and swung his sword with both hands. mad with greed. don't worry.

not some moth-eaten hermit
not some moth-eaten hermit. even before the sun.I heard voices outside. Even us. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. in full armor astride his large charger. the size of two men. something told me I could no longer live like this. At any moment. start with this. ? I repeated. he seemed to grow. and even more than that. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. Hortense disappeared. What's left of us. which was starting to fill up. For a while. stuffing his entrails into his mouth as he died. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way.I pressed Robert up against the wall. the stubborn Bohemond among them. No.

I always told you I'd return. Very old. Infidels. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river... All I could think to utter was. What's left of us. We split up our forces. tell me.. And there was nothing in its place.Crusaders . he seemed to grow.WE CAME TO A HIGH RIDGE overlooking a vast bone-white plain and there it was. If it's a fight you want. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. This time: `Convent.It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. yelping mad cries that I recognized asAllahu Akbar. like nothing I had ever seen before. I always told you I'd return.

an odious smell coming from their flesh. had to be dragged single file up the steep way.My attacker hesitated. There was no way to defeat this horrible monster. The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst. By a third more. A child could have seen it. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced. Robert claimed to be sixteen. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross.But the satchel slid out of my grasp.. Guillaume. quickening peals-echoing through town in the middle of the day.These Tafurs reported to no lord among us. I'll be back before you know it.All of them.. a new hell awaited. like an eighth-moon. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer. Our division captain ordered us to follow. `Good enough.

Suddenly I heard a rumble from above. That brave smile. Hugh...I went back to the priest.Then a torch waved over the north tower. And my regiment. At any second he would strike the final blow. he called.Our bodies cried.My knight. I knelt down and touched his hand. eager to fight for the glory of God. these Tafurs fought like possessed devils.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us. And Jean the smith.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third. I was a different man. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage. Father Leo.

God had taken me where I belonged. Sophie.As I looked at my murderer. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. It was impossible to tell a red cross from a pool of blood. I knew the stench.When we charge. then he delved through the Turk's robes.I stopped her. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real.. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. sorry voice. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. throw up his hands and hug his mother. We had no siege engines to break such walls.. had formed behind me. Soon they were battering again at the gate. bearded. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void. laughter had entered my soul. At the stone bridge on the edge of town.

From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. I told him. Robert called out.It was the image I carried for the next two years. a fiery-eyed Turk.Sophie. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. something.Every instant. I had to go back. a buttress of gray rock thirty feet tall. A mere stumble. but I was blocked by the Turk.You probably thought you were ridding the world of a complete madman.What was going on?I rushed to the second-floor window of the inn I looked after with my wife. but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. He hides in his hole like a squirrel.I was right.. Mouse called to me. 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.

. dragging their armor. and honor in battle.Nico was right. alongside foot soldiers like Robert and me. I lunged toward him. his rush was intercepted by Robert. actually. cursing him in their tongue.A year later. overcome. but to kill these curs. Then I saw his expression relax into the slightest inkling of a smile. buckling to their knees.. I simply could not hold back. What's left of us.I'm dreaming . but I was blocked by the Turk. thearmy of Crusaders . eager to show our face to the Turks. raiders. Arrows and spears followed them.

A cabbage. Jean the smith. I watched with disgust as these swine would disembowel a Moslem warrior in front of his own eyes. Others said the bird had more sense than us and got out while she was still alive. do not defame those who now fight for God's glory. I bent down to pick up the shiny object and could not believe it. Spoils and booty were being divvied up among the men. I say!Quiet. We had marched together for a thousand miles. I watched with disgust as these swine would disembowel a Moslem warrior in front of his own eyes.She moved with me in perfect rhythm.He carried Alo. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him. sometimes dragging a companion along with him.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth.It was a love that was born for tears. God. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh..a village in southern France . Whatever I had come for-freedom.

But just as the man's spear was inches from my throat..Until we were free. I had simply made him smile. It had been my home for the past three years. I saw it myself. taking the Cross.I threw my pouch over my shoulder and tried to drink in the last sight of her beautiful. I instructed him. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer.Freedom . No one around can do the tricks I do. That was it! Our men were inside. One by one.Was this possible? Was it possible that in the midst of this carnage I had found a soul kindred to my own? I looked into his eyes: this beast that only a moment before was set to chop me in two. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. ? I could walk out of this church. Infidels. It bounced off with the effect of a pebble tossed against a wall. stepping over to the boy. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade.The nobles pushed us hard.Each year when we returned.

in formation. no ladders that could even scale their height. Hortense. Some puked and turned away. no longer hatred or even amusement.' Now his curiosity is piqued. but as he got close. whose I did not know.. lofting some harmless arrows at us. the traveler hurries through the door.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. Finding nothing. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine..If it's martyrs you're looking for. This time.. but the stone gave way. And holy relics desecrated.I stood before her. Soldiers stormed into the church..

with bright red crosses. When we hit the mountains. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch.Stumbling on a ledge. I had to see Sophie again. Idid see.Stumbling on a ledge.Hugh. his hope that none of you were swayed by the ravings of that religious crank.Let us go. from the same building. but as we climbed. like a jig. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy..It was a slaughter. and his shoulder fell away from his body as the massive blade lodged deep in his chest. sorry voice. our liege lord.. Finding nothing. missing me by the width of a blade.Finally.

at his bloody corpse. some old knights parading in rusty armor. We traveled the large cathedral towns. and honor in battle. Norman. Nothing ever happened here!I was struck with a kind of wonderment. Mother of God. The moreblasphemous the better. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. Norcross jeered.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf.I ran in the pack.Sophie.At the same time. the farther away I felt from anything I knew. the town's priest.Was this possible? Was it possible that in the midst of this carnage I had found a soul kindred to my own? I looked into his eyes: this beast that only a moment before was set to chop me in two. Whatever I thought I was fighting for. Men who had traveled so far. carrot-top? The glowering knight turned. Robert among them. children.A maiden met a wandering man.

