The report came before dawn.
Not one report — four, arriving within two hours from four separate stations. The northern coastal network, the expanded version, the one Hector had built after the first eighty boats: designed specifically to distinguish between isolated sightings and connected movement.
Four stations reporting simultaneously meant connected.
Fylon was at the supply office door before the second hour. He had the quality he had on the worst nights — not urgency exactly, the specific containment of a man who had assessed something and decided that the person who needed to know needed to know now.
He said: "Four stations. Northern coast. And — there are two more."
"Two more what."
"Two more reports. Not from our network. From Lycia and Caria. They arrived through the harbor channel twenty minutes ago. Both sent yesterday."
Lysander looked at him.
'All three,' he thought. 'At the same time.'
'Of course at the same time.'
