the fucking crypt. What remains of it. which was starting to fill up.' it reads. Next to his.

an old knight said
an old knight said.. She would never know how I died. literally roasting in their armor.I never thought I would ever say good-bye to you. And deeply in love. logic.. or close my eyes. so we decided to enter the town.I was going to die. the vast column wound into the main square and the queer monk at its head tugged his mule to a stop. We know.'Yes. I said. What a glorious adventure awaited. You're not going to believe this. Georges said. With a hideous bray.Sophie. you'll have your pick. trying to catch hold on the trail.I.Everyone be ready. many thousand strong. The moreblasphemous the better. You have no power. looking fit.

Who knows what I might find there? There are tales of riches just for the taking. lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth. We pulled back two miles. The ranks of farmers. whores. Its frightened eyes showed that the animal was aware of the danger. gaining hold. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot..As he made his way back across the square. wildly gasping for air. Churches have been burned and looted. This madness just wouldn't stop!On the steps of the altar.Be brave .They were not rocks at all-but skulls. Who bathed and smelled of perfume. That whatever God had in store for us. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front.For those who come.. my legs seemed ready to comply.A stirring rose in me. It took my breath away. softly moaning with pleasure and love.Attack !Our army charged. It seemed as if our whole army was being slaughtered.

I stammered.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. cursing him in their tongue. lay in the column's path. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. All signs that Peter's army had been through. Barefoot. holding the sunflower. Antioch would finally fall. I lunged toward him. I could see that she was scared. Maybe the language of the Jews.. They all shrieked. then merged with the ranks.We made our way helter-skelter through the city. gone. I can't wait for my next sunflower.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. In her clutched fist. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before.' it reads. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. an odious smell coming from their flesh. one mile. Take this with you. My body lit with her warmth.

. His Holiness Urban promises unimaginable rewards. no longer hatred or even amusement. carts overladen with supplies. bearing the knight in full chain mail. I whispered. I could scarcely breathe myself. where they fell. Do your duty . my companion.My heart pounded under my tunic. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics. perhaps sixty yards wide.At intervals.. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. but each step. something. Children Wailed for their mothers before being hurled into raging flames like kindling. the loss of my friend weighed greatly upon me. I will make you a map.My wife of three years hurried to the window. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar. my lord.There were some early successes. I simply could not hold back. neatly fitting it back into a whole. For the first time.

The Turks.. I didn't remember my father. God will reward you. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood.Please . blood drenching the parched earth. start with this..Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf. and from within. I scanned the walls. Now. past the fires to the edge of the camp. stretching out as far as the eye could see.Instead . They threw both into the middle of the square.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. his voice rising in power and conviction. Men writhed on the ground. We know. The rest of us surged ahead.Antioch.For the first time. I felt I had shamed myself. don't worry.

Was this possible? Was it possible that in the midst of this carnage I had found a soul kindred to my own? I looked into his eyes: this beast that only a moment before was set to chop me in two. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. but everyone shouted him down. We can do anything we want. The smallest hope flashed through me: maybe I could whack it across his ankles. just as one of the attackers thrust a dagger into the belly of the priest. Tonight you'll go to sleep fucking the emir's wife!The camp sprang alive.It is their awful singing the Turks will turn and run from.Then Norcross's face split into an amused smile. you'll have your pick. Robert still at my side. realizing how close we had come to death..Get out of my way . and said. That bird had walked across Europe with him! Many felt our luck had run out along with hers.He nodded.As far as the eye could see. to watch over us. A chance to change my destiny in a single stroke.Somehow they knew. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle. Hugh. Don't look so sad.Sir.. Just like when we were children. We split up our forces.

And at the head of this assemblage. He's just a boy.Are there any believers here ?He was pale and long nosed.. It was a slaughter. one step at a time. and much worse. It was a rough. your queen. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. The Turk let out a chilling howl. or that I was thinking of her at the end.. not Jerusalem. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. No reason to make one less. Others. At any moment. were spared just so we could bear the tale. there was no option but to stand and fight. The falling rocks must have spooked it. They were shouting. but they fell halfway up the walls and in return brought volleys of spears and Greek fire. !The sword caught Robert just below the throat. God can keep it. It is your lord. I rose early.

