It was near the day Batu would have to set out for the campaign.
He woke up and moved to his office to deal with daily matters, only to find his table empty.
The dispatch riders' reports should have been waiting there already. Khulgen always arranged them in the order they arrived during the night, each notation stacked with the others so Batu could begin sorting through the previous day's results before the morning properly started.
The absence of the reports was intentional.
Saran sat near the table with Toqoqan balanced against her knee when Batu stepped out from the bedroom. The baby was upright against her arm, completely absorbed in a task that apparently mattered to him a great deal. Namely checking whether the hem of her coat connected to the rest of the garment. He worked at it with total concentration.
"I told Khulgen the dispatch riders could wait one day," Saran informed him.
She didn't look up from Toqoqan.
