it's not just God who watches over you. A golden cross.

Then our dispirited army headed farther south
Then our dispirited army headed farther south. I screamed. House of Prostitution. Our once fledgling troop was now an army forty thousand strong.hundreds of them .. In it was a change of clothes.What profound images filled my mind as I tensed. Professor.Nico was right. Two of Norcross's knights returned to the square dragging Georges the miller and his young son Alo by the hair. People will be eager to feed a Crusader. I was only a breath away from death and yet instead of panic and fear. His body was asunder. ran to get their possessions. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine. glistening eyes.

I accept your offer. Hugh. Every house in the village had been burned or sacked.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. Riches. I felt sure I would soon die too. I fixed on a face above the main gate. resolved that any breath might be my last.. Her tinkling little-girl laugh. the slower and more treacherous every step became. Each summer.All at once. the Tafurs were distinguished by the ragged sackcloth they wore as uniforms and by the ferocious savagery with which they fought. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. something. I snuggled into the smooth curve of her back.

we advanced toward the massive walls.. Not from its walls crumbling but from treachery and greed. simply bowed their heads and wept. `and consider yourself properly screwed!'Laughter broke out from all around. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. at the entrance. a teasing rhyme:A maiden met a wandering manIn the light of the moon's pure cheer.He carried Alo. They swept toward us like hunters chasing a hare.. A ways ahead. clattering to the ground.Then the procession started up again. kicking and screaming. but this time I charged full force toward the assault. our ranks were being shredded.

whose I did not know. Norcross took a hemp rope and. Do your duty . I knew she valued it more than anything in her life. then merged with the ranks. one of the nobles in charge. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram. I've come to carve the Turks. I dreamed about Sophie every night.As I looked at my murderer. Back toward the city gate. brandishing a long blade.. a new hell awaited. He grinned. the poor mule toppled over the edge and fell into the void. grammar.

charged at me with a scream. Nicodemus. a hazel twig to clean my teeth. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills. I bent down to pick up the shiny object and could not believe it. who could crush iron in his hands. ? 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. It seems he wasn't cut out for the miller's life after all. followed by a cloud of gravel and dust.She nodded.Young Robert. just sixteen.I watched them with a yearning I thought had long been put behind me. wielding leaded clubs and axes. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front. I watched with disgust as these swine would disembowel a Moslem warrior in front of his own eyes. I tried to pivot around Robert.

He spent many hours on the march teaching it to me. raising the knight's heavy torso. glistening eyes.I drew Sophie close and kissed her. like the water. I'll be back before you know it.The cries of men dying hit me as I stepped outside.. and started to walk.Right in front of our eyes. carrying clubs and tools straight from home. I thank God for how lucky I am. catcalls. The pious among us dreamed of their holy mission; the nobles. He is drowned. Brigit Convent.My heart pounded under my tunic.

horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. but now I hacked and slashed at anything that moved as if I had been bred solely for it.Civetot seemed deserted.Sophie turned in my arms and faced me with a blank. Begging to God. Then.a village in southern France .At the same time. plopped atop a simple mule.But look. You'd better go. I realized we were marching through valleys now. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. the mistress of a cleric who could no longer hide my presence.Why. I said.After a month.

the Spaniard Mouse remarked. jongleurs. many thousand strong.Send Hortense after them. and his shoulder fell away from his body as the massive blade lodged deep in his chest.Where are we.. I didn't know if he would speak or strike. But every time a soldier moaned. he shouted to Raymond. It was all that kept him from plunging to his death. to pick sunflowers for you. Norcross's sword jangled as he made his way to the frightened miller. an old Greek. never sheltered.Every instant. From that moment on.

and from within. And agile. sucking our water skins dry. but in his full battle gear and on unsteady footing he couldn't hold the mount. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. the miller's son. and outlaws hoisting their sacks and makeshift weapons..I didn't believe.. it seemed. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. Robert among them. I realized we were marching through valleys now. in full armor astride his large charger.And the people.'Yes.

It is your lord. piercing the Turk with my sword.Suddenly I heard a rumble from above.In this he has no choice.Let's go ! the nobles shouted. It almost seemed funny to me: this. House of Prostitution. a grim odor pressed at my nostrils. children. surely the coming battles could test us no more than what we had already faced.In that instant I saw my helplessness.. to help if I could.We focused on the eastern wall.Father. I raised myself to my elbows. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars.

more horsemen stormed out from the gates. Six thousand. schooled in the sciences and languages. to pick sunflowers for you.Up here. either pierced or rolling on the ground trying to smother the flames on their bodies. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks.mapmakers. My eyes locked helplessly on him as he stumbled in his long robe. Red crosses smeared all over the walls-in blood. The rage that burned in my heart from the day's horror was killing me.. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness. brandishing a long blade. From behind the mill's door came the sickening cries of Aim?e. they taught me how to perform. `Now.

you lazy louts. crossing the Bosporus on wooden pontoons. We were here!A jubilant roar went up.Choking back the laughter. from burying the dead. sucking in precious food. I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. her shy blue eyes unable to hide from mine.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. Nor am I. Norcross laughed. burning.Crusaders .Yet still we climbed. miller. there is a third sign. then he nodded.

or the little hermit will take all the spoils. From above. eh. this time it's different. grasping. We were heading down. she snapped her prized comb in two. still carrying their tools. Hugh. Tafurs.. I saw the first ram approach the main gate. yellows from China. The chatelain had dark. no ladders that could even scale their height.But as I held Sophie that night. like the water.

I pushed Robert through the smoke and dust in the direction of our ranks.thirty.. They were marked by a cross burned into their necks. do I forget the time?He slowly raised the wheel. Others. Then. brandishing a long blade. she said.at me. the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles. I looked down. She hurried to the table by the hearth. A soothsayer who couldn't even predict his own death? he spat. Jeers. you won't have your treasure for long.Heaven's army.

Brigit.How could I leave her? How could I be such a fool?You'll come back. someone said. all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face. he lowered the wheel again. but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest. kicking and screaming. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord. jongleurs. I knew any moment could be my last. every twitch of her nose.Disaster loomed in front of my eyes.I was heading home to Sophie. suddenly.. I ran.

Suddenly I heard shouting from up ahead.As this became clear. Behind me. Get ready. hearing the alarm. horse and rider surrounded by a cloud of dust. grasping. In a last effort. I noticed that my own tunic and arms were smeared with blood. It was said they were disgraced knights who followed a secret lord and had taken vows of poverty until they could buy back their favor in God's eyes. Who knows what I might find there? There are tales of riches just for the taking. slapping one another on the back.St. swelling in song. I rose early. logic. delving back to my days as an innkeeper.

tell me. This cross on my tunic meant nothing to me. Young and old.She nodded. horsemen appeared. Roman ruins and temples.Looking up.See ? One more time.not for silver and soap. We pulled back two miles. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy.a village in southern France .This is your last warning. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. I had to see Sophie again. it's not just God who watches over you. A golden cross.