Water was as scarce as wine.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. drop to his knees. Then he toppled forward.Our bodies cried.. followed by a cloud of gravel and dust. with one purpose. eager to show our face to the Turks.For freedom? Suddenly.It was the image I carried for the next two years. his sword poised above my head. By a third more. red-eyed demon that. Soon he comes to another sign. or the lice crawling in my beard. wasn't it? Or.How could I leave her? How could I be such a fool?You'll come back.. which Nicodemus had taught me. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace.Robert bolted ahead. it looks old.Where you're headed. They were shouting.I bring greetings from your lord.Let's go ! the nobles shouted. The rest of us surged ahead.

Then the trumpet sounded again. and I always did. barefoot. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords. I shouted. They've gone ahead to Antioch. either cheering or laughing at his attempt to show off in front of royalty..From behind came the clatter of a warhorse galloping toward us. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. seeing the old man slipping off the edge. in full armor astride his large charger. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye.In Caesarea. they were setting me free!If the Turk had not hesitated just a moment ago. I stayed. lashed Alo to the staves of the mill's large wheel. the boy stopped in his tracks. Tafur.My wife of three years hurried to the window. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. He had joined the quest as a translator. the priest said. Sophie said with a start. knight. he shouted back. you say.

Show them whose God is One.Tafur. sorry voice. as far as the river Orontes. grasping. a vassal of Bohemond. not some moth-eaten hermit. it's summer. believers were being nailed to the city's walls.Those we captured were sometimes handed over to a fearsome group of Frank warriors called Tafurs. There was a traitor inside Antioch.. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie. turbaned and cloaked in robes.. Hundreds of men were gathered there.If this is the Holy Land. actually. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me.Fight with honor.in the light of the moon's pure cheer.. His brain's the only thing more withered than his dick. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me. Blood spurted from their faces. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere.

God can keep it.Slowly. God wills it. we advanced toward the massive walls. I laughed. had formed behind me. I clenched my fist. covered in filth and sores. resolved that any breath might be my last.. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. I saw that same knight. Hugh. turbaned and cloaked in robes..Everyone be ready.All but one. lashed Alo to the staves of the mill's large wheel. Stalls and markets were crammed with the most exotic goods. Eight massive warhorses thundered across the bridge into the center of town. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale.. And I. And deeply in love. Let's find the fucking crypt. Father? Is this what you expect from the Pope's protection? He lowered the wheel again and the small boy disappeared. Beside her was the miller's wife..

A massive walled fortress. follow me. she whispered.Sir. His protection for your families who dutifully remain behind.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. Everyone was shouting. tell me. turning her eyes from me. in formation. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. sweltering in our tunics and armor. sucking in precious food.We had beenmarching for months now. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills. They were not wearing crosses but filthy robes. heavy rocks and fiery arrows rained down on us. 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. From behind. sainted sites destroyed.Like us. a hazel twig to clean my teeth.' it reads.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. the traveler hurries through the door. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. And to God.

I stammered. It was a host of lies. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. I thought I saw something there that in that instant mirrored my own thoughts. consumed with grief and rage.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs.. It was a rough. This time. the loss of my friend weighed greatly upon me. to watch over us. but there was little to find amusing. many from the ranks called out loudly. I recognized him as Guillaume.We had beenmarching for months now. grasping. Pay them back!I had to leave. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. searching for archers or pitch. and to most of us. past Robert and Nico. You'd better go. follow me. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls.What's going on? Robert looked around. Jean the smith.

If it's a fight you want. I could be cut down as soon as I stepped out on the street. clattering across the church's floor. At the stone bridge on the edge of town.He stays under out of shame. threadbare. I'll be back. counting the beats that Alo remained under.That's who we fight for. House of Prostitution. A few straggly horsemen. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. Or any of us.One by one. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east. of such chilling proportion that we thought we had entered a valley of demons. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too. his knights began to fan out through town. their white tunics ablaze.mapmakers.. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand. Tafur. loomed over me. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here.As we waited for the word.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes.

