There's a lot happening in this chapter, but we're in the final stretch! But this chapter is definitely a lot more lighthearted, so congrats everyone! You made it to the fluff! You earned it, and you will get a lot of it!

Chapter 58: Balloon

John removed the body.

It was a good thing. Isaac didn't need to see that. Arthur wished they could easily mop up the blood, but it was already soaking into the floor and leaving stains.

He needed to get out of this room. Fortunately, Hosea and Charles were one step ahead of him.

"Isaac? How about we all go downstairs?" Hosea said. "Charles will take your pa, okay?"

Isaac reluctantly let go of Arthur and let Hosea lead him away.

Charles' eyes widened when he saw the blood on Arthur's shirt. "Are you hurt?" he whispered, so that Isaac wouldn't hear.

"Not my blood," Arthur replied.

"Good," Charles said. "Are you alright if I pick you up?

He nodded. Charles slid an arm under his shoulders and his legs, hauling Arthur up. Arthur leaned his head into Charles' shoulder, remembering the last time Charles picked him up like that. He chuckled.

"What?"

"You are real strong, Mr. Smith," Arthur said with a smile.

"I think you are tired," Charles said jokingly.

When they got down to the landing and approached the door, Arthur said, "You know, the husband is supposed to carry you into the house. Not out of it."

"What?" Charles asked, holding back laughter.

"Swanson married us, remember?"

"I thought we agreed that didn't count, since neither of us knew he was doing it. Swanson probably doesn't remember doing it."

"So, let's get married again," Arthur said. "I know it won't be official or nothing, but it'd be nice to do something. For us."

Charles set him down outside, near the girls' wagon. "I think I'd like that," he said.

"Once everything is settled and we have Dutch back, I'm going to marry you, Charles Smith," Arthur said.

Isaac was sitting at the fire next to Abigail and Jack, petting Cain and listening to Jack ramble. "He okay?" Arthur asked.

"I think so," Charles said. "He will be."

A horse whinnied and ran over to them. Lenny tried to catch Boadicea before she got into camp, but she dodged him and skidded to a halt in front of Arthur. She nudged his head and blew into his hair.

"Hi, Bo!" Arthur said. He rubbed her forehead, and she pressed her head into his chest. "Yeah, I'm home, girl. It's good to see you, too."

"I thought she was going to run me over!" Lenny said. "Good to see you, Arthur."

"You, too."

"Want me to take her back to the others?" Lenny asked, but Boadicea settled down next to Arthur and rested her head in his lap.

Arthur smiled. "I think she wants to stay."

"She's happy to see you," Lenny said. "I'm glad we got back in time!"

"Back?"

"Arthur! Check it out!" Sean said, waving a pair of glasses. "Some lady who had the same eye problems as me never picked up her glasses, so we just had to wait for the doc to put them in frames! I can read now!"

"Yeah, we stayed the night in town so we could get them in the morning," Lenny said.

"I've got to show everyone! I never knew things were so blurry. Is this how you lot see all the time?"

Once Sean ran off to show Isaac, Lenny shook his head and said, "I was there during the eye test. I couldn't believe it. We let him go on watch."

Charles shook his head. "He's been talking about it all night. I almost risked the swamps."

"You find anything in town?" Arthur asked.

Charles hesitated. "Just some newspaper articles from when Dutch was arrested. But I got a bit… distracted. I ran into two men from the Wapiti reservation up north. They are trying to stop Cornwall from taking their land."

"Oh," Arthur said. "Bad business."

"It is. They were looking for someone to steal files from his oil company. I want to help, once we are safe. If I can."

Arthur squeezed his hand. "I wish I could help, too."

"You just rest. We'll be leaving this place pretty soon."

"That we will," Hosea said. "Gather around, everyone!"

Isaac sat down next to Arthur, also petting Boadicea. Jack waved and tried to crawl into Arthur's lap, though Boadicea took up most of the room. "Hi, Uncle Arthur."

"Hi, Jack. You okay?"

"Is all the fighting over?"

"I think so."

"It was scary," Jack said, wrapping his arms around Arthur's neck.

"Yeah, I know. But we're okay now."

The only ones who didn't gather near Arthur were Bill, Sean, Karen, Swanson, and Susan. Arthur could hear Bill cursing as Susan wrapped his leg. Karen was resting against Sean's shoulder.

