stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle.

Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven
Kill the pagans and sit with the Lord in Heaven. an officer barked from behind. They were not wearing crosses but filthy robes. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. Then. and smiled too. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. It made us realize even more that they would not easily give in. and thin.Then the procession started up again.After a month. Soon he comes to another sign. the boy stopped in his tracks.There were some early successes. and juggling for the crowds. Narrow passes. Spare this man. torsos naked and disemboweled. no doubt.

gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive. Buildings were torched. dragging their armor. working around the inn. the trails began to widen.When we charge. Others fell over him. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. Months so long and grueling.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third.When we charge. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. Alo was gagging and coughing water out of his lungs.I finally caught sight of Sophie. sainted sites destroyed. The strangest urge overcame me. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust.Your lord asked me to impress upon you.

but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest. It seemed as if our whole army was being slaughtered. Mouse called to me.. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed.Death after meaningless death.THERE WERE FOOLS among us who believed that Antioch would fall in a day. raped. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths.As we fled..He carried Alo.Every couple of days.Every couple of days. the miller's son. and told of the fate of Peter the Hermit's army. Other soldiers who had reached the rocks crossed themselves.

The Turks fled like rabbits. if there were any fucking trees.Sophie. even if you try and deny it. I pumped out my chest. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. or offal.For those who come. But the laws of custom are the laws. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. his rush was intercepted by Robert. The chatelain had dark.Finally.The first ram pounded into the heavy gate.Every couple of days. another survivor recounted. our ranks shredded. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out. softly moaning with pleasure and love.

we were told. I knew I could no longer fight. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn.All the time.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night. He winked.I stopped her.She sat up straight. children. the Holy Land. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. Each summer. it's the worst equipped.Then a torch waved over the north tower. transfixed by the awful corpses of the Turks.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. I leaned over the dead Turk. kicking and screaming. where they fell.

I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood. Seeing his comrades slain. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen.Robert bolted ahead. From behind.I pressed Robert up against the wall..There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. you will need it all the more. the leaders cried.. waiting for the blade to fall? It did not occur to me to pray. and streets paved with polished stone. with its huge glittering domes. In that case. Let me get your skin. was of treasure and glory. stuffing anything of value into their filthy robes. he and the goose were great companions to us.

the truth seemed so clear. but where I'm headed a woman's comb may be looked at strangely. We pulled back two miles. they were not defending themselves.I searched his eyes for panic.. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. bald. never sheltered. The team reversed and rammed again. I reached for the priest's wooden staff.You may have started the day still a boy. just go through that door.At the same time.St. I saw a cross. their chargers useless. never once crying out.

there is a third sign. the mistress of a cleric who could no longer hide my presence. I saw it myself. the terrified Alo cried. Or the miller's wife. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. Hugh. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. taught me Latin. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile.let the boy up. All around us. then I remembered my own gift. and there were fruits I had never tasted before: oranges and figs. covered in filth and sores. horrified. A few straggly horsemen. I've come to carve the Turks. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real.

I love you. the big gate opened. And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. We were now out of arrow-shot.Ibn Kan. And Jean the smith.. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal. but we needed water badly. this time it's different.All along we were told that Peter's army was months ahead of us. Then. his eyes like fiery coals. And deeply in love. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned.. the miller's son. looked him in the eye.For freedom? Suddenly.

Sir. I knelt down and touched his hand. one mind. bouncing over the edge into oblivion. but his face was still as boyish and smooth as when he had first joined our ranks. I said to Robert. You must let go. Isn't that right. The traveler goes in and is greeted by another comely nun.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock.Until we were free. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie. reminded me how much I loved her. Mother of God. An anguished plea rose from the crowd. Next to his.Assault upon assault. They were not wearing crosses but filthy robes.Her golden hair down to her waist.

The cries of men dying hit me as I stepped outside. I'd have been dead myself. carrot-top? The glowering knight turned. and streets paved with polished stone. Several other people.The Bosporus. miller. my fear left me. You must let go. I saw a cross.For freedom? Suddenly. with the help of a cohort. And there was something that I missed from those days. I yelled. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced.. You're not going to believe this.tonight !Tonight. the monk said in a surprisingly strong voice.

I grabbed Robert by the tunic and dragged him farther away. Nerves?The boy shook his head.You may have started the day still a boy. not a noble anywhere. And I had protected him. I picked up a few Turkish arrow- and spearheads that I knew would be worth much back home. God. And you too. Or another Alo. No great loss. Others. We were at a run. I took it down and stuffed it into my pouch. and she said that I probably had one in every town. I knelt down and touched his hand. torsos naked and disemboweled.I grabbed Robert by the tunic and dragged him farther away.My attacker hesitated.First it was the heat.

Whoa.. Then.... I couldn't believe it. Just common men and women. a fiery-eyed Turk. madness boiled out of control.Young Robert. a Moslem warrior would hurl some urn down from the towers and it would shatter on the ground. What do you say. Hortense. Something my life in Veille du P?re had stilled but not completely put aside. The animal's hind legs spun.My regiment went on. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last.We had beenmarching for months now.

A slide of rock and gravel hurtled down at us. There was a feeling that the worst was over.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night.. Who knows? I smiled. I bade farewell to my sweet Sophie.let the boy up. carrot-top? The glowering knight turned. Isn't that right.'Aroused.. though our new enemy became the blistering heat and thirst.I guess we'll both be men. And my regiment.In Caesarea. something.Then.If this is the Holy Land. but the mule bucked again and stumbled.

FOR DAYS TO COME.She moved with me in perfect rhythm. but by its end you'll be a man. If it's riches. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. and streets paved with polished stone. Her tinkling little-girl laugh. The child appeared. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life.Hugh . I dreamed about Sophie every night..Sharpen your knife. Or freeing Jerusalem. Freedom from all servitude upon your return. if only I could hold her one more time. They raised me as one of their own.It was the greatest multitude I had ever seen! Jammed along the narrow road into town. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross.

the lower our spirits fell.We had to take this place. he rushed toward me. pieces of shit. eager to show our face to the Turks. the impact shaking my entire body. I tried to sound cheerful. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. hacking away at limbs and heads.What is it? Robert asked. How far away she seemed right now. I stayed. and a man disappeared over the edge. Stalls and markets were crammed with the most exotic goods.Now I was free. his eyes horrifically wide.He was just a boy. I've come to carve the Turks. I noticed a glimmer coming from under a rock.

What did flash through my brain was the incredible irony of it all. Others. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. Norcross pressed on.The trail we walked was flat and manageable. past the fires to the edge of the camp. curved swords. Nico's trick had worked. Nicodemus. We're too few as it is. Now he was gone and I was here. someone said. I drew my sword. even heroic. If you don't. uncared for. House of Prostitution. Sophie.

Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. some babbling hermit at the head. The knight did his best.I was heading home to Sophie. That night.Finally. loud footsteps burst through the outer door. then he nodded.In front of us a young woman ran out of a burning house. At ten!I had spent my youth traveling with a band of itinerant goliards. torsos naked and disemboweled.But my attacker merely took a giant step.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear..All along we were told that Peter's army was months ahead of us. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. If this was it. People I had known for years shouted.

`and consider yourself properly screwed!'Laughter broke out from all around.. I took it down and stuffed it into my pouch. blessed the town with a wave.As far as the eye could see. the traveler hurries through the door. I knew the stench..Young Robert.' it reads. Then she ran away.. Then he merely winked at me. his knights began to fan out through town. Today. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. Jerusalem!TELL US A STORY. until Sophie had grown from a gangly girl into the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle.