Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-One: 'O, riving serpent...'

Raul Blackburn had been busy.

The situation in Vantalay was more precarious than ever, but his determination to not let everyone down was stronger than ever, too.

The moment he'd heard that his captive kin would be coming here, everything had changed. His priorities. His strategy. His entire attitude toward this operation.

He was calm. Calmer than he'd ever felt in his life. His sense of purpose was so clear that all other worries had seemed to melt away.

Everything he did, every breath he took, meal he ate, moment he spent--it was all leading toward one thing, right now.

But it wasn't a straight path. He'd realized that very quickly. He couldn't just run in and try to break everyone out. Even if Cousin Melchor and the others were with him, that wouldn't be the right way to go.

It was an open question as to whether or not they currently had enough power in the country in order to overwhelm the VMP with brute force alone, but even supposing that they did, there was the much more pressing issue of getting everyone out of the country safely once they were free.

These Invisibility rings were profoundly useful, but they wouldn't be able to conceal hundreds of people. And once they made a big splash, the VMP would be all over them--and most likely Abolish, as well.

They had to be especially mindful of all the non-servants among the captives. The entirety of Houses Redwater, Zabat, Garza, Stroud, and Merlo were all there. Once their servants were free, they would be a huge help in a fight but not necessarily in matters of stealth.

Great care was required here. Any mistakes could mean the death of his kin.

That was why he had decided to break the Atreyan spy, Donald Elias, out of prison first.

In that regard, the timing couldn't have been better. Between the new prisoners they were importing and the intensifying siege on Ridgemark, the VMP had its hands completely full, right now. They didn't have their attention on Bridgewater Prison.

It had certainly looked imposing from the outside with its high walls and watchtowers. But as expected, it hadn't done much good against the power of Invisibility.

Now, Donald Elias was sitting across a campfire from him, deep in the Vantalayan wilderness.

It was actually kind of terrifying how easy it had been to break the guy out. Invisibility really was dangerous. Even with the ring's limitations, being able to just waltz into a hostile stronghold unchallenged was insane.

The more time he spent with this Invisibility, the more impressed he was by the fact that Lord Goffe had apparently been able to fight off dozens of invisible enemies single-handedly back at Dunehall.

It made sense, though. He'd heard a rumor that Lord Goffe had unusually sharp senses--as if he had eyes in the back of his head, some said.

Raul could at least rest a bit easier knowing that Warrenhold wouldn't be caught off guard like Dunehall had. With Lord Goffe and all the Houses being well aware of the threat posed by aberrations with this type of power, he had confidence that anyone who tried that tactic on them a second time would be in for a rude awakening.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world wasn't like Warrenhold.

Donald, for his part, was a gray-bearded man with a deeply sunken gaze. His pallid face looked like it hadn't seen sunlight in ages, and he was so thin that he bordered on malnourished.

The man was sharp, though. When Raul had appeared in front of him, the guy hadn't made a fuss, asked any questions, or otherwise looked a gift horse in the mouth. He'd cooperated as easily as could be. But once they were a safe distance away from the prison, he'd been full of probing questions, not all of which Raul could answer.

The man was up to speed by now. For the most part. Raul hadn't explained that he was a Rainlord, only that he was an ally of Atreya, working under Lord Goffe.

Donald had no idea who that was, apparently, which Raul found surprising, but whatever.

Such details were unimportant, right now. The only thing that mattered was freeing his kin. Raul had hoped that Donald would be able to help with that task, but he hadn't been holding his breath, either. The man was not a servant, and he'd been in prison for a decade and a half. After everything he'd been through, it would've been entirely reasonable of him to want no part of a second jailbreak. Raul was prepared to run him all the way back to Ridgemark on foot, if that's what the man had his heart set on.

But it wasn't.

"...Yeah, I can help you with your problem."

"Really? I was hoping you would say that, but, ah... how, exactly?"

