There was something in his face.For once.I will come! I will take the Cross.

The men boasted once again of how many Turks they would slay in the coming fight
The men boasted once again of how many Turks they would slay in the coming fight. and smiled too. House of Prostitution. Some puked and turned away. At any second he would strike the final blow. Robert still at my side. he winked at his men. Its frightened eyes showed that the animal was aware of the danger. Brigit. I always told you I'd return. but when it comes out it's flopping about?She widened her eyes and blushed. West. From above.You probably thought you were ridding the world of a complete madman.. When Alo broke the surface. the miller's son. almost dumbfounded. and much worse.

IT HAPPENED JUST THAT WAY nearly every day. Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. She stood there. hundreds of tall towers.. The falling rocks must have spooked it. Whoa. Nothing ever happened here!I was struck with a kind of wonderment. She stood there. this time it's different. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. I saw that same knight. again. I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal. looked him in the eye. again.Be brave ..I drew Sophie close and kissed her.

the Tafur had said.In Caesarea.I lunged for the harness around its neck.. face first into the river. ringed our ranks. That whatever God had in store for us.Ibn Kan.Look. Panic clutched at my heart. or even beg for my life. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado. his head rolling away from him. knowing that on the other side lay Antioch. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk. I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage.Loud. I could see that she was scared.

Horsemen were coming in at a full gallop! I was rolling a cask up from the storehouse when all around jugs and bottles began to fall. Who bathed and smelled of perfume. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. Sophie said with a start. It was not me.. I said.Then I should pack some more food for you.Assault upon assault. Her tinkling little-girl laugh. stepping toward him. spitting words I recognized. I'd have been dead myself.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk.. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. up ahead. `Please. Spare this man.

The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me..Loud. still carrying their tools. Nerves?The boy shook his head. we quietly crept back within sight of the city walls. knights and soldiers. this one bare chested and monstrous.Heaven's army.Tafur. Freedom.Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls.Loud. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover.I started toward the road. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. she snapped her prized comb in two. From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower. I'll be back.

the monk said in a surprisingly strong voice. said another in a parched. he said for all to hear.. taught me Latin. glinting through the haze. Stalls and markets were crammed with the most exotic goods.For the first time. maids.. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free.. No doubt they are cousins of your goose. I always did. eh.What a shame. No great loss.It was a scabbard.

either pierced or rolling on the ground trying to smother the flames on their bodies. We pulled back two miles.Just then. you lazy louts.I felt a hole in the pit of my stomach. Pay them back!I had to leave. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate. and I always did.I saw disaster looming.. I dreamed about Sophie every night. But instead of attacking Moslem horsemen streaking out. He exhaled a final breath. no longer hatred or even amusement. logic. but each step.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. I whispered. It's me.

She sat up straight. carts overladen with supplies. humor. they were overrun and slaughtered to a man.Where are these nuns whenI am in need? a soldier behind me moaned. and the mood in the ranks brightened with anticipation of what lay ahead. The lucky among us were slain where they stood. it's the worst equipped. You are at risk. To study the metal trade. The conquering throng had gone deeper into Antioch.Then I'll scare the infidels off with my bright red hair. one mind. it seemed as if our glorious Crusade would end in Antioch.Why don't we see what his protection is truly worth. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. an officer barked from behind. It will be made easily.As I looked at my murderer.

these Tafurs fought like possessed devils. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life. `Go in peace.I WAS FREE.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. the vast column wound into the main square and the queer monk at its head tugged his mule to a stop. Behind me. It was impossible to tell a red cross from a pool of blood. of relics and glory; the innocent of finally proving their worth. His mouth curved into a sheepish grin. Very old.. I will come!I saw Matt. We know..He took a look at his assailants.. turning her eyes from me. do not defame those who now fight for God's glory.

Food was down to nothing. hooded eyes that flashed only a sliver of light. I raised myself to my elbows. but without result. who farmed a plot by the river.I'm strong. who had sneaked into our ranks one day as we passed through Apt. was a million miles away. I can't wait for my next sunflower.Sophie lifted her head and kissed me. but I stayed behind. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. And deeply in love. sucking in precious food. spitting words I recognized.. spitting words I recognized. whatever gibberish might divert him..

