Charles struggled with the small boat, trying to keep it close to shore.

  The wind and rain were brutal on land, and even worse on the lake. The waves were big enough to capsize a boat.

  Seeing the worsening weather, Charles had no choice but to steer towards the shore. He hauled the boat onto the beach with a grunt.

  He rested for a while, trying to catch his breath.

  The rain was cold against his skin, soaking him to the bone.

  The wind made him shiver.

  Thunder rumbled overhead, but he dared not stand under a tree for shelter. He found a large rock and leaned against it, trying to rest.

  Time ticked by, and the storm started to calm down. The wind and rain weren't as fierce as before.

  He looked around and realized he wasn't far from Blackwater.

  Looking north, he could even see the faint light from the Blackwater harbor lighthouse.

  He pulled out his pocket watch. It was 3 AM. He needed to hurry.

  He bailed some water from the boat and pushed it back into the lake with all his strength.

  Charles grabbed the oars and rowed north as fast as he could.

  The early morning hours were the hardest, especially in this weather.

  The guards patrolling the harbor huddled in their cabins, sheltering from the rain.

  They never suspected that someone like Charles would dare to slip past them in this storm.

  He carefully maneuvered the boat, weaving between the large ships like a fish.

  The shadows of the ships were his best cover, and the sound of the rain masked the sound of his oars.

  He made it through Blackwater harbor safely and met up with Arthur in the morning.

  Arthur and Javier had been waiting anxiously for two days, taking turns watching the lake with their binoculars.

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  They both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Charles rowing towards them.

  "Nice work."

  Javier clapped Charles on the back. "That was a tough trip."

  "Where's Stephen?" Arthur asked, scanning the boat. He couldn't see Stephen and was worried.

  "He's a little hurt."

  Charles said guiltily, "I told him to take it slow on horseback. I came on ahead."

  "Rest up first."

  Seeing how exhausted Charles was, Arthur quickly handed him a cup of hot water.

  "What exactly happened?"

  Charles gulped down the water. The last few days had taken a toll on him.

  He took a breath and explained everything that had happened.

  "Damn, I knew it wouldn't be easy."

  Arthur, hearing that Stephen was injured, cursed under his breath. "I should have gone with you."

  "It's alright, he seemed to be doing okay."

  Charles said calmly, "He said he'll rest up in Blackwater for a couple of days and then head back."

  "He told us not to worry about him, and to focus on saving Sean."

  "What's the situation here? Where's Trelawny?" Charles asked, noticing that only Arthur and Javier were there.

  Javier sighed at the mention of Trelawny. "That guy's back in Blackwater again, supposedly gathering intel. But we haven't heard anything from him."

  "He's always popping up out of nowhere. You never know where you'll find him."

  "Tomorrow. We wait until tomorrow night. If we still don't hear anything, we move."

  Arthur said decisively, "We can't wait any longer. Five days have passed, and tomorrow's our last chance."

  Stephen and Charles took two days to go to the black market, and Charles was able to return in one night by taking the waterway.

  Today was the third day, if they didn't act, Sean would be moved out early in the morning the day after tomorrow.

  Javier and Charles nodded in agreement.

  Javier took the wet Charles back to rest. He needed to get his clothes dried, or he'd catch a cold.

  Arthur stood on the shore, looking towards Blackwater, a knot of worry in his stomach.

  He wondered how Stephen was doing.

  Arthur felt a strange sense of concern. He didn't know why, but he liked that Stephen kid.

  The gang had plenty of good brothers, people he knew well.

  But for some reason, he was particularly fond of this reckless and naive newcomer.

  Arthur couldn't figure it out. He decided that Stephen reminded him of a younger version of himself.

  Back then, he was the same way, following Hosea and Dutch, dreaming of being a Robin Hood.

  Arthur couldn't help but smile at the thought.

  Time only goes one way. You can’t get back the good old days.

  Arthur shook his head and headed back to Camp.

  He needed to rest up for tomorrow's operation.

  When Stephen woke up, the sun was shining.

  The world was damp after the storm. Stephen shook his head, feeling like he was soaked.

  Blackwater was hot and dry.

  The rain had cleared out the heat. The air was crisp and clean.

  Stephen crawled out of his tent, wrung out his damp clothes, and stretched languidly in the sun.

  A cool breeze swept away the last of his drowsiness.

  The warmth of the sun filled him with energy.

  He stretched, feeling his joints pop.

  The campfire had died out, but Stephen didn't bother relighting it.

  He patted his horses, who looked a little worse for wear.

  They had spent the night huddling beneath the rock face, so they got wet.

  But they seemed okay. Animals were tougher than people.

  But he needed to take care of them quickly, otherwise, they would get sick.

  Stephen packed