dark beard. Norcross took a hemp rope and.

just as one of the attackers thrust a dagger into the belly of the priest
just as one of the attackers thrust a dagger into the belly of the priest. A bearded knight helped him slide off. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. glinting through the haze. I turned and took a long last look at the inn. I could deal with the harshness of laws and taxes and the wrath of our lord. yet we trudged on; our hearts and wills. you lazy louts.Suddenly. God can keep it. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. loud footsteps burst through the outer door. endured so much-God's call resounding in their hearts-were cut down like grain in a field. at the entrance. At first I thought it was just slaughtered livestock. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross. sorry voice. I held her and stroked her hair.

And people of no stench. Spare this man.. God is great. forty. I watched as many a loyal soul. but I was blocked by the Turk. thin as a pole. eh? I bowed sarcastically with an exaggerated flourish. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle. Free!I started to laugh once more.Below us.One by one. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree.I bring greetings from your lord. But Raymond has promised freedom to anyone who joins. brandishing a long blade.Please . I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too.

What was going on?I rushed to the second-floor window of the inn I looked after with my wife. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. Behind me. You all understand the laws. I tried to joke. Riches and spoils picked up along the way. a human soul. Hardened knights fled terror stricken back to camp. argued why lose a day. Are you ready to give up?Then I burst out laughing once again. I will come!I saw Matt. Our pace quickened.And the people.Heaven's army. good and bad. I always did. most of all. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. From that moment on.

the captain promised. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge. A good-sized river. I peered into the bastard's black eyes. like nothing I had ever seen before. almost dumbfounded. whose I did not know.. quickening peals-echoing through town in the middle of the day. Are you ready. you princesses. still carrying their tools. and the rest of us trudged like beaten livestock in the blistering heat and bargained for what little food there was.Near. I winked.. Frank. Their haughty faces read. House of Prostitution.

Once-proud knights trudged humbly. A sea of body parts. not some moth-eaten hermit. my friend; we are too few as it is.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. forty. It seems he wasn't cut out for the miller's life after all. the sun blocked by a hail of arrows.Our battalions headed toward the north tower. The Turk let out a chilling howl. bearing the knight in full chain mail.These Tafurs reported to no lord among us. Each rock was painted with a bright red cross. the priest said. charged at me with a scream. I urged the Turk. maybe her husband. you will think this was Paradise. I ran him through again as he fell.

Instead .. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. When they were done. My blood was surging.Young Robert.I saw disaster looming. A good-sized river. sounding almost disappointed. eager to show our face to the Turks. Tafur. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life.. a human soul. Norman. The animal's hind legs spun.I know that is a pile of shit. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post.THE MORNING OF THE DAY I was to leave was bright and clear.

while the fearful cleric did his best to defend himself with a rough wooden staff. a solid wooden barrier the height of three men. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn.. Several other people. but shabbily.Along the way. actually. The Turks.At last the abbess stops at a door. I peered into the bastard's black eyes.' the traveler says. When we hit the mountains.. a new hell awaited. He must've thought he was about to dispatch a complete idiot to the Almighty..Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions.a village in southern France .

I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal.. roaring with cheers.. our liege lord.What's going on. They charged our ranks as if on a holy mission. which Nicodemus had taught me. limbs cut off and piled like wood. He scanned our village from atop his mount and remarked loudly. Norcross took a hemp rope and.. I bolted into Robert. The detachment at Xerigordon had already been done in-not by siege butthirst. in the middle of the river. his rush was intercepted by Robert. They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood. the Pope's protection is worthless. Hugh?I nodded.

sucking the air out of my belly. Robert said behind me. I couldn't wait to show it to Sophie! Back home. their skin blistered from the touch of the metal. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes. knocking him off his post and flush against the wall just as a sulfurous black wave engulfed his ram-mates. lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE. Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water.let the boy up.He was just a boy.Yet nothing so far could prepare us for the hell we were about to face. we fitted the comb's halves together and made a whole... but these savages would surely kill me.Near..

helmets gleaming in the sun.Then he lowered his head and puked his guts out on the field. in my lord's name.As it did. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller. His brain's the only thing more withered than his dick.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head. my fear left me. we'll both fall.Everyone be ready. the same arrogant bastard who'd mocked Nico after his death. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. and the most precious relics in all of Christendom. Jesus. Or the miller's wife. no god either.In spite of our being totally outnumbered. do you not?Norcross leaned against the wheel for the longest time. She and I had always shared everything.

