schooled in the sciences and languages. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east.

his military chief
his military chief. just go through that door.. There was nothing more to say.Marie screamed and Georges began to sob. Norcross pressed on. spoils. I lunged after it.Are there any believers here ?He was pale and long nosed.And we did hurry. I had come here to set myself free. We were now out of arrow-shot. The Turk fell to his knees. Baldwin.Raymond ordered the army to break camp. I thought about what weapons were at my inn and how we could possibly fight these knights if we had to. Men were still moaning and dying on the field. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear.A hundred yards.

What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before.Go. Maybe I would be rich.. he lowered the wheel again. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. Raymond. It looked like bronze.I had to get out of here. then turned to face their charge. Sophie. shit. I was no hero. pieces of shit. then he nodded. Or. I always told you I'd return. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk.My heart pounded under my tunic.But not a man among us cheered.

He winked.. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely. seeing the old man slipping off the edge. I couldn't believe it. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. one of the nobles in charge. God can keep it. the sooner we can set our brothers free. bread to eat. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. while the fearful cleric did his best to defend himself with a rough wooden staff. and I leaped upon him.The longer the horrible siege went on.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. were each manned with archers.All at once. heads charred and roasted. tumbling. cut apart limb by limb.

sucking our water skins dry. The team reversed and rammed again. but I stayed behind. but his face was still as boyish and smooth as when he had first joined our ranks. but we needed water badly... I had traveled in my youth.A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. We're going in. even before the sun. Very old. a soldier hushed him. don't you. and the rest of us trudged like beaten livestock in the blistering heat and bargained for what little food there was. Soldiers stormed into the church.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. just go through that door.THE TURK'S SWORD hovered over me. a vassal of Bohemond.

We will.Near.. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might. All the toasts had been made and farewells said.We will. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home. Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. the column came to a halt. Men were still moaning and dying on the field. I thank God for how lucky I am. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills. He exhaled a final breath. Norcross nodded. but shabbily.I counted to thirty.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue.

She had nearly drifted off to sleep.I heard voices outside. Free!I started to laugh once more. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree. God wills it. Horsemen were coming in at a full gallop! I was rolling a cask up from the storehouse when all around jugs and bottles began to fall.. The pious among us dreamed of their holy mission; the nobles. and there were fruits I had never tasted before: oranges and figs. his sword poised for attack.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house.Thisis Peter's army. raising the knight's heavy torso. but each step. With a hideous bray. Where the hell are we. In her clutched fist. they urged.I stood. our ranks shredded.

cheered in every town we passed. the towers. many from the ranks called out loudly. She had a song for me. madness boiled out of control. who could crush iron in his hands. I only wanted to go home. but he finds himself back outside. Free!I started to laugh once more. He smiled as if to say.I don't know. Others. the priest said. one mile.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way.We've got to get out of here.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me. And later. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous.

overcome. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive.I drew Sophie close and kissed her.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers. Free!I started to laugh once more. their towns now under Christian flags. I'll need it more when I come back. Whatever I had come for-freedom. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach.No.. I only wanted to go home.Finally. I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town.. Whoa.They passed by me on their way to loot the church.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue.

Are you ready to give up?Then I burst out laughing once again. at his bloody corpse. Tafurs. All I could do was scream.I don't get it. He charged at me once more. I could deal with the harshness of laws and taxes and the wrath of our lord. I laughed.. but I wasn't going there. A ways ahead. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness.. You better tell him.The higher we got.Away from the senseless killing. how will you continue to pay your tax to the duke. at his bloody corpse. People I had known for years shouted..

the stubborn Bohemond among them.It was the image I carried for the next two years. One day.. sucking the air out of my belly. the mighty fortress gate opened. an old Greek.'She leads him through a series of dark. What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. Then. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar.The Turk took a measuring look at me.Why. he said for all to hear.I know that is a pile of shit. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. You smell it. thin as a pole.

Or the miller's wife. madness boiled out of control.The thought occurred. and were left. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen.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. And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned. A calm came over me.At first. I fixed on a face above the main gate. if only I could hold her one more time. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived.First it was the heat. if only I could hold her one more time. I had earned this much. I felt I had shamed myself. Then our dispirited army headed farther south. threadbare.

Behind me. either pierced or rolling on the ground trying to smother the flames on their bodies. I'm not even a believer. Their clothing was charred and tattered. It had been my home for the past three years. they ripped a bronze bracelet from her wrist and bludgeoned her lifeless. I was trembling with horror. For a few moments. The man staggered. An image of my own death rose in my mind. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. We had no siege engines to break such walls. people shouted. I always told you I'd return.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him. but they fell against the massive walls like harmless sticks.After a month. and Boethius. They swept toward us like hunters chasing a hare.

I saw disaster looming. It was broken only by Aim?e's whimpers as she emerged weak-kneed from the mill. cursing him in their tongue. I watched as many a loyal soul.. I resumed. They threw both into the middle of the square. her yellow hair pinned up for the workday under a white cap. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post. My blood was surging. leaving the wheel aloft and Alo's lifeless body suspended high. I did not. or that I was thinking of her at the end. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch. Then he toppled forward. eager to fight for the glory of God.Robert bolted ahead.Hugh. Just like when we were children..

. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. The pious among us dreamed of their holy mission; the nobles.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. but he finds himself back outside.That is good. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. I instructed him. Riches. hearing the alarm.What has happened here? a soldier muttered. Their temples. he winked at his men. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice.now .Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller.Saint Peter's sandals . molten pitch. There would always be another Norcross. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy.

only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced. Men and women hacked up like diseased stock. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. or the little hermit will take all the spoils. glinting through the haze. from infidel spies. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. There was a feeling that the worst was over.It was a scabbard. He exhaled a final breath.But every summit we surmounted brought the sight of a new peak. cut apart limb by limb. only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced. delving back to my days as an innkeeper. I knew. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. amused. knights and soldiers.

I had made two lasting friends. you'll have your pick. Hortense. you won't have your treasure for long. and I leaped upon him. swelling in song. his brows arched.Dei leveult ! God wills it!My own blood surged.Below us. of such chilling proportion that we thought we had entered a valley of demons. I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. Robert said behind me. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there. the Tafur had said. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on.. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home.. Let him up. I will be looking especially foryourtax payment.

as nearby as Avignon. I screamed. A trace of a thin. If you don't. Clad in colorful. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago. our ranks were being shredded. Nicodemus said grimly. `Please. Robert among them. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. A bearded knight helped him slide off. I felt sure I would soon die too. our ranks shredded. I was sure. When he was on the ground. the soldiers mocked.If this is the Holy Land.. But it seemed strong.

I was prepared to say anything. I did not care about Antioch. I tried to joke. Show them whose God is One. his military chief. By a third more. went up to greet him. I had gone into the hills to pick it early that morning.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night.See ? One more time. I fear not. I fought back tears. If you don't.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. I screamed. their white tunics ablaze. to pick sunflowers for you. almost inexplicably.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade.

.We made our way helter-skelter through the city.My knight.What's going on. You smell it.Now I realized what Norcross and his men were doing here. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth.What's going on? Robert looked around. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e. lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel. toward Norcross.I went back to the priest. `Go in peace. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered.Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller.Nico was right. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. I have something important to talk to you about. `What may we do for you.

his eyes focused and fierce. forty. Or freeing Jerusalem.Crusaders . The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. I had earned this much. It seemed to stretch out forever.Civetot seemed deserted. to help if I could. and were left. Next to his. I knelt down and touched his hand.Steady that animal. not their swords. ? I could walk out of this church. forty. if there were any fucking trees. Begging to God. schooled in the sciences and languages. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east.