Lucy couldn't see a thing except waves and flying spray, but Dane turned the boat toward the coast. "I don't know about this, man," he said. "That looks rough."
"I can see a way." Eren's eyes were fixed on the rolling gray sea. "Trust me. I've been sailing this coast and these islands since I was big enough to see over my daddy's knee. I may not know this island, but I can find us a safe passage. Let me take over."
Dane yielded the controls, and Eren slid into the pilot's seat. Lucy gripped a handhold and leaned forward, more excited than scared. She had utmost trust in Eren's piloting abilities. The strong, sure grip of his big hands on the wheel told her that he knew what he was doing. His gaze out the rain-streaked windshield was focused, every bit of his concentration entirely tuned into his task. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen anyone soon.
The engine vibrated through the deck. The boat rolled on the swells as it thumped its way inland.
At first it looked as if there was nowhere to land. There were only the crashing waves. But then, as Eren motored in at an angle, a small bay opened up in front of them. It was all but hidden by the cliffs, but now she could see a sheltered cove with a dark-colored beach. There was no dock or other amenities, but she did see some heavy posts on the sand that were probably for tying boats to. In fact, there were a couple of other boats hauled out of the water and lashed securely in place.
The boat motored toward the shore. As theCodfathergrounded on the sand, Lucy cried suddenly, "Look!"
She pointed up at the rain-wet cliffs, where she had just glimpsed a figure ducking out of sight.
"I think someone saw us land," she said.
"Good," Eren said. He shut the motor down and stretched, flexing his hands. "It'll save us the trouble of looking."
It was still raining outside, so Lucy put on her borrowed raincoat. The only available rubber boots were far too huge for her, but they turned out to be so huge that they worked like galoshes. She was able to put her entire foot, shoe and all, inside.
With the too-big raincoat sleeves flopping over her hands and the boots looking like clown shoes, Lucy felt like anything but a presentable figure as she made her careful way onto the rain-slick deck. Eren steadied her with a hand at her back. The boat's deck slanted at an angle and was a considerable ways above the beach. Eren jumped down first, graceful and sure, and then held up a hand to help her jump to the beach.
"I think I'll stay here," Dane said. "Keep a lookout and make sure no one tries to make off with the boat."
Lucy had the odd sensation of the beach rocking under her feet as her body adjusted to the absence of the boat's constant motion. She staggered a little. As she got her balance, she looked around.
The beach was made of coarse, dark sand that looked like it had been ground off the dark-gray cliffs around them. The cliffs surrounded the bay like the walls of the fortress Eren had suggested the island resembled. There was no way she could see to get to the top.
"How are people supposed to climb up?" she asked.
"Maybe they aren't," Eren said. "If everyone who lives here is a griffin, maybe you're expected to fly." He pointed. "See that?"
Lucy shielded her eyes against the rain. "Those poles?" It looked like a complicated tripod on top of the cliffs, framed against the wind-whipped clouds.
"That's probably a windlass for raising heavy cargo. If that's the only way up, that or using your wings, it would certainly help keep intruders out."
"Andus!" Lucy said. "We can't come all this way just to turn around."
There was a clatter from up on the boat, and a curse from Dane. The trash griffins had emerged from wherever they had been hiding. With a series of small chirrups and squawks, they launched themselves from the deck and flew to the pilings. Each of them perched on the top of a piling, looking around. There were little chirps as they talked among themselves. Lucy had never heard them make sounds like that before.
"Do you think they come from here?" she asked.
"Seems likely, doesn't it?"
"And they flew all the way to the mainland? It's so far!"
"Birds migrate farther," Eren pointed out. "It's also possible they hitched a ride on one of these boats. That could explain why they appeared so suddenly. Nobody had ever seen one before, and then all of a sudden—" He broke off, and suddenly his body language became tense. "Get ready," he said quietly, moving between Lucy and the cliffs.
Lucy immediately saw why. A pair of winged figures wheeled against the clouds. Wings outstretched, they swooped down, one at a time, and landed on the beach about twenty feet in front of the visitors.
Both were griffins. One had a tiger's body, with red-and-gray wings and a crested head. Lucy thought the colors might be those of a female cardinal. The other had a cougar's long body with the sleek wings and streamlined head of some sort of eagle.
They stood side by side, wings half spread. They were not threatening, exactly, but very defensive.
Eren turned to Lucy. "Do you want to take lead?" he asked quietly. "I won't let them near you, don't worry."
She believed him. The bristling, protective threat in his face and body language whenever he looked at the pair of griffins made it clear that he wasn't about to tolerate any aggression from them.
So Lucy took a careful step forward, trying not to feel silly in her oversized coat and large boots. She put her shoulders back and tried to pretend that she was dealing with an arrogant hotel clerk who wanted to make her feel small. She knew just how to deal with such people, being assertive but not so pushy that they would feel themselves justified in pushing back.