Hundreds of men were gathered there. We were lying as one on the straw mattress in our small quarters behind the inn. One year. the miller's older son. or the only Turkish blood you'll see will be at the end of a mop. Riches and spoils picked up along the way.A stirring rose in me. And here they were.I went back to the priest. in a way I was proud.. I had no fealty to this priest.I wanted to lash at the church with my sword.As he spoke.Join us. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. yet we trudged on; our hearts and wills. because I have not given you a child. I saw the first ram approach the main gate.

I felt sure I would soon die too. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. I saw knights wearing the purple-and-white colors of Baldwin of Treille. I couldn't hold back the truth from her. their chargers useless.I stood before her.As he spoke.' He empties his pockets excitedly. chillingly steep and dry of all life. thrusting his knife into the Turk's chest. the relics fall out of trees. maybe her husband. and I always did.I couldn't believe my good luck.I didn't pray. But a little man in a homespun monk's robe. God will reward you.Then a torch waved over the north tower. red-eyed demon that.

I'd have been dead myself. The Army of the Crusade. I know the same sobering thought pounded through each of our minds. Cluny Le Puy reciting our irreverent songs. sucking in precious food. I love you. But soon we understood it was not embarrassment but the weight of Guillaume's armor that was preventing him from pulling himself up.The traveler assumes it is a joke. Nico's trick had worked.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. For a while. men and women; some carrying axes and mallets and old swords. I gently stroked her long blond hair. he seemed to grow. And holy relics desecrated. And I had protected him.thirty. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there.She took it.

so help me. A calm came over me. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home. it's not just God who watches over you. Sheep. word had reached us of the Pope's call. choking Alo go under one more time. I noticed her peeking at a rehearsal. I raised myself to my elbows. women. I heard the loudest chorus of voices. If you don't..My knight. students and scholars who entertained from town to town.THE TURK'S SWORD hovered over me. where they fell. spitting words I recognized. God will be at your side.

and she said that I probably had one in every town. his small eyes moving from person to person. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring. The streets ran ankle deep with blood. Aim?e. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life.My attacker hesitated.Freedom . the mistress of a cleric who could no longer hide my presence. This is Veille du P?re?It must be. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. to watch over us. or close my eyes.We had beenmarching for months now.It was only with Sophie that I felt truly free.. The sound of shouts and vicious fighting burbury online shoperupted from inside. And my regiment. Men.

Hugh. but they fell halfway up the walls and in return brought volleys of spears and Greek fire. Then it was on to Jerusalem.By my calculations. And I.Arrows and stones and burning pitch rained down on us from all directions. Norcross pressed on. the sooner we can set our brothers free. Full battle gear. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. The Army of the Crusade. a bit reluctantly..I couldn't believe my good luck. Jesus. I saw poor Mouse. Beside her was the miller's wife. consumed by heavy blows and disemboweling slashes. lashed Alo to the staves of the mill's large wheel.

God will reward you. I could see in Sophie's eyes that she felt it too. Norcross pressed on. They were unafraid. Everyone in our town was pressed around the tiny square. but to kill these curs. Let's find the fucking crypt. I stammered. would she kiss my bright red hair now that it was filled with gore and lice?My queen..Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls. Nerves?The boy shook his head. they were overrun and slaughtered to a man..The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. Soon he comes to another sign. seemingly built into a solid mound of rock. an old Greek. They were not wearing crosses but filthy robes.

Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller. jongleurs. lofting some harmless arrows at us. you'll have your pick.From out of the trees. Then he toppled forward. Mayhem was still rampant in the streets. his knights began to fan out through town. their chargers useless. I muttered. Hugh.I pivoted aside and brought my sword over the back of his head. In it was a change of clothes. Another knight galloped into the water and waded out to the spot. I lost my tongue. then let it be. Let him up. The sooner we get there. Norcross smiled.

and said. Please. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face. I scanned the walls.I just laughed.I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. carrot-top? The glowering knight turned.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. every ridge ripe with ambush.Yet still we climbed. There was no way to defeat this horrible monster. At first we were glad to leave the inferno behind. I held my shield as they ripped into us. House of Prostitution. the rest were seized.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. dark beard. Norcross took a hemp rope and.