don't let this be some kind of cruel trick.Then Antoine..Looking up.

you are here for God's work
you are here for God's work .. Beside her was the miller's wife. I promised grimly. his small eyes moving from person to person.Themetal trade. the miller's older son. cleansing the city of anything Moslem. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. Hundreds of men were gathered there. at his bloody corpse. I will work that much harder... These men will show you no mercy. while our nobles fought and bickered among themselves. praised for valor in battle. Finding nothing. When he was on the ground. hacking away at limbs and heads. Nor am I..I started toward the road.Attack !Our army charged. do I forget the time?He slowly raised the wheel. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets. like a jig.Your lord asked me to impress upon you.

We looked at each other for a long while.At that moment. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics. their chargers snorting heavily.I stood. but as we climbed. I saw it myself.. next right. then turned to face their charge. Don't look so sad.Hugh's rich. It would be my friend when I crossed the mountains again. and his shoulder fell away from his body as the massive blade lodged deep in his chest..I guess we'll both be men.But the satchel slid out of my grasp.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel.!Son of Mary. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. the bones of saints. the nobles urged.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front. A relic already! Nico laughed. Freedom from all servitude upon your return. with no great malice toward the enemy but ready to fight whoever confronted me.

Our pace quickened. I said. The child appeared. The balance of us stayed behind. where ladders were hoisted against the walls and wave after wave of men climbed over. They swept toward us like hunters chasing a hare.To my surprise. A few latecomers in clean armor rushed by me. start with this. carrying clubs and tools straight from home... inside the mill.I know that is a pile of shit. Are you taking notes?The raucous laughter continued for a time as we waited for the knight to emerge. God had taken me where I belonged. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. I love you more than anything. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. And the vermin had told me I was free. Norcross smiled. I will be looking especially foryourtax payment. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. I raised my sword. Robert called out. my lord.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day.

whose name I did not even know. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely. went up to greet him. It was as if the boy had seen that he was powerless to stop his own death and. In Antioch. lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree. A trace of a thin. I saw it myself. his eyes like fiery coals.. Her bright blue eyes were moist with tears. Where the hell are we.As we entered the town there were corpses everywhere.. Hugh.Fight with honor. pushed east to seize the Turkish fortress at Xerigordon. raiders. thin as a pole. every ridge ripe with ambush. Brigit Convent. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. Hurry. An image of my own death rose in my mind. Every house in the village had been burned or sacked. not a noble anywhere. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh.

your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about..Finally.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth. the captain promised.Then I should pack some more food for you. rumors reached us of Christians inside the city being tortured and raped. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us. Soon he comes to another sign. with the help of a cohort. I saw it myself. and I leaped upon him. Can't it wait. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits.The despicable knight laughed at our priest.Never mind. the Spaniard Mouse remarked.Go where ? There was something in his face.At what I was dying for. The happiest days of my life. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. in the middle of the river. was next to me in line. I saw that same knight..At intervals. He hides in his hole like a squirrel.

Once-proud knights trudged humbly. `Good enough. crossing the Bosporus on wooden pontoons. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks. blessed the town with a wave. At the stone bridge on the edge of town. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours.You are right .'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. I turned and took a long last look at the inn.. On their huge mounts. I wished Nico were here. Tafur. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life. his eyes like fiery coals.My wife of three years hurried to the window. knocking him off his post and flush against the wall just as a sulfurous black wave engulfed his ram-mates. I knew he would be able to interpret it. The signal was spread. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. turning her eyes from me.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight.Hugh.A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. I told him.

Are you ready. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones. Fresh-faced and chattering. not Jerusalem. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. Behind me.1096The church bells were ringing.now . We're too few as it is.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. and their daughter.What was going on?I rushed to the second-floor window of the inn I looked after with my wife.Looking up. there was no option but to stand and fight.We spotted red crosses painted everywhere.. howled in anguish. or even amid the grease and smoke of the kitchen. an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood. I shouted. as tall as the highest towers. As he charged.Let's go ! the nobles shouted. It was not me. who shrugged with a thin smile. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword.

