Page 47 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

gab,” he pointed out. “This thing is going to blow any second now!”

They hurried down the passageway, feeling the tremors of the volcano ripple through the ground. “Where’s Phoebe?” Lucy wondered, Tinker clinging wildly to her shoulder as she kept up with Mano. “And how did you guys even find us?” The big man gave her a split-second glance.

“Ocean is an expert tracker,” Mano replied, looking faintly puzzled that she didn’t know. “He was able to find your prints at the edge of camp and follow them until we found the path up the volcano.”

“I’m no Maya,” Oliver added behind him, “but I’ve been on enough expeditions with her, trekking through jungles and rain forests. After a while, you pick up a few things.”

“As for Miss Mystic, we left her studying some ‘important documents’ at the base camp when we went looking for you. She seemed very intent and focused on her work, so we thought we wouldn’t bother her. Of course, this was before the whole island started shaking and the volcano started to smoke.”

“Let’s hope she’s still at camp,” Oliver muttered. “And didn’t decide to come looking for us.”

“I’ve already radioed Dr. Grant and the rest of the team,” Mano said, tapping a walkie-talkie strapped to his belt. “They’re evacuating now. We just need to get these kids to theSeas the Daybefore the volcano explodes.”

Bursting out of the tunnel, they reached the caldera

and the winding path up the mountain. As he gazed down, Shinji’s heart leaped to his throat. The lake of magma was much closer, bubbling and steaming like a pot on the stove. Below them, the volcano shook and continued to rumble, and clouds of white smoke billowed into the air.

“Everyone!” cried Lucy, and pointed above them. “Look!”

Shinji looked up. In the skies directly above the volcano, a massive swirling cloud was forming, like a miniature hurricane. Slowly but surely, it grew bigger and bigger, darkening the sky. Flickers of blue-white lightning danced through the clouds, and thunder rumbled ominously overhead.

With an answering rumble below, the volcano trembled.

“That’s not good,” said Shinji.

“You have such a gift for understatement,” Oliver said. “Let’s go.”

Oliver took the lead, and they hurried up the narrow, winding trail as quickly as they could. The volcano continued to shake, and rocks tumbled down the sides to plunge into the sea of magma at the bottom. Once, the path in front of Lucy abruptly gave way, a good chunk of rock sliding down the side of the volcano into the waiting lava. Lucy almost went with it, and Shinji’s heart nearly stopped, but Mano grabbed her arm before she could fall and pulled her back from the edge.

A vicious blast of wind tore at Shinji’s hair and clothes as he reached the top of the volcano. Lightning flashed, and a boom of thunder made him flinch. Glancing up at the sky,

he could almost see the Storm Boar’s face in the swirling clouds.

“There’s the ship!” Oliver called, pointing out to sea, where Shinji could just make out theSeas the Dayfloating in the water. “And there’s the camp. Let’s get down there before they change their minds and leave without us.”

They sprinted back to the village. The camp was in a state of organized panic when they arrived. Scientists scurried to and fro carrying expensive equipment, frantically packing everything away. Mano and Oliver strode forward, shouting instructions, pausing to help those in need. Overhead, the swirling storm clouds grew until they covered the whole island. Gusts of wind tore at the tents, sent smaller items tumbling over the ground, and caused everyone to stumble, fighting the winds.

“This storm certainly isn’t making things easy,” Oliver said, bracing himself against the gusts whipping around him. His coat flapped wildly as he held on to a tree trunk, observing the nearly empty camp with Shinji, Mano, and the others. “I think we’re just about done here, don’t you?” he said. “I’m all for leaving things exactly as we found it, but I’m also a fan of not getting covered in lava.”

“Shinji! Oliver!” a familiar voice rang out, and a moment later, Phoebe came flying down the path toward them. Her arm was raised, and her hair streamed behind her as she ran.

“Oh, thank goodness you found them!” she gasped, skidding to a halt in front of Shinji. Doubling over, she pressed

her hands to her knees and sucked in air for a few seconds, trying to speak and breathe at the same time. “I found…the elder’s…journal…” she panted. “It told…the history of the village. Their rituals, daily lives, and their relationship with the guardian spirit of the island. They called it…the Storm Boar. According to the elder, the Storm Boar was sealed away in the volcano to prevent some great catastrophe from happening, and it’s likely still there, waiting to get its revenge. Shinji…” Phoebe straightened, giving him a very serious look. “Whatever you do,” she continued in a solemn voice, “do notrelease the guardian of the island. Very, very bad things will happen if you do.”

Everyone looked at Shinji. He winced. “Um…about that…”

A thunderous boom rocked the island as, behind them, the volcano exploded.

Plumes of smoke billowed upward as jets of fire shot into the air, blazing red against the darkening sky. An eerie glow appeared at the top of the volcano, reflected against the storm, as lava began pooling down the sides of the mountain, trailing bright crimson scars over the surface. Shinji’s blood ran cold.

Mano raised his head. “Time’s up. Everyone, get to the boat!” he bellowed, his deep voice rising easily above the howling wind. “Leave the rest behind; we don’t need it! Just go, now!”

The few remaining scientists stopped what they were

doing and hurried off, running into the rain forest and disappearing into the trees.

Mano let out a sigh and nodded. “All right,” he muttered, scanning the camp one last time. “That’s everyone out safely. Now it’s our turn.”

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