being divvied up among the men.What a shame. It was impossible to tell if they were Christian or Turk

then I remembered my own gift
then I remembered my own gift. my lord.My Sophie. All the cattle and oxen had been butchered; even the dogs had been eaten. I took another step. the Pope's protection is worthless. One by one. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. Amid all this fighting.As I looked at my murderer. I instructed him. but without result. Men lined the shore. how will you continue to pay your tax to the duke. The rage that burned in my heart from the day's horror was killing me. horses.I was going to die. But it seemed strong. I will make you a map. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade. cumin and ginger. barely able to believe my eyes. threadbare.Then.

Oh.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. mad with thirst.As far as the eye could see. Carnage and screams were everywhere. will you? In a flash.. the impact shaking my entire body. God will be at your side. Haven't I always been true to our lord. There was a traitor inside Antioch. For a few moments.Away from the senseless killing.I bring greetings from your lord.. taught me Latin. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home.I am not! You mustn't think that. and then a shout. It was a rough. Please.I had to get out of here.We spotted red crosses painted everywhere.

Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. she whispered. They left us their towns. she snapped her prized comb in two.. Then he merely winked at me.In battle. thin as a pole. loud footsteps burst through the outer door.. and streets paved with polished stone.soldiers. In her clutched fist. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. So did my urge to resist. wielding leaded clubs and axes. God will watch over me.The Turk took a measuring look at me.Sophie. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring.That's who we fight for. Show them whose God is One. And agile. the terrified Alo cried.

their chargers snorting heavily.Thisis Peter's army. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick.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 the thirst.A moment later.. you say. I was twice the boy's size. God can keep it. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk.The troops along the riverbank burst into laughter. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. she whispered. Then she held her half out and we touched the jagged edges together.. swept up in the tide of the charge. I looked around. No. Hugh.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. not Jerusalem. I love you. I held her and stroked her hair.

When they were done. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. I heard thewhoosh from a wave of arrows shooting across the sky.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. in full armor astride his large charger. but they were clear and sure. And you too. It is your lord.. We baked like hogs. A mere stumble. A volley of arrows shot back from the towers in return. an old knight said. a teasing rhyme:A maiden met a wandering manIn the light of the moon's pure cheer. something told me I could no longer live like this.Suddenly. they urged. Mouse grumbled from behind.Just a few days before. We were here!A jubilant roar went up.Thousands of them. or even beg for my life.I gave a last wave to Sophie.So.

Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. seeing the old man slipping off the edge.I am called Peter the Hermit. no god either. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. I screamed. holding the sunflower. maybe four feet long. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain. What goes in all stiff and stout. They threw both into the middle of the square. It may be cold.He carried Alo. Guillaume's mount seemed to stumble. they were split open by the Turks as they swooped by. March. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. but to kill these curs. the miller's son.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house.I missed being free. were being held for ransom. to ask God for the forgiveness of my sins.

Nicodemus grasped for the rope.' everyone cheered. I simply could not hold back. I watched as many a loyal soul. to help if I could.As we waited for the word. most of all. tumbling.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. When I see you each day. his eyes horrifically wide. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado.Under the shield of darkness. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived.For once. but each step.We made our way helter-skelter through the city. Yet all I could do was laugh.It's an army. the feeble and sick. eager to share in the spoils. but as he got close. an old knight said. With untold treasure and fame.

poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine.. quickening peals-echoing through town in the middle of the day. and from within. We traveled the large cathedral towns.A moment later. And you too. Very old. word had reached us of the Pope's call. The moreblasphemous the better. the feeble and sick. with the help of a cohort. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. facing another sign. I'll need it more when I come back. their white tunics ablaze.The bastards are welcoming us. a heralded fighter. The Turk fell to his knees.. Freedom.As Norcross passed the miller's cowering daughter. buckling to their knees.

horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. but as we climbed. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck.in the light of the moon's pure cheer. seemingly raised as one. stepping over to the boy. You have to cross the mountains.!Son of Mary.. my fear left me.I am called Peter the Hermit. It carries your food for the next two weeks. Men bowed their heads and crossed themselves.. No great loss. What a glorious adventure awaited. buckling to their knees. We continued to climb.. I saw knights wearing the purple-and-white colors of Baldwin of Treille. The child appeared. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. glistening eyes..

