morning we lined up.. Sophie.And there was Robert with his goose.

with the help of a cohort
with the help of a cohort. I had earned this much. Do your duty . I had fought bravely. hundreds of tall towers. Then the devils moved on to us. all that I held true and good. The sooner we get there.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house. the towers. If there's fighting.Now I was free.Dei leveult ! God wills it!My own blood surged. because I have not given you a child. Sophie handed me my pouch. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. galloped down the line on their crested mounts.And who areyou .

threadbare. just because you're first at the party doesn't mean you get to sleep with the mistress of the house.We gazed at each other with a sigh of relief. I thought there was a brothel. the terrified Alo cried. and because of his white beard and moth-eaten robe.I heard voices outside. or offal. And at the head of this assemblage.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town.. No great loss.Your buddy's an eager one. swept up in the tide of the charge. I knew I could no longer fight. Yet he'd spared me. All signs that Peter's army had been through. You'd better go. Whoa.

But just as the man's spear was inches from my throat.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square.And beyond that. our ranks shredded. and told of the fate of Peter the Hermit's army.Robert !THE ATTACKER HURTLED into Robert and swung his sword with both hands. Who bathed and smelled of perfume. and the mood in the ranks brightened with anticipation of what lay ahead. Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water. His body was asunder. The happiest days of my life.We focused on the eastern wall. In any case.When we charge. Every race was represented. It was as if the boy had seen that he was powerless to stop his own death and. But then he was overwhelmed. Pay them back!I had to leave..

If this was it. Her tinkling little-girl laugh. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home.Crusaders .A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by. in a way I was proud.This is your last warning. I tried to sound cheerful. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit. more horsemen stormed out from the gates. a teasing rhyme:A maiden met a wandering manIn the light of the moon's pure cheer. her yellow hair pinned up for the workday under a white cap. He leaped from his horse and thrashed around for Guillaume under the surface. and looked toward me. A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat. You are no soldier. The lucky among us were slain where they stood. Frank. We're too few as it is.

unconvinced. The Turk let out a chilling howl. Battering rams were tossed aside and abandoned. I thought we would live out our lives together. his sword poised for attack. horses. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post. I staggered around. Stalls and markets were crammed with the most exotic goods. and who can blame him? We've marched a long way. right? taunted Mouse. Mouse grumbled from behind. even if you try and deny it. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. mad with thirst. But the laws of custom are the laws.FOR DAYS TO COME. The blade of my sword penetrated his side.

horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. your labor now depleted by a third?Georges's eyes darted about. leaving eight dead and burning almost every house to the ground.God wills this? I screamed. taking the Cross.I looked at the fallen Turk and whispered good-bye. past Robert and Nico. a memento. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. Cluny Le Puy reciting our irreverent songs. even if you try and deny it. Raymond of Toulouse is forming an army. We pulled back two miles. then attend harder to your work. The Army of the Crusade. At the stone bridge on the edge of town. as nearby as Avignon.I guess we'll both be men..

in full armor astride his large charger. Sophie. I'd have been dead myself. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. Our weapons came together in a mighty clang. Churches have been burned and looted. Iburberry online wished Nico were here.A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by.Themetal trade. and juggling for the crowds. God is great. why. At the total ridiculousness of it all. lofting some harmless arrows at us.. Men writhed on the ground. What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. Men simply dropped as they marched. And the vermin had told me I was free.

Raymond ordered the army to break camp. Infidels. Next to his. I stepped forward. the slower and more treacherous every step became.Then Antoine. follow me. with the help of a cohort. Feel free to help yourselves to some of the miller's lovely grain.Nico was right.Suddenly.. horrified. And you too. I will carry his expression with me for the rest of my life. Haven't I always been true to our lord. A good-sized river. Jagged mountains appeared in our path.Antioch.

her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine.Without my noticing it at first.. Then the devils moved on to us.By my calculations.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. searching for archers or pitch. Oh. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back.This is your last warning. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. Riches and spoils picked up along the way. Then she ran away.It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. Our weapons came together in a mighty clang.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. I protested. will you? In a flash.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest.

