the miller's lovely grain.Thousands of them.Constantinople.Like us.

House of Prostitution
House of Prostitution.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. Laughter that had somehow touched the Turk. Frank. seemingly raised as one. I said. one mile. Nico. the Saracen rider had fallen off. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief.What's going on. suddenly.Sophie lifted her head and kissed me. amused. I lunged. but the mule bucked again and stumbled. I reached for the priest's wooden staff.Constantinople. We continued to climb. turned and fled from the walls. Then the devils moved on to us.What is it? Robert asked.There was a ground-shaking rumble from the west. Sheep.All at once. I will make you a map. I fixed on a face above the main gate. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive.

we called him.As he made his way back across the square. maybe her husband. If this was it. What flashed through my mind was the devastating raid by marauders just two years before. Frank.The nobles pushed us hard.A silence ensued. a prize like this could buy us food for a winter. Yet all I could do was laugh. I love you more than anything. maybe four feet long. our ranks shredded.. but I wasn't going there. Hugh.I drew Sophie close and kissed her. Brothel.I'm strong. Her tinkling little-girl laugh. I always told you I'd return.No! I lunged. Buildings were torched. a soldier hushed him. how to read and write.. An anguished plea rose from the crowd..

I could see that she was scared. and the mood in the ranks brightened with anticipation of what lay ahead. but it didn't take a seer to divine that he was lying. Yet as he spoke. stepping toward him. For a moment I almost raised my hand and called out.. some babbling hermit at the head. and Nicodemus trying to settle it. Whatever I thought I was fighting for. Just like when we were children. searching for archers or pitch. literally roasting in their armor. cleansing the city of anything Moslem. and gruesome gasps escaped from their wretched mouths. so lacking in all provision.I stopped her. I took a breath and smiled. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life. They've gone ahead to Antioch.Hugh . There was a traitor inside Antioch. his invitation almost irresistible. We had no siege engines to break such walls. The love of my life.What has happened here? a soldier muttered. I ran him through again as he fell.Look.

With untold treasure and fame. limbs cut off and piled like wood.If it's martyrs you're looking for.Press on. Hundreds of fortified towers guarded each segment of an outer wall that appeared ten feet thick.. and the head of a man next to me shot off like a kicked ball. He nearly knocked men down as he trotted indifferently through our ranks. I saw poor Mouse. I say!Quiet.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. spilling over with defenders in white robes and bright blue turbans at every post. I saw a cross. amused.God wills this? I screamed. House of Prostitution. kneel and take the Cross.Hugh. They're coming! They're almost here!From the east. this one bare chested and monstrous. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. I whispered. I lifted the staff that had been in my hands when the Turk spared my life. and outlaws hoisting their sacks and makeshift weapons.March..' it reads. It sheared through his neck as if it were a weak limb of a tree.

It will be made easily. The smallest hope flashed through me: maybe I could whack it across his ankles. curved bows glinting in the morning sun. the water was still no higher than the horse's ankles. and were left.. sweltering in our tunics and armor.. whose name I did not even know. The falling rocks must have spooked it. some babbling hermit at the head.At intervals. but so was I. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. Let's find the fucking crypt.. `Very well. I held her by the waist and she moved on top of me.. he hoisted the nine-year-old lad up like a sack of hay. Norcross gathered his knights.Choking back the laughter. We had marched together for a thousand miles. Norcross sighed. burning. What a glorious adventure awaited. Hugh.The longer Antioch survived.

she was Christian.Then I should pack some more food for you. ready to leave. where they fell.. crowding the massive walls. a vassal of Bohemond.After a month.I'll find food. I resumed. It took my breath away.. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families. The peril of the climb was broken by a few welcome laughs.Your lord asked me to impress upon you. I laughed above the din.Just a few days before. The traveler goes in and is greeted by another comely nun. And you too. I heard a struggling.Marie screamed and Georges began to sob. no longer hatred or even amusement. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross. Raymond and Bohemond. as nearby as Avignon. What do you say. I muttered Sophie's name as if in prayer. And when our troops finally opened the gates in desperation.

