The letter from Varos arrived in eleven days.
Fylon brought it at the third hour — not through the diplomatic channel, through the harbor network, the path for things that needed to arrive before anyone expected them. He set it on the table and went out.
Lysander read it.
Varos wrote in the shorthand of river traders — compressed, specific, no courtesy formulas. He had read Paris's letter. He remembered the conversation at Kephon's house. He had timber. He wanted to understand the coastal freight arrangement in detail before committing to volume. He would send his terms within two weeks.
'Eleven days,' Lysander thought. 'Paris wrote to a man he met once for three hours and the man responded in eleven days.'
He set the letter aside and went to find Ampelos.
________________________________________
Ampelos was not in his office.