"Now, we need to move," Hosea said. "Javier told me about a place back up in the mountains. I know what you are all thinking, but Javier assures me there isn't as much snow. And it's summer, so we won't need to worry about any snowfall for a few months. Javier, can you check it out once we're done here? Make sure it's still clear?"

"Of course."

"Take Lenny with you," Hosea said. "Now, on to Dutch. We know he's in Sisika, and we know when they plan to hang him. We just need to figure out how to get him before they do."

"Can we rescue him during the hanging?" John asked.

Hosea hesitated. "I don't like that idea. Too many things can go wrong, especially timing. And there's a lot of law in the city who could shoot Dutch even if we get him off the platform. But Sisika is on an island. None of us have seen it."

"I might have a way to see it," Sadie said.

"Really? Do tell, Mrs. Adler."

"I met a guy who flies hot air balloons," Sadie said. "Arturo Bullard. He does tours of the river."

"So, we can get an idea of the layout," Annabelle said. "I'll do it."

"Actually, there is a problem with that," Sadie said. "He only takes men. Something about women's vapors, otherwise I would have just done it."

"Their vapors?" Arthur asked.

Sadie shrugged.

"Alright, who is able to go?" Hosea asked. "I don't imagine flying is good for my lungs."

"I wish we could send someone who can draw a map," Sadie said. "But I don't think Arthur can stand up that long."

Isaac sat up, face brightening for the first time since Micah. "I can draw."

"What? No!" Arthur said. "You're not going up in a balloon."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous!"

"He's right, Isaac. I'll go," John said.

Arthur snorted. "You can't draw, Marston."

"See, it has to be me!" Isaac said.

"I can draw!" John said.

"You are not going up in a balloon, John Marston!" Abigail said.

"Go ahead and draw something right now," Arthur said.

"Hey, you don't want Isaac going either!"

Sadie looked between them, laughing. "I guess we should have a drawing competition!"

"Uh oh," John said.

"Do we even need a map?" Hosea asked.

"Whoever goes to Sisika should at least show us where the guard towers are and the layout of the place," Annabelle said.

"Okay, draw Uncle! Go!" Sadie said.

Uncle chuckled and struck a pose. "At least someone appreciates my good looks."

Isaac immediately put his pencil to his sketchbook and drew out the basic shapes. John frowned, then started a jiggling line that might have been Uncle's jacket.

Arthur glared at Sadie. "You are not putting my son in a balloon."

"You think you can stop me right now?" Sadie asked.

"Charles, back me up," Arthur said.

Isaac stood up. "Done!" he said, showing everyone his drawing of Uncle. John sighed and held up his page of squiggles.

"Looks like Isaac is going up in the balloon," Sadie said with a smirk.

"Dammit, John," Arthur muttered.

John looked down and said, "Sorry."

"I'll be careful, Pa," Isaac said.

"I know, son, I just-"

"I'll go with him," John offered.

"John, no!" Abigail said. "You want to fly in a balloon? Over water?"

"I won't be getting out of the balloon," John said. "Besides, this is for Dutch! After everything he did for us, and Arthur, I have to do this."

She crossed her arms. "You come back, John Marston. You ain't leaving me and the boy alone after all this."

John reached out to hug her, and she fell into his arms. "I'll come back, I promise."

"Where are you going, Pa?" Jack asked, tugging on his shirt.

John crouched down in front of Jack and said, "I'm going to help get Uncle Dutch home, okay? I won't be gone long."

Sadie turned to Abigail and said, "I'm sorry. But don't worry, Arturo knows what he's doing! I'll head into town and let him know to meet you guys tomorrow morning."

"Okay, then," Hosea said. "Javier and Lenny, you two head up into the mountains and make sure our new camp is clear. Susan, can Bill and Karen travel?"

"They'll be fine. How's Mr. Morgan?"

"We will make it work," Hosea said. "I'll go with Sadie and meet John and Isaac once they are done. Everyone else-"

"I'm coming with you," Arthur said.

"Arthur-"

"It's just sitting in the back of a wagon, Hosea. At least let me do that."

Hosea sighed. "Alright. Charles, you mind coming along as well?"

"Not at all."

The rest of the gang began packing up. Abigail put Jack next to Arthur again, since they'd only cleared the bodies right next to their wagons. She didn't want Jack wandering and seeing all the dead Pinkertons from their fight. Soon, Jack was taking a nap at Arthur's side, and Arthur also relaxed and fell asleep.

