Ctesiphon.
Barefoot, Bahram paced back and forth irritably through his bedchamber.
A Sogdian eunuch entered from outside the palace doors with his head lowered.
Hearing his footsteps, Bahram suddenly turned and glared at him.
"How is the battle at the front? Has any news come back? Why has there been no word at all since they engaged the enemy?"
Bahram had handed the army over to Ali, but that did not mean he intended to simply leave him to it.
Mazdak, Jilani, and the commander of the Undead Army all possessed artifacts capable of directly contacting the court. Yet the messages sent back through those artifacts had all, without exception, stopped just before they were due to clash with the Franks.
"No news has arrived yet."
The eunuch forced a flattering smile. "The battle is intense, Your Majesty. It is only natural that they have no time to send word. Perhaps General Ali has already crushed the enemy and is busy collecting the spoils. You know that Frankish armor and weapons are treasures in Baghdad and Ctesiphon, comparable to the silks of the Eastern dynasties."
The Sogdian eunuch's words eased Bahram's mood slightly. He complained, "Even so, they should have sent back a message first. I keep worrying that the next report will be bad news."
"Your Majesty, Ali Atabeg comes from a family of renowned generals. He personally leads nearly seventy thousand troops against them, with Masters Jilani and Mazdak assisting him. In my opinion, there is truly no need for such concern."
The eunuchs did not quite understand Bahram's recent worries. In their eyes, driving back the Frankish vanguard was a foregone conclusion. The true challenge lay in the coming confrontation with the main Frankish force and the Tatars.
"Of course I do not think Ali will lose