Page 45 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

“Man, this Storm Boar isn’t playing around.” Roux gasped as they staggered away from the blocked exit. “What’s got him so riled up?”

Lucy looked at Shinji, who flushed. He still couldn’t believe he had been so easily manipulated. He thought he’d been doing something right, something only a guardian could do, and now the whole island, and everyone on it, was in danger because of it. Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “You know something,” she said. “You said something about men and artifacts. What happened, Shinji?”

A muffled roar sounded through the mountain behind them. Shinji gritted his teeth. “The soldiers who came to the island stole something when they left,” he answered shortly. “They took a bunch of ancient artifacts that were sacred to the village and sailed away with them. One of them was the idol that represented the pact between the Storm Boar and the Natia people. And now he wants it back.”

“So, I was right,” Lucy said, and Shinji clenched his jaw. He couldn’t argue or say anything in his defense. This whole

messwashis fault, because he had been too stubborn, too convinced that he was doing guardian things, to listen.

“Yeah,” Shinji growled. “You were right, and I was a moron. Go ahead and say it.”

But Lucy sighed and did not sayI told you so, like he expected. “So, what do we do now?” she asked instead.

A massive rumble went through the ground under their feet, and the tunnel walls began to crack. A stone came loose from the ceiling and nearly crushed Shinji’s foot when it fell.

“Talk later,” Roux said. “Run now!”

They broke into a sprint, aiming for the end of the tunnel, as the cracks in the walls got wider and the floor began to split apart. Bursting from the passageway, they stared in horror at the chamber before them. The floor was now riddled with lava pools, gaping red pits where the ground had fallen away to reveal the magma below. As they stared around in dismay, one of the obsidian spikes on the ceiling came free, plunging to the ground and sending chips of flinty rock flying in every direction.

“What now?” Lucy asked, looking at Shinji. “The floor could give way if we try to walk on it, or one of those spikes could hit us if they come loose.”

“Well, we can’t stand here,” Shinji replied. “We have to find a way across.”

“Okay.” Roux took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Follow me,” he said. “I’ll try to find the safest way across. It’ll be fine, just like sneaking around the harbor warehouse at night and avoiding all the cameras and security guards.”

“Roux, wait.” Lucy held out her hand, a worried frown on her face. “What if you fall in?”

He gave a crooked little smile. “Then you’ll know not to step in that spot.”

Before Shinji could reply, Roux darted into the cavern, giving them no choice but to follow. He moved quickly, skipping over cracks, skirting the edges of magma pools, his gaze constantly sweeping the ground in search of the best paths. Several times, he stopped, shaking his head, and headed off in another direction. Shinji could only guess that it was too dangerous or the floor was too unstable to keep going.

But Roux was so focused on watching the ground, he forgot about the dangers overhead. With a crack, an enormous obsidian spike suddenly broke from the ceiling and fell, aiming right for the top of his head.

“Roux, look out!” Shinji cried, and lunged, tackling the other boy around the waist and shoving them both out of the way. The stone barely missed them, crashing to the ground and punching through the floor to the lava beneath. Shinji and Roux hit the ground at the same time, and Shinji felt the stones beneath him crumble. He tried to scramble to his feet, but the ground under his shoes gave way, dropping him and Roux into the hole.

As Lucy screamed, Shinji lashed out wildly and felt his hand connect with the stone wall. At the same time, his

shoes hit solid ground, and he pressed himself back against the rock. Somehow, he had landed on a narrow outcropping several feet down. Maybe ten feet below him, lava steamed and bubbled, blasting his face with heat. A portion of the ledge he stood on crumbled, dropping into the bubbling magma below. Looking up, he saw the bottom of Roux’s feet, legs swinging wildly as the other boy dangled from the edge.

“Roux! Shinji!”

Lucy’s face appeared, peering anxiously down at them. Reaching over the edge, she grabbed the back of Roux’s shirt and pulled. Grunting, Roux kicked his legs, scrabbling and clawing at the ground, and managed to drag himself out of the hole.

Panting, both Lucy and Roux gazed down at Shinji, their faces pale. Shinji peered back, flattening himself against the narrow ledge as hard as he could. “Can you climb?” Roux called down to him.

“Are you crazy?” Shinji responded. The outcropping barely offered enough room for his feet, and beyond it was a sheer drop into molten-hot magma. “I can’t climb a straight wall. Is there a rope or a branch you can toss down?”

Roux gazed around the cavern and shook his head. “No, there’s nothing here,” he said. “You’re going to either have to climb or jump.”

“Shinji!” Lucy cried, pointing down wildly. “The lava is rising!”

Heart in his throat, Shinji peered down and saw she was right. The magma was rising, creeping steadily closer to the ledge, swallowing rocks as it came.

“Shinji!” Roux yelled, and lay on his stomach, holding his hand out to him as far as it would go. “You’re gonna have to jump!” he called as Lucy did the same, lying down and reaching out a hand. “Jump, grab hold, and we’ll pull you out.”

Shinji’s heart crashed in his ears, but there was no other choice, and no time for anything else. The lava was only a few feet from the bottom of the ledge and climbing ever closer. As quickly as he could without losing balance, he turned around so that he was facing the rock wall, with Lucy and Roux directly above him. Gazing up at their pale faces, Shinji shook his head.

“I can’t jump that high,” he called, making Roux’s jaw tighten.

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