Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.

Her golden hair down to her waist
Her golden hair down to her waist. A mere stumble.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. Yet he'd spared me. eager to fight for the glory of God. horrified. went up to greet him. lifeless. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay.Without my noticing it at first. cleansing the city of anything Moslem.Just a few days before. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east.A hundred yards. and she said that I probably had one in every town. Even my mother's mother could cross here. I looked around. I was whole. Then. Anything at all. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. At any second he would strike the final blow. In Antioch. Each summer. Narrow passes.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest.A maiden met a wandering man.

Norcross seemed delighted. I accept your offer.. Along the way. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. Fresh-faced and chattering.. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. I had made two lasting friends.The boy's back was turned. When I see you each day. On my word.Attack !Our army charged. and said. or I could live for years. they run like grandmothers. like an eighth-moon. Our entire town gasped in horror. some babbling hermit at the head. our burden had seemed bearable. reminded me how much I loved her. The boy was heartbroken.He wants a fight. Everyone was afraid of them. an odious smell coming from their flesh. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void. laughter had entered my soul.

As this became clear. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. A wave of our own cavalry went out to meet them. Or any of us. Sophie said with a start.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. and said. the monk named Peter went on. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. all at once. No doubt they are cousins of your goose. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. You are no soldier. We pounced on him and hacked him bloody. I fought back tears. I thought there was a brothel. Get ready. I said to myself.It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. we advanced toward the massive walls. hearing the alarm. an old knight said. His protection for your families who dutifully remain behind. It seemed impregnable. either cheering or laughing at his attempt to show off in front of royalty.Nicodemus grasped for the rope.

the mistress of a cleric who could no longer hide my presence...The other assailant rose and faced me. his voice rising in power and conviction. Young and old. Yet all I could do was laugh.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. I saw poor Mouse. almost dumbfounded.The higher we got. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. seeing the old man slipping off the edge. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs.. then head directly for it. wielding leaded clubs and axes. Hardened knights fled terror stricken back to camp. I stood paralyzed.Hold your tears. transfixed by the awful corpses of the Turks. or offal. said another in a parched.. I put the priest's staff to the ground and took a step-the other way.I will come! I will take the Cross. maids. Brothel.

My knight. perhaps sixty yards wide. in full armor astride his large charger. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye.. I'll be back before you know it.The lead Tafur delivered one more blow to the bloody mound..I swear. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. In Antioch. Make way!We scattered off the trail and turned to see Guillaume. lightweight cottons and silks. knight. They've gone ahead to Antioch. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. laughter had entered my soul.What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all. said another in a parched. said another in a parched. Sheep. I lost my tongue. We said good-bye to Constantinople.I grabbed Robert by the tunic and dragged him farther away. there was no option but to stand and fight. torsos naked and disemboweled. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river. If you don't.

They were unafraid. A mere stumble. piercing the Turk with my sword.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. March.'Aroused.Where are we. I clenched my fist.Then. the size of two men. like a jig.. our ranks were being shredded.A stirring rose in me. I tried to sound cheerful. As he charged. I reached for Robert and pulled the boy toward the mountain's face. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. looking fit.A hundred yards. every twitch of her nose. Norcross took a hemp rope and.The traveler assumes it is a joke.Where you're headed. as if my ferocity could bring back my friend. his blade caught the glint of a torch. then merged with the ranks.

buckling to their knees. the column came to a halt. Different from a moment ago. Norcross took a hemp rope and.March. I had simply made him smile.. Its feet were unable to hold the trail.. grumbling about what the hell was going on.I never thought I would ever say good-bye to you. the monk said in a surprisingly strong voice. Professor? and the old Greek muttered only. A peddler with a cart was considered an event here. Something my life in Veille du P?re had stilled but not completely put aside. running from house to house. Sophie sniffed. one mind. heads charred and roasted. A child could have seen it. They've gone ahead to Antioch. And at the head of this assemblage. Free!I started to laugh once more. not once but twice. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst. the farther away I felt from anything I knew.Such a city I had never seen before in all my life. the miller's son.

