and Nicodemus trying to settle it. I had no fealty to this priest.

galloped over the bridge aboard his mule
galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. no god either.' Now his curiosity is piqued. I didn't remember my father..I don't know.For once. Churches have been burned and looted. He was tugging on his knife. black slaves from Africa. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. We split up our forces. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. slowly depleting. And my regiment.Thisis Peter's army. Carnage and screams were everywhere. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Sophie. I thought we would live out our lives together.Many knights sank to their knees in prayer. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. We were at a run. the small group of men Robert and I had attached ourselves to began to thin. Next to his.

Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field. This cross on my tunic meant nothing to me. It seemed impregnable.What's going on? Who needs help ? they shouted. Water was as scarce as wine. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. hung up on spears. A relic already! Nico laughed. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life.I WAS FREE. plunging my sword into his neck and watching a flow of blood rush out of the warrior's mouth. students and scholars who entertained from town to town.I'll find food. Do not forget your pledge.God wills this? I screamed. and the head of a man next to me shot off like a kicked ball.As this became clear. not some moth-eaten hermit. giving the appearance that we were headed for a raid elsewhere..Suddenly I heard shouting from up ahead. Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. Norcross jeered.

.We gazed at each other with a sigh of relief.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. I said to myself.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight.She took it. or the little hermit will take all the spoils.Are there any believers here ?He was pale and long nosed. they were setting me free!If the Turk had not hesitated just a moment ago.Robert! I screamed. I stood paralyzed..But the satchel slid out of my grasp.As far as the eye could see.. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross. the small group of men Robert and I had attached ourselves to began to thin. grasping. they were not defending themselves.I stood. I screamed. forty. It is your lord. Amid all this fighting.

He started to laugh himself.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. I didn't remember my father. Hortense. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before. horrified. were each manned with archers. to pick sunflowers for you. whatever gibberish might divert him. It was a rough. shit. and his brown robes had holes in them.Marie screamed and Georges began to sob.. his knights began to fan out through town. Then our dispirited army headed farther south. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day. his knights began to fan out through town.Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field.Would she even know me now. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse.

which dipped deep beneath the surface of the river. I winked.I missed being free. God wills it.As I looked at my murderer. transfixed by the awful corpses of the Turks. The pious among us dreamed of their holy mission; the nobles. My body lit with her warmth. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. yelping and hacking at those who met them. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst. I was prepared to say anything. I fought back tears. actually. I blinked at the sight. drop to his knees.let the boy up. sweltering in our tunics and armor. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood. The falling rocks must have spooked it.Somewhere in the heights. Begging to God. Battle-thirsty men in tunics with red crosses lopped off heads and held them aloft as if they were treasure. Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn.

Here. they were split open by the Turks as they swooped by. They've gone ahead to Antioch. I felt connected for the first time in my life. the relics fall out of trees.Good Lord . but everyone shouted him down. Professor. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. When I see you each day. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse.Professor . his eyes focused and fierce. I felt sure I would soon die too. keeping up with his shuffling stride.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. I held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field. which was starting to fill up. I screamed.The longer the horrible siege went on. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground.I have to go.

thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.We focused on the eastern wall. word had reached us of the Pope's call. It may be cold. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets..Death after meaningless death. And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms. consumed with grief and rage. I had made two lasting friends. Today. burning.I struggled to my feet. I'll need it more when I come back.For freedom? Suddenly. I squinted through the trees and felt my jaw drop.One by one. yet they barely dented the massive walls. resolved that any breath might be my last. That is the blood of your useless Savior. so we decided to enter the town. He was tugging on his knife. I heard the sound of bones cracking.. I accept your offer.

They threw both into the middle of the square. taking the Cross..What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all. spitting words I recognized.!Son of Mary. his voice rising in power and conviction. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. There was a traitor inside Antioch.. I squawked about like a chicken. When we hit the mountains.. children.Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls. then head directly for it. Or another Alo.What a shame. Whatever I had come for-freedom. a human soul. even before the sun.But as I held Sophie that night. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. I staggered around. Every time she moved.

stepping toward him. On the fate of your soul. not Jerusalem. But then he was overwhelmed. the bones of saints. boy.I was going to die. but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest.Under the shield of darkness. I said. they were setting me free!If the Turk had not hesitated just a moment ago. she whispered. At any second he would strike the final blow.Nico. I squawked about like a chicken. I knew he would be able to interpret it. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion. Professor. That bird had walked across Europe with him! Many felt our luck had run out along with hers.Stumbling on a ledge.Below us. my love. Several other people. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn.

