Page 114 of Axios
It was too late. At the same moment I screamed, the Theban commander issued the order for his men to charge.
Holding my shield with my left arm, I used it to cover more of Eryx and then raised my dory, resting it atop the rounded bronze. The sharp, iron head of the spear would easily cut through flesh, and I’d drive it through any man who got too close to my mate.
Gorgoleon shouted for ourmorato advance, while Theopompus ordered his men to form behind us into one large unit. The passage was narrow and gave us little room to spread out our defenses as we usually did. There were three lines of men in front of our group, and we pushed forward as the Theban cavalry approached.
The rushing of my blood in my ears was deafening, and my heart pounded so hard I believed it would shoot from my chest, but I focused my mind on the task at hand and refused to become lost in my head.
Men on horseback charged our lines, and upon the moment of collision, we shoved against our shields to push them back. Jabbing with swords and spears, we inflicted as much damage as possible.
Our formation held strong as we were confronted again.
Two of the cavalry soldiers circled Gorgoleon and simultaneously drove their swords into him—one in his back and one through his chest. He swung his own sword at them while impaled, but his movement was slow—the desperate acts of a man in his final moments.
The men withdrew their weapons and left him where he fell.
With Gorgoleon dead, the line officer then took control, shouting orders to keep going. It worked for a while, but the morale amongst our men swiftly deteriorated.
Theopompus—having been enraged at the death of his comrade—gave a battle cry and ran toward the Theban leader. Before he reached Pelopidas, a cavalry solder threw his spear, and it sunk into Theopompus’ side, causing our commander to fall to the dirt. He looked up just as the soldier rode by and decapitated him, sending his head to fly about a foot from his body.
“Do not lose focus!” Eryx yelled as men started to panic. “Keep your positions!”
I stared at him before turning back to the approaching cavalry. He gave me the confidence I needed—the assurance that all was not lost.
We still greatly outnumbered the Thebans, and even though our commanders had fallen that did not mean we would meet the same grim fate.
“When they hit our wall of shields, shove with every muscle in your body and parry them,” he instructed in a calm, but strong voice. “Men in front, use your swords for quick stabbing. Men behind them, use your spears. Do not let them break our line!”
Our soldiers found their composure and readied themselves for the onslaught of men.
As we defended against their attack, I noticed something peculiar. The cavalry advanced and crashed into us before pulling back. Then, they did it once more. It was almost as if they were taunting us.
Or distracting, I thought as I realized the Sacred Band force was nowhere in sight.
Before I could voice my concerns, I saw them.
They had formed into a dense formation—one that was unlike any usually used in warfare—and were moving quickly toward the middle of our lines, gaining more momentum the closer they became. When they hit, the Spartan center broke apart and they infiltrated our ranks. The Sacred Band turned once they were through our stronghold and began attacking the men left vulnerable at the flank.
Reforming our lines was impossible, and therefore, our only option was hand-to-hand combat instead of the synchronized fighting of the phalanx.
I stared in horror as the formation broke even further and men began meeting their ends at the hands of the enemy.
We had underestimated the Thebans. They should not have been besting us with such a smaller force, and yet, they were. The cavalry, who had been toward the front, were hacking away with their swords at the first row of men as the Sacred Band tried to tear us apart from within.
Spartans were falling fast, and some fled to the mountain passage on the other side of the path back toward Orchomenus. Abandoning the rest of us.
Cowards.
“Do not leave my side,” Eryx spoke, unable to hide the concern in his eyes as he looked at me. And I wondered if he, too, was memorizing the details of my face like I was doing to his. Even though he wore a helmet, I saw all the features of his beauty: the shape of his eyes, the perfect slope of his nose, and his flawless lips. He touched his hand to mine. “No matter what happens… stay with me.”
I nodded, not knowing how to respond.
If it truly was the end, how did I say goodbye to the man who was the reason for the beating of my heart?
In an instant, the enemy was upon us. My dory was more of a hindrance at that proximity, so I tossed it aside and unsheathed my sword. It was lightweight, but the double-edged blade and elongated, pointed tip allowed for both slashing and stabbing.
The first man ran toward me, and as he raised his sword to swing down on my head, I slashed mine to the side and cut across his torso. His body crashed into the man behind him.
But more followed.
