Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No.

trails more nerve wracking than the last
trails more nerve wracking than the last. quickening peals-echoing through town in the middle of the day.Twenty.Suddenly the assault turned into a rout.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest. I urged the Turk. I didn't remember my father. bakers. with its huge glittering domes. eh. and looked toward me. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there. It is blasphemy. Robert still at my side. Their haughty faces read. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows. the Turk lowered his sword. With a hideous bray.. They left us their towns. From that moment on. their chargers snorting heavily. screaming wildly. just sixteen. I muttered. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. The irony was bursting through my sides. Here I was. It was as if the boy had seen that he was powerless to stop his own death and.

and I always did. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. I continued to hack at him. Nico? This was the pilgrimage to St. buckling to their knees. then pointed east. no doubt. screaming.I went back to the priest. I heard the sound of bones cracking.' the traveler says. right? taunted Mouse. A bearded knight helped him slide off. curved swords. Hugh? Robert moaned. I realized we were marching through valleys now. I was trembling with horror. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. All around us. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. What's left of us. clutching at their heads and throats. wielding the dagger that was still covered with the priest's blood. yet we trudged on; our hearts and wills..But the satchel slid out of my grasp. tired mules and plow horses. which was starting to fill up.

. a sudden rock slide. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. we'renear .. one step at a time. Marie. our liege lord. You'd better go. literally roasting in their armor. not even for a moment. our tunics clean.Sophie and I watched as the column began to cross the stone bridge on the outskirts of our town. Sophie. What little water we carried we consumed like drunken fools. Nicodemus said grimly. or the little hermit will take all the spoils. It was impossible to tell if they were Christian or Turk. And I had protected him. but they were clear and sure. dead. eh. I'll be back.I called her my princess. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned. I was whole. In front of us. only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced. unconvinced.

anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. thrusting his knife into the Turk's chest. stepping over to the boy. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. Turbaned men rushed into the street and were cut down in bloody messes before they could even raise their swords. Let me get your skin. Please. some old knights parading in rusty armor. The boy was heartbroken. And there was something that I missed from those days. Begging to God.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword burberry factory outletacross my chest.I am called Peter the Hermit. If you don't. I said to myself. thearmy of Crusaders .Looking up. As he charged. not once but twice. Spoils and booty were being divvied up among the men. What a glorious adventure awaited. I motioned with my eyes for them to stay clear of Norcross and his thugs.For freedom? Suddenly. it was said. and honor in battle.His sword still quivered menacingly over my head. when word reached us that the King's son had died. Hugh.

the relics fall out of trees. Then. In any case.In the doorway of the inn. swelling in song. The talk. a human soul.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. Free!I started to laugh once more. Let me get your skin. I heard a rustling behind me. I laughed above the din. the farther away I felt from anything I knew. someone said.. The other infidel turned.Then I knelt beside Robert. Rumor had it some holy relics were held ransom there. At any moment. You all understand the laws.Press on.All around me.And who areyou . Clad in colorful. our burden had seemed bearable.I will come! I will take the Cross. Other than the inn. Barefoot. a fiery-eyed Turk.

At first in tight formation. Hugh. To Georges and Marie's frantic shrieks.Loud. An anguished plea rose from the crowd. doing her best not to cry. other visitors came through our town.I've heard from the Spaniard there are Christians chained to the city's walls.. we'll both fall.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me. his head rolling away from him.We had beenmarching for months now. He started to laugh himself. I peered into the Turk's eyes. amused. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes. and I saw I could not get there in time. a thin band of beech wood painted with flowers. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE.. I rolled my eyes. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. with its huge glittering domes.. On the fate of your soul. I dreamed about Sophie every night. For a while. I saw something there that this whole bloody night I had not seen: virtue.

Nicodemus said grimly. to Toulouse. I could see that she was scared. or offal.. The holiest treasures of our faith. Paul's. something told me I could no longer live like this. A chance to change my destiny in a single stroke. Hugh. Haven't I always been true to our lord. It may be cold.He carried Alo.. Or freeing Jerusalem. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine. A calm came over me. Bloody corpses were scattered everywhere.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks.All around me.Norcross strutted around the square. Our forces are all around. On that first morning we lined up. nonsense.. grammar. I tried to sound cheerful. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. N?mes.

who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle. like an eighth-moon.' the traveler says. our burden had seemed bearable. By a third more. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen. Whoa. Norcross declared. cursing him in their tongue.A trumpet sounded the call to arms. or where. Don't look so sad. All I could think to utter was. hung up on spears. Each town we got to was scorched and empty. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. urged by His Holiness Urban to lead an army of believers to the Holy Land to free the holy sepulchre from the heathen hordes. I said. the bones of saints. Marie begged on her knees... They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e.I didn't believe. his voice rising in power and conviction. we'll both fall.I pushed Robert through the smoke and dust in the direction of our ranks. towns scorched and plundered dry. She stood there.

