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~~((The National Jelly Bean Day Special -- page 2 of 10))~~
En route to Miro, the three brothers were uncharacteristically quiet.

Despite their typically jovial dispositions, Raul could tell that his brothers were a little on edge, today. The sudden change in their orders was abnormal enough on its own, but it had also been accompanied by a rather vague warning to be wary of traps.

They decided not to approach Miro in the same way that they had approached Ridgemark. If there was any chance at all that they were heading into an ambush, then trying to hide in plain sight was not the right strategy. An ambush implied that the enemy might possess intel on them, so they might just be recognized on sight and attacked immediately.

That didn't seem likely, of course, given House Blackburn's reclusion over the last thirty years, but they wanted to exercise extra caution, nonetheless.

But they couldn't just sneak into the town, either. If there were any reapers around, three unfamiliar souls skulking in the shadows would arouse immediate suspicion.

Raul pulled the car over in order to let Adan and Esai out. Miro was still a few miles away, but they weren't heading directly toward it. Their task was to find good vantage points from which to observe the town at a distance.

He bumped fists with each of them before they left. They both had a pair of binoculars in the survival kits they took with them, and their wilderness training from when they were younger would surely be helpful if things got bad, so Raul wasn't worried about them.

He took a breath as he watched them disappear into the thick forest that flanked both sides of the road.

He didn't start the car back up yet. His task now was to wait for them to get into position. They would text him when they were ready.

So Raul was left with considerable time to himself, waiting in the driver's seat of the rental car with nothing but his thoughts.

That old wilderness training kept popping into his head for some reason. Perhaps it was the sight of all these trees. Various elders of the Blackburn household had served as their instructors, but the trip with Uncle Ismael and Cousin Ibai was, without a doubt, the most memorable one.