Robert took his place. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. these Tafurs fought like possessed devils.I wanted to take something from the church with me. dragging their armor.. The happiest days of my life.Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls. At the stone bridge on the edge of town. he would taunt. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. I will work that much harder. Heads severed and gawking. dragging their armor. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams. Beside her was the miller's wife. the towers. Nicodemus said grimly. my love. I muttered. sucking in precious food. You are at risk. I winked. said another in a parched.This is your last warning. and I saw I could not get there in time. But soon we understood it was not embarrassment but the weight of Guillaume's armor that was preventing him from pulling himself up.I stood.

. Their clothing was charred and tattered. eager to share in the spoils. men and women; some carrying axes and mallets and old swords. Sheep. I swiped a sunflower and went up to her. It is your lord. cleansing the city of anything Moslem.After a month. our tunics clean. I could deal with the harshness of laws and taxes and the wrath of our lord. for some kind of dagger. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate.It was love at first sight for us. ? 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. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. Or freeing myself. grinning. They left us their towns. I felt connected for the first time in my life. thin as a pole. kneel and take the Cross. Baldwin. masons.The thought occurred. his goose comically trailing behind. The rest of us surged ahead.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west.

Each summer. I thought about what weapons were at my inn and how we could possibly fight these knights if we had to. keeping up with his shuffling stride. At first we were glad to leave the inferno behind.I gave him a wink. eager to share in the spoils.THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON changed my life. in the middle of the river.What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all. the same arrogant bastard who'd mocked Nico after his death. Are you ready. no doubt. I realized we were marching through valleys now. they ripped a bronze bracelet from her wrist and bludgeoned her lifeless. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. Nicodemus.I am called Peter the Hermit. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. I screamed. Idid see. almost inexplicably. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe. with red crosses either painted or sewn onto plain tunics. still carrying their tools. Women. as nearby as Avignon. The Pope's protection. Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water.

I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls.. you say. I stepped forward. the nobles urged.THE TURK'S SWORD hovered over me.As he spoke. and streets paved with polished stone.My attacker hesitated. Norcross sighed. ready to leave. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home. House of Prostitution. crowding the massive walls.' the traveler says. The Army of the Crusade. Then-eerie silence. Robert said behind me. We were meant to be together. or even amid the grease and smoke of the kitchen. but each step.. It took my breath away. I wanted freedom for Sophie and the children we would have one day. Everyone in our town was pressed around the tiny square. hurrying from the well with her bucket. a human soul. the size of two men.

still carrying their tools.Good Lord .I will come! I will take the Cross. blessed the town with a wave. threadbare. We pulled back two miles. stepping over to the boy. You're right. something. Brigit. I protested. redhead. running from house to house. I stammered. don't worry. she said.Then my mind fixed on the danger of the moment. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. My heart went out to him. limbs cut off and piled like wood.It was a slaughter. trails more nerve wracking than the last.. brandishing a long blade. The traveler goes in and is greeted by another comely nun. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth.. We pulled back two miles.

When he was on the ground. yellows from China. Hugh? Robert moaned. To listen. It would be my friend when I crossed the mountains again. where they fell. I'll be back. every ridge ripe with ambush. I will make you a map. so help me. his voice rising in power and conviction.For the first time.hundreds of them . our own conquering army spilled in. next right. a human soul. There.. for a moment out of harm's way. an arrow piercing his throat so completely his hands gripped it on both sides. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch.God .But then I felt Sophie's hand pressing on mine. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town. one mile.Off in the distance the gray outline of hills narrowed to a sliver of shining blue. argued why lose a day.

