasped the offered hand, and the woman’s fingers immediately clamped over his like a vise. He jumped as the smiling woman pulled his arm forward and turned it over, revealing the tattoo of the Coatl right above his wrist.

“There it is,” Phoebe whispered, staring at the winged serpent with wide eyes. “The mark of the Coatl. Oh, it’s even more beautiful than I imagined. Interesting that the wings are gold instead of rainbow colored like in the

common renditions of the myth. Very interesting.” She traced the sweeping golden wings with a painted teal nail, causing goose bumps to creep up his arm. Gritting his teeth, Shinji tried pulling back, but her grip was like steel. “So, given that the Coatl was referred to as a god of wind, among other things,” Phoebe muttered, completely absorbed in her study of his tattoo, “I’m thinking we’ll have to take a more…creative approach in unlocking this magic. Something whimsical and free-flowing. Perhaps we’ll start with some simple meditation to control one’s breath.…”

Meditation? Nope, not happening. Shinji finally managed to pull his arm free. “Thanks,” he began, taking a rather large step back, “but I don’t need a specialist. I’m doing fine.” He nodded at Oliver, who watched them with a dark expression. “Oliver has been helping me, and everything is going great. I really don’t need anything else.”

Lucy gave him a slight frown, knowing he wasn’t really telling the truth. He wasn’t “fine,” and things—at least concerning his magic—were not “great.” But Shinji trusted Oliver a lot more than this so-called specialist. And he really did not want to spend the next few days in boring meditation while learning how to breathe properly. The magic was his, and the Coatl had chosen him; he had to figure it out on his own.

“Oh?” Unperturbed by this news, Phoebe glanced up at Oliver. “Well, that is wonderful to hear,” she said, “but now

I’m confused. I thought Mr. Ocean had been called away on a very important mission for the Society this week.”

“He has,” Priya said with a stern look at Oliver. “Averyimportant mission. He departs tonight, in fact.”

Oliver met Priya’s glower for only a moment, then sighed. “Yeah,” he said, giving Shinji an apologetic look. “Sorry, kid. I gotta go. As much as I want to help you conquer your magic, this mission is important. The Natia people have been nothing but myth for decades. Finding concrete evidence of their culture and ways of life would be a massive discovery. Besides”—he smirked, returning to his swaggering, ex-pirate self—“I’d rather be tied to an anchor and tossed in with a school of starving barracuda than let Hightower beat us to this ship. Mano is a great captain but a terrible strategist. He’s going to need a retired scoundrel to outmaneuver a corporation like Hightower.”

“Take me with you, then,” Shinji offered. “I’m part of SEA now, right? And I’ve lived most of my life on a ship. I can help.”

Oliver scratched the back of his neck with the golden parrot beak. “Look, kid,” he began, “you know me. Personally, I’d have no problems taking you along, but I don’t think that’s an option.” He shot a glance at Phoebe. “We all have a mission, and yours is to get a handle on your guardian powers. Your new teacher isn’t going to let you go traipsing off to the South Pacific in search of sunken treasure.”

“Why not?” Phoebe asked, surprising them all. “In fact, I think that sounds like a fabulous idea!”

Priya blinked. Clearly, she had not been expecting this, either. “Phoebe,” she said, “are you sure? Shinji might be a member of the Society, but he is still just a boy. It would be safer to keep him here while he is under your tutelage. Oliver is an accomplished adventurer, but this mission might bring him into contact with Hightower. It could be dangerous for Shinji to be on that ship.”

“Exactly!” Phoebe jabbed a finger at the ceiling. “When dealing with magic and mystical powers, I’ve found that they are often triggered when there is something exciting going on. Danger and adventure seem to draw them to the surface much faster than, well, silence and boredom. So, it would actually benefit Shinji to be a part of this mission, rather than sitting in an ordinary classroom trying to tap into his powers. If this trip is not extremely hazardous, I see no problems with letting Shinji accompany Mr. Ocean. A fun adventure might be just the thing he needs for his magic to show itself.”

Shinji felt a swell of hope and glanced expectantly at Priya. “See?” he said. “That’s perfect, then. Oliver will still be there to help, and I can concentrate on learning magic.”

To his surprise, it wasn’t Priya who gave a long, extended breath at the suggestion, but Oliver. “A Mystic aboard a ship,” he muttered. “I’m not sure Mano is going to go for that. He still doesn’t allow bananas on board because he thinks they’re bad luck. The kid might be better off here.”

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