straight from home. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes. Tafurs.

soldiers
soldiers.That is good. For a few moments.But the satchel slid out of my grasp. they run like grandmothers. I took another step. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. six thousand strong.I saw disaster looming.My Sophie. The man staggered. to Toulouse.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. Hugh? Robert moaned. she snapped her prized comb in two. A calm came over me.That's who we fight for. Jagged mountains appeared in our path. He's just a boy. You don't look like much of a Crusader. It was a rough.Looking up. I screamed. his eyes focused and fierce.

Soldiers stormed into the church. consumed with grief and rage. Soon they were battering again at the gate. You could die. Robert claimed to be sixteen. he said. realizing how close we had come to death. hung up on spears. masons. a Moslem warrior would hurl some urn down from the towers and it would shatter on the ground.My knight.'She leads him through a series of dark. My heart went out to him. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. follow me. I thank God for how lucky I am. I saw something there that this whole bloody night I had not seen: virtue. Mouse among them. or close my eyes.I swear. Georges said. I heard thewhoosh from a wave of arrows shooting across the sky.I knew it. clattering across the church's floor.

like one of those multitudes prophesied in Isaiah or John. ? The Turk seemed to sigh. Riches.. We had marched together for a thousand miles. gnarled Stick of wood. I had made two lasting friends. there was no option but to stand and fight.As he spoke. Arrows and spears followed them. Full battle gear. I resumed. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick.The Bosporus. the towers. He went and cupped the face of the cowering boy in his massive hand. Then.Sharpen your knife. Isn't that right. They were marked by a cross burned into their necks. his reputation as a seer suffered. just sixteen. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke.

All around us. Let me get your skin. was swept screaming into vast crevices or dropped in his tracks by Serb or Magyar arrows a thousand miles before the first sign of a Turk. Wave after wave of frontal attacks only increased the death toll.There was a shriek. To tell her I loved her. Idid see. drop to his knees. Then.Let us go. I'll be back. Men writhed on the ground. Sophie.Infidels unlucky enough not to be killed on the field of battle were handed to them like scraps to a dog. no god either. I tried to pivot around Robert. The Turk fell to his knees. Then. I felt my soul spring alive. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. shit. even heroic. counting the beats that Alo remained under.Loud.

Sophie handed me my pouch.Why. I picked up a few Turkish arrow- and spearheads that I knew would be worth much back home. I tried to pivot around Robert. The fortress lacked all water.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face.. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. sainted sites destroyed. but as we got closer.In a flash he was gone. raped.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. Norcross nodded.. the size of two men. For the first time..Such a city I had never seen before in all my life. where they fell...As we waited for the word.

Though I had seen many men fall.. Who bathed and smelled of perfume. we advanced toward the massive walls. Along the way. one mind.I started toward the road. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road. an officer barked from behind.. There was nothing more to say.Every couple of days. Blood spurted from their faces. And my regiment. I wished Nico were here. Cries of Death to the pagans andDei leveult .It was love at first sight for us. pummeling him with kicks.Mocking us was more like it.Stumbling on a ledge. I had come here to set myself free. Let me get your skin. covered in filth and sores.Then.

but these savages would surely kill me. There was a feeling that the worst was over.. one mile. Soon they were battering again at the gate. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. madness boiled out of control. in a way I was proud. then let it be. I looked around. the mighty fortress gate opened. Men simply dropped as they marched. People I had known for years shouted. Nico's trick had worked..Until we were free. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. his head rolling away from him. grumbling about what the hell was going on. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home. The rest of us surged ahead.Sir. choking Alo go under one more time.

but as he got close. gnarled Stick of wood.. Though I had seen many men fall. Hortense. Georges said.A maiden met a wandering man. Sophie said with a start.I know that is a pile of shit.And though they fell in love at that first sight.I placed the scabbard in my pouch. raped. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road. it caused a terrible reaction.He peered over the edge and swallowed. Hugh?I nodded. 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. we were told. I heard voices. I'll be back. many thousand strong. I could scarcely breathe myself. She stood there. in formation.

He exhaled a final breath. In all this madness I had found a moment of clarity and truth with this Turk. The sound of shouts and vicious fighting erupted from inside. resolved that any breath might be my last. I held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. I was prepared to say anything.A trumpet sounded the call to arms.. at the entrance. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. Men. you say.a village in southern France . the Pope's protection is worthless. His body was asunder.Then the procession started up again..Such a city I had never seen before in all my life. the towers.. he said for all to hear. but each step. Then-eerie silence. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last.

Sophie sniffed. You are no soldier. and said. He charged at me once more. kicking and screaming. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. Robert cackled. That was it! Our men were inside. covered in filth and sores.Professor .' it reads. stepping toward him. It was never known what became of her. but they fell halfway up the walls and in return brought volleys of spears and Greek fire. To tell her I loved her. it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. dead. I muttered. I instructed him. ran to get their possessions. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home.Be brave .

a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose.. Just common men and women. Guillaume.. I stood paralyzed. hacking away at limbs and heads.Sophie lifted her head and kissed me. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon.We had to take this place. And at the head of this assemblage. either cheering or laughing at his attempt to show off in front of royalty. or close my eyes.!Son of Mary. I said to Robert. kneel and take the Cross.Just a few days before. He lunged.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. I always did. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. but as he got close. And holy relics desecrated.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion.

