Golden Age (The Shifting Tides, #1)(46)

‘Keep her on course!’ Cob growled at him. ‘There are enough of us looking.’

Dion’s skin crawled as he waited for another sighting. He continued to follow the shoreline, a few miles away.

The moments dragged by. The wooden beams of the boat groaned and he shivered, expecting the timbers to split apart as a serpent struck from below. Despite the old man’s instructions he scanned the sea when he could, fighting to also keep the boat lined up against the ceaseless pounding of the waves.

Finally, after a long silence spent searching, Cob called out to Riko again. ‘Are you certain, lad?’

‘I . . . I think so,’ Riko said. He still stood by the mast, clutching the stout pole with white-knuckled fingers.

‘It could have been a whale,’ Dion said.

‘And if it wasn’t?’ Sal demanded. The wiry man, who had sailed these waters with Cob for half his life, was almost trembling.

‘If we’re sharing the sea with a leviathan, we need to head in,’ Cob said. ‘Before it’s too late.’

‘We should keep sailing,’ said Dion. ‘Cinder Fen is more dangerous than the open ocean. Everyone says to either camp in force or beach at the refuge. It will be safer farther up, on the promontory, as far as we can get from the mountains.’

‘Turn us in.’ Cob brought the full force of his glare on Dion. Despite his diminutive size, he could still be intimidating. ‘If there’s a serpent out there our safest option is to head for shallow water.’

‘There’s more sailing in the day,’ Dion persisted. ‘We have to—’

‘You’ve never been to Cinder Fen, Dion. I have.’

‘I’m with Cob,’ Otus said.

‘Take us in,’ said Riko.

‘Sal?’ Dion asked the last man in the group.

‘Cob’s the best sailor I know,’ Sal said, scratching the stubble on his angular jaw. He took a deep breath. ‘He’s also stayed alive long enough to grow warts.’ He nodded to the beckoning shore, close enough to make out the breakers. ‘I’m for getting us out of the water.’

Dion reluctantly nodded. He turned the boat so they were angling into shore while Cob let the rope in his hands run freely as their course altered.

Watching their approach, Dion saw that the beach here was narrow, leading up to a stretch of smooth rock before the ground became steeper, eventually becoming black walls and broken ridges like jagged teeth. Tilting his head back he saw that they would be landing just below a cliff taller than the peaks around it. Behind the vessel the sun was drawing close to the horizon, but the glow of late afternoon didn’t touch the storm clouds gathered at the mountaintops.

‘Sail down!’ Dion called. The boat caught a wave and sped forward faster than he liked. ‘Everyone out on my command! Stop her from turning and get her out before the water breaks over the stern and fills her up!’

Judging his moment, he finally cried out. ‘Now!’

Every man in the boat hopped over the side and instantly was in water up to his armpits. The remorseless waves threatened to turn the boat but the crew took hold and hauled it forward. At the bow, Riko and Otus were in shallower water and had a good purchase. They almost ran as they pulled the vessel forward through breaking waves. Some water came in but Dion saw with satisfaction that they’d done as well as could be expected.

The five men grunted as they lifted the vessel, working to drag her up where the rising tide couldn’t touch her. Soon the boat was high on the beach, tilted to the side due to the keel. Dion felt soft powdery sand under his feet as he scanned the cliffs ahead. Beside him Cob was staring up at the sky.

‘Look,’ Dion said, pointing. ‘A cavern. Just above the sand, near the scrub.’

Cob rubbed his chin and glanced down at the boat. ‘I’d prefer to stay close to the boat, ready to depart.’

‘Stay here,’ Dion said.

He ran along the beach while Cob cursed and called after him, telling him to be careful. He reached the bushes and came to a scooped impression in the cliff, not a deep cave, but sandy floored and sheltered overhead and at the sides. Staying only long enough to make a swift assessment, he sprinted back to the group.

‘It’s safe,’ he said. ‘And I have an idea. The wildren will see a boat on the beach, but if we take it into the cavern, there’s little chance we’ll be spotted.’

‘As long as we haven’t been spotted already,’ Otus muttered.

‘It’s a good idea,’ Cob said. ‘Only one downside.’

Dion nodded. ‘We’ll have to take down the mast.’

‘Makes it harder for us to flee in an emergency.’

‘We can keep the mast inside the boat, and we still have the oars,’ Dion said. ‘What do you all think?’ he addressed the group.

‘A cave sounds better than spending a sleepless night watching the sky for flyers,’ Sal said.

Otus and Riko agreed.

‘Come on,’ Dion said. ‘Let’s get it hidden as soon as possible.’

They were all strong sailors, accustomed to coastal trading where every night was yet another round of beaching at an unfamiliar place, and the boat was designed to be easily lifted. Soon they had the vessel well hidden inside the cave, with just enough room left over for the crew of five to stretch out and sleep.