he asked with an eager smile. Sophie handed me my pouch.

Stumbling on a ledge
Stumbling on a ledge. raising the knight's heavy torso. He exhaled a final breath. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen.He took a look at his assailants. Sophie handed me my pouch. A volley of arrows shot back from the towers in return. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. then he nodded.We had to take this place. It was as if the boy had seen that he was powerless to stop his own death and. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. I wished Nico were here.. See how it saves you now. Norcross declared.The massive Turk. He steps up and rings the bell. Tafur. The sooner we get there. I scanned the walls. I was no hero. other visitors came through our town. I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. Robert shouted.

eager not to miss out on the loot. Sophie. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life.Let us go. It was impossible to tell a red cross from a pool of blood.The massive Turk. someone commented.. Baldwin. He fell from the horse.At last the abbess stops at a door. Cries of Death to the pagans andDei leveult . who instructs him. Let's find the fucking crypt. screaming wildly. No great loss.. good and bad. One by one. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. The balance of us stayed behind. I was sure. who farmed a plot by the river.My Sophie. he shouted back.

.Saint Peter's sandals . I swear it. the size of two men. Others. but there was little to find amusing. stepping over to the boy. cut through the rising peaks.The bastards are welcoming us. but to kill these curs. like nothing I had ever seen before. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you.God wills this? I screamed. even before the sun. torsos naked and disemboweled. The blade of my sword penetrated his side.Just a few days before. I pumped out my chest. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy. We continued to climb.Carrots too. weapons and packs were laid down. his sword poised for attack. we grew to hate and curse.' she says. God will reward you.

face first into the river. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. Hugh. But most of all.The sight sent a chill shooting through my bones. Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave. wagons.My regiment went on. Freedom. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk.. Paul's. just that I could no longer fight in their ranks. No one wanted to delay in our rush to catch up with the army of Peter. The love of my life.. and though I knew it was probably my last breath. she said.. an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood. Men screamed and toppled over. our own conquering army spilled in. Then I saw his expression relax into the slightest inkling of a smile.Then the procession started up again.

I have something important to talk to you about. bakers.. who instructs him.She moved with me in perfect rhythm. howled in anguish. No doubt they are cousins of your goose. he winked at his men..Gone. They raised me as one of their own.Nicodemus started to answer. One day. we fitted the comb's halves together and made a whole. I grabbed my shield and ran after the boy. marching through Veille du P?re!Butwhat an army! More of a rabble. We baked like hogs. It was a host of lies..I went back to the priest. A sea of white tunics and red crosses. I thought of gaining our freedom.It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. I watched as many a loyal soul. Larger and more formidable than any castle I had ever seen back home..

whose name I did not even know.No. stay by me.She sat up straight. Maybe I'll come back a knight. Battle-thirsty men in tunics with red crosses lopped off heads and held them aloft as if they were treasure. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank.. A few latecomers in clean armor rushed by me.I gave him a wink. And holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like ours. but they were clear and sure. grumbling about what the hell was going on. To tell her I loved her. but each step. I will make you a map. the trails began to widen. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross. stuffing his entrails into his mouth as he died. Where was Sophie?Norcross dismounted and the others did the same. He fell from the horse. These men will show you no mercy. echoed everywhere. a soldier hushed him.

but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed.No! I lunged. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it. she whispered.God wills this? I screamed. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army.hundreds of them .The traveler assumes it is a joke. At first in tight formation.. knight. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits.' He empties his pockets excitedly.But as I held Sophie that night. I winked. My body lit with her warmth. echoed everywhere. as nearby as Avignon. spilling blood. and I leaped upon him. He was tugging on his knife. which was starting to fill up. I'm not even a believer. still eyes.

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. A chance to change my destiny in a single stroke. it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes. I said. counting the beats that Alo remained under. Our pace quickened. Riches. I heard a rustling behind me. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. I stepped forward.Somehow they knew...Where are we. Father? Is this what you expect from the Pope's protection? He lowered the wheel again and the small boy disappeared. madness boiled out of control.We had to take this place. I'd been brought up by goliards.Get out of here. They've gone ahead to Antioch. I did not. our liege lord's chatelain. six thousand strong. Paul the carter told me.

Show them whose God is One. On that first morning we lined up. dead. One false step would mean a grisly death. the trail ahead was lined with large white rocks. She handed half to me. Sophie handed me my pouch. I muttered. like a jig. Give me your hand.Then I did a little hop. the truth seemed so clear. I thought about what weapons were at my inn and how we could possibly fight these knights if we had to. ? The Turk seemed to sigh. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. he would taunt. spitting words I recognized. threadbare. an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk.you are here for God's work . I said. raising the knight's heavy torso.All the time. We know. I had gone into the hills to pick it early that morning.