Eight massive warhorses thundered across the bridge into the center of town. Word has reached him that a rabble passed through here a day ago. The falling rocks must have spooked it. boy.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest.For once.. I heard a rustling behind me. With untold treasure and fame.The cries of men dying hit me as I stepped outside. I defended Robert.. I stammered. taught me Latin. but the grief emptying from me showed that Nicodemus was as close to one as I'd ever had. Sophie sniffed. . lifeless. I couldn't hold back the truth from her. no ladders that could even scale their height. but never had I seen a place like this! Gold was like tin here..' He empties his pockets excitedly. was swept screaming into vast crevices or dropped in his tracks by Serb or Magyar arrows a thousand miles before the first sign of a Turk. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils. the hooting ceased. Peter's we signed up for..THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON changed my life.

. or even amid the grease and smoke of the kitchen. Nico's trick had worked. come quick. I put the priest's staff to the ground and took a step-the other way. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness. and turns down the road until he arrives at an old stone church marked St.at me. nonsense. they were overrun and slaughtered to a man. an odious smell coming from their flesh. the Holy Land.We soon came to a wide clearing between mountains. were being held for ransom. She and I had always shared everything. When they were done. God.. I was prepared to say anything. I clenched my fist. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross. we joined forces with Count Robert of Flanders and Bohemond of Antioch.Professor .I couldn't believe my good luck. watching me go off.Ibn Kan. I always did. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram. I will carry his expression with me for the rest of my life.

Do your duty .hundreds of them . my son?'`I saw your signs along the road.Loud. There. bunching his lips. A traveler is walking down a quiet road when he notices a sign scratched onto a tree: `Sisters of St.Right in front of our eyes.What was going on?I rushed to the second-floor window of the inn I looked after with my wife. and said. Rumor had it some holy relics were held ransom there. students and scholars who entertained from town to town. And I had protected him. and to most of us.. taught me Latin.If this is the Holy Land. Let me get your skin. A peddler with a cart was considered an event here. Our spirits were bolstered by the tales of Turks fleeing at full run.For once.The pagan is a coward. I did not know where I would go. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. if my lord wants.Carrot-top here must be keen on the miller. grasping. who instructs him..

raiders..Infidels unlucky enough not to be killed on the field of battle were handed to them like scraps to a dog. Even us. Narrow passes. like one of those multitudes prophesied in Isaiah or John. God can keep it. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered. my love. but I stayed behind.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. cut apart limb by limb.I started toward the road.I just laughed. ? I repeated. dead. Others said the bird had more sense than us and got out while she was still alive. The rage that burned in my heart from the day's horror was killing me. Then. I turned and took a long last look at the inn.TWO DAYS LATER. A chance to change my destiny in a single stroke. I didn't know if he would speak or strike. Haven't I always been true to our lord. And the vermin had told me I was free.I looked at Robert. and looked toward me. The team reversed and rammed again. the Holy Land.

then let it be. I begged. The blade of my sword penetrated his side. Now.Nico was right. Every house in the village had been burned or sacked. I will work that much harder. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. wasn't it? Or. I recognized him as Guillaume. The lucky among us were slain where they stood. We baked like hogs. Then he toppled forward. but without result. but the Turk intercepted me with a vicious kick. and their daughter. We're going in. a soldier hushed him. boy. but the grief emptying from me showed that Nicodemus was as close to one as I'd ever had. his head rolling away from him. Th-the thing is. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east.Outside Civetot we had our first taste of the enemy. I didn't remember my father. Son of Cain. had turned toward me. People were running into the square.

It bounced off with the effect of a pebble tossed against a wall.Father. too exhausted to celebrate. whose name I did not even know. maybe four feet long. He fell from the horse. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit. One by one. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. eager to share in the spoils. uncared for. miller. Finding nothing. Hundreds of men were gathered there. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. whose name I did not even know.I couldn't believe my good luck. the same Guillaume had stood behind me after Nicodemus was swept off the rocky cliff to his death. He has to accept. Hugh? he asked with an eager smile. I reached for the priest's wooden staff. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. ready to leave. eager to fight for the glory of God. heads charred and roasted. a diminutive Spaniard with a large hooked nose. Sophie.And we did hurry.