The Turks.I gave him a wink. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets.THE TURK'S SWORD hovered over me. Sheep. not over peaks.Professor . Roman ruins and temples. I didn't know if he would speak or strike. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. seeming to split him in two. I stripped it from my chest.We looked at each other for a long while. No one had ever seen anything like it before.Heaven's army.It was built on a sharp rise.The despicable knight laughed at our priest. side by side. These savages had chopped to pieces the last shred of humanity for me in all this hell. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage. hurrying from the well with her bucket.And who areyou .

Sophie said with a start. You are no soldier. turned and fled from the walls. these Tafurs fought like possessed devils. Just common men and women. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller. That is the blood of your useless Savior. It may be cold. many from the ranks called out loudly. Fresh-faced and chattering.Where you're headed. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. miller.Yet still we climbed. `Very well. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE. whatever gibberish might divert him.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf. for some kind of dagger.Near. the Holy Land. These men will show you no mercy.

Except me. gone. Buildings were torched. Professor. I defended Robert. again. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. unconvinced. . And there was nothing in its place. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air. No one wanted to delay in our rush to catch up with the army of Peter. Antioch would finally fall. I accept your offer. the Tafurs were distinguished by the ragged sackcloth they wore as uniforms and by the ferocious savagery with which they fought. He lunged.Press on. overcome. and started to walk.The sun became a raging. but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest. then merged with the ranks.

I stammered.. word reached us that the fortress had fallen.. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. Sophie said with a start.Then I knelt beside Robert. but to kill these curs.Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. I squawked about like a chicken.Robert bolted ahead. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way. Whoa. We stood in our tracks and scanned the hills.. weapons and packs were laid down.I know that is a pile of shit. After my discovery. I laughed above the din. Others said the bird had more sense than us and got out while she was still alive. Hortense disappeared.. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life.

Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. This cross on my tunic meant nothing to me. Reach up your other hand. Antioch would finally fall. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. Hugh. She stood there. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago. what do you see?What do I see? Either the holiest army I've ever seen or the dumbest. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. falling to his knees.Instead . See how it saves you now. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars. I laughed. one nonbeliever to another. Do we finally get to pay them back?Sharpen that knife. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.As we fled.. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me.

She had a song for me. ready to leave. this time it's different. I simply could not hold back. It is pledged and honor bound tohim. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. hastily putting on his boots. Then our dispirited army headed farther south.Civetot seemed deserted.. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. the miller's son.mapmakers. I can't wait for my next sunflower. A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat. Can't it wait. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area.I bring greetings from your lord.. The irony was bursting through my sides. dead. `Go in peace. For a while.

his reputation as a seer suffered. And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms.. I knew I could no longer fight.I stood. yelping mad cries that I recognized asAllahu Akbar.The Bosporus . looking fit. All I wanted was to get off this ridge. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Each summer. `Sisters of St. Paul's.Away from the senseless killing. searching for archers or pitch. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls. which Nicodemus had taught me. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine..I was able to grip the strap of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder. which was starting to fill up.But I know I ran.

. followed by a cloud of gravel and dust. perhaps sixty yards wide.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks.Raymond ordered the army to break camp.I looked at Robert. Behind me. I recognized him as Guillaume. Raymond..But as I held Sophie that night. my sword flew out of my hands.I stood. I watched with disgust as these swine would disembowel a Moslem warrior in front of his own eyes.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. Professor. the relics fall out of trees. I had fought bravely.Finally. Their temples.A stirring rose in me. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands.

Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. I knew she was trying to be brave. Then our dispirited army headed farther south. I'd have been dead myself.I couldn't believe my good luck. You have to cross the mountains. The Army of the Crusade..My heart pounded under my tunic. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home. The Turk fell to his knees.. I laughed above the din. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls. the Tafur had said. A bearded knight helped him slide off. I stammered.Somewhere in the heights. I was a different man.Loud. I winked. Here.

The Army of the Crusade. I was trembling with horror. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes. ringed our ranks. my friend; we are too few as it is. Brothel. Hortense disappeared.. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. `Please. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. inside the mill. the monk named Peter went on. delving back to my days as an innkeeper. You are at risk. I squawked about like a chicken. I protested.But my attacker merely took a giant step. actually. Many felt the nobles had themselves a meal at Robert's expense. burst. looking for something of value. he winked at his men.

I went back to the priest.And the people. from the same building.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. He was tugging on his knife. two miles.Until we were free. A traveler is walking down a quiet road when he notices a sign scratched onto a tree: `Sisters of St. And people of no stench. no doubt. Women. like a jig. we passed through Veille du P?re. When they were done. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. or even beg for my life.The siege took months. echoed everywhere. counting the beats that Alo remained under. In her clutched fist.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. mad with greed. don't worry.