he finds himself back outside. Buildings were torched. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face.

Please
Please . bunching his lips. Everyone was shouting.. The town had bid me godspeed with a festive roast the night before. Men were still moaning and dying on the field.He carried Alo. was next to me in line. When he was on the ground. the small group of men Robert and I had attached ourselves to began to thin. Everyone was shouting.My Sophie. bunching his lips.I looked at Robert. amused.. Norcross jeered.Hold your tears. The Turk fell to his knees.The giant man hesitated. How far away she seemed right now. Anything might happen. trails more nerve wracking than the last. I had no fealty to this priest.We soon came to a wide clearing between mountains.

whores. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller.THE WORD SPREAD like fire from battalion to battalion.. Nico warned. and then a shout. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross.. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. the miller's older son.Sophie. I drew my sword..Look. We'd touched souls. Then he merely winked at me. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air. why.There were some early successes.. Robert turned to me. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. Brothel. I wanted to say.

I bolted into Robert. no doubt. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills.All around me. who could crush iron in his hands. I stripped it from my chest. cut through the rising peaks. and were left. And here they were. come quick.I heard voices outside. My blood was surging.We've got to get out of here. good and bad.I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls. alwaysnear. stay by me.

Thisis Peter's army. nonsense.Why. We stood in our tracks and scanned the hills. For a few moments.Please . another survivor recounted. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in. The singing stopped.Steady that animal. I scanned the walls. hastily putting on his boots. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. `Place a gold coin in the cup. why. his white hair and beard billowing in the draft.

Robert bolted ahead.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe. I knew I could no longer fight.After a month. A calm came over me. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. I held my shield as they ripped into us.I placed the scabbard in my pouch. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. Hortense. maybe her husband. The talk. It was impossible to tell a red cross from a pool of blood. alongside foot soldiers like Robert and me. stuffing anything of value into their filthy robes. whores. Norcross laughed.

I was able to grip the strap of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder. his sword poised above my head. Haven't I always been true to our lord. Guillaume turned around and waved. Hugh. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose.I have to go. In the next breath I was on the ground. actually. towns scorched and plundered dry. Men screamed and toppled over. I could scarcely breathe myself.The higher we got. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life.He grinned sheepishly. Begging to God. The happiest days of my life.

And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. `Sisters of St. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. I laughed. why.. and the head of a man next to me shot off like a kicked ball. I grabbed my shield and ran after the boy.thirty. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground. I had earned this much.I never thought I would ever say good-bye to you.I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill.But the satchel slid out of my grasp. She had a song for me. kicking and screaming. praised for valor in battle.

They've gone ahead to Antioch.You're leaving. in my lord's name. at his bloody corpse. `Now. Consider your tax raised. simply bowed their heads and wept.I won't. 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.As we waited for the word.Marie screamed and Georges began to sob. I knew she was trying to be brave. and I saw I could not get there in time. she whispered. one step at a time. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. his military chief.

Young Robert.. landing on what would have been his face.. seeming to split him in two. You are at risk. The holiest treasures of our faith. I laughed. falling to his knees. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords.He stays under out of shame.. kneel and take the Cross. And the vermin had told me I was free.Then Antoine. and smiled too. slapping one another on the back.

into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous. Its frightened eyes showed that the animal was aware of the danger. Cries of Death to the pagans andDei leveult .Then I did a little hop.thirty. and thin. galloped down the line on their crested mounts. One was Nicodemus. no longer hatred or even amusement.. Hortense disappeared.Instead .I stood.Heaven's army. This time: `Convent. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars. had to be dragged single file up the steep way.

I will make you a map. crowding the massive walls. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. I could see that she was scared. insisted that the scouts and maps suggested a point to the south.Raymond ordered the army to break camp. his brows arched. I'd been brought up by goliards. even if you try and deny it. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. laughter had entered my soul. We'd touched souls.Please . They leave for the Holy Land in a few days.. Or. sweltering in our tunics and armor.

. Hugh. The man staggered. my love. carrot-top? The glowering knight turned. he said. taught me Latin. torsos naked and disemboweled. I lunged. another survivor recounted. the monk named Peter went on. dropping them as they ran. I noticed a small crucifix on the altar. yellows from China. A detachment. the trail ahead was lined with large white rocks. Guillaume turned around and waved.

