Page 40 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

The white pig was still moving away from them, following a narrow switchback trail that wound its way down the side into the caldera. Into the heart of the volcano.

Roux drew in a slow breath. “Oh man, we should not be here,” he muttered, staring wide-eyed at the burbling lava. His nonchalant attitude was starting to fray a little, alarm and fear showing through the cracks in his bravado. “That is definitely not a dormant volcano. You guyssureyou don’t want to go back?”

“I can’t go back now,” Shinji replied, feeling his forehead start to bead with sweat. A trickle of moisture ran into his eyes, and he blinked it away. “I have to keep going. We’re close. I can feel it. Really, you guys don’t have to come. I’m not asking you to walk into lava with me. You can go back to camp and let Oliver know what’s going on. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, sure.” Roux shook his head, the mask of flippancy falling into place again. “Like we’re going to leave you on the edge of a freaking pit of lava. Besides, there’s no way I’m going back to tell that Ocean guy I watched you walk into an active volcano. That sounds like a great way to get myself thrown overboard.”

“We came all this way,” Lucy added, staring at the bubbling lava beneath them. “We’re not leaving now.” She turned a fierce glare on Shinji. “So,you’rejust going to have to make sure we don’t step on the wrong stone and make the whole island erupt or something.”

“Yeah,” Shinji muttered. “No pressure.”

Very carefully, they descended the path into the caldera. Shinji hugged the volcano wall as tightly as he could, trying

not to look down. The heat was intense. Pebbles and dirt broke away from his shoes as he shuffled along the edge, the rocks tumbling down the ravine until they hit the surface of the lava pool.

About halfway down the side of the volcano, the narrow trail widened a bit until it became a rocky ledge. At first, Shinji thought he saw the mouth of a cave along the volcano wall, but when he got closer, he realized it was a huge stone door sitting beneath a rocky overhang. The door was old, covered in soot and ash, but the carved head of the enormous boar peered out at them.

Shinji’s eyes widened, his stomach twisting with both excitement and recognition. It was the same door as the one he had seen in his vision. Whatever was calling him waited on the other side. He tensed as they got closer, expecting the carved eyes to flash open, pinning him with an electric-blue glare, but the boar’s head remained stony and lifeless as they approached.

“Well, I’d say we’re definitely in the right place,” Roux said, frowning as he gazed at the stone door. “So, how do we get through?”

The white boar was nowhere to be seen, as if it had ghosted its way right through the mountain. Lucy glanced at Shinji. “When we were at the Coatl’s temple, there was a door like this,” she said. “Remember? You just had to press your hand against the stones to get it to open.”

Shinji shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I can try that,” he said.

Raising his arm, he stepped up to the door and firmly pushed his palm against the rough surface.

Nothing happened.

“Huh,” Roux said. “Maybe the ghost pig has a different doorbell.”

Shinji dropped his arm. “Any other bright ideas?”

“Hmm,” Lucy mused, looking thoughtful as she continued to stare at the stone barrier. “What if you show the door your tattoo?” she said. “I’m thinking it might react to seeing a guardian. Try that.”

Feeling a little silly, Shinji raised his arm again, this time pointing the Coatl tattoo directly in front of the boar’s head. But there was no reaction; the stone eyes remained stone, and the door remained firmly shut.

“Press the tattoo against the door,” Lucy suggested. “Maybe that will work.”

Shinji tried. It didn’t.

“Ooh, use your head and head-butt it open,” Roux chimed in. “Just bend over and run into it as hard as you can.”

Shinji did not take that suggestion.

“What if there’s a certain kind of knock?” Lucy wondered. “Like a secret pattern or a code to make the door open. Do you remember anything like that in the Coatl’s temple? Or maybe from your vision?”

Before Shinji could reply, Roux stepped forward. “Okay, look,” he said in a voice of exaggerated patience. “This is silly. Sometimes, doors are locked. Sometimes, valuable junk

is guarded by high-tech security and really good dead bolts. But sometimes, doors are just left open. And you never know unless you turn the knob. Maybe we should just push on it and see if it opens before we try any secret knocks or impossible passwords.”

“It’s a huge stone door that leads to an ancient creature of mythological power,” Lucy pointed out. “Why do you think we can just walk inside?”

Ignoring her, Roux turned and put both hands against the stone surface, then glanced at Shinji. “Come on,” he said, “help me out. Let’s see if Mr. Ghost Pig guards his valuables or not.”

“You’re not going to just push the door open,” Lucy insisted as Shinji stepped forward and put both hands against the stone like Roux had done. “It probably weighs, like, fifty tons. Plus, this is the entrance to the territory of a giant boar. Giant boars aren’t known for being helpful, or nice. It’s not just going to swing open if you try to—”

“Push,” Roux said.

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