Take the main concourse

"If I were a wealthy merchant living on the river, I'd be more concerned about a waterborne attack than enemy troops this deep in the city." You tell Sophia slowly as you try to weigh the various possible outcomes, in spite of her brave facade you can see that she's not used to this kind of adventure so you end with a joke. "Besides, we don't want those pretty feet of yours to get muddy." She smiles politely at your attempt, but you sense that it is little more than a trained response, not a genuine reaction.

The walk down the wide tree-lined boulevard is easy and smooth. The light from the moon is more than enough for you to see the tall houses on both sides. These mansions are three and sometimes four stories high and more than one of them have drake towers that rise twenty paces above the tiled roofs. You have no doubt that there are sentries posted in all those towers, who knows, in some of the open archways there may even be a Rider waiting with his drake to take off into the night sky. It was not long ago that that was the most wonderful goal to attain, but now that you've taken the Attenotis townhouse with all its comforts you wonder if you really want to thrown it all away to start over again as a Rider trainee.

The promise of a drake from the High-Rider doesn't seem like such a great incentive anymore. Yes, you saw the success of the Riders dropping from the skies above onto the estates of noblemen deep within the city defenses after the fall of the drake-wires. You remember with a grim smile the sight of those great beasts slowly lifting off from rooftops laden with sacks of plunder and struggling women; but that was only after many of the Riders had been killed clearing the skies during the initial days of the siege when most of the action had taken place high above the city walls. There would be more Rider losses in the coming battle to take the Citadel as well ...

Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of fighting ahead of you along the concourse. Stepping in front of Sophia you and your men move with care until you can hear the clash of weapons and the screams of panic coming from one of the river-side estates.

"That's Rastus of Minos' house." Whispers Sophia when you get close enough to see which household it is. "The High-Priestess of Helios must have discovered Amara's location and sent a squad like yours to rescue her daughter." That was a likely possibility, you admit with an inner grimace, your hope to win the favor of the Temple of Helios looks futile now, but something didn't feel right and as you watch from the shadows you are more and more convinced that the forces attacking the mansion are not regular troops from the United Armies.

There seem to be as many as a score of men pushing into the wealthy estate but none of them are wearing uniforms, furthermore the sounds from within the walls lack the sharp orders you'd expect from an elite squad assigned to special duties like this. This could be the work of an ambitious mercenary captain, or the looting of a rich target by men of Athenapolis itself. It is not until you get a clear look at the figure directing the **** that you have a clear sense of what is happening.