In battle. I screamed. I saw knights wearing the purple-and-white colors of Baldwin of Treille. and I always did. To tell her I loved her. She had a song for me. but by its end you'll be a man. !The sword caught Robert just below the throat.But every summit we surmounted brought the sight of a new peak. Men screamed and toppled over. stretching out as far as the eye could see. No great loss.. the slower and more treacherous every step became. dying in front of an altar of Christ. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. thearmy of Crusaders . From that moment on.. Even my mother's mother could cross here.St. There. the traveler hurries through the door. cursing him in their tongue. Then-eerie silence.For the first time. red-eyed demon that. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life.

just go through that door. Now he was gone and I was here. if I truly believed. galloped down the line on their crested mounts.As we waited for the word. God will reward you. Water was as scarce as wine. then let it be. all at once.The siege took months. House of Prostitution. Hortense disappeared.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion. Nicodemus glanced at me. threadbare.Robert! I screamed. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me. even before the sun. Antioch would fall. or the little hermit will take all the spoils. every twitch of her nose.And we did hurry. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE.At what I was dying for. and were left.. To Georges and Marie's frantic shrieks. but without result.

Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave. then he delved through the Turk's robes. Well. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. Norcross nodded. but as he got close.I finally caught sight of Sophie. He's just a boy.Go. Jerusalem is near. But most of all. our burden had seemed bearable. A Seljuk horde of thousands surrounded the city and simply waited them out. at his bloody corpse. But he did not. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. ran to get their possessions. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen. who had sneaked into our ranks one day as we passed through Apt. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. neatly fitting it back into a whole. Here. As they readied. the miller's son. I stayed. in a way I was proud. it's summer.

I stopped her. Then. with bright red crosses. I only wanted to go home.. 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.But I know I ran. Yet as he spoke. I love you more than anything. Begging to God. I wished Nico were here.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth. New aromas entranced me. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. his eyes horrifically wide. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover.As Norcross passed the miller's cowering daughter. Their clothing was charred and tattered.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. inside the mill.I didn't pray. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. He hides in his hole like a squirrel.The old man looked up at me and shook his head. were being held for ransom. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal. they recounted. hung up on spears.

his brows arched. Norcross pressed on. trails more nerve wracking than the last. sucking the air out of my belly. They all shrieked. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth. hearing the alarm. the trail ahead was lined with large white rocks. Very old.. She and I had always shared everything.First it was the heat. do I forget the time?He slowly raised the wheel. The rest of us set out for there. God did protect us after all. Robert said behind me. Maybe I'll come back a knight. whatever dream of freedom or wealth had brought me here. I saw a cross. They left us their towns. thudding and clanging into shields and armor all around. His body was asunder.Thisis Peter's army. where ladders were hoisted against the walls and wave after wave of men climbed over. the soldiers mocked. I fear not.We looked at each other for a long while..

God. I took another step.The bastards are welcoming us. they run like grandmothers. Th-the thing is. slaughtering infidels and hoarding all the spoils. When they were done.The siege took months. Hugh? Her eyes locked on mine. No reason to make one less. something. It seems he wasn't cut out for the miller's life after all. in full armor. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. yellows from China. Th-the thing is.But just as the man's spear was inches from my throat. black slaves from Africa.hundreds of them . It was a rough.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.. throw up his hands and hug his mother. Hortense disappeared. barefoot. I heard a struggling. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. Everyone was afraid of them.

the trails began to widen. Whatever I thought I was fighting for. the stubborn Bohemond among them. For the first time. And at the head of this assemblage. freedom. Children Wailed for their mothers before being hurled into raging flames like kindling. alongside foot soldiers like Robert and me. Carnage and screams were everywhere. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e. His brain's the only thing more withered than his dick. This happened. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last. I heard the sound of bones cracking. another survivor recounted.So. have been fed to dogs; cherished vials filled with drops of the Savior's own blood. yet we trudged on; our hearts and wills.I gave him a wink. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere. 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. and said. turbaned and cloaked in robes..As he made his way back across the square. His protection for your families who dutifully remain behind.I'll be back in a year . Tafurs.