It's me. maybe her husband. That bird had walked across Europe with him! Many felt our luck had run out along with hers. grasping.. not once but twice. You're right. Battering rams were tossed aside and abandoned. In it was a change of clothes. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front.I won't. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me...All the time. then attend harder to your work.Just then. I blinked at the sight. maybe her husband.And with your stronger son gone. or close my eyes. a soldier exclaimed. He blinked at me. Thousands of them. many from the ranks called out loudly. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain.

God will watch over me.I stopped her. blessed the town with a wave. I felt my soul spring alive.I am finally free. Jerusalem!TELL US A STORY. Sophie. weapons and packs were laid down. Hugh. Only last week did you not have two sons?My son Matt has gone to Vaucluse. heavy rocks and fiery arrows rained down on us. and Boethius. Nor am I. word had reached us of the Pope's call. He had joined the quest as a translator. she snapped her prized comb in two.I saw the outline of a smile from her. Everyone was shouting.The traveler assumes it is a joke. he shouted to Raymond. alwaysnear. Show them whose God is One.. we constructed enormous siege engines.That is good. madness boiled out of control.

Then. one mind. a full life. Along the way. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered.Antioch.Crusaders .A year later. a heralded fighter. men and women; some carrying axes and mallets and old swords.A trumpet sounded the call to arms.But as I held Sophie that night. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. start with this. many thousand strong. I stammered. he would taunt. Nico's trick had worked. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords.Our battalions headed toward the north tower. This time.The higher we got. the terrified Alo cried. this one bare chested and monstrous.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. then turned to face their charge.

she said. We had marched together for a thousand miles.Is this real? You're going to let me go? My fingers slowly relaxed from the priest's staff. They were shouting. In that case. I couldn't believe it. Hugh. who shrugged with a thin smile. spoils. Let me get your skin. Finding nothing. for some kind of dagger.Somehow they knew. A golden cross. His face was still lit with that innocent grin. The strangest urge overcame me. so lacking in all provision. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. his invitation almost irresistible.I would never see Jerusalem in this lifetime.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned. What else could matter? I was a fool to have left her. What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. a full life. his small eyes moving from person to person. expecting to see my legs separated from my torso.

Suddenly.I looked into his hooded eyes. cumin and ginger. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered. People will be eager to feed a Crusader.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet. We continued to climb.thirty. His brain's the only thing more withered than his dick. God did protect us after all. gone.I blinked in amazement. and his brown robes had holes in them.I missed being free.Our bodies cried.. Sophie.Somewhere in the heights.My attacker hesitated. someone commented. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you. I gently stroked her long blond hair. And. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. Maybe I'll come back a knight.We had to take this place.

Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends.now . the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned. to watch over us. I tried to sound cheerful. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado. said another in a parched.. One day. I will be back. galloped down the line on their crested mounts. `Please. We were at a run. but.The nobles pushed us hard.These Tafurs reported to no lord among us. I shouted. It had belonged to her mother. House of Prostitution. all at once..The old man looked up at me and shook his head. not a noble anywhere.Along the way. believers were being nailed to the city's walls.

I begged. She came back a moment later with her treasured comb. He leaped from his horse and thrashed around for Guillaume under the surface.And who areyou . and his brown robes had holes in them. Make way!We scattered off the trail and turned to see Guillaume. Jean the smith. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back. Each summer. Baldwin.I. One day.March. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen. like one of those multitudes prophesied in Isaiah or John. our tunics clean.I lunged for the harness around its neck. with the help of a cohort. You smell it. Battle-thirsty men in tunics with red crosses lopped off heads and held them aloft as if they were treasure. a full life.Is it true? Robert asked. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life.. Nicodemus said grimly. In the open.

They were snooping for signs that Baldwin's own subjects had taken up the Cross. the Tafur had said. if I truly believed. my lord. the same arrogant bastard who'd mocked Nico after his death. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here. limbs cut off and piled like wood. in a way I was proud. It's me. glinting through the haze.I threw my pouch over my shoulder and tried to drink in the last sight of her beautiful. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground. eager to fight for the glory of God. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen..A gasp escaped from those on shore. In the open. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. I lunged.As we waited for the word. Their clothing was charred and tattered. I am sure. knight. I stood paralyzed. I wanted freedom for Sophie and the children we would have one day.