Donald regarded him for a long moment, the campfire flickering brightly in his attentive eyes. "Would I be wrong in assuming that you're still relatively new to this business, son?"

Raul didn't answer, instead just tilting his head at him. What business was he referring to, exactly?

"Would you like some tips from an old hand?"

Oh. He was talking about spying, Raul realized. "Ah... sure."

"The key to any extended operation in a foreign country is acquiring local support," said Donald. "Whether they know your true identity or not, never underestimate the importance of having someone nearby to rely on when things go all twisty on you. That's the only reason I've been able to survive all these years."

"How do you mean?" said Raul.

"I made myself an asset to a number of different groups around here. Not all of them are still around, but the ones that are have grown pretty powerful in their own right."

That made Raul curious. "How'd you make yourself an asset while imprisoned?"

"Well, for most of them, it didn't happen while I was in prison," said Donald. "This was work that I did beforehand. Meeting folks. Making myself useful. Building friendships. Surely they taught you a thing or two about that, eh?"

He didn't know who "they" was supposed to be referring to, but yeah, Raul wanted to think that he did indeed know a little about those strategies.

"But yes, I did manage to finagle a few new allies for myself while behind bars." Donald paused for a low laugh and rubbed his neck. "Bridgewater is infamous for a reason. All told, the men in there could probably take over this country if they worked together. Not that I imagine they would."

"Are you saying the VMP is right to be afraid of them?"

"From a strategic perspective? Without a doubt. Their collective influence would be unstoppable. But they're also leaderless, and half of them are true criminals, not just people with the wrong politics. If they were free to go where they wanted and do as they wished, I can't tell if they would manage to successfully organize themselves and overthrow the government or just destroy each other through in-fighting first. I hope the prisoners that you're after are different."

"Oh, they are."

"You really believe they can protect Atreya during this war?"

Raul had been a little surprised at first that Donald even knew about the continental war, but apparently even Bridgewater hadn't been able to keep that news from him. Good thing, too, because it seemed to be a key factor in motivating Donald to help him. "I do, yes."

Mr. Elias was still looking at him with a fair amount of skepticism, though. "How can you be so sure? These prisoners are superhumans like yourself, I assume, but Atreya is so small and so far away from here. This Lord Goffe of yours has their allegiance, too?"

Raul frowned and scratched his head, knowing this would be difficult to explain without revealing his heritage as a Rainlord. Difficult, or just impossible, perhaps. Hmm.

Now seemed like a good time to resort to his tried and true strategy.

He gave the man a big smile. "Well, to be honest, it's all kinda complicated, and I don't really understand it very well myself, dude! But I'm sure it'll work out! You'll see!"

Donald Elias just kind of stared at him, blinking dully.

Raul filled the silence with a hearty laugh. "I've always found that it's best not to sweat the small stuff, ya feel me? Lord Goffe is a trustworthy man, which is pretty much all that matters at the end of the day, I think."

"...That's a very laidback attitude for a spy," said Donald. Raul couldn't tell if that was doubt or disapproval on his face.

"Well, I'm still pretty new to this whole gig, like you said. Maybe that'll get beaten outta me eventually. I hope not, though. I feel like I'm being true to myself this way, y'know?"

"Mmhmm..."

Raul knew that he probably wasn't convincing the guy of much, at the moment. But that was okay. That was a job for his elders if they so decided it--or for the Atreyan Queen, maybe. He just wanted to avoid getting bogged down in unnecessary details, right now. "Listen, bruh, I will vouch for these prisoners with my life, okay?" He paused to suck air through his teeth. "Plus, we, uh... we might kinda need their help in order to get outta the country safely, anyway."

"Oh?"

"I mean, maybe we won't. Maybe we could just make a break for the border right now and skip across it, no problem, but, uh... things are real messy in this country, at the moment. Lotta dangerous jackholes runnin' around."

"Jack... holes. I suppose that is one way of putting it, yes. And I would prefer not to walk back to Atreya on foot. Do you already have a better escape route in mind?"