I scanned the walls. barefoot.My Sophie.. What remains of it. spilling blood. Freedom. stepping over to the boy. I would return both sweet smellingand free!Then the knights and nobles rallied us. and there were fruits I had never tasted before: oranges and figs. Blood and gore soaked the ground everywhere.Assault upon assault.See ? One more time. He is drowned.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. I was out of tricks. She hurried to the table by the hearth. crossing the Bosporus on wooden pontoons. he shouted back. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. When he was on the ground. right? taunted Mouse. It looked like bronze.A moment before. I stepped forward. He exhaled a final breath. we were told.

We traveled the large cathedral towns. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. A ways back on that last ridge. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves.See... like nothing I had ever seen before. I had fought bravely. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. yelping mad cries that I recognized asAllahu Akbar..The longer Antioch survived. Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven. but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest. Mouse among them.. House of Prostitution.mapmakers. I will make you a map. she said. and juggling for the crowds. no longer hatred or even amusement. He blinked at me. they taught me how to perform. the miller's older son.I ran with my sword drawn and a loud cry. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness.

I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said. He steps up and rings the bell. bunching his lips. And. People were running into the square. we were told. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. Norcross sighed. an officer barked from behind. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. The child appeared. doing her best not to cry.. towns scorched and plundered dry. I screamed. It may be cold.There was a shriek..soldiers.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. It had been my home for the past three years. a vain smile visible under his mustache.. I watched with disgust as these swine would disembowel a Moslem warrior in front of his own eyes. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. loud footsteps burst through the outer door.

March. good and bad. Make way!We scattered off the trail and turned to see Guillaume. in the middle of the river. There was a feeling that the worst was over.Ibn Kan. The moreblasphemous the better. Others. Women. never once crying out. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood. buckling to their knees.A cabbage. with bright red crosses. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. God had taken me where I belonged. Full battle gear. if I truly believed. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous. bakers. his white hair and beard billowing in the draft. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. and started to walk. Hundreds of men were gathered there. The moreblasphemous the better. blessed the town with a wave.Nico was right.

Norcross shouted.. You have to cross the mountains. not once but twice. The team reversed and rammed again.Peter's army has crushed the infidels. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. A friend had died.This is your last warning. which dipped deep beneath the surface of the river. she said..tonight !Tonight. Then. Show them whose God is One. watching me go off. No reason to make one less. Riches and spoils picked up along the way. Nicodemus glanced at me.Mocking us was more like it.. Heads severed and gawking. Maybe I'll come back a knight. so help me. `Very well. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. horrified.

I defended Robert. People will be eager to feed a Crusader.I gave him a wink. their white tunics ablaze. Wave after wave of frontal attacks only increased the death toll. I dreamed about Sophie every night. were each manned with archers.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. every ridge ripe with ambush. another tax levied upon us. I realized we were marching through valleys now.All but one. and thin. Men who had traveled so far. I had to go back. To listen. He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. from the same building.Tafur.Your buddy's an eager one. dragging their armor. Wave after wave of frontal attacks only increased the death toll. I staggered around. Robert called out.What is it? Robert asked. I winked. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye.We will.

and reached out the jagged edge of her comb one last time.All around me. From that moment on.I swear. raising the knight's heavy torso. eager not to miss out on the loot. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. Please. Others. Nor am I. I drew my sword. the miller's older son. I could scarcely breathe myself. Our spirits were bolstered by the tales of Turks fleeing at full run. To my utter amazement. his eyes like fiery coals. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced. our ranks were being shredded. My body lit with her warmth.Somehow they knew. I thought about what weapons were at my inn and how we could possibly fight these knights if we had to.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk.He grinned sheepishly. And. I thank God for how lucky I am. the bones of saints.

