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Such details were unimportant, right now. The only thing that mattered was to free 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?"