CHAPTER 69 - 69: THE LION'S CLAW

Date: April 17th, 1180Location: Alexandria, Egypt

The wind howled with purpose as the Sicilian fleet cut westward, hugging the North African coast. This time, there would be no half-measures. No small village or fishing town. The next target was the great coastal jewel of Egypt: Alexandria.

The order had come from Admiral Matteo de Lecce himself, approved in secret council. If Saladin was to be truly thrown into disarray, then one of his greatest cities—his link to the Mediterranean—would have to bleed.

And burn.

The Approach

Thirty warships, ten of them carrying siege gear and sappers, rode the swells just before dawn. Behind them trailed smaller support vessels, stripped of their cargo to carry men and weapons for a land assault.

On the lead ship, Santa Lucia, Count Ruggiero di Marsala adjusted his mail hauberk. "This one will be loud," he muttered, looking across the dark horizon. Alexandria's towering lighthouse flickered like a distant flame. "Let it be heard in Cairo."

At first light, the signal was raised — a crimson banner with a silver cross. The fleet fanned out. Trumpets cried. Siege hooks were prepared. Ballistae were cranked and loaded.

And the battle for Alexandria began.

The Battle of the Harbor

The harbor garrison—though unprepared for a full-scale naval invasion—was not helpless. Watchmen on the lighthouse lit beacons as the Sicilian fleet came within sight. Drums rolled. Bells rang across the docks. Within minutes, archers lined the city walls and militias surged toward the waterfront.

But the Sicilians came in waves.

The first ships loosed flaming bolts and stones, hammering the wooden piers and shattering watchtowers.

The second wave landed marines and shock infantry, charging into the harbor district with swords and axes.

Sappers used the cover of smoke to breach the chain gate leading into the merchant quarter.

The fighting was brutal.Men screamed in a dozen tongues. Oil was poured from balconies onto attackers. But the Sicilians had surprise, coordination, and rage on their side.

By noon, the harbor was in flames.

Loot and Ruin

The sack of Alexandria's port district was swift and systematic.

The arsenal was raided, naval stores torched, and dozens of small vessels seized or burned. Crates of spices, silk, and ivory were carried back to the Sicilian ships. Gold coins from trade caravans were discovered hidden beneath temple floors and behind merchant counters.

Inside one warehouse, they found a caravan leader from Ifriqiya strung up by his wrists. His guards tried to fight—none survived.

By mid-afternoon, the Sicilians had reached the mosque nearest the port, a grand white-domed structure known to the locals as Masjid al-Bahr. They looted it, shattered its pulpit, and set it aflame.

Cries of grief echoed through the streets as the dome collapsed in fire.

Destroying the Port

Before nightfall, Admiral Matteo ordered the complete destruction of Alexandria's harbor infrastructure.

Every dock was dismantled or burned.

The massive wooden cranes used to unload cargo were pulled down with ropes and smashed.

The main lighthouse base was mined and its staircase collapsed inward.

Stored timber, rope, and pitch were all set ablaze.

"The Sultan will not launch a fleet from here again," Matteo said as the harbor turned to smoke and ash.

As a final insult, a wooden cross was nailed to the highest surviving mast in the harbor, painted in gold.

A Message Sent

By the time the fleet pulled back to sea under cover of night, the southern sky glowed red.

Behind them, Alexandria's harbor—a vital artery of the Ayyubid economy and defense—was left crippled. Though the city's inland quarters and religious centers were spared, the message had been delivered.

No city on the Egyptian coast was safe.

Among the Officers

Ruggiero walked the deck, blood still on his gauntlets, his voice low.

"This... they will remember."

"Aye," one of his captains muttered. "And Saladin will rage."

"Let him. While he scrambles to patch his coast," Ruggiero said, "Baldwin sharpens the blade in Syria."

They had struck the lion in his own den—and escaped.

Now, they would vanish into the night again, as the Nile cried smoke and ash to the stars.