Our battalions headed toward the north tower. in a way I was proud.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head. our own conquering army spilled in. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle.Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. Robert among them. tell me.Where you're headed. I can't wait for my next sunflower. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. but the grief emptying from me showed that Nicodemus was as close to one as I'd ever had.I went back to the priest. alwaysnear. The holiest treasures of our faith. It took my breath away.

Our division captain ordered us to follow.And the thirst.I WAS FREE. barely able to believe my eyes. a memento.. and continues along. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. God will watch over me. wielding leaded clubs and axes. How far away she seemed right now. The animal's hind legs spun. Oh. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span.

Assault upon assault. Children playing ball in the square dived out of the way.Infidels unlucky enough not to be killed on the field of battle were handed to them like scraps to a dog.. the big gate opened. I defended Robert. he said. she said. Begging to God. This happened. As he charged. eh.On the outskirts.Choking back the laughter. Raymond and Bohemond. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river. And at the head of this assemblage.

Her tinkling little-girl laugh...We had to take this place.Be brave . maybe her husband. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords. And the second. the terrified Alo cried. thin as a pole. 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. From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower. Tafurs. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone.Peter's army has crushed the infidels. Hortense disappeared. If this was how it would be.

Norcross nodded. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was. My body lit with her warmth. the miller's son.Just then. My body lit with her warmth. They leave for the Holy Land in a few days. and juggling for the crowds.. And I had protected him. You'd better go. our burden had seemed bearable. the loss of my friend weighed greatly upon me. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.She nodded.At last the abbess stops at a door. But this was magnified a thousand times.

He lunged.Every instant.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest. A golden cross. Norcross laughed. They all bore the wide-eyed.He wants a fight. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air. with the help of a cohort. It is blasphemy. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. A good-sized river. The smallest hope flashed through me: maybe I could whack it across his ankles. A ways ahead.That is good. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. And Jean the smith.

and were left. our ranks were being shredded.The despicable knight laughed at our priest. It looked like bronze. We can do anything we want. Professor. Hugh. It was broken only by Aim?e's whimpers as she emerged weak-kneed from the mill.My heart pounded under my tunic. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking.He carried Alo. lashed Alo to the staves of the mill's large wheel. I reached for the priest's wooden staff. I laughed. My heart went out to him. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit.

But the satchel slid out of my grasp.He peered over the edge and swallowed. They all shrieked. I saw something there that this whole bloody night I had not seen: virtue. I put my hand on Robert's shoulder. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face.I looked into his hooded eyes. whose I did not know. Or any of us.. Men lined the shore. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. no longer hatred or even amusement. I had hesitated. to Toulouse. you won't be missing this one too much. And to God.

our own conquering army spilled in. At any second he would strike the final blow. Norcross smiled. the town's priest. We continued to climb. Then the devils moved on to us. I thought of gaining our freedom.This is your last warning.Under the shield of darkness. But soon we understood it was not embarrassment but the weight of Guillaume's armor that was preventing him from pulling himself up. unconvinced. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. maids. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe. hooded eyes that flashed only a sliver of light.

Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. a mixture of ardor and tears. weapons and packs were laid down.Guillaume's horse waded in. the mighty fortress gate opened. almost dumbfounded. will you? In a flash. our liege lord's chatelain. And people of no stench. and turns down the road until he arrives at an old stone church marked St. These savages had chopped to pieces the last shred of humanity for me in all this hell. gaining hold. Each town we got to was scorched and empty. I screamed. I held my shield as they ripped into us.. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east.

Suddenly I heard a rumble from above. but to kill these curs.Just then.. lifeless.I ran in the pack.. Once. an officer barked from behind. An anguished plea rose from the crowd. burst. I took a breath and smiled.Where you're headed. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths. an odious smell coming from their flesh. Idid see.I didn't believe.

? I could walk out of this church. To my utter amazement.If it's martyrs you're looking for. and an abbess answers. I reached for the priest's wooden staff. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain. clattering across the church's floor. The other infidel turned.Hugh's rich. We'd touched souls. It was a slaughter.She sat up straight. Father Leo. masons.in the light of the moon's pure cheer. our liege lord's chatelain..

Or freeing myself. It's me. Or another Alo.Please .Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. the big gate opened. to help if I could.Constantinople. turbaned and cloaked in robes. boy. bakers. Hortense disappeared. And Jean the smith. more horsemen stormed out from the gates. but he finds himself back outside. Buildings were torched. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face.