トロイ

Vol. 26 : Escape from the city

The arrow hit the wall near Odysseus' head.

"Old man," Odysseus cried, "you have betrayed us."　Antenor shook his head as he started barricading the door: "Come, we must move quickly, or they will kill you. I know a secret way out of the city."

Antenor led Menelaus and Odysseus across a narrow alley and into another door. Behind them, they heard the sound of a door being smashed down.

"Can we trust him?" Menelaus whispered to Odysseus.

"We do not have much choice," Odysseus answered calmly, but his hand was on his sword.

They passed through the winding alleys of the city, keeping to the shadows.

They listened for the sounds of people following them, but all was quiet.

In fact, there were few people in that part of the city. Most had gone to the walls to watch the Greeks.

Finally, they came to small trapdoor in the ground.

"This tunnel leads outside the walls," Antenor said. "I am sorry, friends, for what has happened. It seems that once you leave this tunnel, we must be enemies."

"We will never forget your kindness," said Menelaus, and he and Odysseus disappeared into the trapdoor.

Antenor then went straight to King Priam.

"Has the king lost his mind?" he cried, entering the palace to find the king with Paris.

"Silence, dog," said Paris. "Do not speak to the king like that, especially when you have been seen making your own arrangements with the Greeks."

Antenor looked at him angrily.

"It was you who tried to kill them..." he said.

Paris interrupted him with a laugh: "The gods have muddled your mind, old man. You are talking nonsense."

Antenor turned to the king.: "What does the king say?"

The king said nothing. Antenor left the palace in despair.

Meanwhile, Odysseus and Menelaus had returned to the Greek camp. They went straight to Agamemnon and told him what had happened.

"The time has come," said Agamemnon. "We will destroy the city of Troy."

But the city of Troy was not destroyed so easily.