The letter from the western network arrived fourteen days after Paris left.
Not through the diplomatic channel. Through the commercial correspondence — the Carian trading house route, the fastest of the unofficial channels, the one Ampelos used when the information needed to arrive before anyone was looking for it.
Fylon brought it at the first hour.
He set it on the table. He went out.
Lysander read it.
He read it twice.
He set it down and looked at the harbor through the window.
'Fourteen days,' he thought. 'Paris has been gone fourteen days. He sent timber in the check-in letter at the ten-day mark — situation normal, continuing. This letter has nothing to do with Paris. This letter is from a different part of the network entirely.'
'Which makes what it says worse in a specific way.'
He picked it up and read it a third time.
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