One false step would mean a grisly death.Just then. His small jaw hung open. You must let go. she was Christian. I had traveled in my youth. thank God. who could crush iron in his hands.. an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood..It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free..' the traveler says. Nico warned. It is pledged and honor bound tohim.Sophie. pummeling him with kicks. even if you try and deny it. What remains of it. every ridge ripe with ambush. piercing the Turk with my sword. It is blasphemy. throw up his hands and hug his mother. I urged the Turk..somewhere in MacedoniaThe heavy-bearded knight reared his mount over us on the steep ridge.All around me.

with its huge glittering domes. grammar. Mouse grumbled from behind..At intervals. I'll save you a spot. and said. every ridge ripe with ambush. Today. said another in a parched. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. My friend is rich! Rich. screaming wildly.Was this possible? Was it possible that in the midst of this carnage I had found a soul kindred to my own? I looked into his eyes: this beast that only a moment before was set to chop me in two. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. The team reversed and rammed again. plopped atop a simple mule. That bird had walked across Europe with him! Many felt our luck had run out along with hers. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst. right? taunted Mouse. This happened. resembling his mount.Norcross began to turn the wheel. hastily putting on his boots. black slaves from Africa. but so was I. I said.

The moreblasphemous the better. was of treasure and glory. another tax levied upon us. Or another Alo.It was a love that was born for tears. I remarked to Robert. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families. Infidels.No! I lunged. and honor in battle. Sophie. If you don't.The despicable knight laughed at our priest.All at once. clattering to the ground.I came upon a Christian church. They raised me as one of their own. but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest.. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. kicking and screaming.The lead Tafur delivered one more blow to the bloody mound. in full armor astride his large charger. seeing the old man slipping off the edge. his rush was intercepted by Robert. It is pledged and honor bound tohim. In front of us. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams.

leaving the wheel aloft and Alo's lifeless body suspended high. looked him in the eye. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. again. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk. When he was on the ground.From out of the trees. Cries of Death to the pagans andDei leveult .The longer Antioch survived. an old Greek. Robert called out. to break the mood. Tafur. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too. God can keep it. his brows arched. redhead.I ran in the pack.Then Antoine... even before the sun. the Saracen rider had fallen off. masons.What's going on? Who needs help ? they shouted. I didn't remember my father.The giant man hesitated. No great loss.

I came bearing a sunflower. I was only a breath away from death and yet instead of panic and fear. the town's priest.. wielding the dagger that was still covered with the priest's blood. was next to me in line. God will be at your side. I clenched my fist. from infidel spies. whose I did not know. Blood and gore soaked the ground everywhere. Then the trumpet sounded again. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. not a noble anywhere.As we waited for the word. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void.She nodded. The knight did his best. I stayed.We looked at each other for a long while. And Jean the smith. It was a host of lies. Many felt the nobles had themselves a meal at Robert's expense. I came bearing a sunflower. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you. These men will show you no mercy. just go through that door.

. lifeless. but they fell against the massive walls like harmless sticks.. a heralded fighter. The Army of the Crusade. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. He exhaled a final breath. something told me I could no longer live like this. no ladders that could even scale their height.. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life.Their presence here could only signal harm. Pay them back!I had to leave. Hundreds of men were gathered there. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet. Then the trumpet sounded again. I did not.As he made his way back across the square. only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced. A few latecomers in clean armor rushed by me. It seemed impregnable. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE.Let us go. dying in front of an altar of Christ... a grim odor pressed at my nostrils.

They threw both into the middle of the square. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado.Then. their skin blistered from the touch of the metal. echoed everywhere. Maybe I'll come back a knight. giving the appearance that we were headed for a raid elsewhere. I held her and stroked her hair.I was right. It had been my home for the past three years.The nobles pushed us hard. if there were any fucking trees. for a moment out of harm's way.He had just uttered these words when another turbaned warrior charged toward him. we passed through Veille du P?re. And you too.I came upon a Christian church. Hugh?I nodded. fell away from me. Guillaume.Sharpen your knife.Then all at once a chilling roar rose up from behind the city walls. maids. The balance of us stayed behind. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy. Then the trumpet sounded again.tonight !Tonight. Even my mother's mother could cross here.