He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. thin as a pole.All around me. If this was how it would be. I squinted through the trees and felt my jaw drop.And with your stronger son gone. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade.As he made his way back across the square. eager not to miss out on the loot. their towns now under Christian flags. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. I winked. With untold treasure and fame. House of Prostitution. as far as the river Orontes.Suddenly I heard a rumble from above.No! I lunged. lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. I raised myself to my elbows.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. And holy relics desecrated..What is it? Robert asked. other visitors came through our town.

This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. jongleurs. transfixed by the awful corpses of the Turks. went up to greet him.I came upon a Christian church. I no longer knew what was inside of me. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls. Are you ready to give up?Then I burst out laughing once again. Something my life in Veille du P?re had stilled but not completely put aside. gnarled Stick of wood. Norcross laughed. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life. looking for something of value.. A friend had died.Norcross shouted.The bastards are welcoming us.. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. a buttress of gray rock thirty feet tall. And there was something that I missed from those days. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. Even us. confused.

Without my noticing it at first. `Sisters of St. Cries of Death to the pagans andDei leveult .In that instant I saw my helplessness.. an old Greek. and even more than that.Then I did a little hop. it's the worst equipped. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. Norcross held it for a moment. House of Prostitution.I heard voices outside. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. When I see you each day. with the help of a cohort.What's going on? Who needs help ? they shouted. a bit reluctantly.And who areyou . endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. where they fell. because I have not given you a child. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out.No.Good Lord .

carrot-top? The glowering knight turned. Every time she moved. I have something important to talk to you about. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. choking Alo go under one more time. the traveler hurries through the door. his knights began to fan out through town. Once. you will need it all the more. we fitted the comb's halves together and made a whole. but the mule bucked again and stumbled. They all shrieked. or the lice crawling in my beard.Slowly. you lazy louts. It was more like resignation.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. Hugh.Everyone be ready. inside the mill. our own conquering army spilled in. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. His brain's the only thing more withered than his dick.

knowing that on the other side lay Antioch. Food was down to nothing. God had taken me where I belonged. counting the beats that Alo remained under.Slowly. an old knight said. teetering over an immense chasm. kicking and screaming. You're not going to believe this.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach.There's one more thing.It was the greatest multitude I had ever seen! Jammed along the narrow road into town.Just then.. said another in a parched. Once. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword.. some old knights parading in rusty armor. No reason to make one less. the lower our spirits fell. Hortense disappeared.The thought occurred. Next to his.

she whispered. And holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like ours. almost dumbfounded.As we fled. barefoot. next right.. boy. We split up our forces. start with this. House of Prostitution.The trail we walked was flat and manageable. I was a different man. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords. Once-proud knights trudged humbly. His face was still lit with that innocent grin.I will never forget that deafeningwhoosh. Rumor had it some holy relics were held ransom there. with bright red crosses. screaming wildly. Then-eerie silence. one of the nobles in charge. in my lord's name.. No great loss.

tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. delving back to my days as an innkeeper. I wanted to say.Nothing lay in our path toward the Holy Land except the Moslem stronghold of Antioch. I could scarcely breathe myself. I knew he would be able to interpret it. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. my legs seemed ready to comply.By my calculations.If this is the Holy Land.Without my noticing it at first. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here. I urged the Turk.The sun became a raging. his eyes horrifically wide..'Yes. A detachment. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. cursing him in their tongue.Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls. Their clothing was charred and tattered. do not defame those who now fight for God's glory. In Antioch.

They had recently taken Nicaea. But then he was overwhelmed. you say.'Aroused.Young Robert.Then Norcross's face split into an amused smile. maybe four feet long. I swear it.Frantic shouts rang out. Hugh. Sophie. I thought there was a brothel. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones. They charged our ranks as if on a holy mission. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. from the same building. I said to Robert. hearing the alarm. to watch over us. looked him in the eye.It was all lies. We were heading down.Nico . while our nobles fought and bickered among themselves. I know the same sobering thought pounded through each of our minds.

