arrow- and spearheads that I knew would be worth much back home.

pummeling him with kicks
pummeling him with kicks. I bolted into Robert. the truth seemed so clear. No doubt they are cousins of your goose.It was the image I carried for the next two years. overcome. I swear it. one of the nobles in charge. And Jean the smith. A detachment. and from within.Saint Peter's sandals .I was able to grip the strap of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder. . What a glorious adventure awaited. we continued along the ridge and down the narrow trail. Hugh. His Holiness Urban promises unimaginable rewards.Whatkind of God inspired such horror? Was this God's fault? Or man's?Something snapped in me.

A knight pushed up the trail. spinning around a final time to catch her laugh. his sword poised above my head. At the preciousfreedom I was about to be granted at last. then merged with the ranks. the mighty fortress gate opened. Then-eerie silence.FOR DAYS TO COME. I thought about what weapons were at my inn and how we could possibly fight these knights if we had to. who managed to keep up his steady stride despite a satchel heavy with tracts of Aristotle.I grabbed Robert by the tunic and dragged him farther away. I did not know where I would go.As this became clear. Professor? and the old Greek muttered only. The sooner we get there. And when our troops finally opened the gates in desperation. It is your lord. I yelled. I stayed.

Hugh. to Toulouse.Be brave .I heard voices outside. Every time she moved.Carrots too.. I laughed above the din. `Sisters of St.I finally caught sight of Sophie.I counted to thirty.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. Once-proud knights trudged humbly. stuffing anything of value into their filthy robes. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale. The poor warrior was empty of anything: a ring.At that moment. I squawked about like a chicken. curved bows glinting in the morning sun.

At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. as if he were evaluating whether to leave me in the same condition as the Turk.' it reads. What remains of it. Very old. Her legs parted and I gently eased myself inside.In battle. That was it! Our men were inside.Our battalions headed toward the north tower.I heard awful cries of death farther up the hill. heavy rocks and fiery arrows rained down on us.I stood before her. Nico? This was the pilgrimage to St. She hurried to the table by the hearth. redhead.For once.My regiment went on. Raymond and Baldwin are aligned.

He winked.We had beenmarching for months now. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long.For once. I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. curved swords. an officer barked from behind.Our catapults flung giant missiles of fiery rock. Haven't I always been true to our lord.. horses. I thought we would live out our lives together.I began to laugh. Women.I placed the scabbard in my pouch. an officer barked from behind. I put my hand on Robert's shoulder. stepping toward him. lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel.

he winked at his men. Nico's trick had worked. Our entire town gasped in horror.. What's left of us. I screamed. I saw Sophie there at her father's inn. word reached us that the fortress had fallen. How far away she seemed right now. Very old. It may be cold.First it was the heat.Sophie. I simply could not hold back. Soldiers stormed into the church.. I stepped forward. the Spaniard Mouse remarked. I clenched my fist.

Ibn Kan. eh? I bowed sarcastically with an exaggerated flourish. I've come to carve the Turks. An anguished plea rose from the crowd.She stopped and smiled at my plain flax tunic and calfskin vest.It was built on a sharp rise. Their temples. You could die.. Hugh.Peter's army has crushed the infidels. then slowly raised the wheel. God is great. Norcross gathered his knights. We pounced on him and hacked him bloody. my lord. I thank God for how lucky I am. Those that stopped to attend to them were engulfed in the same boiling liquid themselves. how to read and write.

still eyes. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. but he finds himself back outside.Father Leo spoke up.And beyond that. counting the beats that Alo remained under.I gave a last wave to Sophie. Hugh.Professor . I had earned this much.. face first into the river. He winked. How could all those faces-all that hope-be gone?Veille du P?re. I rose early. Who knows what I might find there? There are tales of riches just for the taking.I savored every exotic image. I said. then he nodded.

The men boasted once again of how many Turks they would slay in the coming fight.Everyone in town stood and stared.thirty. I'll be back. Do your duty . schooled in the sciences and languages.hundreds of them .. I laughed. then I remembered my own gift. I think the duke's point is adequately driven home.The old man looked up at me and shook his head. There. Behind me.. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front. the Saracen rider had fallen off. Next to his. only to be overcome by the sheer numbers they faced.

. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.They were not rocks at all-but skulls. I thought of gaining our freedom. Everyone pointed at a walled city nestled into the isthmus's edge.First it was the heat. I saw the hostility on his face fade. Hugh? Robert moaned. whores. knowing that on the other side lay Antioch. Frank. Men lined the shore. Do we finally get to pay them back?Sharpen that knife. He lunged. and said. and honor in battle. tumbling. Robert took his place..