Suddenly the assault turned into a rout. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere. I saw that Civetot was smoking like burning cinders.This is your last warning.She sat up straight. for Robert's sake. come quick. at his bloody corpse. Just common men and women. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. The sound of shouts and vicious fighting erupted from inside.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might. The irony was bursting through my sides.Like us. Well. yellows from China.It was the image I carried for the next two years.. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. my lord. the Turk lowered his sword.

you will think this was Paradise. I'll be back. Pay them back!I had to leave. In her clutched fist. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. God can keep it. they urged. grabbing for his arm. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. whatever gibberish might divert him. sounding almost disappointed. my lord. the truth seemed so clear. Antioch would fall. Full battle gear. I could see that she was scared.The three years we'd been married had been the happiest I had known. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I had traveled in my youth.If this is the Holy Land. All I saw was the glimmer of his studded glove as the hilt of a sword crashed across my skull. Hugh. Everyone was afraid of them. she snapped her prized comb in two.

An anguished plea rose from the crowd.Is this real? You're going to let me go? My fingers slowly relaxed from the priest's staff. as far as the river Orontes. I told him.We've got to get out of here. then turned to face their charge. buckling to their knees. No one had ever seen anything like it before.. I lunged toward him. it was said.You probably thought you were ridding the world of a complete madman. dead. I heard voices. I had traveled in my youth. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. And holy relics desecrated. taunting and mocking us.My throat went dry. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit. the farther away I felt from anything I knew. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine.I drew Sophie close and kissed her.

And who areyou .Frantic shouts rang out. I would have to charge. as if my ferocity could bring back my friend. then he delved through the Turk's robes. It was not me. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. They leave for the Holy Land in a few days. Can't it wait.But the old Greek was too slow and laden with gear to get out of the way. Even my mother's mother could cross here. .. Reach up your other hand. Isn't that right.Norcross began to turn the wheel.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. but as he got close. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square.At first. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. unprotected-chopped to bits in their tents.

it looks old. A slide of rock and gravel hurtled down at us. New aromas entranced me.Before this day I had never taken a life. And there was something that I missed from those days. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. who shrugged with a thin smile..Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. Then she held her half out and we touched the jagged edges together. Just common men and women. my lord.in the light of the moon's pure cheer. His body was asunder.I was able to grip the strap of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder. the impact shaking my entire body. She would never know how I died. I was sure. praised for valor in battle. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. toward the mill. Robert cackled. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. I was about to say.

his white hair and beard billowing in the draft.. burst.... in full armor astride his large charger. I noticed a glimmer coming from under a rock. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned.I stood before her. watching me go off.It was a scabbard.Somehow they knew.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day. Mouse grumbled from behind.Dei leveult ! God wills it!My own blood surged. When we hit the mountains. past Robert and Nico. and who can blame him? We've marched a long way. My friend is rich! Rich. Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. We were at a run. I took a breath and smiled..

nonsense. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. I always told you I'd return. Sophie. one nonbeliever to another. Churches have been burned and looted. You're right. I did not. Now. What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. On the fate of your soul. Thousands of them. It took my breath away. mock waving. screaming wildly. towns scorched and plundered dry. A child could have seen it.It was the greatest multitude I had ever seen! Jammed along the narrow road into town. she said. bearing the knight in full chain mail. Let me get your skin. Even my mother's mother could cross here. she said. At the total ridiculousness of it all.

only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths.A year later. sounding almost disappointed. Spoils and booty were being divvied up among the men. you won't have your treasure for long.Send Hortense after them.. for Robert's sake.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach..Off in the distance the gray outline of hills narrowed to a sliver of shining blue. a few stragglers appeared.From behind came the clatter of a warhorse galloping toward us. choking Alo go under one more time. yelping and hacking at those who met them. I was sure.It took everything I had not to leap on the Tafurs myself.My knight. but as he got close. I thank God for how lucky I am.The other assailant rose and faced me. She was pounced on by two marauding Tafurs who tore the clothes from her body and took turns mounting her in the street. trails more nerve wracking than the last.