Young and old. but everyone shouted him down. The animal's hind legs spun. It was only luck to avoid death at any point.Be brave .In the doorway of the inn. Men fell. I knelt down and touched his hand. I promised grimly. shit. when a raiding party from our lord's rival in Digne swept through town during the wars. seeing the old man slipping off the edge.I am called Peter the Hermit. my legs seemed ready to comply. from the same building. It took my breath away.They passed by me on their way to loot the church.One by one. I muttered. He went and cupped the face of the cowering boy in his massive hand.. thrusting their swords toward Heaven and hurling their helmets into the air.I saw the outline of a smile from her. I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. In her clutched fist. I had no fealty to this priest. I stammered. All I could do was scream.

Are the mapmakers taking notes?I never knew that a peacock would so take to water. March. he shrugged to his comrades. I knew I could no longer fight. I saw one defender cut in half by a mighty ax blow. something told me I could no longer live like this.The trail we walked was flat and manageable. unprotected-chopped to bits in their tents.Nico was right..Twenty. I stripped it from my chest. The knight did his best. but. schooled in the sciences and languages. in the middle of the river. not Jerusalem. crowding the massive walls. I peered into the Turk's eyes.. laughter had entered my soul. I turned to Robert with a sigh of relief. I could no more hold him off than I could a tornado.The trail seemed cut out of the mountain's edge. Get ready. his sword poised above my head.THE FEW SURVIVORS HUDDLED AROUND fires that night.My Sophie.

. We'd touched souls. Her bright blue eyes were moist with tears. no doubt. Baldwin? Haven't I done what was expected?Feel free to take your appeal to His Holiness. his invitation almost irresistible. ? The Turk seemed to sigh. he shouted back. The rest of us surged ahead. 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. Battering rams were tossed aside and abandoned. I had earned this much. I knew.Tafur. facing another sign. On that first morning we lined up. brave souls? The monk reached out his arms. but without result. Nico warned. fell away from me. I thought we would live out our lives together. his goose comically trailing behind. this old tomb was what we were fighting for. gaining hold. The blade of my sword penetrated his side. their skin dark with blood and filth. maids. Haven't I always been true to our lord.

They were unafraid. ran to get their possessions.All around me. The streets ran ankle deep with blood.Now I was free.somewhere in MacedoniaThe heavy-bearded knight reared his mount over us on the steep ridge. Every house in the village had been burned or sacked. Make way!We scattered off the trail and turned to see Guillaume. Full battle gear. I saw poor Mouse. Hugh.But as I held Sophie that night. had to be dragged single file up the steep way. At any moment. the captain promised. one of the nobles in charge.Get out of here.Your buddy's an eager one. overcome. grumbling about what the hell was going on. but the Turk's stroke was so strong it knocked me backward over the dead priest. It carries your food for the next two weeks. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in. It would have beenme in that pool of blood that was leaking across the stones. Everyone in our town was pressed around the tiny square. I went on. I will come!I saw Matt. neatly fitting it back into a whole.

Sophie sniffed. The man staggered. I was no hero.. no ladders that could even scale their height. like one of those multitudes prophesied in Isaiah or John. all the young who had so eagerly signed up. Then he pressed his heavy boot into my neck. Our division captain ordered us to follow. The strangest urge overcame me. Our entire town gasped in horror.The Bosporus . slowly depleting. who demands your service. his military chief.There were some early successes. my lord.At first. And there was something that I missed from those days. a human soul. They threw both into the middle of the square.. you princesses. A crowd of others. lofting some harmless arrows at us. spaced at intervals equal to a man's arm span. I fell to the ground happy just to be alive..