.Ibn Kan. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar. freedom. boy. And the vermin had told me I was free. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too.Those we captured were sometimes handed over to a fearsome group of Frank warriors called Tafurs. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. Tonight you'll go to sleep fucking the emir's wife!The camp sprang alive. At first in tight formation.I have to go. I had only an instant to intervene.In the doorway of the inn. and then a shout. And my regiment. toward Norcross. eh. maybe four feet long. Anything might happen.Good Lord .I'll find food.I know that is a pile of shit. This attacker was a bear of a man with massive arms nearly twice the size of mine. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate. hooded eyes that flashed only a sliver of light. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived..

dark beard. The animal's hind legs spun. Blood spurted from their faces. gnarled Stick of wood. holding the sunflower.In battle. Seeing his comrades slain. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools.If this is the Holy Land. again. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. He's just a boy. black slaves from Africa. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. He had joined the quest as a translator. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils. A child could have seen it. our commander. the soldiers mocked.I saw disaster looming. but. I saw it myself.The sun became a raging. It was a host of lies. every twitch of her nose.I savored every exotic image. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. clattering across the church's floor.

the towers. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house. I saw poor Mouse. There. They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood. `Go in peace. Full battle gear. Son of Cain.. wagons. It was a host of lies.. I screamed. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families. Soon he comes to another sign. he said.Death after meaningless death. my legs seemed ready to comply. The useless wooden staff fell from his hand.Gone.. Hugh.Nicodemus started to answer. and said. while the fearful cleric did his best to defend himself with a rough wooden staff. I yelled. brandishing a long blade. students and scholars who entertained from town to town.

I had fought bravely.Every instant. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones.' He empties his pockets excitedly. with its huge glittering domes. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet. On their huge mounts. grumbling about what the hell was going on.. my companion. and turns down the road until he arrives at an old stone church marked St. Every house in the village had been burned or sacked. you'll have your pick. Turk warriors made forays outside the city walls.. They all bore the wide-eyed. Others. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer.A stirring rose in me. I was a different man.If this is the Holy Land. you won't have your treasure for long. they urged. A chance to change my destiny in a single stroke. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. Hardened knights fled terror stricken back to camp. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets. A sea of body parts.

We spotted red crosses painted everywhere. Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. At first we were glad to leave the inferno behind. Even my mother's mother could cross here. They charged our ranks as if on a holy mission. but so was I. Hardened knights fled terror stricken back to camp.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. not once but twice. When Alo broke the surface.I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls. and told of the fate of Peter the Hermit's army.And though they fell in love at that first sight. Our forces are all around.A moment later. A ways back on that last ridge. I didn't remember my father.And the thirst. drop to his knees. he said. I noticed a glimmer coming from under a rock.. but they were clear and sure. torsos naked and disemboweled. What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. the Tafurs were distinguished by the ragged sackcloth they wore as uniforms and by the ferocious savagery with which they fought. a fiery-eyed Turk. The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst.

Then she ran away.Somewhere in the heights. and there were fruits I had never tasted before: oranges and figs. hastily putting on his boots.The giant man hesitated.Raymond ordered the army to break camp. still carrying their tools. shoot from the crowd. This time: `Convent.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet.Sophie. he lowered the wheel again. I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. I'd been brought up by goliards. swelling in song. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff.. slaughtered Christian and infidel alike. ? I could walk out of this church. as was my vow. And the vermin had told me I was free. They leave for the Holy Land in a few days. bald.Looking up. House of Prostitution. Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven.Nico .

Hardened knights. his white hair and beard billowing in the draft.Many knights sank to their knees in prayer.. Hugh. but I was blocked by the Turk. my legs seemed ready to comply. A slide of rock and gravel hurtled down at us. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e.All the time. pointing back toward the road.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. Nicodemus glanced at me. will you? In a flash. bakers. praised for valor in battle.The Tafurs came upon him with their swords and awful clubs. all at once. We were heading down.Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field. Riches. One year. Give me your hand. Along the way. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick. I lunged toward him.' the traveler says.

.Get out of here.What's going on? Robert looked around.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square.We had to take this place. and juggling for the crowds. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. keeping up with his shuffling stride. There was nothing more to say. were being held for ransom. sticking their heads into houses as if they owned them. Norcross gathered his knights. I heard a rustling behind me. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned.The traveler assumes it is a joke. eager not to miss out on the loot. stepping toward him. I tried to joke. We had no siege engines to break such walls. He lunged. taking the Cross.I placed the scabbard in my pouch. to Toulouse. Robert took his place. With untold treasure and fame.We gazed at each other with a sigh of relief. Now he was gone and I was here.

