With the damage done and any means of easy transportation destroyed, heading immediately towards the capital was now little more than a hopeful fantasy. What were they to do? Journey on foot, inevitably delaying their journey further? Ismet realized that his companion was right. They would have to commute to the next town and hope, plea that they had horses available. This poor village they now found themselves in, well, they had their work on rebuilding cut out for them.

At least the stablemaster would not have to go about his work alone, though.

Ismet nodded at Kasim's suggestion. The least they could do for the man was giving his animals a proper burial in a tow ravaged by so much destruction already. Besides, it was growing far too late into the day to travel anywhere at all. They would have to derive a new plan, one that did not involve getting trapped into the path of dangerous beasts or perhaps the Safavid enemy that was restless at the border. Just what options did they have? Maybe that was something to discuss after nightfall over dinner.

The work around the stables was carried out with much effort, leaving Ismet exhausted by the time it was all over. The call to prayer came as a relief to the man as it blared across the village, thus forcing everyone away from their laborious tasks for the night.

It was upon finishing up his prayers that Ismet opted to join the stablemaster and his family in their home. He thanked the man and his family sincerely, particularly for their hospitality. It was once dinner, a rather late one, was served that his attention turned back towards his unlikely companion from the day's events. "We are obviously stuck up here until at least the morning, but we need a plan." He began.

It was between bites of his food that Ismet thought about the situation they were in and everything that could possibly go wrong. They were caught between a rock and a hard place, he realized. Each route came with its own set of risks with so much unrest occurring across the empire, but maybe some were simply easier than others.

"The monsters are restless recently. Perhaps they know how vulnerable we really are right now." Ismet explained, "I do not mean the Persians either, but they of course are another form of threat we may have to contend with. They have spies everywhere, according to a reliable source of mine." Monsters. Spies. Nowhere was safe, according to Javad. Oh no. Was Javad himself one of the spies he spoke of? No, he did not want to think about that, especially if the man eventually came around and opted to be useful. Maybe even now he could have been useful, particularly if they found themselves having to traverse through hostile territory.