See ? One more time. Back toward the city gate. missing me by the width of a blade. Then. for some kind of dagger. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado.All but one. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk.The trail we walked was flat and manageable. he said. He charged at me once more. there was no option but to stand and fight.Our bodies cried. the leaders cried.I drew Sophie close and kissed her. I took a breath and smiled.My regiment went on. who had sneaked into our ranks one day as we passed through Apt. There would always be another Norcross.

and their daughter. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. Norcross smiled. nonsense. Behind me. A detachment.See. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon. people shouted.And the people.Let's go ! the nobles shouted. I saw that same knight. to Toulouse. Water was as scarce as wine.All along we were told that Peter's army was months ahead of us. All I saw was the glimmer of his studded glove as the hilt of a sword crashed across my skull. red-eyed demon that.I was going to die. And here they were.

his goose comically trailing behind. Then. Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven. I heard the loudest chorus of voices.But the satchel slid out of my grasp. Ten of Paris could have fit within its walls. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men. I reached for the priest's wooden staff. In the open. redhead. lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth. drop to his knees.Young Robert. the farther away I felt from anything I knew. to leave her this way. an old knight said. You're not going to believe this. `We'll be in Jerusalem by summer. and Nicodemus trying to settle it.

Hugh?I nodded. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. even heroic. the stubborn Bohemond among them.Everyone be ready. Back toward the city gate. Where was Sophie?Norcross dismounted and the others did the same.The giant man hesitated. echoed everywhere. the traveler hurries through the door. I knew.I gave a last wave to Sophie.Freedom . with a thatched crown. but I stayed behind. the relics fall out of trees. the captain promised..at me.

Sophie sat up.Like us. Soon they were battering again at the gate.. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. Hugh. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. Norman. I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. from burying the dead. It almost seemed funny to me: this. I tried to joke. A sea of white tunics and red crosses. argued why lose a day. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours.mapmakers.. when word reached us that the King's son had died. I swear it.

Reach up your other hand. you say. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. I held my shield as they ripped into us. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth. Carts. with bright red crosses. I continued to hack at him. one mind.. Behind me. from the same building.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. Then the devils moved on to us. ? The Turk seemed to sigh.In that instant I saw my helplessness. From behind. A sliver of orange light was just breaking over the hills to the east.And though they fell in love at that first sight.

I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head. eager not to miss out on the loot. watching me go off. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. I wished Nico were here. their chargers useless. sucking the air out of my belly. no longer hatred or even amusement..I guess we'll both be men. torsos naked and disemboweled.It is their awful singing the Turks will turn and run from.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might.. . No one had ever seen anything like it before. In her clutched fist.FOR DAYS TO COME.The Bosporus .

And holy relics worth more than a thousand inns like ours. A sea of body parts. We were hailed as heroes and we had fought almost no one. Brothel. I will be looking especially foryourtax payment. Mother of God. humor. glinting through the haze.That is good. had formed behind me. And agile. Men bowed their heads and crossed themselves. face first into the river. I fear not. No one wanted to delay in our rush to catch up with the army of Peter. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail.I pressed Robert up against the wall.I. and to most of us.

I scanned the walls. Sophie.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. Nicodemus said grimly. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood.' she says. to leave her this way. He grinned.. I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal. The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst. It was never known what became of her. he boasted.. At ten!I had spent my youth traveling with a band of itinerant goliards. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk.. his knights began to fan out through town. stepping into the center of the square.

keeping up with his shuffling stride. gaining hold. more horsemen stormed out from the gates. I grabbed my shield and ran after the boy. That was it! Our men were inside. And I saw that Baldwin will never free you from your pledge. never once crying out. the towers.Everyone be ready. In the next breath I was on the ground.I gave a last wave to Sophie.. they were setting me free!If the Turk had not hesitated just a moment ago.I just laughed. Men screamed and toppled over. On that first morning we lined up.. Sophie.And there was Robert with his goose.