CHAPTER 68 - 68: THE CRESCENT CRUMBLES

Date: April 8th, 1180Location: Egyptian Coast – Between Damietta and Burullus

The wind favored them.

Sails billowed, taut with speed, as the Sicilian fleet cut southward along the Egyptian coast. Behind them, the smoking ruin of Rosetta faded into memory. Ahead, fresh targets waited—unguarded, exposed, and ripe for the taking.

Count Ruggiero di Marsala, his boots braced against the deck of the Santa Lucia, studied the shoreline through a copper spyglass. To the east, the palm-lined river mouths of Burullus shimmered beneath the desert sun. The crew readied for another strike.

"Signal the vanguard," he barked. "Archers on the forward ships. We land by dusk."

Striking the Shore

The second raid fell upon a fishing village nestled along the marshy Burullus Lagoon. Known for its small port and shallow waters, it had no standing garrison—only a few militia and merchant guards.

They were no match for trained marines.

The Sicilians swept ashore in silence at twilight, fanning out through the narrow alleys with blades drawn and bows ready. Small resistance flared at the town well, where a dozen local men tried to stand their ground. They died quickly.

What followed was methodical.Warehouses holding dried fish, flax, and preserved olives were sacked. Bronze tools and silk garments—likely imported from Cairo—were taken. A local imam was captured and bound after being found hiding beneath the mosque floorboards.

This time, they did not burn the entire mosque. Instead, they looted it, desecrated the prayer mats and writings, and painted the cross of Jerusalem on the outer walls before departing.

The message was no less clear.

A New Pattern of Warfare

Rather than razing every town, the Sicilians now practiced selective destruction.

Ports and storehouses were stripped

Mosques desecrated or marked

Granaries emptied

Ships in the harbors burned to deny pursuit

Over the next four days, the fleet struck three more villages along the coast. Every strike followed the same rhythm: swift approach, lightning raid, vanish by morning. Egyptian coastal patrols were slow to respond—most had withdrawn inland or toward Damietta to guard major roads.

By the fifth raid, panic spread through the Delta. Caravans fled east toward the Nile. Porters carried warnings upriver: "The sea burns. The Franks have returned."

Sicilian Confidence Grows

Onboard the flagship, morale soared. Marines joked about "golden rivers" and "fish made of silver." Captains drank Sicilian wine in the evenings and tallied their spoils under torchlight.

By April 10th, the fleet's cargo holds bulged with wealth:

Over 12,000 gold dinars, silver bracelets, and copper rings

Tons of wheat, lentils, and salted fish

Crafted weapons and foreign silks

Seven Egyptian dhows captured and repurposed

Admiral Matteo de Lecce convened a strategy meeting aboard the Aquila Nera to chart their next move.

"The raids have proven too effective," he said. "Saladin must now shift troops to protect the coast. He will divide his strength."

Ruggiero leaned forward. "Good. Let him chase ghosts while the cross marches in Syria."

Final Preparations

With another raid planned near Baltim, the Sicilians agreed to press the advantage for another two weeks—hitting any target that would strain the Sultan's attention. Meanwhile, three dhows would break off and return north to Tyre and Acre with reports and cargo for Baldwin.

"They'll want to know we're bleeding the Nile," Ruggiero said.

One scribe aboard the fleet documented the destruction. His pages would be copied and sent to Rome, to the Pope, and to every noble contemplating the journey east.

The Sicilians weren't just harassing the coast—they were shaping the battlefield.

And the fires they lit along the Nile would cast a long shadow over Saladin's war plans.