Page 79 of Axios

Meanwhile, I felt ill and my knees threatened to shake, but I clenched my teeth and remained strong.

I stood toward the middle of our formation, with Eryx to my right and Haden to my left. There were rows of men in front of me and more behind me, and I could not see Theon or Quill amongst the helmets and shields.

We began marching toward Olynthus then. During our advance, I searched again for them. Wherever Theon was, Quill would be close as well. Then, I saw them. They were two rows up from me. I nearly lost my footing as I observed them. They appeared so small, standing shorter than the other men who surrounded their small bodies.

My heart ached at the thought of any harm coming to either of them.

Gods be with them. Keep them strong, I silently prayed to whichever god may be listening. I rarely mentioned a god by name, but in that moment, I decided to try.Athena, Goddess of wisdom and war, gift your knowledge to my brothers and aid them in battle. Ares, God of war, gift your strength and fortitude.

As we neared the gates, my heart hammered in my chest to the beat of our marching feet upon the earth. My palms started to sweat, and I tightened my grip on my spear and held my shield closer. I looked to the right to see Eryx, so that I’d know he was with me, needing the strength he provided me in my weak moments.

Through the opening in his helmet, I saw his eyes. Green like the grass that swayed in the meadow of our home. He was my sanctuary and my anchor that kept me from detaching from this world.

His stare met mine, full of encouragement, and I nodded.

When our army was close enough and halted in front of the city, the Olynthians acted. Their cavalry emerged from the gates and charged at the right side of our flank. We carried our shields with our left arm, protecting ourselves and the man to our left, but that left the men on the right wing barely protected.

It was a weakness in which the enemy exploited and why they rallied to that side first. Knowing the flaw, the more experienced hoplites were placed in that flank to better ward off the attack.

Men shouted as the enemy struck their wall of shields. They bellowed as they were stabbed. Some fell, and when they did, others stepped up to take their place, keeping the phalanx from breaking. If the line were to break, there would be no chance at reforming it and victory would be for naught.

Shields clanking against shields and swords against swords—just like I’d dreamed the night before. Echoes of war.

We advanced closer toward the city at a slow pace in order to sustain our formation. Our unity. Each of the rows had a leader who kept us in order, and a rank officer who remained at the rear, both of them issuing commands.

I had not a moment to waste on bothersome thoughts. One wrong move or instant of distraction could be the one that gave the opponent their way in.

When the Olynthians stormed our lines, we gained momentum and pushed them back with our shields upon collision. At such a close range, the Spartans in the front lines withdrew their swords and quickly stabbed and killed the men nearest to them. Battle continued that way for what seemed like ages.

Chaos. That was the only word I could use to explain the events around me. Utter chaos. However, just as I thought we were getting the upper hand in the fight, everything changed.

A yell to the right caught my attention.

Polycharmus was surrounded and pulled from his horse. As he lay on the ground, he was repeatedly struck in the chest with swords, his blood splashing the men who attacked him.

As I witnessed him in the midst of death, I recalled his words from earlier, “We wear red so our enemies do not see us bleed. We are gods in their eyes. Powerful. Invincible.”

And it was then I knew that Spartan arrogance would kill us all.

I watched in horror as our army on the right flank began falling. The line had been broken, and men fought individually, no longer having the protection of their neighbor’s shields to help them.

One by one, Spartans and our allies fell, their bodies collapsing to the ground in piles.

As the Olynthians launched another strike on the lines, the remainder of the right wing turned and fled.

They are abandoning us!

“Hold your ground!” Eryx commanded of the men around us who’d started to panic. The leader of our row had been killed and the men were alarmed and confused. But he took control, as I always knew he was born to do. “Do not break formation! Raise your shields and aim your spears. Prepare for impact!”

Immediately after he’d voiced the command, the enemy charged and pushed against our lines.

The first wave of them met the ends of our spears and fell, but more men replaced those who’d been killed. They kept advancing, pushing us harder and harder. Since the right flank had abandoned us, our Spartan right had been left vulnerable.

The Olynthians took full advantage of that, attacking the men at the edge in overwhelming numbers. Both their cavalry and infantry men charged us.

“Stay strong, Ax!” Eryx yelled as another swarm of enemy men attacked.

I was trying.