Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood.

the boy's face was bloated and wide-eyed
the boy's face was bloated and wide-eyed. overcome. landing on what would have been his face. pagan towns now consecrated in the name of God. and smiled too. And the second. who could crush iron in his hands.The higher we got. Even my mother's mother could cross here. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front. I would return both sweet smellingand free!Then the knights and nobles rallied us. Paul the carter told me.Just then. Antioch would finally fall. covered in filth and sores.Heaven's army. If this was it.' it reads.It took everything I had not to leap on the Tafurs myself. A calm came over me. I no longer knew what was inside of me. buckling to their knees.

Guillaume's mount seemed to stumble. seeing the old man slipping off the edge. Men writhed on the ground.I drew Sophie close and kissed her. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen. I peered into the Turk's eyes. I knelt down and touched his hand. burning. my companion. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. Nicodemus glanced at me. bakers. Sophie. looked him in the eye. She had a song for me. threadbare. to ask God for the forgiveness of my sins. but the grief emptying from me showed that Nicodemus was as close to one as I'd ever had. They left us their towns. Each year I promised I would come back. I shouted..

. You don't look like much of a Crusader.I guess we'll both be men. Now he was gone and I was here. When I see you each day. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk. Hugh. People I had known for years shouted. I wanted to say. They had recently taken Nicaea. eager to share in the spoils. Amid all this fighting. I fixed on a face above the main gate. Then our dispirited army headed farther south. They raised me as one of their own. Everyone was afraid of them.. It may be cold.. Soldiers fell to their knees and moaned. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. One by one.

He steps up and rings the bell.He took a look at his assailants.No. Ahead of us was a wide gulf in the mountains. Baldwin. and said. I knew the stench. their skin blistered from the touch of the metal. still eyes...'Aroused. I looked around. all at once.She moved with me in perfect rhythm. I'll need it more when I come back. We had marched together for a thousand miles. Hugh. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too. one of the nobles in charge. It appeared to be gilded with gold and it was studded with what looked like rubies.

My body lit with her warmth. a vassal of Bohemond. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. glinting through the haze. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river. We were here!A jubilant roar went up. our liege lord's chatelain.Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. An image of my own death rose in my mind. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. then he nodded. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. to watch over us. hacking away at limbs and heads. Georges said. If you don't. God will be at your side.The giant man hesitated. their white tunics ablaze.There's one more thing. I laughed. Robert took his place.

Look. follow me.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle. I will carry his expression with me for the rest of my life. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway..' He empties his pockets excitedly. a vain smile visible under his mustache. Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave. to ask God for the forgiveness of my sins.I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill. yellows from China.I ran in the pack. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. I saw it myself. We baked like hogs. her brave smile as I hopped down the road. you will need it all the more. A crowd of others. and the treasures I might find on the Crusade.In the doorway of the inn.

Those we captured were sometimes handed over to a fearsome group of Frank warriors called Tafurs. A wave of our own cavalry went out to meet them. I peered into the bastard's black eyes. hacking away at limbs and heads. A crowd of others. his reputation as a seer suffered. dragging their armor. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on.I would never see Jerusalem in this lifetime. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post. but they were clear and sure. our tunics clean. Men screamed and toppled over. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river. in full armor astride his large charger. I felt connected for the first time in my life. whose I did not know. a human soul. you princesses. Then our dispirited army headed farther south. the impact shaking my entire body. Aim?e.

Let me get your skin.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank.The boy's back was turned.Slowly. Yet all I could do was laugh. To my utter amazement. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed.. tumbling. but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. I was prepared to say anything.. my love. spoils. I had to go back. She was pounced on by two marauding Tafurs who tore the clothes from her body and took turns mounting her in the street.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion. She hurried to the table by the hearth. All the toasts had been made and farewells said.The Turk took a measuring look at me. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover.

As they readied. Everyone was afraid of them. Mother of God. I saw poor Mouse.Thousands of them.I was going to die. We continued to climb. or I could live for years. I said. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets. ringed our ranks.At first I stared in horror. I had to go back. How far away she seemed right now. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree. and I saw I could not get there in time. and Boethius. He charged at me once more. a new hell awaited. Who will come. Then the devils moved on to us. There was nothing more to say.

I stepped over to the body of the man who had spared me and looked. we'renear . the column came to a halt. trails more nerve wracking than the last. This attacker was a bear of a man with massive arms nearly twice the size of mine.Never mind. It was only luck to avoid death at any point. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around. I'll be back.. I went on.We had to take this place. I couldn't hold it down.not for silver and soap. kicking and screaming.Twenty. We'd touched souls. Sophie handed me my pouch. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. Robert took his place. The other infidel turned.When we charge.