Raul bobbed his head. "Sorta. Ridgemark is the only place still letting civilian craft come and go freely, so it'd theoretically be our best option, but it's also where the fighting between the VMP, Abolish, and the RPMP is the strongest. Now that the Vanguard has pulled out of the country, I expect Ridgemark to be pretty dangerous."

"Hence why more superhumans would come in handy," concluded Donald.

"Yup."

The other man gazed into the campfire for a long moment and stroked his scraggly beard. "Do you know where they're being held?"

"A place called Logden," said Raul.

"Ah... that's unfortunate."

"How so?"

"I wasn't kept exclusively at Bridgewater all these years. Been transferred plenty of times. Spent a fair few of my years in Logden. Huge facility. Deep in the mountains. Beautiful vistas, though. I enjoyed my time there a a little more, actually."

"I'm not hearing the unfortunate part, dude."

"The mountains make it extremely difficult to escape from. Heard about several guys who tried during my time there. All were caught, shot, or fell to their deaths. Mostly the latter, since they didn't have enough guards to watch everyone, but it seems like they won't have that problem this time. I was wondering why Bridgewater's security seemed to have lightened so much recently. Makes sense if they were being transferred over to Logden for the influx of new prisoners there."

"A little climbing shouldn't be too much of a problem," said Raul, stretching the fingers of his right hand. Difficult terrain was something of a specialty of his, he felt. "I'm more concerned about getting everyone out of the building safely. And quietly, if possible. There'll be normal people mixed in with the superhumans, and we need to keep them from getting shot at."

"Mm," hummed Donald. "And that's why you chose to spring me first, I take it? To see if I might be able to help you with that problem?"

"That, and it's a lot easier to spring one than three hundred. But like I said, if you don't know how to help, that's okay. I'll find a way to get you back to Atreya safely first. You don't need to feel compelled to come along just because I broke you out."

"That's very kind of you."

Eh. It wasn't really about kindness, actually. Raul just didn't want to give Donald any extra motive to betray him. If the man thought that the only way to get out of Vantalay quickly was to lie and give Raul the slip, then that would only cause problems.

Plus, he still wasn't entirely convinced that Donald would actually be able to help. So far, the guy hadn't really shared any concrete plans with him. Wasn't he supposed to be some kind of hyper competent spy? Well, Raul couldn't exactly blame him if he wasn't up for this. Fifteen years in prison had to have dulled his skills.

Raul kept his opinions to himself, though.

"...Are you hoping to ally with the RPMP?" said Donald.

"To escape through Ridgemark you mean? Maybe."

"Having so many superhumans on your side would be quite the bargaining chip during negotiations. If they're really fending off both the VMP and Abolish without the Vanguard's help, then they would probably be quite welcoming of your assistance."

"That would mean getting mixed up in this civil war of theirs," said Raul. "And potentially the continental war, too."

"Indeed. Hence my curiosity."

Ah. He wanted to know if they were going to drag Atreya into these foreign conflicts. It was certainly a reasonable concern.

"Well, that's not really up to me," said Raul, "but I'm sure it wouldn't be our first choice. I only see that happening if we can't find any other way out of the country." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Or... if something else happens, I guess."

"Hmm? Something else? Like what?"

"Ah..." He didn't want to lie to the guy. Maybe that was a bad quality for a spy to have. But eh. "How much do you know about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in this country?"

Donald's back straightened for a moment as he gazed across the campfire at him. Then he settled forward again. "Not much, but I can guess."

"Mm. Well, um. Dude. If we see something really horrific unfolding right before our eyes, it'll be difficult not to get involved, at least a little. That's just the kinda people we are."

"I see..."

Raul had to wonder if he really did. Perhaps he should just admit that they were Rainlords already. Donald would probably understand right away, if he did. And he would almost definitely find out eventually.

Agh. Raul was torn.

But there were more important concerns, right now.

"Well, in any event, if we're to get all your friends out of Logden, then I have a few of different strategies for you."