A few hours later, most of the gang departed under Susan's watchful eyes. Hosea and Annabelle took Arthur, Charles, Isaac, and John to the other side of the city, ready to meet Sadie by the bridge in the morning.

"You be safe now, you hear?"

"I know, Pa."

"Don't take any risks. Just get a good look at the island and the buildings. Don't linger."

"I know. We'll be fine!"

His father sat propped up against the wagon, glaring at the hot air balloon and the man chatting with Sadie. "I know, I know," he said. "I'll meet you after you land, okay?"

"Okay," Isaac said. He hugged his father, then ran over to Sadie while Pa gave the same speech to John.

"Isaac, this is Mr. Bullard," Sadie said.

"Good to meet you, young man. Arturo Bullard, at your service. Well, it's a nice fresh day for flying, sir. A day like this and Icarus would have made it across the sea. And your uncle will be joining us?"

"Yeah, my uncle John," Isaac said.

"Either of you ever flown before?"

"No."

"Oh, it's quite a thing," Mr. Bullard said, pulling his goggles over his eyes. "Quite a thing. Now, put these on and hop in."

He handed Isaac another pair of goggles, and tossed some to John when he wandered over. Isaac crawled into the wagon eagerly, and John followed reluctantly.

"Are you sure about this?" John asked, grabbing the side of the basket and giving it a shake.

"Certain, sir, quite certain," Mr. Bullard said. "I've only crashed twice. Now, which of you wants to pull on that rope and get us in the air?"

"I'll do it!" Isaac said.

There was a whoosh as the flame grew and the basket lifted off the ground. Isaac waved at his pa, and while he was surely nervous, Pa waved back. They rose up slowly at first, then faster as they moved into the fog.

"It's a little overcast, but I'm expecting some good wind once we're high enough," Mr. Bullard said. "We should still have some decent views over the river."

"I should hope so," John said, clutching the basket with a white-knuckle grip.

While Mr. Bullard explained the procedure of ablutions, Isaac got a good look around. Much of the city was still covered in fog and smog from the smokestacks, but he could see almost to their camp at Shady Belle and the swamp to the north. He almost couldn't believe he was seeing it from so high up!

"You are doing well, young sir. Keep going, we need to get above the clouds. It really is stunning up there, you'll have seen nothing like it."

"It's already amazing," Isaac said

It had been hard since the O'Driscolls. Weeks of pain, recovery, worry, fighting. Micah. But when the balloon moved through the clouds, the sun revealing the endless sky and the city below, none of that mattered anymore. This flight was the first time since all of it that he was enjoying himself. He never thought he'd be able to fly above the world, and he couldn't wait to tell his pa.

"Jesus," John muttered, finally looking up.

Mr. Bullard chuckled and said, "Yes, heavenly indeed. Quite remarkable, isn't it? And it feels like we have a nice westerly wind, so keep her around this height."

Isaac began letting up on the cord. The clouds were beginning to clear, and he could see up and down the Lannahechee River.

"This particular vessel is state of the art, sir, imported from Europe," Mr. Bullard continued. "You won't find more than a couple of these on this side of the pond."

"So long as it works," John said, back to clutching the basket. He looked a bit green, and Isaac wondered if he was about to experience some of the ablutions Mr. Bullard warned about.

"So, if I may ask, what got you interested in the pursuit of aviation?" Mr. Bullard asked.

John threw up over the side of the basket.

"Oh, dear, I hope no one is below that," Mr. Bullard said.

"Uh, Sadie thought it would be a nice surprise," Isaac said. "She's a friend of my pa's."

"Oh? A special friend?"

"No," Isaac laughed.

"Still, she's a very nice woman. And no shrinking violet. I prefer slightly more feminine attire on a lady, but variety is the very spice of life, as they say. Or is it though? Did you know they locked up the man who wrote that in a mental asylum?"

"I didn't know that," Isaac said awkwardly.

Mr. Bullard certainly was an interesting character.

Isaac almost forgot about their mission, enjoying the flight and the view, until Mr. Bullard pointed out the island on the river. "See that building up ahead on the island? That's the infamous Sisika Penitentiary. We shouldn't fly to near to it, though, sir."

"I think we need a closer look," John said. "Take us in, Isaac."

Isaac released the cord and let the balloon sink towards the island.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Bullard said, but they were already going down. "Look, this isn't funny now. What on earth are you doing? The guards are bound to spot us."

