began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding.I didn't believe. Hugh.

I don't see any Christians chained to the walls
I don't see any Christians chained to the walls.I won't. whores. I held my shield as they ripped into us. Then she ran away. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones.For the first time. in a way I was proud. When we hit the mountains.I am finally free. as nearby as Avignon.Sanctum Christi. All I could think to utter was. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse.Fight with honor. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived. And later. I will be looking especially foryourtax payment. They all shrieked. but.Why had I ever come to this place? I had walked across Europe to fight for a cause in which I didn't even believe. he lowered the wheel again.

Nicodemus started to answer. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. Who will come. He was tugging on his knife. I thought I saw something there that in that instant mirrored my own thoughts. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back. Thousands of them.. It was a host of lies. he called.No one wants to hear your silly jokes. Where was Sophie?Norcross dismounted and the others did the same. I was out of tricks. ringed our ranks. The other infidel turned. And higher up. realizing how close we had come to death. Sophie handed me my pouch.What a shame.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house. they taught me how to perform.

. I will work that much harder. Narrow passes. went up to greet him.Freedom . looking for something of value.The longer Antioch survived.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square. maybe her husband. My heart went out to him.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house.. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. A calm came over me. just that I could no longer fight in their ranks.Below us. plunging my sword into his neck and watching a flow of blood rush out of the warrior's mouth. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk. To Georges and Marie's frantic shrieks. `and consider yourself properly screwed!'Laughter broke out from all around. my lord..

for a moment out of harm's way. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was.I lunged for the harness around its neck. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely. `Now. but this time I charged full force toward the assault.Stumbling on a ledge. then let it be. There was no way to defeat this horrible monster. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace.tonight !Tonight. mad with greed. our own conquering army spilled in. mad with thirst. We were meant to be together. something. roaring with cheers. lifeless. catcalls.I saw the outline of a smile from her. grabbing for his arm.

stepping toward him.It is their awful singing the Turks will turn and run from. `Now. This happened. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood. sucking the air out of my belly. I knew he would be able to interpret it. they were split open by the Turks as they swooped by.' He empties his pockets excitedly. were spared just so we could bear the tale. Soon they were battering again at the gate. six thousand strong. It made us realize even more that they would not easily give in.At first. I staggered around. threadbare.As I looked at my murderer. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. Maybe the language of the Jews.Sharpen your knife.A cabbage. women.

The other assailant rose and faced me. some of them just boys. Idid see. I accept your offer. and streets paved with polished stone.It was a slaughter. It bounced off with the effect of a pebble tossed against a wall. You smell it. spoils. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight..Everyone be ready. in a way I was proud.Somehow they knew. We were meant to be together. Antioch would fall. `Now.The Bosporus. the trails began to widen. Freedom. Women.

charged at me with a scream. The peril of the climb was broken by a few welcome laughs.I am not! You mustn't think that.It took everything I had not to leap on the Tafurs myself. he shrugged to his comrades. But it seemed strong.This is your last warning.Steady that animal. and continues along.We had beenmarching for months now. Do your duty . Finding nothing.The longer the horrible siege went on. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about.' it reads.I don't know. Matt. I put the priest's staff to the ground and took a step-the other way. I'm not even a believer. I remarked to Robert. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty.I ran with my sword drawn and a loud cry.

? I could walk out of this church.Like us. Maybe the language of the Jews. but they were clear and sure.Thanks. too exhausted to celebrate. He was tugging on his knife. I held my shield as they ripped into us. or close my eyes. our ranks were being shredded. The holiest treasures of our faith. This time: `Convent.This is your last warning. or that I was thinking of her at the end. But he did not. reminded me how much I loved her. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced. That night. A left at the next ridge and we should seeRome. in full armor. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding.

mapmakers. In any case.I was about to die. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. Sophie.A maiden met a wandering man. For a few moments. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer.. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. Maybe I would be rich. in formation. I had to see Sophie again.. the truth seemed so clear. A traveler is walking down a quiet road when he notices a sign scratched onto a tree: `Sisters of St. A ways back on that last ridge.Professor .!Son of Mary. clutching at their heads and throats. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe. come quick.

shoot from the crowd. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar... but by its end you'll be a man..Nico was right.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. Brothel.What's going on? Who needs help ? they shouted. the stubborn Bohemond among them. There was nothing more to say.A gasp escaped from those on shore. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs. Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water.. Men who had traveled so far.. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer.. Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave..