And higher up. cursing him in their tongue. burning. I saw the hostility on his face fade.I don't know.Along the way. giving the appearance that we were headed for a raid elsewhere. A friend had died. Carnage and screams were everywhere. Or. she whispered. A ways ahead. Nicodemus glanced at me. I leaped on him before he had a chance to recover. then pointed east.We looked at each other for a long while. I fought back tears. tearing at their sizzling faces and eyes. Baldwin.

A few straggly horsemen. eh. another survivor recounted. You're right. Once. From my vest pocket I took out a small sunflower.The other assailant rose and faced me.Then I heard a mule bray from behind. a bit reluctantly.I didn't pray. I reached for Robert and pulled the boy toward the mountain's face.. he shrugged to his comrades. I told the eager lad. I held my shield as they ripped into us. I stood paralyzed. Jean the smith. Nico. A detachment.

an enclave of stone dwellings on the edge of a dense wood. gaining hold. Well. but I stayed behind. Tonight you'll go to sleep fucking the emir's wife!The camp sprang alive. we passed through Veille du P?re.. But this was magnified a thousand times.In Caesarea. I sang in the quietest voice before I slept each night. He has to accept. I had earned this much.. Clad in colorful.. I screamed. I lunged. redhead. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it.

I swear it. barely wide enough for a cart and a horse. Get ready.I burberry outletfelt a hole in the pit of my stomach. Reach up your other hand. Show them whose God is One.Freedom .I don't see any Christians chained to the walls. Norcross smiled. Hugh.Now I was free.Good Lord . Norcross declared. His mouth curved into a sheepish grin.As it did. We'll throw in two bushels of carrots!I was about to go on-a joke. Stalls and markets were crammed with the most exotic goods.I watched them with a yearning I thought had long been put behind me. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood.

.At first I stared in horror.I started toward the road. A crowd of others.The other assailant rose and faced me.Where you're headed. dozens of turbaned riders flashing long. a Moslem warrior would hurl some urn down from the towers and it would shatter on the ground. Those are Turk!FOR TWO WEEKS we rested outside the gates of Constantinople. and who can blame him? We've marched a long way. Professor. I heard thewhoosh from a wave of arrows shooting across the sky. one step at a time.He grinned sheepishly. I watched as many a loyal soul. trying to catch hold on the trail. For a few moments. ? The Turk seemed to sigh.We spotted red crosses painted everywhere.

The streets ran ankle deep with blood.Thisis Peter's army.. Our entire town gasped in horror..Let us go. and often during the day: that last image of her. consumed with grief and rage. Amid all this fighting. Take this with you. The love of my life. We had marched together for a thousand miles. She stood there. And.I looked into his hooded eyes. I took a breath and smiled. resolved that any breath might be my last. Above me.He took a look at his assailants.

counting the beats that Alo remained under.It was love at first sight for us. confused. mad with thirst. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. I said. his goose comically trailing behind. he stopped over me where I still lay and hovered. but his face was still as boyish and smooth as when he had first joined our ranks. which fell all the way down her back. He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. The rage that burned in my heart from the day's horror was killing me. or I could live for years.I couldn't believe my good luck. I saw it myself. What do you say. in a way I was proud. In it was a change of clothes..

All the cattle and oxen had been butchered; even the dogs had been eaten. A Seljuk horde of thousands surrounded the city and simply waited them out. I couldn't believe it. Consider your tax raised. but each step. Robert shouted. I had to do something-even if it sealed my own fate. torsos naked and disemboweled. Even my mother's mother could cross here. his invitation almost irresistible.I love you too.The arid lands of our Lord's great sacrifice have been defiled by the infidel Turk.Each year when we returned. brandishing a makeshift knife. Battle-thirsty men in tunics with red crosses lopped off heads and held them aloft as if they were treasure.Then a torch waved over the north tower. I lost my tongue. A ways ahead. carrying clubs and tools straight from home.

right? taunted Mouse. raped.As he spoke. I saw it myself. That is the blood of your useless Savior. The rest of us set out for there. I fought back tears. To tell her I loved her. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. either pierced or rolling on the ground trying to smother the flames on their bodies. See how it saves you now. my fear left me. It was as if the boy had seen that he was powerless to stop his own death and. Guillaume.He grinned sheepishly. I waited for the death blow. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. Young and old. I picked up a few Turkish arrow- and spearheads that I knew would be worth much back home.