Page 62 of Wild Idol
“We can climb up the mountain, and I can show you Tzacayotl, or we can go around. Whichever you prefer.”
“It’s clearly an active volcano, right?”
Ivy smiled. “Don’t worry. There hasn’t been a major eruption in over 300 years.”
“Define major,” Jack said.
She chuckled. “Don’t be so scared.”
Jack frowned at her playfully. “I ain’t scared.”
“Think you can handle the hike?” she taunted.
“I can handle it.”
Star led us away from the village, down a narrow trail that ran deep into the jungle. The twisting path weaved like a serpent through the underbrush, growing ever more treacherous. Uneven and dense, thick with roots and vines, this was the road less traveled. It wasn’t groomed and manicured like the retreat. It was the kind of terrain where you had to be careful not to turn an ankle. JD’s had been giving him trouble for years now, especially after our last jungle adventure.
Sweat misted my skin, and my heart thumped as the terrain grew steep. My quads protested, longing for the comfort of my bed and Sunshine’s soft embrace.
I followed Star up the mountain, getting a glute workout in. She had nice glutes, and a regular journey like this would keep them in impeccable condition. She moved with grace and ease, surefooted like a mountain goat. She was born for this trek, her toned legs slick with sweat, her muscles flexing.
I looked back at Jack to see how he was doing. He huffed and puffed a little but gave me the thumbs up.
Monkeys swung from branches, and birds chirped. The dappled rays of sunshine filtered through the thick canopy of leaves. The air was dense, like a sauna, as the sun climbed ever higher.
Every breeze that rustled the leaves was a welcomed relief.
The ground transitioned from rusty dirt to cracked obsidian. The heat grew more and more intense, wisps of steam rising up through fissures in the volcanic rock. The mountain was alive and perhaps aware of our presence. Trespassers on sacred soil.
Had my morning ritual been enough? Would the angry fire god need a sacrifice to be appeased?
35
By the time we got to the top of the mountain, my shirt was stuck to my back, and I had sweat in places I didn’t want.
Tzacoyotl coughed and spit steam as we approached the fiery crater. Waves of heat shimmered the air. It was like stepping onto an alien planet of hellfire.
We didn’t get too close, but close enough to see the bubbling cauldron of magma. A hellish swirl of rock and lava. The smell of sulfur drifted in the air like the devil’s breath.
Hell might have been colder.
I stepped closer, feeling the intense heat tickle my skin. The sheer power of Tzacoyotl was on display, pulsing beneath us. It was but a teaser of its full might.
It was so awe-inspiring, it almost compelled one to jump. To melt away and become one with the mountain. That was its trick. The oppressive heat, the rumbling of its core, the whispers beckoning to be the next sacrifice. A gust of windbecame a hand on your back. A gentle nudge. One dare not step close or fall under its spell. The promise of an end to life’s chaos.
It was creepy.
“Have you seen enough?” Star asked.
I snapped a few photos on my phone. So did JD.
It was pretty badass.
It wasn’t every day you got to see something like this.
Star just rolled her eyes and shook her head. “That’s so sad.”
“What’s so sad?” I asked as we started down the other side of Tzacoyotl.