Oh? Raul was listening.

"Option one: we turn the guards against each other. That would create the conditions for a mass jailbreak. It wouldn't exactly be quiet, but it would give us tentative support from the other prisoners."

"How in the world would we be able to make the guards turn on each other?" said Raul.

"By stirring the pot among their factions."

"Factions?"

"Mmhmm. The guards aren't all VMP, and even the ones that are have subgroups of their own. Factions within factions, you could say. There's the Prison Guard's Union, the United Worker's Union, the Vantalay Law Enforcement Union, the Anti-Corruption League, the Red Dogs, the Hoppers, the Winders--"

"How do you know all this?"

The man breathed a short laugh and shrugged. "I've had a lot of time to read and listen to people."

Damn.

"Anyway, in order to stoke a violent confrontation between them at Logden, we would have to enact a two-step process. First, increase tension to new heights. Second, spark a related incident at the prison itself. All in all, preparing that first part would likely require a couple weeks, at least. And the second part would also require a bit of prep work, too. If it fizzles out and doesn't cause the kind of conflict we need, then the whole plan fails."

Raul just kind of nodded along.

"So that's option one. Elements of it are flexible, but for most part, it's a big, loud prison break that'll conceal our involvement with pure chaos."

"Right..."

"Option two: we somehow trick the guards into releasing everyone for us. Admittedly, this one sounds impossible to me. The only reason I mention it is because I've seen it done before, but circumstances were different, and it sounds like these prisoners are too high-profile for that to work. But if you've got an idea how to pull it off, then by all means, let me know."

Raul gave a shrug. "I dunno, dude."

"Fair enough. Option three: we take it slow. Using that power of yours, we sneak everyone out, one at a time like you did with me. This'd obviously take a while, but it might just be the safest bet to avoid anyone getting injured."

Hmm. "Wouldn't they realize something was wrong when some of their prisoner start going missing?"

"Probably. But if they have no idea where they went, then the only thing they can do is beef up security to make sure no more escape. And that won't help them against an invisible man, now will it?"

"It'll make my job progressively harder," said Raul. "And if Abolish is there, then they might have some means of detecting me through my invisibility."

"Ah..."

"If I thought I could sneak them all out on my own, then I wouldn't have gone for you first," said Raul. "No offense."

"None taken." The man stroked his beard again, then gave a nod. "Option four: we start a fire. Standard prison procedure is to evacuate the building in such an event, which would make it much easier to reach our targets and free them."

Interesting thought. Hmm.

"Downsides include potential danger to the captives, relatively small window of opportunity, and as you already mentioned, if Abolish is there, they might complicate things. Their superhumans may put out the fire too quickly and ruin everything."

It wasn't terribly different from the plan that the Triplets had come up with during their initial attack on Miro. Instead of a fire, though, they'd utilized landslides. Creating an emergency situation to the disrupt the enemy's defenses was a perfectly rational strategy.

But it hadn't worked before, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't work now, either. Mostly for the reasons that Donald had just listed.

"Any other options?"

"Option five: we tunnel our way in. That's a favorite tactic of you superhumans, isn't it?"

Raul nodded. "You're not wrong, and for that reason, we usually have safeguards against that."

"Like what?"

"Underground detection networks," said Raul. "Sometimes that means guards. Sometimes it just means sensors. But if they brought in a bunch of extra manpower for this, then it's a fair bet that it'll be guards this time."

"Mm. Or both."

"Yeah."

"So you think Abolish will be waiting for us underground?"

"Probably." There was also the issue of reapers sensing their souls while tunneling in, but he didn't want to bring them up, especially when it would be mitigated by the Invisibility ring. The less he had to tell Donald about the way that the power of 'superhumans' actually functioned, the better.

"Alright," said Donald. "Option six: we draw manpower away from the prison."

"How would we do that?"

"By applying pressure to the VMP elsewhere in the country. Somewhere that they are more vulnerable and might need to call in reinforcements. Relatively nearby, preferably."

