Vanguard: The Complete Second Season: A Superhero Serial (Vanguard: The Collected Seasons Book 2) by Percival Constantine Page B

to wonder at what sort of persecution these people must have faced.
    He felt Erin’s fingers wrap around his hand and he looked to his side. She was in her Shift form and from the look in her yellow eyes, Koji could tell she was nervous. No one gathered spoke to anyone else. They all stood in silence, watching out over the water.  
    And then it happened. A distortion in the air. Koji blinked a few times, not sure of what he actually saw. It came again, with a crackle of energy. The water bubbled up around a certain spot and a yellow tear appeared in the middle of the space above the water. It opened wider, forming into a large arch.  
    A long boat came through the arch and a man stood at the rear of it, rowing with a large oar. He wore a cloak that covered every inch of his body and long, straggly hair emerged from the sides of the hood. His eyes were a piercing yellow that matched the color of the arch and his face long and thin.  
    The boat ran ashore and he moved from the rear to the front, stepping out onto the sand-covered beach. He held up his hands in a gesture for all to come closer.  
    “You’ve all come here because you wish for an escape for the world of man, a world that has shown you only persecution and hatred. However you may of heard of us, you are welcome on my boat.” He made a sweeping gesture towards the vessel. “If you’re prepared to leave this world behind, then allow the Ferryman to escort you to a new and better one.”
    The people on the shore one by one piled into the Ferryman’s boat. Erin and Koji looked at each other. He gave her a questioning raise of his brow and Erin replied with a smile and a nod. She was ready to do this, wherever it led.  
    The pair approached the boat and the Ferryman smiled at them as they came close. Koji pulled himself into the boat first and then offered a hand to Erin to help her up. They sat down on one of the benches, squeezing in amongst the other passengers.
    The Ferryman was the last to board and he used his oar to push away from the shore. He paddled, turning the boat and directing it into the portal he’d come out from. As they passed through the yellow arch, they saw the sky was slightly darker here, a different time of day. The water was also far more clear, almost completely translucent.
    Once the boat was through the portal, it closed completely. Koji, Erin, and the other passengers all cast their eyes around, taking in the scenery. The Ferryman kept his eyes straight, paddling closer to land. A long pier jutted out from the shore and a gathering of people stood on land, watching their approach.  
    The Ferryman brought the boat closer and a young man stepped out onto the dock. He closed his eyes and held out his hands. His outstretched fingers vibrated slightly, an invisible force taking hold of the boat and pulling it closer to the dock. Ropes snaked out seemingly under their own power and tied themselves to the boat’s cleats.  
    The man lowered his arms and opened his eyes, smiling at the newcomers. He made a motion for them to disembark and one by one, they climbed onto the pier. Erin and Koji followed the others. The gathering on the beach cheered as the new arrivals set foot on the island for the first time.  
    While most of the people greeted the new arrivals, Koji noticed one man, tall with short dark hair and a thin beard, eyeing Erin carefully. When in his Sharkskin form, Koji’s senses were superhuman, but even in his human form, they were sharper than most. And something about this bearded man made him protective of his friend.  
    Erin gasped and she tapped Koji’s arm furiously. Koji broke his gaze from the stranger and looked at Erin. “What is it?”
    “Look!” Erin pointed up in the air and Koji saw what she saw, causing him to react in a similar fashion.
    A man hovered high above the trees, dressed in blue and white with a cape billowing behind him. His dark hair was cropped short and he had piercing, blue eyes. He