Ephso stood on the bow of the boat as it rocked gently in the waves in the harbor where they anchored. The flotilla of boats was arrayed in a rough semi-circle, positioned so that the arc of boats formed a rounded barrier against the open sea in case they were approached by unidentified craft. Ephso was the leader of this estranged tribe of Elymi, people who had left war and destruction behind in Wilusa to seek better, calmer lands.
He had led his people on this months-long journey in a hasty retreat to Knossos on the large island to
the west. That was never intended to be the last stop; it was too close to the place from which they were escaping, but the sea was vast and the voyage they planned would take long, so docking on this island was a temporary measure, one to last for a night o