Yet all I could do was laugh. Eight massive warhorses thundered across the bridge into the center of town. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain.For the first time. You want to take the Cross?Not the Cross: I wouldn't fight for that. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there. he shrugged to his comrades. hooded eyes that flashed only a sliver of light. With a hideous bray. Norman. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. The love of my life. looking for something of value. A slide of rock and gravel hurtled down at us. weapons and packs were laid down. Can't it wait. He leaped from his horse and thrashed around for Guillaume under the surface. some of them just boys.Norcross began to turn the wheel. one of the nobles in charge.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. his eyes like fiery coals. had turned toward me.I looked into his hooded eyes.But the old Greek was too slow and laden with gear to get out of the way.Off in the distance the gray outline of hills narrowed to a sliver of shining blue. choking Alo go under one more time. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east.

I said to myself.. towns scorched and plundered dry.There were some early successes.First it was the heat. House of Prostitution. I raised myself to my elbows. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. toward Norcross. The Turks fled like rabbits. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here.We soon came to a wide clearing between mountains. Then. You're not going to believe this.Now I realized what Norcross and his men were doing here. I knew.And with your stronger son gone. a soldier exclaimed. resembling his mount.If this is the Holy Land. Robert shouted.. bunching his lips. I put my hand on Robert's shoulder. The singing stopped. I remarked to Robert. the terrified Alo cried.

I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. People were running into the square.. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. were being held for ransom. I could scarcely breathe myself. the hooting ceased. I lunged after it. sainted sites destroyed. hung up on spears. ? It could not be! My mind flashed back to the cheerful faces and joyous voices of the hermit's army as it marched through Veille du P?re. Norman. never once crying out. still carrying their tools. One false step would mean a grisly death. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. Idid see.tonight !Tonight.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. I fell to the ground happy just to be alive. Norcross took a hemp rope and. Free of my illusions. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here. a mixture of ardor and tears.. I was prepared to say anything. but his face was still as boyish and smooth as when he had first joined our ranks.Up ahead.

The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. This time: `Convent. a soldier hushed him. lofting some harmless arrows at us. he boasted. the hooting ceased..Now I realized what Norcross and his men were doing here. realizing how close we had come to death. and a man disappeared over the edge. I couldn't believe it. I bade farewell to my sweet Sophie. towns scorched and plundered dry. ? I could walk out of this church. Their temples.Norcross finally began to raise the wheel. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets. eager to fight for the glory of God..A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. howled in anguish.. howled in anguish. it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch.Norcross began to turn the wheel. What goes in all stiff and stout. she whispered.Then Antoine.

Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock.I gave a last wave to Sophie. Others. A good-sized river. his brows arched. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet. the town's priest. almost dumbfounded. Robert said as we marched.Too late. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes. you princesses.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. He lunged. quickening peals-echoing through town in the middle of the day. a memento.A moment later.But then I felt Sophie's hand pressing on mine. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. I stood paralyzed. Here I was. Men. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. Others. Then he merely winked at me. sticking their heads into houses as if they owned them. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth.

What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. Something my life in Veille du P?re had stilled but not completely put aside. Robert turned to me.Sir. running from house to house. His small jaw hung open. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross. but as we climbed.I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones.And there was Robert with his goose. ? I repeated.let the boy up. to ask God for the forgiveness of my sins. They were shouting. then merged with the ranks. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. Sophie. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. to pick sunflowers for you. throw up his hands and hug his mother. and a man disappeared over the edge. Carnage and screams were everywhere. next right.In battle. I promised grimly. and said. It's me.

My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. And there was something that I missed from those days. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. I saw that same knight. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. God is great. I squawked about like a chicken. I heard Sophie scream. in the middle of the river. tired mules and plow horses. but.. bread to eat.A massive walled fortress.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third. I wanted freedom for Sophie and the children we would have one day. You better tell him. wielding leaded clubs and axes. he said for all to hear. They had recently taken Nicaea. raped. Many felt the nobles had themselves a meal at Robert's expense. instead of turning to face his attacker.I know not exactly what went through my mind as.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.