"Calm down," John said, more confident now that they were below the clouds. "They won't care. Just keep us above them, Isaac. We're just looking for a friend."

"A friend?"

"A good man who got himself locked up for us," John said, pulling out his binoculars."

The balloon stopped over one of the fields. Below them, guards watched a group of workers in striped suits.

"Why don't you take over so the kid can have a look?" John said to Mr. Bullard. Isaac pulled out his own binoculars and started surveying the island. He tried to memorize the shape, the fields, and the placement of the buildings. There were a few guard towers and a barn, and of course, the main fortress in the back. But the fields were relatively clear, with some guards standing near the workers.

"Hey, I think I see Dutch," John said, pointing at a group near the barn. Isaac turned his binoculars. It was hard to tell, but there was a man with dark hair leaning on his pickax that looked a lot like Dutch.

Then, Dutch dropped to the ground with his hands over his head.

"Get us up!" John shouted as a bell started clanging.

A bullet whizzed past the balloon.

"Ah, my God!" Mr. Bullard shouted, dropping to the basket floor, the cord forgotten as the balloon sank closer and closer to the guards and the guns.

"Shit!" Isaac grabbed the cord and pulled with one hand while keeping his head covered with the other.

"What are you doing?" John shouted.

"They're shooting at us!" Mr. Bullard replied.

"I can see that!" said John.

"Ascend! Ascend!"

The balloon moved too slow for Isaac's comfort. The guards continued firing at the balloon, thankfully missing them, but still. Isaac focused on holding down the cord, and finally the balloon caught the wind.

"We should stay at this altitude," Mr. Bullard said. "It's heading north westerly, so that should take us back to land. Dear God, I'm shaking like a leaf."

They floated back over the river, finally clear of the bullet. Oh, Pa was not going to be happy to hear about this, but at least none of them were hurt. Once they were back over the mainland, John said, "Alright, I think we're in the clear. Now, how do we land this thing?"

"Oh, right, start letting us down, sir. We'll try to land near Annesburg. That's what Mrs. Adler told me, anyway. And I must say, the specifics of this job were not described to me at all sufficiently."

"It's done now, ain't it?" John said.

Isaac carefully let the balloon sink while Mr. Bullard looked for a safe place to land. "There's a lot of trees here," he said. "Oh, but I think I see Mrs. Adler. I'm sure she'll follow us."

Mr. Bullard took over as they got closer to the ground, carefully aiming the balloon towards a clearing near Elysian Pool. Isaac heart beat faster and faster as the balloon dropped to the ground, but it managed to stay upright as it bounced across the dirt.

Sadie came riding up soon after, with Old Boy and Apollo trailing behind. "Howdy, boys. You have fun?"

Mr. Bullard gasped. "Mrs. Adler, do you have any idea what we've been through?"

"Didn't go well?" she asked.

"A few bumps," John said, hopping out of the basket. "But Isaac got a good look. And I think I saw Dutch."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's working on a chain gang in the fields."

"Are there a lot of guards in the field?"

"No," John said.

"Well, maybe we can bust him from his work detail."

Mr. Bullard staggered over. "We could have been killed! What you did was most illegal! You are insane! Though it was a bit exciting, I have to admit. There could be opportunities here."

Sadie pointed her revolver at Mr. Bullard and said, "That's why the law won't be finding out about this. Right, Mr. Bullard?"

He swallowed, raising his hands up to his shoulder. "Of course not, Mrs. Adler," he said, his voice shaking.

Sadie nodded, and lowered the revolver. "Good. And here, you earned some extra money."

Once she tossed the stack of bills to him, she turned to John and Isaac. "We should go meet up with the others. And get away from that balloon before the law comes sniffing about."

"I am never going to fly again," John said.

"You think we need to worry about him talking?" Sadie asked.

"Maybe," John said. "It won't take the law too long to find the only guy with a hot air balloon in Saint Denis. I'm not sure he'll be able to keep his mouth shut."

They rode up into the hills, and it wasn't long before Isaac realized they were heading towards O'Creagh's Run. Isaac smiled. After they moved to Shady Belle, he never got the chance to write to Hamish about his pa.

"Are you sure you want to try walking?" Charles asked Arthur. Hosea was knocking on Hamish's door, figuring they'd visit the man while Sadie collected John and Isaac.