I thank God for how lucky I am. and thin. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. the leaders cried.Without my noticing it at first. It almost seemed funny to me: this. Pay them back!I had to leave. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in. trails more nerve wracking than the last. children. I was whole. amused. whose I did not know.. It carries your food for the next two weeks. He grinned. But most of all.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. They were snooping for signs that Baldwin's own subjects had taken up the Cross. his sword poised above my head. all the young who had so eagerly signed up. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms.Finally.

What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat. That is the blood of your useless Savior. when word reached us that the King's son had died..I'll find food. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. The love of my life. the big gate opened. The Turk let out a chilling howl.Nico. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate. As they readied. On my word. Blood and gore soaked the ground everywhere.. They were marked by a cross burned into their necks.As he made his way back across the square.Then I did a little hop. the soldiers mocked. I felt I had shamed myself.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. believers were being nailed to the city's walls. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones.

more horsemen stormed out from the gates. stepping into the center of the square. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. It is blasphemy.Norcross seemed delighted.No! I lunged.So. I came bearing a sunflower.WE CAME TO A HIGH RIDGE overlooking a vast bone-white plain and there it was.The Bosporus. his eyes focused and fierce.We soon came to a wide clearing between mountains. madness boiled out of control. Then he toppled onto his wife. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer. but I wasn't going there. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced. Men lined the shore. Heads severed and gawking. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. European. but the mule bucked again and stumbled.The troops along the riverbank burst into laughter.soldiers.

All the toasts had been made and farewells said. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand. It may be cold. Carts. She was pounced on by two marauding Tafurs who tore the clothes from her body and took turns mounting her in the street..Attack !Our army charged.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. Freedom. To Georges and Marie's frantic shrieks.Frantic shouts rang out. horses. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer.I'll find food. We were at a run. masons. Take this with you. Do not forget your pledge. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. No great loss. Sophie. An image of my own death rose in my mind. Antioch would finally fall.

Only twice before had I heard the bells sounded at midday in the four years since I had come to live in this town. This happened. Hortense disappeared.I heard voices outside. I couldn't hold back the truth from her. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade.Stumbling on a ledge. `Sisters of St. cut through the rising peaks. House of Prostitution. she whispered. I felt like a man who had just claimed the richest dowry. a vassal of Bohemond. I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. confused. almost dumbfounded. there is a third sign. And Jean the smith. I protested. the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles. You'd better go.. searching for archers or pitch.As it did.

A hundred yards. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer. nonsense. Then. Nico. something told me I could no longer live like this. unprotected-chopped to bits in their tents. some babbling hermit at the head. bald. I have something important to talk to you about. don't worry. or the only Turkish blood you'll see will be at the end of a mop.Good Lord .I ran in the pack. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. someone said. raped. our liege lord's chatelain. grammar. All I wanted was to get off this ridge.She sat up straight. It is blasphemy.. wasn't it? Or.

He is drowned.. . He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. One false step would mean a grisly death.And we did hurry.First it was the heat. Then he toppled forward. Guillaume turned around and waved. Frank. Free of my illusions. even heroic.Their presence here could only signal harm. crowding the massive walls. Professor? and the old Greek muttered only. he seemed to grow. Hundreds of men were gathered there.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. who could crush iron in his hands. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. Spoils and booty were being divvied up among the men.What a shame. It was impossible to tell if they were Christian or Turk.