"Hmm. Could be helpful. I don't see it solving all our problems on its own, though."

"Indeed. A hybrid plan may be best. But the more complicated the plan gets, the more difficult it will be to pull off with only the two of us."

That was a damn good point, Raul felt. "In that case... maybe we start with option three. Try to sneak a few key people out so that they can help us free everyone else."

"That is what I was thinking as well, but I don't know your prisoner friends or what their abilities are like. Do you already have an idea of who you would like to start with?"

Now there was a tricky question. The temptation, of course, was to go for the most powerful servants among the captives. Octavia Redwater and Rayen Merlo. Without a doubt, both of those old ladies would prove invaluable here.

But the enemy would surely know that as well. Those two would be the most well-guarded, for sure. And even if he managed to free one of them, it would probably cause the biggest possible commotion.

Which was not what they wanted if this was going to turn into a slow, grueling operation. Keeping Logden in the dark about what was happening for as long as possible would be better.

In that vein, it might best to free a non-servant first, someone who would have the lowest level of security around them. But who among the non-servants would actually be able to help them?

Crap. This was where House Blackburn's isolation over the last thirty or so years was a real problem. When it came down to it, he actually didn't know his kin from the other Houses all the well. Who was the smartest? Who was the sneakiest? Who was the best under pressure? Who was the most creative, the most tech savvy, the most experienced in the field?

For House Blackburn, he could answer all of those questions.

Tch. He needed to consult Arumoro here. The reaper had taken part in the House's isolation just as much, but even if he couldn't tell Raul who to choose, he could at least talk to others in Warrenhold and figure something out.

But it was a start.

And over the next couple weeks, he and Donald would have plenty of time to make their preparations.

The elders were surprisingly reluctant to act. He'd expected them to rush in, to dispatch reinforcements immediately. He'd even been afraid that they would have Cousin Melchor and the others join him up north in order to lay siege to Logden Prison.

He wouldn't have minded the assistance, of course, but it would've become an enormous mess. And he wasn't yet convinced that such extreme actions would be necessary.

Perhaps he'd been able to convince Arumoro to share his opinion, and perhaps Arumoro had then been able to convince everyone else at Warrenhold.

But Raul kinda doubted it. At best, his opinion was merely one small factor among a multitude of others.

Because apparently, the situation in Miro was evolving.

The RPMP had made contact with Cousin Melchor's group again. And this time, they were seeking assistance outright. No more playing coy like before. They wanted help repelling the joint siege on Ridgemark from the VMP and Abolish.

It was a big ask. Cousin Melchor's group had a difficult decision to make. They didn't want to get involved any further with the war than they already were. If they began openly supporting the RPMP, then there was no telling how that might complicate things later.

But on the other hand, they were already locked in a stalemate against the Killer of Krohin and his men. In all the time that Raul had spent away from Miro, the ongoing siege there still hadn't made much progress, apparently. Raul wasn't sure if that was a testament to the Killer's wisdom or to his cowardice.

In open battle, Raul was sure that Leo and Cousin Melchor would be able to win the day, but would they ever get that chance again? It seemed increasingly unlikely.

So when he heard that they decided to take the RPMP up on their offer, Raul was anxious about the news but not terribly surprised.

With the RPMP's help, they could safely move the civilians out of Miro and over to Ridgemark, where they could be either protected or taken out of the country.

But it also meant that Raul couldn't expect much in the way of help on his end. With everyone else busy protecting Ridgemark from being overrun and probably razed to the ground, manpower was difficult to come by.

But not impossible, apparently.

Raul got word that his brothers were coming to him. Adan and Esai.

Which was news that brought a faint smile to his face. It hadn't even been that long since he'd seen them, but somehow, it felt like ages. He wasn't accustomed to being on his own for even this length of time. It would be a relief to have them around again.