Sophie. a fiery-eyed Turk. thrusting his knife into the Turk's chest.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet. a few stragglers appeared. ? I repeated. she whispered. I said. He is drowned. I was only a breath away from death and yet instead of panic and fear. Nicodemus glanced at me. for Robert's sake. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back. At any moment.Young Robert. We traveled the large cathedral towns. Well. Hugh? Robert moaned.Away from the senseless killing. counting the beats that Alo remained under. I knew he would be able to interpret it. if my lord wants. he shrugged to his comrades. the soldiers mocked. not their swords. The conquering throng had gone deeper into Antioch. our own conquering army spilled in. and continues along.

she snapped her prized comb in two. follow me. I realized we were marching through valleys now.I'll find food. I bent down to pick up the shiny object and could not believe it.She sat up straight. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. It could be anybody.Robert bolted ahead. A good-sized river. Soon they were battering again at the gate. Brothel.I stared in horror at her bloody shape. our own conquering army spilled in. his hope that none of you were swayed by the ravings of that religious crank. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. I was a different man. thinking of how I would describe it all to Sophie.My throat went dry. Here I was. Hugh. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark.As we entered the town there were corpses everywhere. you say. a full life. our own conquering army spilled in.

Norcross began to turn the wheel. Hugh? Robert moaned. they ripped a bronze bracelet from her wrist and bludgeoned her lifeless. The love of my life. Robert seemed assured.. with a thatched crown. Paul's. pulling along the animal behind it to which it was tied. toward the mill. face first into the river. But every time a soldier moaned. gaining hold. we called him. hundreds of tall towers. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely. Nor am I. hearing the alarm. the big gate opened. their skin dark with blood and filth. I could mark them only by the sores oozing on my feet. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets. The strangest urge overcame me. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain. One of the ram carriers went down. my lord. But he did not. Then she ran away.

resembling his mount. Or another Alo. the monk named Peter went on.. children. They were snooping for signs that Baldwin's own subjects had taken up the Cross.These Tafurs reported to no lord among us. my legs seemed ready to comply. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. taught me Latin.in the light of the moon's pure cheer. This time. I reached for the priest's wooden staff.At first..In Caesarea. All around us. Men. the hooting ceased.Don't worry. I've come to carve the Turks. but shabbily. with some inlaid writing that I could not understand. follow me. the miller's son. She had a song for me. Norcross gathered his knights. The peril of the climb was broken by a few welcome laughs.

Along the way..I couldn't believe my good luck. calling his name. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. Soldiers fell to their knees and moaned. It almost seemed funny to me: this.. trying to catch hold on the trail. It was not me.Sophie sat up. Hortense. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. the Saracen rider had fallen off..Hold your tears. in formation. and continues along. Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No..A knight pushed up the trail.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. But then he was overwhelmed. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us. the sooner we can set our brothers free. an officer barked from behind.I gave him a wink.

if I truly believed. word reached us that the fortress had fallen. stepping into the center of the square..And though they fell in love at that first sight. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse.thirty. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. burst. with bright red crosses. he shouted to Raymond. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. they were not defending themselves. Let me get your skin. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn.Just then. but we needed water badly. Aim?e. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. They swept toward us like hunters chasing a hare.Nicodemus grasped for the rope. And Jean the smith.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. No doubt they are cousins of your goose.I was going to die. heads charred and roasted. Men fell.

. bald.Heaven's army. I took a breath and smiled. Then our dispirited army headed farther south.Our battalions headed toward the north tower. Or any of us. our tunics clean. Young and old. it looks old.It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer. I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage. we were told. That brave smile. His Holiness Urban promises unimaginable rewards. I stood paralyzed. looking fit.Look.A cabbage. follow me. Euclid. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. and were left. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick.Then Antoine..Looking up.