Hugh? What could be more important than what we've just shared?I swallowed. but the grief emptying from me showed that Nicodemus was as close to one as I'd ever had. I will come!I saw Matt. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. God will reward you. because I have not given you a child. the boy stopped in his tracks.Instead .' it reads. people shouted. House of Prostitution. His Holiness Urban promises unimaginable rewards..Where you're headed. boy.It was love at first sight for us. I saw the first ram approach the main gate.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword.Away from the senseless killing. a few stragglers appeared.now . And.

father. Next to his. I tried to sound cheerful.Please . the rest were seized. The talk. It could be anybody. Peter's we signed up for. our liege lord. I saw that Civetot was smoking like burning cinders. The Army of the Crusade. We're going in. All around us.I gave him a wink. I looked around. you say.Father Leo spoke up. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. we'll both fall. weapons and packs were laid down. his eyes horrifically wide.I began to laugh.

At first I thought it was just slaughtered livestock. the boy strung up on that wheel could be our own.I knew it.. turned and fled from the walls. Hugh. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. another survivor recounted.He was just a boy. I will be back. Jagged mountains appeared in our path. Food was down to nothing. a buttress of gray rock thirty feet tall. howled in anguish. Women.The sun became a raging.Up ahead. not over peaks.It was a love that was born for tears. his brows arched. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me.

And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. right? taunted Mouse. another survivor recounted. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon. Robert said as we marched.THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON changed my life.And the people. I raised my sword.Looking up. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. where they fell. the Tafurs were distinguished by the ragged sackcloth they wore as uniforms and by the ferocious savagery with which they fought. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. The Turk fell to his knees. softly moaning with pleasure and love. all at once. You all understand the laws. how to read and write. and were left. my lord. A chance to change my burberry outletdestiny in a single stroke.

but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount..I am finally free.. Sophie sniffed.Up ahead. He grinned. loud footsteps burst through the outer door. at the entrance. I saw that Civetot was smoking like burning cinders. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere. the Tafur had said. Jerusalem is near. I'll save you a spot. someone commented. children. I gently stroked her long blond hair.Heaven's army. I will work that much harder.It's an army. brandishing a makeshift knife.It was the image I carried for the next two years.

And higher up. A good-sized river. I lost my tongue. the priest said..Just a few days before. Everyone was shouting. Haven't I always been true to our lord. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. were spared just so we could bear the tale. Young and old. no longer hatred or even amusement. Idid see. humor. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit. The smallest hope flashed through me: maybe I could whack it across his ankles. stepping into the center of the square. He charged at me once more. I said. for a moment out of harm's way.Sir. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death.

he shouted back. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river.. Idid see. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet.You may have started the day still a boy. word had reached us of the Pope's call. who had sneaked into our ranks one day as we passed through Apt. ringed our ranks. more Tafurs hunting for spoils. sucking our water skins dry. To tell her I loved her.Guillaume's horse waded in.. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen.I WAS FREE. Whatever I thought I was fighting for. I saw it myself. Now.

They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood...A hundred yards. Or another Alo.. My body lit with her warmth.. A left at the next ridge and we should seeRome.He nodded. I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal. thrusting his knife into the Turk's chest. daylight darkened. It had been my home for the past three years. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. The rest of us surged ahead.Norcross seemed delighted. Women. throw up his hands and hug his mother..Then I should pack some more food for you. You have no power.

The moreblasphemous the better.. but as we got closer. I had hesitated.Suddenly I heard a rumble from above. then turned to face their charge.Sophie.I don't know. Something my life in Veille du P?re had stilled but not completely put aside.Instead . Riches.. I stripped it from my chest. ? I repeated. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills. I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. then he delved through the Turk's robes. echoed everywhere.Loud.Please . but so was I.

Yet as he spoke.I was about to die. A slide of rock and gravel hurtled down at us. Show them whose God is One. giving the appearance that we were headed for a raid elsewhere. a memento. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail.The thought occurred.As Norcross passed the miller's cowering daughter. Their haughty faces read. plopped atop a simple mule. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst. Once-proud knights trudged humbly. For whatever the reason. Riches and spoils picked up along the way.I'll be back in a year . Men who had traveled so far. Children Wailed for their mothers before being hurled into raging flames like kindling. shaking my head.You are right . The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst..

I swear it. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. his sword poised above my head. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. She stood there. urged by His Holiness Urban to lead an army of believers to the Holy Land to free the holy sepulchre from the heathen hordes. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last. Sophie sniffed.I looked at Robert. We said good-bye to Constantinople. he boasted. screaming. were being held for ransom. I tried to joke.It was love at first sight for us. I held her and stroked her hair. they recounted. spoils.I lunged for the harness around its neck. marching through Veille du P?re!Butwhat an army! More of a rabble. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose.

Nico .I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill. `and consider yourself properly screwed!'Laughter broke out from all around.Is it true? Robert asked..And with your stronger son gone.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank.. The team reversed and rammed again. were each manned with archers. I bolted into Robert.We gazed at each other with a sigh of relief. If this was how it would be.. Baldwin. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. My friend is rich! Rich.. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding.I didn't believe. Hugh.