This was all business, though. No time for screwing around or enjoying each other's company. The only reason they Adan and Esai were being given to him for this operation was because of how important it was. The elders knew that if he could free the rest of their people, then the siege of Ridgemark would not be nearly as difficult of a problem to deal with.

A lot was riding on his shoulders here. Arguably, everything was.

And he was under no illusions that everyone was pleased about this situation, about him being the one in such a critical position, right now. In a perfect world, it would be someone else here. Someone stronger. More experienced. More qualified.

But it wasn't. It was him.

And again, he was calm. He had to be. At times, he felt like the world was spiraling all around him, enveloping everything except him in pure chaos. Like he was in the eye of a hurricane. A very small eye. One misstep, and the wind might just carry him off into some distant horizon.

Unable to do anything. Unable to be useful.

He had to keep his head clear. More than anything, he had to.

Their preparations progressed smoothly. Donald Elias knew the area even better than Raul could've expected, and he had old contacts all over the place.

Most seemed pleasantly surprised to see him walk through their door, and hardly any of them used the same name for him. John, Caleb, Fred, Marcus--Raul wondered how the man was able to keep track of so many aliases. It seemed a bit risky to be using so many different ones all within the same country, but if they hadn't been burned over the last fifteen years, then the guy must've been doing something right.

Almost none of Donald's contacts had any idea that he'd been in prison. Only the ones who called him John seemed to know, and even they didn't know why. Donald didn't bullshit them, though. He just left key information out. The ones who called him John, he told them he'd escaped and needed supplies.

It apparently didn't matter that he had no money. More than once, they told him that he was good for it, that he could pay them back later--or that he didn't even have to, that they would be insulted if he tried.

Raul was in awe. When they were alone, he asked Donald how he was able to gain the trust of so many people, many of whom didn't look like they extended their trust very easily.

"You're thinking about it the wrong way," said Donald. "When you've got years of friendship and correspondence under your belt, it's not about gaining their trust or tricking them. It's about being trustworthy. I didn't convince them to be my friends. They are my friends."

"But what if you have to betray them, someday? What if it jeopardizes your mission, and you're forced to choose?"

"Questions like that will poison your mind, son. It'll infect your behavior, make you feel like you're lying even when you're just having a normal conversation. It's not that complicated. In fact, it's the simplest thing in the world. Don't psych yourself out."

Half or more of that sounded like bullshit to Raul, but he supposed the man still had a decent point. Overthinking things wasn't going to help.

When his brothers finally made contact with them, the preparations were just about complete. The look on Donald's face when he saw the three of them standing together for the first time was just as enjoyable as Raul had expected. Donald asked if this was another of his superpowers, which made the Triplets laugh in unison.

That only seemed to make Donald more disturbed, however. Which also kinda made it funnier.

Raul made sure to clarify the situation, eventually. But truth be told, once they'd settled back down, he was a little surprised that Donald could even tell that the three of them shared the same face--particularly Adan, who was still missing his left eye. The boys hadn't made contact with their reapers yet, so their wounds from being tortured by Abolish at Miro hadn't regenerated yet.

His brothers were in good spirits about it, though. Adan kept saying that he was thinking about letting the eye stay gone.

"An eye patch would make me look more distinguished, don't you think?" he'd said. "Like a grizzled warrior."

"You could wear an eye patch without actually giving up the eye, y'know," Esai told him.

"Bro. That'd make me feel like a giant douche."

"You mean you don't feel like one already?"

As their preparations neared completion, the pressure was beginning to mount for the task they were undertaking. Their scouting efforts were the real point of alarm for Raul. As they'd feared, they could see reapers hovering all over Logden prison, which almost certainly meant that Abolish was indeed present here.

That, or the VMP had a lot servants of their own. Which wasn't out of the question, actually.

Either way, it was terrible news.

Even worse news arrived, however, right as he was readying himself for his first attempt to infiltrate the building.

'Raul,' came Arumoro's echoing voice. 'Be very careful. We just got word that Vanderberk is in Vantalay.'