I was still swearing in my head an hour later when Meran got back from the city. I could tell it was him at once; two riders, each leading a string of horses. Meran and the drover, ten horses for us and one for the drover to ride back on. I mounted as soon as I saw them. The wait was nearly over but I was no longer that pleased about it. I had already thought it through and there was no way I could get out of trying to get her betrothed out of there. The ransom was un-payable. To kill and extract the head of an ally was not an option. If Orthand got a hint of it I would have made a powerful enemy. Getting caught doing it just didn't bear thinking about. Orthand was a wealthy man and not one to be trifled with. Worst case scenario, death. Best, exile. Lots of unpleasant options in between. Even if I was lucky enough to get away with the enmity of a powerful man there are a hundred ways he could make life unpleasant for me, and would as a matter of principle even if he didn't take the matter too seriously. Of course, that was assuming the chieftain's protectors didn't get carried away or mistakenly believe they could get away with killing me. None of that looked good.
The army was out of sight and the baggage train was well on the move by the time Meran pulled up and my men took their mounts. I decided Meran had purchased good animals as I cast a jaded eye over them and judged their worth. Four extra sets of saddle and tack and I didn't suppose I could grudge him that. Let him have a horse to ride. Who knew? I might need him to ride messages. Relieved of his string of four horses, Meran took control of the other six and paused. I raised an eyebrow and he tapped his free hand to the saddlebags behind him. I gestured that he should keep the bags and he bowed in the saddle and headed for the baggage train. There was money in the saddlebags and I trusted him with it better than I trusted myself. I drank and gambled. I had actually decided to give both a rest for a year, but why leave myself open to temptation?
So. Paying the ransom was out. That left rescue. The bad part of that was who had him and where. The Alendi had him, of course. And they were keeping him at the Eyrie, their one serious stronghold. And I was on my own in this. No way my six men would follow me there even if I asked them.
I looked back at the four men who were with me and assessed their riding skills, all were fair enough in the saddle and I didn't have to worry about them falling off.
Before I kicked my mount into a canter I asked one question. “How far to the lands of the Ensibi?”
Pakat considered for a moment. “About five hundred miles.”
That would take about twenty-five days or so. Plenty of time to worry about the details.