The griffins seemed to know where they were going. Richie explained that he'd drifted off and woke up to a griffin standing beside the group, sniffing them. Once it noticed Richie was awake, it had guided him to a group of griffins, all of which seemed docile.
Then, one lifted him up and flew up into the air where he could see that his people were in danger. He knew the only way to fend them off was to say an army was following and hope they'd buy it and take off.
"Apparently it worked," Richie said as they flew above the sea. "I'm sorry, guys. I don't even know how they found us."
"We might have tipped them off by accident when we were swimming," Bev said. She had taken over guiding the group with Bill being gone.
"Maybe," Stan said quietly, barely being heard over the wind.
Night was falling, and the group would have preferred to find somewhere to rest, but the griffins didn't listen to them. It seemed as though they were the leaders, controlling what was happening.
The teenagers had to take what they were given and hope they weren't flying toward their death.
Eddie was sitting in front of Richie, eyes closed while tears made their way down his face. He hadn't said a thing since they took off, and Richie didn't plan on pressuring him to speak.
They were cold, the night sky open and dazzling with millions of stars. It was beautiful, even though they were all shivering and trying to find a way to keep warmth during the flight.
Richie wrapped his arms tighter around Eddie to try to offer more warmth. He thought Eddie would pull away, but he was pleased when Eddie melted into him, accepting the embrace gratefully.
"It's going to be okay, Eds," Richie whispered, hoping that he'd be able to bring Eddie some form of calamity in his distressed and upset state.
Eddie sniffed, making it clear he had still been crying. "Can we have a funeral when we get back to Pona?" he asked in a crackly voice, looking over his shoulder.
Richie nodded, kissing Eddie's shoulder. "Of course we can," he said, rubbing Eddie's back to calm him down. "He's safe now. You know that, right?"
Eddie nodded, his throat tight with unshed tears. "He's with Maggie and Iris," he whispered. "He's with my father. We don't have to worry anymore."
"He's watching us from wherever he is," Richie said with a small smile, looking up at the stars where Eddie was looking. "He's going to protect us."
Eddie pointed at a bright star above them. It made up the point of the constellation, Stella Major, which was an arrow shape. It was the symbol for Luceat and everyone from Luceats had admired it before the wall was broken and the mistreatment of the Tenebrians was recognized.
"He loved that star," Eddie said quietly, looking at the arrow's point. "It's part of the constellation but we always called it Nefeli. It was a name for beauty in an ancient language we learned about, and Bill wanted to name it. He said it was too pretty to be nameless."
"She's a cornerstone," Richie said with a smile. "Connecting everything and holding it up, right?"
"Yeah," Eddie murmured. "I'm going to miss him, Richie. He helped raise me and protected me when my mom was mean."
"He's going to keep protecting you, Eds. He's always making sure we're okay. Right?"
"Yeah."
They didn't talk for much longer, as the griffin flock began to descend. No one knew where they were going, as whatever was beneath them was shrouded in fog.
Richie gripped Eddie tighter as they soared through the fog. They couldn't see a thing, not even the water beneath them. So, they just had to trust that the griffins knew where they were going and that it wouldn't launch them headfirst into a trap.
"Look," Richie whispered into Eddie's ear, pointing at a shadow cutting through the fog.
"Trees?"
"No, it's too big," Eddie responded, narrowing his eyes. "It looks like a small mountain."
The griffins landed, but it was different than the other islands they'd been on. There was no sand and the whole thing seemed to be a grassland from what they could see. The island was covered in fog and they couldn't see a thing except for grass and a shadowy mountain type thing in front of them.
"What the hell is this?" Bev asked, sliding off the griffin she'd been riding.
Through the fog, the group could see strange figures walking toward them. They were dark and shadowy, the ominous tension making the group back up and stand close together.
"Do any of you have weapons?" Mike asked, checking his pockets hopefully.
Richie pulled out his knife, but one of the griffins snatched it from his grasp, hissing at him.
The figures got closer, appearing through the fog.
"An Angelic," Ben said, his eyes wide and jaw dropped.
"Angelic? Don't you mean angel?" Stan asked, watching one of the figures make her way out of the mist.
"No, they're called Angelics. Angels of earth. Women with wings, protectors of something called 'The Eye,'" Eddie said, crossing his arms.
Three Angelics broke through the fog. They all looked similar with long white hair and large wings. All three were wearing long dresses and disapproving looks.
They didn't speak, but they gestured for the group to follow. Knowing there wasn't much of an option, the teenagers walked into the fog, following the three winged women.
"I'm scared," Richie whispered, gripping Eddie's arm tightly.
"So am I," Eddie responded, goosebumps breaking all over his skin.
"It's going to be fine," Mike promised, leading the group after the women. "They saved us, so maybe they want to know what's going on."
"They have griffins and wings, Mike," Bev snapped, glaring at her friend. "I'm sure they've figured out what's going on by now."
"Both of you zip it," Stan said angrily, making the group fall silent. "I'm sure they won't be against killing you assholes if you keep talking."
They were lead to the small mountain. The group expected to be lead inside of the mountain, but were surprised to see a small group of tents and a fire in the middle.
"You will stay here tonight," one of the Angelics said, blinking slowly and peering at the group. "Tomorrow you meet our leader. Worry not about your enemies. They cannot find you here."
The Angelics spread their wings and vanished into the sky, followed by the group of griffins.
The teenagers each took a spot in the tents. It was clear the Angelics were expecting them; there were seven tents set up.
Richie and Eddie took one and were pleased to find a bed and blankets inside. They hadn't slept on a bed in nearly a week and their backs were sore and achy because of it.
Richie was quick to encourage Eddie to lay down. He held him close, trying to help soothe Eddie to sleep. It had been a tough day, so any kind of sleep would do them good.