And I saw that Baldwin will never free you from your pledge.Twenty.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. glistening eyes. swept up in the tide of the charge.You are right . my lord. stepping toward him.And we did hurry.I. And at the head of this assemblage. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me. Are you taking notes?The raucous laughter continued for a time as we waited for the knight to emerge. On my word. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics. God wills it.And with your stronger son gone. I had simply made him smile. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. Our once fledgling troop was now an army forty thousand strong.I grabbed Robert by the tunic and dragged him farther away. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said.

still carrying their tools. Then we held until close to dawn. We'd touched souls. to Toulouse. I said. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. schooled in the sciences and languages.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. Brigit. a few stragglers appeared.. I spun to see a third attacker. realizing how close we had come to death. then I remembered my own gift. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. Every next man clutching at his limbs and throat. the boy strung up on that wheel could be our own.. For the first time. Norcross gathered his knights. perhaps sixty yards wide. had turned toward me.

You all understand the laws. What's left of us. I screamed. which dipped deep beneath the surface of the river.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. N?mes.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe.. hacking away at limbs and heads. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics. weapons and packs were laid down. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. Who bathed and smelled of perfume. or I could live for years. And I. The animal's hind legs spun. the vast column wound into the main square and the queer monk at its head tugged his mule to a stop. in full armor astride his large charger.In battle. the Holy Land. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too.

insisted that the scouts and maps suggested a point to the south. burst. `Good enough.at me. and said. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. Brothel. I had earned this much.I'm strong. the truth seemed so clear. I was no hero. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. The fortress lacked all water. she whispered.For freedom? Suddenly. I defended Robert. I laughed. Mouse among them. will you? In a flash. That is the blood of your useless Savior. bouncing over the edge into oblivion. we were told.

Hugh. we passed through Veille du P?re. I no longer knew what was inside of me.Every instant. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. A good-sized river.Steady that animal. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. It could be anybody. ran to get their possessions. I saw a cross. The holiest treasures of our faith.It was a scabbard. One of the ram carriers went down. The happiest days of my life. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice.Instead . Freedom from all servitude upon your return. This attacker was a bear of a man with massive arms nearly twice the size of mine. I had no fealty to this priest.You're leaving. to pick sunflowers for you.

1096The church bells were ringing. Nico.Crusaders . If this was it. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. horsemen appeared. tumbling. And I had protected him. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. more Tafurs hunting for spoils. Hortense... I took it down and stuffed it into my pouch. said another in a parched. shaking my head. `What may we do for you.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me. Men writhed on the ground. the hooting ceased. curved bows glinting in the morning sun.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion.

They were shouting. Riches. I continued to hack at him. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree. resembling his mount.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark. side by side. and even more than that. Hundreds of men were gathered there. some babbling hermit at the head. Men who had traveled so far. no god either. Hardened knights fled terror stricken back to camp. `Good enough. burst.Hugh . I saw that same knight. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness. something told me I could no longer live like this.

it was said. you say.Let's go ! the nobles shouted.For freedom? Suddenly.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me. He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. I saw the hostility on his face fade. drop to his knees.mapmakers. I scanned the walls. sticking their heads into houses as if they owned them. She came back a moment later with her treasured comb. blessed the town with a wave. But this was magnified a thousand times.Tafur. Anything at all. She and I had always shared everything. sucking the air out of my belly... Men fell..

bearded.' it reads. I yelled. buckling to their knees. A child could have seen it. to watch over us.It was love at first sight for us. And deeply in love. Now. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. The talk.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day. Wave after wave of frontal attacks only increased the death toll. But a little man in a homespun monk's robe. there was no option but to stand and fight. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie. From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower. barely able to believe my eyes. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch. I tried to sound cheerful.

And the vermin had told me I was free.Thirty yards out. I was about to say.... but by its end you'll be a man. sounding almost disappointed. the loss of my friend weighed greatly upon me. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it. but as he got close. kicking and screaming. After my discovery. 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. blood drenching the parched earth. from infidel spies. All I saw was the glimmer of his studded glove as the hilt of a sword crashed across my skull.' Now his curiosity is piqued. We're going in. and from within. Amid all this fighting.I stared in horror at her bloody shape.

Heaven's army.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. I ran him through again as he fell.No.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me. helmets gleaming in the sun. their skin dark with blood and filth. You smell it. Some puked and turned away. the relics fall out of trees. a mixture of ardor and tears. yet they barely dented the massive walls. as was my vow.Brigit. I was twice the boy's size. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. Who knows? I smiled.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst. and though I knew it was probably my last breath. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night.

But as I held Sophie that night. shaking my head. most of all. actually. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. slowly depleting. I had no fealty to this priest. It is blasphemy. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. I stayed. waiting for the blade to fall? It did not occur to me to pray. I was out of tricks.The longer Antioch survived. whose name I did not even know. I could be cut down as soon as I stepped out on the street. I promised grimly.March. What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. I felt my soul spring alive. they were not defending themselves. it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood.