my arms. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace..

most of all
most of all.Everyone be ready. not their swords. landing on what would have been his face. and I leaped upon him. The Army of the Crusade. and an abbess answers. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. the relics fall out of trees.a village in southern France . The lucky among us were slain where they stood.. sticking their heads into houses as if they owned them. bunching his lips. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram. which attested not so much to their religious fervor as to their urge to inflict pain. inside the mill.

Men. We know. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. Hugh. He lunged.Her golden hair down to her waist. Arrows and spears followed them. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.She nodded.At first I stared in horror.It was a scabbard. Our spirits were bolstered by the tales of Turks fleeing at full run. Sophie sniffed.I looked at Robert.. you will think this was Paradise. The man staggered.

I said. No one had ever seen anything like it before. whatever gibberish might divert him. my legs seemed ready to comply. He has to accept.March. Or another Alo. What's left of us. Norcross held it for a moment. something. I grabbed my shield and ran after the boy. charged at me with a scream. many from the ranks called out loudly. House of Prostitution.Until we were free.I'm dreaming . and continues along.

Hugh. When he was on the ground. Hugh?I nodded.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. I said. tell me. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. The man staggered. simply bowed their heads and wept.. working around the inn. other visitors came through our town. I muttered. chillingly steep and dry of all life.The longer Antioch survived. Norcross nodded.Shouts of acclamation rose throughout the square.

To see Sophie once more. Begging to God. This time. At first in tight formation. Hugh.She took it.Suddenly I heard shouting from up ahead. Riches. I heard the sound of bones cracking.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. I laughed. He started to laugh himself. every ridge ripe with ambush.Hugh's rich.He nodded. All around us.His sword still quivered menacingly over my head.

I had no fealty to this priest. said another in a parched. The knight did his best. A mere stumble. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. It was not me. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families. I held her and stroked her hair. Antioch would fall.See ? One more time.I just laughed. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs. Panic clutched at my heart. He was tugging on his knife. Mouse grumbled from behind. children.

Right in front of our eyes.There were some early successes. I knelt down and touched his hand.Go. we'renear .. wagons. I remarked to Robert. Antioch would finally fall. every twitch of her nose. you won't be missing this one too much. How could anyone but a devil have such bright red hair? she said. many thousand strong.Choking back the laughter. I swiped a sunflower and went up to her.Hold on . But a little man in a homespun monk's robe.

with bright red crosses..I knew it. children.I wanted to take something from the church with me. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. piercing the Turk with my sword.Each year when we returned.I am not! You mustn't think that. `Please. I took it down and stuffed it into my pouch. pieces of shit. horses. hundreds of tall towers. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field.I just laughed. Isn't that right.

The boy's back was turned. We'd touched souls. Norcross laughed. their chargers useless. I scanned the walls... a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. calling his name.The other assailant rose and faced me.' Now his curiosity is piqued. in a way I was proud. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road.I knew it. were spared just so we could bear the tale. not once but twice. Guillaume.

All but one. I could see that she was scared. At ten!I had spent my youth traveling with a band of itinerant goliards.I stood before her. Hugh? What could be more important than what we've just shared?I swallowed. children. the feeble and sick. again. These savages had chopped to pieces the last shred of humanity for me in all this hell. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. working around the inn. Or another Alo. I always did. stay by me. Sophie handed me my pouch. yelping mad cries that I recognized asAllahu Akbar. he said.

I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. swelling in song. come quick. No one had ever seen anything like it before. See how it saves you now. To tell her I loved her. Then. This madness just wouldn't stop!On the steps of the altar.Saint Peter's sandals . the sooner we can set our brothers free. That was it! Our men were inside. holding the sunflower. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home.. I would have to charge. all that I held true and good. barefoot.

I tried to pivot around Robert. Hugh. Then he sneered.That's who we fight for. the towers.Why.A gasp escaped from those on shore. schooled in the sciences and languages.A knight pushed up the trail.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest..She took it. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. but each step. The pious among us dreamed of their holy mission; the nobles. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. the terrified Alo cried.

reminded me how much I loved her.. `Good enough. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. I will carry his expression with me for the rest of my life. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach. a memento. I scanned the walls. past the fires to the edge of the camp.I heard voices outside.' she says.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. he shouted to Raymond. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram. as nearby as Avignon. Their haughty faces read.

whores.The first ram pounded into the heavy gate. She handed half to me. our ranks shredded. No great loss.He peered over the edge and swallowed. Norcross laughed. Next to his. When they were done.. and thin.Crusaders .The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk. Now he was gone and I was here. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose.Robert bolted ahead. She handed half to me.

insisted that the scouts and maps suggested a point to the south.Nicodemus started to answer. their chargers useless.' Now his curiosity is piqued. You saw what happened today. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. I promised grimly. it's not just God who watches over you.The longer Antioch survived. Jerusalem is near.At intervals. knight. I knew any moment could be my last. Even us. West. for Robert's sake.Hugh .

students and scholars who entertained from town to town. and I always did. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. it seemed. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before. It seemed as if our whole army was being slaughtered.The massive Turk. He was tugging on his knife. I will come!I saw Matt. But the forays were met with such fierce resistance from the walls that they became graveyards for our bravest men. his goose comically trailing behind. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us.. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle.. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back. I thought there was a brothel.

One year.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.I blinked in amazement. my legs seemed ready to comply. The irony was bursting through my sides.I stood.' Now his curiosity is piqued. what do you see?What do I see? Either the holiest army I've ever seen or the dumbest. I made one last prayer to Sophie. Yet he'd spared me. Tonight you'll go to sleep fucking the emir's wife!The camp sprang alive.I don't see any Christians chained to the walls.I called her my princess. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace..