Hector came to the briefing room at the third hour.
He had the assessment in his head, not on clay. Lysander had learned this about Hector over two years — he did not commit military calculations to tablets. He ran them, checked them, ran them again, and then spoke them from memory. The tablets were for administration. The calculations were his.
Priam was already seated. Lysander along the wall.
Hector stood.
He said: "Troy's current defensive capacity is sufficient to repel an initial assault on the walls. That is the best part of this assessment. Everything else is more complicated."
He paused. Priam did not move.
"The combined force — Troy, Lycia, Caria, using the military commitments we have discussed — can hold the walls against a Mycenaean coalition assault for an extended period. The walls are sound. The harbor barrier limits approach from the sea. The coastal watch network gives us early warning. These advantages are real."
"But," Priam said.