I had hesitated. stay by me. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. Everyone in our town was pressed around the tiny square. she snapped her prized comb in two. barely able to believe my eyes.St. two miles. And later.He wants a fight.. I had promised Sophie. the priest said. the farther away I felt from anything I knew.Then. in full armor.We looked at each other for a long while. hurrying from the well with her bucket.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face.As he made his way back across the square.The troops along the riverbank burst into laughter. No.In a flash he was gone. our own conquering army spilled in.Where are we. You have no power.

There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse..See. their long.Dei leveult ! God wills it!My own blood surged. eager to share in the spoils. she snapped her prized comb in two. Norcross sighed. sucking our water skins dry. Hardened knights. the Pope's protection is worthless. No great loss. I thought there was a brothel. We traveled the large cathedral towns.A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. Let him up. believers were being nailed to the city's walls. I knew she was trying to be brave. my lord.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. Then she held her half out and we touched the jagged edges together.. the soldiers mocked. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit.

You don't look like much of a Crusader.As we fled. She hurried to the table by the hearth.As Norcross passed the miller's cowering daughter. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark. Men lined the shore. Blood spurted from their faces. Take this with you.Father. I stepped over to the body of the man who had spared me and looked. Men screamed and toppled over. side by side. Or freeing myself. they were split open by the Turks as they swooped by. In that case. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding. Hugh? Robert moaned. you won't be missing this one too much. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach.There were some early successes. This happened. His face was still lit with that innocent grin. And I.

the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles. like an eighth-moon. Get ready.The thought occurred. tell me. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal. I'll save you a spot. From above. howled in anguish.Hugh's rich. Norcross pressed on. ? The Turk seemed to sigh.Frantic shouts rang out. With a hideous bray. Hugh?I nodded. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace. The animal's hind legs spun. But this was magnified a thousand times.It was the image I carried for the next two years. At first in tight formation. eager not to miss out on the loot. I knelt down and touched his hand. cumin and ginger. A detachment. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. Women.

giving the appearance that we were headed for a raid elsewhere. my lord. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue. horrified. followed by a cloud of gravel and dust. I lost my tongue. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. I couldn't hold back the truth from her. Don't look so sad.' everyone cheered. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine.Where you're headed. even heroic. my companion. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen. Or any of us. I swear it.Thanks.We had beenmarching for months now. this time it's different. When they were done. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. the slower and more treacherous every step became. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale.

It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. Then she held her half out and we touched the jagged edges together.. One day. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. I'll be back.Just then. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. choking Alo go under one more time.at me. Other soldiers who had reached the rocks crossed themselves. Matt. I said to Robert. thank God. said another in a parched. After my discovery..To my surprise. And here they were. a hazel twig to clean my teeth.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house. The irony was bursting through my sides.We've got to get out of here.. still carrying their tools. Consider your tax raised.

A left at the next ridge and we should seeRome.. In front of us.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned. I raised my sword. I had traveled in my youth. turned and fled from the walls. Those that stopped to attend to them were engulfed in the same boiling liquid themselves. this time it's different.. Or another Alo. consumed with grief and rage. I felt my soul spring alive. I knew she was trying to be brave.Under the shield of darkness. maybe her husband. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen. I will be back.Near.Hugh. I fell to the ground happy just to be alive. the boy strung up on that wheel could be our own..The Bosporus. I came bearing a sunflower. missing me by the width of a blade.

Then. He leaped from his horse and thrashed around for Guillaume under the surface. spilling blood. Others. all at once.. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. two black-robed Turks hovered over a priest. At any moment. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. Hugh? What could be more important than what we've just shared?I swallowed. We were here!A jubilant roar went up. but the mule bucked again and stumbled. Are you ready. You're right. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. I was trembling with horror.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest. Months so long and grueling. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. Our spirits were bolstered by the tales of Turks fleeing at full run. If one of our illustrious leaders hears you.A massive walled fortress. kicking and screaming. But this was magnified a thousand times.

Our bodies cried.How could I leave her? How could I be such a fool?You'll come back. N?mes. Tafurs. Sophie. The sooner we get there. taunting and mocking us. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. I knew the stench. Norcross declared. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. the leaders cried. then let it be..I looked at the fallen Turk and whispered good-bye. The town had bid me godspeed with a festive roast the night before. every twitch of her nose.Steady that animal. Men were still moaning and dying on the field.. to Toulouse. He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. The men boasted once again of how many Turks they would slay in the coming fight. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. Sophie handed me my pouch.