Arthur dragged himself to the edge of the wagon. "It's just a short walk. I need to know I can do it."

In case something went wrong or they were attacked again, Arthur needed to be able to get up himself. Charles supported him while Arthur set his foot on the ground and slid his wooden leg into place. "Ready?" Charles asked.

"Ready."

He was shaky and off balance as they shuffled over to Hamish's porch, but he forgot all about it when the veteran opened his door and shouted, "Arthur! You're not dead!"

"Hey, Hamish. Long time, huh?"

"Come on up here and sit down. You look awful, by the way."

"Thanks," Arthur said.

Hamish grabbed some chairs from his cabin and set them down on the porch. "I wasn't sure we'd see you again. How are you?"

Arthur responded by coughing into his shirt sleeve. "Wonderful, as I'm sure you can tell."

"He's much better than he was," Annabelle said.

"I'll take your word for it," Hamish said. "How did you get him back?"

Annabelle and Hosea told Hamish the whole story, including what John and Isaac were doing at the very moment. Arthur watched the water, hoping his son was okay in that balloon.

"You mean you got him back, and then someone else tried to kill him?" Hamish said.

"Micah Bell is dead, I promise," said Hosea.

"Good, because if he was still alive, I'd shoot him myself!"

Arthur didn't pay much attention to the conversation that followed. He leaned into Charles, tired from all the travel.

Until Isaac came back, at least.

"Pa! Hamish!"

"Hey, there he is!" Hamish said. "Now you can quit worrying, Arthur."

"I'm never going to stop worrying," Arthur said as he sat up. "How was it?"

"It was amazing!" Isaac said. "I could see the whole swamp from up there! And we didn't crash."

"That's… good," Arthur said, looking between John and Sadie.

"You are looking a bit green, John. You okay?" Annabelle asked.

"No. At least the kid had a good time," John grumbled.

"Everything go alright?" Hosea asked, while Isaac started drawing the island in Arthur's journal.

"The law spotted us while we were up there," said John. "I don't know if they figured out why we were there, but they might increase security."

"So, in a few days, what you saw might change," Hosea said.

"Yeah."

"Maybe, but maybe not," Annabelle said. "They might think it was just some rich explorer checking out the prison."

"If we go early enough in the morning, they won't notice me and John in a tiny rowboat," Sadie said.

"There island is surrounded by reeds and marshes," Isaac said, ripping his map out of the journal and passing it to them.

"Wait, you two are going? By yourselves?" Arthur asked.

"Hold on, let's come up with an actual plan," Hosea said.

"What's there to talk about, Hosea?" John said. "Someone has to go. Sadie and I will do fine!"

"You already decided, didn't you," Arthur said. "You two planned this."

John stared sheepishly at the ground. "Yeah, we did."

Hosea sighed, patting John on the shoulder. "You be careful, you hear?"

"I will, Hosea."

"You are just letting them go? Just like that?" Arthur asked.

Hosea turned to Arthur. "John is right. Someone has to go, and if we run back to the others to try to figure out who, we may lose our opportunity."

"I'll go with them," Charles said. "I'll help keep John and Sadie safe."

"Charles…"

It didn't seem real, sending John, Charles, and Sadie off to a federal prison by themselves. But Arthur knew why Charles offered to go, so he hugged him and said, "You be safe too, okay?"

"I will."

"I love you."

Charles squeezed him tight. "I love you, too."

"Uh, Arthur?" John said. "If something happens, could you… you know…"

"You never have to ask that, John," Arthur said. "Of course I'll look after them."

"Thank you."

"But you better come back!"

John chuckled. "I will. Abigail will kill me if I don't."

Annabelle and Hosea gathered the three of them together. "Don't take any crazy risks," she said.

"Besides breaking into federal prison?" Sadie asked,

"Get in and out fast. I want to see all of you back at camp," Annabelle continued.

"If you can't get to your camp, you can stop here for the night," Hamish offered. "I have medical supplies, if you need."

"Thank you, Hamish," Hosea said. "You three have everything you need?"

They looked at each other and said, "I think so."

"Then, good luck," Hosea said.

They went their separate ways. John, Sadie, and Charles rode off, and the rest piled into the wagon. Hosea drove, and Isaac sat in front with him while Arthur and Annabelle settled in the back. "They'll be fine," Annabelle said nervously.

"I know, Arthur said. "They better."