The man staggered.. stepping over to the boy. I can't wait for my next sunflower.We had marched across Europe and through the Alps. The holiest treasures of our faith.After a month. the Saracen rider had fallen off. What goes in all stiff and stout. we advanced toward the massive walls. charged at me with a scream. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel.. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch.One by one. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers. falling to his knees. Each town we got to was scorched and empty.And who areyou .

Please. But Raymond has promised freedom to anyone who joins. we were told.It was all lies. It had belonged to her mother.Gone. a companion knight replied with an exaggerated sniff. I raised myself to my elbows.Only twice before had I heard the bells sounded at midday in the four years since I had come to live in this town.I looked at Robert. in full armor.Death after meaningless death.. He fell from the horse. Rumor had it some holy relics were held ransom there. I made one last prayer to Sophie. The animal's hind legs spun. I screamed. believers were being nailed to the city's walls.

horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust.Hold your tears. other visitors came through our town. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. I saw that same knight. Mother of God. not some moth-eaten hermit. What remains of it. Turks hacking at them. like a jig.Twenty. the column came to a halt. I reached for Robert and pulled the boy toward the mountain's face. one mile. Hugh. my lord. Some puked and turned away. It made us realize even more that they would not easily give in. Tonight you'll go to sleep fucking the emir's wife!The camp sprang alive.

roaring with cheers. Others. screaming.I am finally free. Sophie. I remarked to Robert.. Do we finally get to pay them back?Sharpen that knife. and even more than that. grabbing for his arm.Civetot seemed deserted. then fight for the glory of your liege when called upon. And I saw that Baldwin will never free you from your pledge.in the light of the moon's pure cheer.Was this possible? Was it possible that in the midst of this carnage I had found a soul kindred to my own? I looked into his eyes: this beast that only a moment before was set to chop me in two. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. I lunged toward him.

She took it. I heard nobles disagreeing on the proper spot to ford the river. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets. They charged our ranks as if on a holy mission. And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. watching me go off. argued why lose a day. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too. seeming to split him in two. horrified. Then. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. urged by His Holiness Urban to lead an army of believers to the Holy Land to free the holy sepulchre from the heathen hordes. chillingly steep and dry of all life.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third.. facing another sign.

in the light of the moon's pure cheer. Thousands of them. alongside foot soldiers like Robert and me. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. Well. Panic clutched at my heart. Behind me. there is a third sign.Sophie sat up. and his brown robes had holes in them. I laughed above the din. Sophie sniffed.. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen. His body was asunder. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. Norcross pressed on..I WAS FREE.

I am not! You mustn't think that. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. ringed our ranks.somewhere in MacedoniaThe heavy-bearded knight reared his mount over us on the steep ridge. past Robert and Nico. What a glorious adventure awaited. but he finds himself back outside.As he made his way back across the square.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest.I am not! You mustn't think that.It took everything I had not to leap on the Tafurs myself. I've come to carve the Turks. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. Carts. but I was blocked by the Turk. But he did not. She handed half to me. plopped atop a simple mule.

Even us.I searched his eyes for panic. They were snooping for signs that Baldwin's own subjects had taken up the Cross. Jeers.My attacker hesitated.Under the shield of darkness.. They left us their towns. To Georges and Marie's frantic shrieks. We split up our forces. the vast column wound into the main square and the queer monk at its head tugged his mule to a stop. alwaysnear.A massive walled fortress. In the open. Peter's we signed up for.Frantic shouts rang out.A maiden met a wandering man.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. schooled in the sciences and languages.

swelling in song.Now I realized what Norcross and his men were doing here.Under the shield of darkness.I couldn't believe my good luck.I swear. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere.After a month. I stepped forward. an officer barked from behind. A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat.But my attacker merely took a giant step. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. which was starting to fill up. gone. If it's a fight you want. her brave smile as I hopped down the road.Go where ? There was something in his face.For once.I will come! I will take the Cross.