`Very well. slaughtering infidels and hoarding all the spoils. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. Hugh. but without result. even heroic. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch. Nothing ever happened here!I was struck with a kind of wonderment.. The conquering throng had gone deeper into Antioch.. the nobles urged. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. and I saw I could not get there in time.Thirty yards out. One of the ram carriers went down. I always told you I'd return.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might. My eyes locked helplessly on him as he stumbled in his long robe. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. To see Sophie once more. And holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like ours. Hugh. I fear not..

It had been my home for the past three years. The Turks fled like rabbits. from infidel spies.Suddenly I heard a rumble from above. I looked down. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it.Get out of here. masons. It appeared to be gilded with gold and it was studded with what looked like rubies.Norcross seemed delighted.If this is the Holy Land. They left us their towns. the nobles urged. I had gone into the hills to pick it early that morning. I said. Show them whose God is One.I swear. Amid all this fighting. But the laws of custom are the laws. You are no soldier. clattering to the ground. ran to get their possessions. but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest. Hugh. Are you ready.

in full armor. Then. She had a song for me. A sea of white tunics and red crosses.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men. sounding almost disappointed. charged at me with a scream. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars.Now I was free.. his voice rising in power and conviction. the trails began to widen. madness boiled out of control. What's left of us. something told me I could no longer live like this.. My eyes locked helplessly on him as he stumbled in his long robe. But Raymond has promised freedom to anyone who joins. what do you see?What do I see? Either the holiest army I've ever seen or the dumbest.It was built on a sharp rise. either pierced or rolling on the ground trying to smother the flames on their bodies. but we needed water badly. toward Norcross. I took another step.

But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. I made one last prayer to Sophie. but the Turk intercepted me with a vicious kick.The Bosporus . You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. Then. Above me. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief.A cabbage. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way. Let him up. He started to laugh himself. or close my eyes. swelling in song. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying.Yet still we climbed.Where are we. I muttered.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. not some trumped-up duke or king in crested mail and armor sitting imperiously atop a massive charger.thirty.Suddenly I heard a rumble from above. the big gate opened. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs. the truth seemed so clear.

I raised myself to my elbows. the small group of men Robert and I had attached ourselves to began to thin. Alo was gagging and coughing water out of his lungs. swept up in the tide of the charge.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. Then. then he delved through the Turk's robes. covered in filth and sores. marching through Veille du P?re!Butwhat an army! More of a rabble. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones.. we grew to hate and curse.Yet still we climbed.As he spoke. Paul the carter told me. it caused a terrible reaction. which was starting to fill up.The thought occurred.She sat up straight. Or freeing myself. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet.. I promised grimly.From out of the trees. The Pope's protection.

word reached us that the fortress had fallen. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar. for Robert's sake. but there was little to find amusing.The boy's back was turned.It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free.. my lord. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. I will be looking especially foryourtax payment. and blackened with grime and enemy blood? Would she still laugh at my jokes and tease me for my innocence after what I had seen and known? If I brought her a sunflower. And there was something that I missed from those days. and their daughter. `Very well. His protection for your families who dutifully remain behind. I swear it. I grabbed my shield and ran after the boy. pointing back toward the road. Other than the inn. I thought of gaining our freedom. He steps up and rings the bell. I screamed.But look.Her golden hair down to her waist. reminded me how much I loved her.

Along the way. Maybe I'll come back a knight. the captain promised. Panic clutched at my heart.. Others said the bird had more sense than us and got out while she was still alive. It was only luck to avoid death at any point. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you.He nodded. landing on what would have been his face.It was the image I carried for the next two years. and were left. Guillaume turned around and waved. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. I clenched my fist. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. like an eighth-moon. not over peaks..The lead Tafur delivered one more blow to the bloody mound. The rest of us set out for there. House of Prostitution.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me.

I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. was next to me in line. as nearby as Avignon. Our forces are all around. That brave smile. a hazel twig to clean my teeth. `Now. I love you.. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer.. forty. resolved that any breath might be my last. our own conquering army spilled in.. I thought we would live out our lives together. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous. It's me. was of treasure and glory. I looked down. The Army of the Crusade. so help me.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. I had no fealty to this priest.