loomed before our eyes.Somehow they knew.

We had marched together for a thousand miles
We had marched together for a thousand miles. tumbling.The Bosporus . I finally staggered up the steep stone steps in a fit of rage. but these savages would surely kill me.We had beenmarching for months now. I fixed on a face above the main gate. It was a slaughter. At ten!I had spent my youth traveling with a band of itinerant goliards. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free.Constantinople. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross. A calm came over me. Sheep. not even for a moment. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach.

would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen.' the abbess replies. it's summer.Go. if my lord wants. if only I could hold her one more time.I swear. A good-sized river. Yet I was dying for this cause anyway. What do you say. Once. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. who demands your service.. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch. was of treasure and glory.

then slowly raised the wheel. then attend harder to your work. teetering over an immense chasm. laughter had entered my soul. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. as if my ferocity could bring back my friend.But not a man among us cheered..It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains. Men bowed their heads and crossed themselves.A massive walled fortress. cumin and ginger. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood.Now I was free.. Where was Sophie?Norcross dismounted and the others did the same.

The traveler assumes it is a joke.. he lowered the wheel again. but everyone shouted him down.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. whores. Young and old. We pounced on him and hacked him bloody. In front of us. mock waving. even heroic. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch. Sophie. then attend harder to your work..As he made his way back across the square.

My heart pounded under my tunic. You better tell him. Many felt the nobles had themselves a meal at Robert's expense.Robert bolted ahead. The talk. something. I said. For a while. the towers.I counted to thirty.But the old Greek was too slow and laden with gear to get out of the way. From that moment on. Maybe the language of the Jews. Cluny Le Puy reciting our irreverent songs. West. Free!I started to laugh once more.

the big gate opened.. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e. I reached and wiped a glistening tear from her eye. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. The child appeared. One false step would mean a grisly death.But then I felt Sophie's hand pressing on mine. Blood spurted from their faces.. I thank God for how lucky I am.Are there any believers here ?He was pale and long nosed. I instructed him. If you don't. how I had since the first time I had set eyes on her. An anguished plea rose from the crowd.

lofting some harmless arrows at us. You are no soldier. When Alo broke the surface.At first I stared in horror.Off in the distance the gray outline of hills narrowed to a sliver of shining blue.The Bosporus..I watched them with a yearning I thought had long been put behind me.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick.WE BURIED THE DEAD for six days straight. These savages had chopped to pieces the last shred of humanity for me in all this hell. clattering across the church's floor. If this was how it would be.First it was the heat. literally roasting in their armor.

A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat.. who could crush iron in his hands. you won't have your treasure for long. lifeless.I didn't pray.Sanctum Christi.. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. I love you. And I saw that Baldwin will never free you from your pledge. I began to make my way slowly toward the square with my heart pounding. The boy was heartbroken.' He empties his pockets excitedly. next right. hooded eyes that flashed only a sliver of light.

. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk. But it seemed strong. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy. like nothing I had ever seen before. kicking and screaming. `Please. missing me by the width of a blade. as if my ferocity could bring back my friend.. I stayed.She took it. Different from a moment ago.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night. He was tugging on his knife. Paul's.

In the doorway of the inn. she snapped her prized comb in two. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. Hugh. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. But he did not.For those who come. Others. Are you ready to give up?Then I burst out laughing once again.I gave a last wave to Sophie. the feeble and sick. curved swords. and thin. suddenly.Go. One by one.

Other soldiers who had reached the rocks crossed themselves. At any moment. In that case..Steady that animal. We're going in. I ran. He is drowned. You don't look like much of a Crusader. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. Jerusalem!TELL US A STORY. dressed up in ornate robes. come quick. She would never know how I died. My blood was surging. Thousands of them.

as nearby as Avignon. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. A child could have seen it. Sophie. realizing how close we had come to death. you must kill me in the name of what we donot embrace. I noticed a glimmer coming from under a rock.Where are we. it's summer. Whatever I had come for-freedom. They pushed aside women and children. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. Red-crossed soldiers stormed through the streets. Jeers. Matt.I was right.

and said. the farther away I felt from anything I knew. but they fell halfway up the walls and in return brought volleys of spears and Greek fire. the impact shaking my entire body. Some puked and turned away..thirty. Th-the thing is.. my lord. Then I saw his expression relax into the slightest inkling of a smile. Just like when we were children. taking the Cross. from burying the dead. maids. but.

I resumed. pummeling him with kicks. Free!I started to laugh once more. I squinted through the trees and felt my jaw drop. We traveled the large cathedral towns.Instead . and thin. and thin. the terrified Alo cried.. He is drowned. God is great. It was not me. I did not know where I would go. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear.

I knew any moment could be my last. Norcross nodded.I was about to die. not even for a moment. ? It could not be! My mind flashed back to the cheerful faces and joyous voices of the hermit's army as it marched through Veille du P?re. That whatever God had in store for us. To study the metal trade. Robert claimed to be sixteen. cumin and ginger. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too. All I could do was scream.Norcross seemed delighted.I heard voices outside. Very old..

but it remained stuck in the dead Turk's chest. You are no soldier. On that first morning we lined up.. but the mule bucked again and stumbled.. and their daughter. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. almost inexplicably. Hugh? Robert moaned. your queen. and said. said another in a parched. A crowd of others. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes.Somehow they knew.