Erechtheus and the three dryads

“Alright,” You start to speak sometime after you set out on this alternative course that has brought you along the winding backstreets of the city, and just after Peleus has motioned for you all to stop and then sunk down on one knee, “Telamon.”

Telamon readies his bow and takes his cue, covering your rear and the rooftops as he relentlessly scans your surroundings, while you step up closer behind Peleus and lean forwards until you can peek round the corner of the house which you’re taking cover behind to get a first glimpse of the square surrounding the statues of Erechtheus and the three dryads. The foursome of statues is as unseemly as the name would suggest, depicting a naked, bearded man who’s sporting a massive erection as he chases after three slender, equally naked women, all of whom have their hair done up and their faces contorted into delighted smiles. It must be a little confusing to be growing up in this neighbourhood and constantly having to wonder about what the statues are depicting, you guess.

Forgetting about Erechtheus and his ladies, you let you gaze roam across the buildings that surround the square, paying extra attention to the doorways of each house, while Peleus and Attalus look for potential threats.

“Sol…”

“I see it,” You answer Peleus, “Right across the square.”

On the other side of the wide, cobbled open space, there’s a stone house with palely reddish walls and yellowish window frames, with the cornerstone of the doorway being inscribed with dark red paint the symbol of a wavy thread running horizontally with a needle pointing downwards through the middle of it, marking that particular house as a seamstress’s shop. From what Miltos told you, he set his daughter’s aunt up with her own shop, with the provision that she would teach his daughter her trade, and that she’d own half of the shop upon reaching the age of twenty.

“It’s the only one here,” Peleus says of the red house, which has its door closed shut and its window shutters closed. It has this in common with most of the surrounding houses, as it seems as though the whole neighbourhood has prepared itself as best it can for what is to come.

You quickly size up the quickest and safest way in which to get across the square and to the red house.

“Peleus, you’re with me,” You say, speaking in a hushed and controlled voice, then you turn your attention to the rest of your small group, “Attalus, Telamon, you’ll cover us.”

You lead the way across the square, you and Peleus both leaning forwards a little, weapons drawn and shields readied to be raised in case of any arrows, stones or spears suddenly coming your way, while Telamon maintains his grip of his bow and Attalus covers him.

Having moved forwards with a gap of about five paces between yourself and Peleus, you squat down next to the wide, short set of steps leading up to the front door to the red house and wait for him to catch up to you. Then the two of you wait for Telamon and Attalus to join you, at which point you gesture for them to continue down one of the alleys that run alongside the house, to cover the backdoor.

Once you’ve given them enough time to get in position, you proceed to cover Peleus as he picks the lock on the front door, his chequered past proving once again to be of much use to you and your band of soldiers as he quickly manipulates the simple mechanism of what looks like a relatively cheap lock, then steps back and faces the square, leaving you with the honour of actually opening the door.

Taking a deep breath first, you grab hold of the door handle with your left hand, your right hand still clutching the handle of your gladius while your shield is now slung over your back, push the door opened, and step inside.