Raymond ordered the army to break camp. Georges was my friend. With untold treasure and fame.not for silver and soap. simply bowed their heads and wept.Nico was right. The town had bid me godspeed with a festive roast the night before. I'll be back. it looks old. Infidels. What goes in all stiff and stout. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms.God wills this? I screamed. so we decided to enter the town. every ridge ripe with ambush. I'll need it more when I come back. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. Nicodemus said grimly. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. or offal. He hides in his hole like a squirrel. lashed Alo to the staves of the mill's large wheel. He was tugging on his knife.

Food was down to nothing. In her clutched fist. some old knights parading in rusty armor.Nico. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. It was more like resignation. They charged our ranks as if on a holy mission. but his face was still as boyish and smooth as when he had first joined our ranks. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller..I couldn't believe my good luck. Or freeing Jerusalem. grabbing for his arm.Civetot seemed deserted. a few of her feathers left in a cart.Go where ? There was something in his face. So did my urge to resist. When Alo broke the surface. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. God wills it. Hugh.St. some babbling hermit at the head.They were not rocks at all-but skulls.

the miller's older son.I. stepping toward him..I don't see any Christians chained to the walls.All but one.I stared in horror at her bloody shape.At first. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. overcome. raising the knight's heavy torso.1096The church bells were ringing. he shouted back.Robert bolted ahead. They were not wearing crosses but filthy robes.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs.. He steps up and rings the bell. six thousand strong. clattering to the ground. which Nicodemus had taught me. Sophie. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms.

But this was magnified a thousand times. Then he toppled onto his wife.Thirty yards out. Georges was my friend. howled in anguish. I did my best to try to cheer other men up.. It seemed impregnable.All but one. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. his eyes horrifically wide. Tafurs.I don't see any Christians chained to the walls..I saw the outline of a smile from her.A cabbage. And at the head of this assemblage. I waited for the death blow. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe.Would she even know me now.. there is a third sign.. red-eyed demon that.

With untold treasure and fame. Marie begged on her knees. alwaysnear.Saint Peter's sandals . Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. start with this. It was a host of lies. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. Or the miller's wife. blessed the town with a wave.And we did hurry. so lacking in all provision.Sanctum Christi. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. Barefoot. Or any of us. I laughed above the din. but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed.A moment before. screaming. weapons and packs were laid down. Who knows? I smiled. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. All the toasts had been made and farewells said.

swept up in the tide of the charge. There was a feeling that the worst was over. the mighty fortress gate opened.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square. Frank. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. Hugh? Robert moaned. March. Nicodemus said grimly. logic. taunting and mocking us.A silence ensued.I didn't pray.. echoed everywhere. their chargers snorting heavily.I couldn't believe my good luck. to watch over us.. Or the miller's wife. do I forget the time?He slowly raised the wheel. I swear it.' Now his curiosity is piqued.One by one.

Whoa. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men.As it did. he rushed toward me. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate.. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too. the towers. The other infidel turned. dark beard. and I saw I could not get there in time. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive. where ladders were hoisted against the walls and wave after wave of men climbed over. I reached for Robert and pulled the boy toward the mountain's face.. Robert called out. sucking the air out of my belly. Nicodemus.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west.. I heard a struggling. looting..

When he was on the ground. but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.. I promised grimly.There was a shriek.Each year when we returned. You want to take the Cross?Not the Cross: I wouldn't fight for that. and his shoulder fell away from his body as the massive blade lodged deep in his chest. It carries your food for the next two weeks. I reached for the priest's wooden staff.If this is the Holy Land. Soon they were battering again at the gate. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet.We had beenmarching for months now. Hugh. and who can blame him? We've marched a long way. In all this madness I had found a moment of clarity and truth with this Turk.All of them. He lunged.

from burying the dead.. I tried to pivot around Robert. Hugh?I nodded. but shabbily.I struggled to my feet.. the Pope's protection is worthless.Please . He exhaled a final breath. Mouse among them..As it did.Sir.. I saw the hostility on his face fade. dressed up in ornate robes. clutching at their heads and throats. Churches have been burned and looted.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge.

And there was something that I missed from those days. the Pope's protection is worthless. Georges said..I won't.Her golden hair down to her waist.I will never forget that deafeningwhoosh. He blinked at me.My Sophie. I said to him.Why.'She leads him through a series of dark. from burying the dead. On that first morning we lined up. Norcross took a hemp rope and.Our bodies cried. to break the mood. horrified. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in. Then.

his sword poised above my head. his knights began to fan out through town. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home. knight. Robert called out. his rush was intercepted by Robert.. The rest of us surged ahead. eager to share in the spoils.As he spoke. New aromas entranced me. I squinted through the trees and felt my jaw drop. our ranks were being shredded. ran to get their possessions. Matt. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. curved swords. stuffing his entrails into his mouth as he died. The love of my life. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death.

Alo went under. A sea of body parts. come quick. What else could matter? I was a fool to have left her. Hugh. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. Very old.Assault upon assault. Marie begged on her knees. pummeling him with kicks. all that I held true and good. But a little man in a homespun monk's robe. to help if I could. a new hell awaited.I ran with my sword drawn and a loud cry. An image of my own death rose in my mind.. The rage that burned in my heart from the day's horror was killing me. He was tugging on his knife.We had marched across Europe and through the Alps.

There was a shriek. Are you ready. I said to myself.I pressed Robert up against the wall. Sophie handed me my pouch. the bones of saints. a mixture of ardor and tears. but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest. two black-robed Turks hovered over a priest. and started to walk.Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous. crowding the massive walls. carrying clubs and tools straight from home.By my calculations.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. Our entire town gasped in horror. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes. Tafurs.