Free Destiny by Jason A. Cheek

phalanx, splintering more spearheads. “Clear the walls!”

SSSLLLIIICCCKKK
    “Advance!” A blow slammed against Cornisus’ greaves as he felt a dagger skitter off his armor. Lifting his shield up Cornisus eyes widened in shock as he saw a young guard grabbing for his armored hoof. As the guard pulled his dagger back for another strike, Cornisus smashed his scutum at the male.
    Ignoring the blood streaming down his ruined face, the guard weakly reached once more for Cornisus’ armored leg.
    Cornisus felt his vision blur to red as he began hammering uncontrollably at the male’s ruined face. Again and again he slammed the scutum down with all of his might, but the guard simply ignored the terrible blows as he strained to reach Cornisus with his dagger.
    Unbelievably, Cornisus felt more hands clutching at his shield. Stepping back, he ripped his scutum free, quickly assessing the situation with a practiced eye. It didn’t make any sense. Instead of falling back once they’d lost their spears as legionary tactics dictated. The Praetorians had thrown away their shields and were now attacking with only their daggers.
    What in Akras name was wrong with them? They were throwing their lives away for no reason!
    Hammering at the Praetorians with his scutum, Cornisus waded back into position using his gladius like a scythe. Every sweep of his blade sliced through the grasping hands and arms, but still the guards silently hammered at his shield wall with their bloody stumps as they sought to drag him down.
    Heart pounding, Cornisus felt the touch of fear creep into his chest for the first time. Even during the Great War against the Tuonellians Hordes, he’d never witnessed anything as horrifying as this. It was as if they were fighting against the living dead! Bile rose in the back of Cornisus’ throat as he saw the legionnaire next to him go down screaming underneath a bleeding oozing pile of biting guards.
    In a fear-driven fury, Cornisus began slamming his gladius into the slack faces pressing in on him as he bellowed in defiance. To his shocked amazement, the mutilated Praetorians began dropping to the ground unmoving. Clearing a space around him, Cornisus began dragging the creatures off of the legionnaire next to him, giving them the same headshot as he’d given the other ones.
    A second later, Cornisus was pulling Legionnaire Quinctius Cato back to his unsteady hooves. The younger bull was visibly shaken as his wide-eyes bulged out from fear, but other than being covered in the blood and gore of the guards, he was otherwise unharmed. Breathing heavy, Cornisus pushed Cato back into formation as he took up position next to the younger male. As the entire line began to buckle, Cornisus blew a shrill blast on his whistle.
    “Go for the heads, bullocks!” With a renewed fury, his contubernium tore into the guards. Slowly the line steadied once again as Praetorians began dropping to the ground dead around them. As the next rank of Phalanx began hammering against their shield walls, Cornisus blew three shrill blasts on his whistle.
    “Clear the walls and fall back!” In one smooth motion, Cornisus’ legionnaires slashed with their gladiuses before falling one rank back, while the second rank moved forward into position. As a new shield wall formed around him, Cornisus blew a quick double blast.
    “Advance!” Slamming his shield forward, Cornisus repeatedly struck at the heavy spears as he relentlessly lead his bulls into the teeth of the phalanx. The odds in front of them were manageable in the tight alley, but Cornisus’ blood still ran cold at the strange silence of the Praetorians formation they faced. Closing to melee range, the hackles of Cornisus’ mane rose under his armor as shrill whistle blasts began sounding from the backside of the formation.
    Grimacing sourly, Cornisus knew that could only mean one thing. They had incoming from behind.

Chapter Ten
    Location Earth / Sean MacRory:
    Captain Sean MacRory