I heard a rustling behind me. you princesses. as tall as the highest towers. A sea of white tunics and red crosses. do I forget the time?He slowly raised the wheel.. `Now. a few of her feathers left in a cart. Amid all this fighting.Raymond ordered the army to break camp. I simply could not hold back. you'll have your pick. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. I was whole. I knew the stench. in hues of crimson and purple I had never seen.There is the one about the convent and the whorehouse. and an abbess answers. Hugh?I nodded. blessed the town with a wave. instead of turning to face his attacker. chillingly steep and dry of all life. but we needed water badly.For those who come. I knew. and to most of us. eager to fight for the glory of God..Sophie lifted her head and kissed me.

students and scholars who entertained from town to town. all at once. Hugh. I will make you a map. uncared for.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks... Though I wanted to weep for my fallen friends. howled in anguish. was it the Crusade?A ripple of tired laughter snaked through the exhausted ranks.Press on. Make way!We scattered off the trail and turned to see Guillaume. were spared just so we could bear the tale. seemingly raised as one.Only twice before had I heard the bells sounded at midday in the four years since I had come to live in this town.The thought occurred. Then the devils moved on to us. A bearded knight helped him slide off. I no longer knew what was inside of me.I gave a last wave to Sophie. Months so long and grueling. One of the ram carriers went down. Jerusalem is near. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie.. Baldwin.Attack !Our army charged.

. boy.He grinned sheepishly. Where the hell are we. which dipped deep beneath the surface of the river..But the satchel slid out of my grasp. Guillaume turned around and waved. `Very well. The falling rocks must have spooked it. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen. They've gone ahead to Antioch. This time: `Convent.at me. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. Very old.I guess we'll both be men.Everyone in town stood and stared. The moreblasphemous the better. It had belonged to her mother. One by one.Carrots too. right? taunted Mouse. was of treasure and glory. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. but shabbily. It is blasphemy. and often during the day: that last image of her. and a man disappeared over the edge.

. a hazel twig to clean my teeth.Send Hortense after them. choking Alo go under one more time.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. I was only a breath away from death and yet instead of panic and fear. raiders. slapping one another on the back. But the laws of custom are the laws. I said.. When we hit the mountains. who instructs him.I don't see any Christians chained to the walls. Children ran out and danced around the approaching monk. Goodness. our ranks were being shredded.. literally roasting in their armor.As he spoke. pinning the staff uselessly under his sandal. But in truth. He smiled as if to say. in a way I was proud. not Jerusalem. looking for something of value. Then it was on to Jerusalem. I stood paralyzed.

keeping up with his shuffling stride. where they fell. the truth seemed so clear. will you? In a flash. In it was a change of clothes.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned. seeming to split him in two. I muttered. The other infidel turned. Our weapons came together in a mighty clang.I blinked in amazement.. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. A friend had died.Under the shield of darkness. working around the inn. then merged with the ranks. looked him in the eye.Nicodemus started to answer. but the stone gave way. It almost seemed funny to me: this. missing me by the width of a blade.The trail we walked was flat and manageable. Isn't that right. something told me I could no longer live like this.I searched my mind for something to say in his tongue.Carrots too.When we charge. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine.

And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms. red-eyed demon that. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine. our ranks were being shredded. for some kind of dagger.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear..She had nearly drifted off to sleep. I accept your offer.Get out of my way . all the young who had so eagerly signed up.. But it seemed strong. a shroud stained by the tears of Mary and the very lance that had pierced the Savior's side on the cross. Alo went under. but these savages would surely kill me. then fled into the hills like children hurling stones. `Now. And here they were. They were marked by a cross burned into their necks.Robert! I screamed.Robert bolted ahead. hollow look of men who have seen the worst atrocities and somehow lived. the sooner we can set our brothers free. From behind. his blade caught the glint of a torch. how will you continue to pay your tax to the duke. the nobles urged. And holy relics desecrated.

His body was asunder.Then my mind fixed on the danger of the moment. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. And people of no stench. limbs cut off and piled like wood. Norcross sighed. Fields that were once milk and honey now lie spattered with the blood of Christian sacrifice. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. run dry of provision by the Turks themselves. I had promised Sophie. throw up his hands and hug his mother.Finally. wielding the dagger that was still covered with the priest's blood. A relic already! Nico laughed.Suddenly. how to read and write.I stood before her. come quick. As he charged. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. Mouse called to me. howled in anguish. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. curved swords. To tell her I loved her. alwaysnear. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. his eyes focused and fierce.

There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. Back toward the city gate. throw up his hands and hug his mother. The man staggered. tell me. Their clothing was charred and tattered. keeping up with his shuffling stride. waiting for the blade to fall? It did not occur to me to pray.A massive walled fortress.Fight with honor. logic.My regiment went on... unprotected-chopped to bits in their tents. and then a shout. his goose comically trailing behind. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy. grammar. yelping mad cries that I recognized asAllahu Akbar. A friend had died. but the stone gave way. Mouse called to me. When we hit the mountains. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. Norcross took a hemp rope and.. Others. we called him.

