Ch. 7: The gods have abandoned us
Once Salona had been taken, Marcylus' army waited for supplies and reinforcements from Tarentum. They had to defend the city from two small sieges while they waited. Marcylus' archery tactics proved to be most effective. The first siege came from Greece. The enemy army had five hundred Spartans and two hundred regular troops. The general had his archers use flame arrows on the army's battering rams and siege towers. The Greeks had retreated once the towers were lost.
The second siege lasted just as long as the first. An army of Gauls attacked from the north. The romans had used burning oil to beat them back. The rest of the wait was spent retraining the army and constructing buildings. A Brutii family member named Flavius had taken over management of Salona. He was doing a great job.
" We need sewer systems and baths as quickly as possible general ". Flavius needed help building the structures the town needed. The general nodded and sent fifty men to help with construction. He then decided to go see Lylius. It was still early in the morning and Lylius usually didn't sleep until the afternoon. Marcylus owed his life to Lylius' helmet. The piece of armor was growing to be a part of the general's reputation.
" They say the last thing any soldier sees is the hammers on his forehead, the survivors talk of a god, I say he is just a Roman! ". The general smiled and patted the old man who was speaking on the shoulder. The man spotted the helmet in Marcylus' grasp and fell to his knees. The commander lifted him back up and continued on.
" The gods sent him here, Mars' servant! " said a young child. Marcylus then put his helmet on.
" Ahhhhhhhhh! " cried the kid as he ran away, making Marcylus laugh. He continued on to Lylius' store. He thanked Lylius for the excellent helmet. A horn sounded and one of the general's scouts walked up to his commander.
" Sir our reinforcements have arrived, the army can be ready to leave by midday." Marcylus nodded and sent the scout off. As he walked towards the gates, Marcylus noticed that the entire city had made a pathway for him. They wished him luck as he mounted his horse and galloped out of the gates. Later that day the army moved out. They marched for a couple of weeks until they were camped outside of a Greek held city. Their camp had only one possible point of entrance, plus a hidden escape route to the shoreline where Marcylus had a small fleet of Biremes waiting in case things went bad, but he was confident the fort could hold an assault.
Marcylus posted guards before heading to his quarters. He paused as a leaf fell into his hand from a large tree. He blew it into the air and went to bed. He then fell into a deep sleep. He relived another traumatic battle while the guards argued about the gods.
" There is no god stronger than Mars my good Roman!" said the first man.
" Nay, Neptune commands much more of this Earth than Mars!" argued the second man. They laughed and punched each other in the shoulder, an offering of good luck in coming battles. They talked for a time until an arrow flew through the sky and imbedded itself in the first guard's shoulder.
" By the gods! arm yourselves! " cried the guard as he was hit again. The second guard quickly helped his friend from the battlements. Hundreds of torches were dotting the horizon and raced towards the camp. Hoofbeats shook the ground. The Romans stumbled out of their tents in full battle dress. Marcylus quickly gave orders to brace the gate of the camp until the army could get away. He ordered his reserve Centurions to sound a retreat.
" But my lord the enemy cannot break through the gate! " answered one of the leaders. Marcylus led him to the scout tower and pointed to the east. The man's mouth hung open. Not only were the Greeks attacking the front of the camp, a large Macedonian army was approaching from the East. The general unsheathed his sword and donned his helmet. He suddenly had a thought and removed the helm. He placed the helmet in Rexell's hands. He then entrusted the evacuation in his hands.
" My lord it has been the greatest honour in my life serving you! " said Rexell as he saluted. Marcylus leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.
" We will meet again my friend " he said.
" The gate is about to be breached, all Triarii hold them until our army is away! ". Marcylus took his place among the two hundred men ready to die for the good of Brutii's campaign. The gates shook. Marcylus placed his men in a solid line between two rows of tents. He also concealed a small contingent of special troops Phylus had trained just behind the gate. They hid behind their black masks and unsheathed their daggers.
Time seemed to slow down for the general. Triarii gripped their spears with hatred for their enemies, The Arcani could not be seen, and the archers began firing arrows over the walls. The gate suddenly crashed open, dust filled the air. War cries erupted from all sides.
" Triarii, form square now! " shouted Marcylus. The men quickly formed the shape just in time. Peasants and milita crashed into the spear wall. The Romans stood their ground as the vast army hit them. The sounds of battle echoed from everywhere. The Arcani attacked the peasants from behind. The fierce warriors broke the morale of the untrained soldiers. They fell back just before the cavalry charged through the gates.
The Arcani tried to defend themselves. One of them managed to jump onto an enemy horse. But the majority of them were broken in two as they were trampled and stabbed by Greek spears. the wounded jumped away and were captured by the infantry climbing over the walls.
Cavalry jumped into the eager spears of the Triarii. The square held even as the horses cried out, throwing their riders into the troops. The sheer number of horses threatened to break the north side of the square. Then the arrows came. Triarii started to fall. Marcylus cut down an unseated rider before an arrow pierced his leg.
He fell to the ground. The Triarii Centurion quickly came to his aid, breaking the arrow in half.
" My lord the square can not hold for long, I suggest holding them for another few moments before surrendering, I'm sorry we have failed."
Marcylus got to his feet shakily and spoke.
" You have held them at bay this long while being so outnumbered, you have not failed, raise the white flag once I kill five more enemies."
The centurion nodded before gripping his flag tightly. Marcylus swung his sword through the chest of a peasant. He quickly ducked an axe throw and another arrow before cutting a man's leg out from under him. Another Greek fell before three quick slashes. After killing two more men, Marcylus gave the signal and the Centurion raised the flag from the middle of the intact square.
The Greeks claimed victory and stripped the Romans of their weapons. The men held their heads high as they were escorted out of their burning fort. The Greek General addressed Marcylus.
" I have never seen such devotion in such a small contingent of troops." He escorted the men into a fort just South of a small mountain range. Marcylus counted his men. Thirty had fallen defending the army and another fifty were wounded. The general smiled and congratulated his men for surviving the attack. They all cheered.