“It is an advantageous outcome,” the Patriarch said, “and gives us all time to reconsider our options.”
“Advantageous!” Maniakes brought his fist down on his desk with a tremendous smash and rose to his feet, his face twisted with rage. The guards at the entrance stiffened. The atmosphere grew tense. “How in the name of God can it be termed "advantageous"?”
Alexius, the Patriarch of Byzantium winced. “Please, General. Don"t blaspheme.”
“Pah!” Maniakes struggled to keep himself under control, pressed his fists down onto his desk and leaned forward. “Constantine was our one trump card, Your Holiness! Now, he has been disgraced, thrown into a dockside pigsty with a bunch of cut-throat pirates. And all because of that snivelling little s**t"s notion of honour,” he jabbed a finger towards An
