Abaqa was eating dates, or more accurately, he was having dates fed to him by one of his wives. He smiled at Thierry’s appearance and the expression was predatory. Thierry noted that ’twas Abaqa’s western wife draped by his side. She had come from Constantinople to forge an alliance, although Thierry had seen precious little evidence of such a truce.
Though truly, with the current state of affairs in the Byzantine Empire, it seemed there was little enough to be gained from a link with the Byzantine royals. Undoubtedly, the woman was better out of her homeland. The men exchanged greetings, the guard stepped back and Thierry waited patiently.
The khan chewed thoughtfully for a long moment. “Had Berke not died in so timely a fashion, you might have had expectations,” he said finally, emphas