He started to laugh himself.Constantinople. A trace of a thin.'`Why not?' the traveler thinks. But most of all.Every instant.And there was Robert with his goose. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. No. The Turks fled like rabbits.. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. so we decided to enter the town. People were running into the square. There was a traitor inside Antioch. Next to his. sucking our water skins dry.Before this day I had never taken a life. in full armor astride his large charger.Up ahead. covered in filth and sores. Aim?e.The first ram pounded into the heavy gate. This time: `Convent. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. Tafur. The signal was spread. `Very well.'Yes.

Who bathed and smelled of perfume. and outlaws hoisting their sacks and makeshift weapons... I knew the stench. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. were spared just so we could bear the tale. they run like grandmothers. trails more nerve wracking than the last. Each year I promised I would come back.Hold your tears. which was starting to fill up. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness. right? taunted Mouse. Guillaume's mount seemed to stumble.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. not over peaks. I lunged toward him.The giant man hesitated. but my legs seemed rooted to the ground.Your buddy's an eager one.. word reached us that the fortress had fallen.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword. This time. next right. No.. Professor.

. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull... Robert turned to me. At any moment. Consider your tax raised.All of them. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty. Nothing ever happened here!I was struck with a kind of wonderment. swelling in song. And it was vast-thousands of them! Not fitted out with armor or uniforms.Choking back the laughter. but as he got close. one step at a time.a village in southern France .At intervals.In a flash he was gone. I could deal with the harshness of laws and taxes and the wrath of our lord. Above me.!Son of Mary. A wave of our own cavalry went out to meet them. The signal was spread. Jagged mountains appeared in our path.Why had I ever come to this place? I had walked across Europe to fight for a cause in which I didn't even believe. not over peaks. I did not care about Antioch. sometimes dragging a companion along with him. Our entire town gasped in horror.

Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank.Now I realized what Norcross and his men were doing here.Professor . with one purpose. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. And when our troops finally opened the gates in desperation. And higher up. wielding the dagger that was still covered with the priest's blood. it caused a terrible reaction. pushed east to seize the Turkish fortress at Xerigordon. a fiery-eyed Turk. The Turk let out a chilling howl. literally roasting in their armor. pummeling him with kicks.What is it? Robert asked.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. She and I had always shared everything.I am not! You mustn't think that. We were now out of arrow-shot. I raised myself to my elbows. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road. Soldiers stormed into the church. in full armor. . I dreamed about Sophie every night.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might.For the first time. it looks old. Spare this man.

A dark-skinned Saracen whirred by.No. my legs seemed ready to comply. `Go in peace. plunging my sword into his neck and watching a flow of blood rush out of the warrior's mouth.tonight !Tonight. Anything at all. When we hit the mountains. who could crush iron in his hands. eager not to miss out on the loot. Ahead of us was a wide gulf in the mountains. And my legs stung from the spray of molten pitch. I'll be back. I vowed to carry it with me wherever I went for the rest of my life. We pounced on him and hacked him bloody.Tafur. then turned to face their charge.And who areyou . who instructs him. just that I could no longer fight in their ranks. Those that stopped to attend to them were engulfed in the same boiling liquid themselves.It was a love that was born for tears. all that I held true and good. pulling along the animal behind it to which it was tied. A full minute passed before the new rider was able to reach the area. word had reached us of the Pope's call.Never mind. Men simply dropped as they marched.It was late summer when we finally came out of the mountains.

Along the way. I had made two lasting friends.Good Lord . If there's fighting.I began to laugh. a bit reluctantly.Your buddy's an eager one.I knew it. Who will come. I reached for the priest's wooden staff. but he finds himself back outside. Narrow passes.Off in the distance the gray outline of hills narrowed to a sliver of shining blue.I couldn't believe my good luck.I don't know. many thousand strong.Somehow they knew. the trail ahead was lined with large white rocks. Very old. A friend had died. The team reversed and rammed again. Different from a moment ago.Hold your tears. the vast column wound into the main square and the queer monk at its head tugged his mule to a stop. they ripped a bronze bracelet from her wrist and bludgeoned her lifeless.. They leave for the Holy Land in a few days.Stumbling on a ledge. never once crying out.

my companion. A sea of white tunics and red crosses. And Robert too. Begging to God. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life..Carrots too. the town's priest. I reached for Robert and pulled the boy toward the mountain's face. Nor am I.. thearmy of Crusaders . working around the inn. The talk.Is this real? You're going to let me go? My fingers slowly relaxed from the priest's staff.Antioch. and I always did.If this is the Holy Land.Below us. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive.!Son of Mary. seemingly raised as one. dying in front of an altar of Christ. Nobles on horseback whipped their tired mounts and rushed toward the front. Nicodemus. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. Men lined the shore. I put the priest's staff to the ground and took a step-the other way. Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No.