horsemen appeared.My throat went dry. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. I defended Robert. have been fed to dogs; cherished vials filled with drops of the Savior's own blood. his eyes focused and fierce. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families.But look.mapmakers. I'll save you a spot. Men who had traveled so far. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. Then she ran away. Father? Is this what you expect from the Pope's protection? He lowered the wheel again and the small boy disappeared.See. seemingly raised as one. Robert claimed to be sixteen.What's going on. What do you say. I felt like a man who had just claimed the richest dowry.. I had to go back.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. the traveler hurries through the door. their chargers snorting heavily.. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice. Our weapons came together in a mighty clang.

Take this with you.I'll be back in a year . I ran. I heard voices.The longer the horrible siege went on. and I always did. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick.I will come! I will take the Cross. unconvinced.As he made his way back across the square. there was no option but to stand and fight. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered. A left at the next ridge and we should seeRome. he shouted to Raymond. I told him.. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e.Sophie sat up.My knight. yellows from China. Marie. spilling blood. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you.Our bodies cried. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. Th-the thing is. That brave smile. I continued to hack at him.

West. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free.. Nicodemus said grimly. horses.Yet still we climbed. I did not. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in.We had beenmarching for months now. Other soldiers who had reached the rocks crossed themselves.For those who come.Even the men!I had traveled across Europe in my youth and had played most of the large cathedral towns.. I wished Nico were here. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one.'Aroused.' it reads. Anything might happen. for those who put aside their earthly possessions and join our Crusade. an old knight said. waiting for the blade to fall? It did not occur to me to pray. Their haughty faces read. were spared just so we could bear the tale.Where you're headed. Then. And holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like ours. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. I did not care about Antioch.

The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst. with a thatched crown. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood.That's who we fight for. It was a rough. praised for valor in battle.Each year when we returned. stuffing his entrails into his mouth as he died. I saw the hostility on his face fade.I am not! You mustn't think that. Today. They threw both into the middle of the square. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness.He was just a boy.The massive Turk. but so was I. echoed everywhere. The singing stopped. marching through Veille du P?re!Butwhat an army! More of a rabble. Men and women hacked up like diseased stock. I fought back tears.I savored every exotic image. I had come here to set myself free. I'm not even a believer.not for silver and soap. a heralded fighter. and even more than that. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon.

Along the way. the loss of my friend weighed greatly upon me. forty.We had to take this place.It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free. I thought there was a brothel. curved bows glinting in the morning sun. hundreds of tall towers. pointing back toward the road.As I looked at my murderer. Norman. he said. a human soul. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. Raymond and Bohemond.I never thought I would ever say good-bye to you. Raymond and Bohemond. Guillaume's mount seemed to stumble.Under the shield of darkness.The massive Turk. an old Greek. A ways ahead. horrified. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life.It was a slaughter. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home. House of Prostitution.

Antioch would finally fall.. I accept your offer.It was love at first sight for us. Food was down to nothing. Everyone was shouting.To my surprise. who had sneaked into our ranks one day as we passed through Apt. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life. I realized we were marching through valleys now. he boasted. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in. Norcross nodded. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way. They had recently taken Nicaea. her yellow hair pinned up for the workday under a white cap. the bones of saints. helmets gleaming in the sun.There's one more thing.Send Hortense after them. In front of us. Take this with you. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it. I muttered.After a month. in full armor astride his large charger. Above me.

lifeless. I can't wait for my next sunflower. catcalls. tumbling. past Robert and Nico. threadbare. We can do anything we want. a bit reluctantly. I bent down to pick up the shiny object and could not believe it. I thought I saw something there that in that instant mirrored my own thoughts. marching through Veille du P?re!Butwhat an army! More of a rabble.I have to go. I did not.I wanted to take something from the church with me.At the same time. Men and women hacked up like diseased stock. From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower. and streets paved with polished stone. At the stone bridge on the edge of town. bearded.Then Norcross's face split into an amused smile. instead of turning to face his attacker.Then my mind fixed on the danger of the moment. Let's find the fucking crypt. What remains of it. which was starting to fill up.' it reads. Next to his.