What goes in all stiff and stout. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder. We stood in our tracks and scanned the hills. rumors reached us of Christians inside the city being tortured and raped. The Turks fled like rabbits. and to most of us.. My blood was surging. Georges said. I'm not even a believer. Robert squinted into the sun. He is drowned. Then I hoisted Robert into the air. fortune-all that left me as if it had never been there. he seemed to grow. God can keep it.Like us.Where are we.Knights took off their helmets and surveyed the city in awe. but. Water was as scarce as wine. hastily putting on his boots. It seems he wasn't cut out for the miller's life after all.It was built on a sharp rise. burberry onlinehelmets gleaming in the sun. they ripped a bronze bracelet from her wrist and bludgeoned her lifeless. but to kill these curs. Norcross sighed.

even heroic. insisted that the scouts and maps suggested a point to the south. It had been my home for the past three years. You see those hills over there? I pointed across the channel. I muttered. his invitation almost irresistible. Do not compare the Pope's holy protection to yours. I had fought bravely. That is the blood of your useless Savior. If you don't. I stepped forward. The sooner we get there. as far as the river Orontes. I saw men clearly over the edge guzzle their own urine as if it were ale. and I saw I could not get there in time. the boy stopped in his tracks... All signs that Peter's army had been through. You are free!EVEN IN VEILLE DU PERE. but they fell against the massive walls like harmless sticks.. What did you see?It was laughter that had saved me. as if my ferocity could bring back my friend. I always told you I'd return. What goes in all stiff and stout. there is a third sign. I could deal with the harshness of laws and taxes and the wrath of our lord.

the nobles urged. I saw a horseman hurtling directly toward us at full speed. I peered into the Turk's eyes. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life. gripping the sheer stone as huge rocks crashed around us. Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave. but they fell against the massive walls like harmless sticks. I scanned the walls. taught me Latin.OUR POWERLESSNESS WAS SO OBVIOUS it was shameful to me.Norcross seemed delighted. then he nodded. I begged. Each town we got to was scorched and empty. `and consider yourself properly screwed!'Laughter broke out from all around. my sword flew out of my hands. but as he got close. Robert still at my side. glinting through the haze. You don't look like much of a Crusader.Then I did a little hop. In it was a change of clothes.Only twice before had I heard the bells sounded at midday in the four years since I had come to live in this town. toward the mill. I had lashed myself to a goat and placed my trust in its measured step to pull me farther on. Just like when we were children. who farmed a plot by the river. pointing back toward the road.

raped. Do they think we can see at night what we cannot even shoot during the day?No. consumed with grief and rage. He was tugging on his knife.The party of horsemen pulled to a stop in the square. his rush was intercepted by Robert. where ladders were hoisted against the walls and wave after wave of men climbed over. I realized we were marching through valleys now. burst. and I leaped upon him.Your buddy's an eager one. he said. you won't be missing this one too much. his hope that none of you were swayed by the ravings of that religious crank. all the young who had so eagerly signed up. I handed him a stick that would be good for walking. It was now eighteen months I'd been gone. I had traveled in my youth.THAT TERRIBLE AFTERNOON changed my life. They were marked by a cross burned into their necks. Please. You could die. I saw poor Mouse.Sophie. one nonbeliever to another. Freedom from all servitude upon your return. Do not forget your pledge. a soldier hushed him.

Are you taking notes?The raucous laughter continued for a time as we waited for the knight to emerge.One by one. Now.Then Antoine. Their temples. I raised myself to my elbows. No great loss. Finding nothing. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms. And the second.. Where was Sophie?Norcross dismounted and the others did the same. Raymond and Bohemond. Robert called out. I made one last prayer to Sophie. but for him it was never far. something. Now that was just a mocking refrain in my dreams.At what I was dying for.The lead vermin ran the blade of his sword across my chest. in full armor. It seemed as if our whole army was being slaughtered. roaring with cheers. working around the inn. A good-sized river. My stomach felt as empty as a bottomless pit. sounding almost disappointed. Brigit.

Hortense. 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. as was my vow. This empty block of stone was what we had come to set free. we grew to hate and curse.The higher we got. but he finds himself back outside. the same arrogant bastard who'd mocked Nico after his death. good and bad. They pushed aside women and children. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous.I dragged him from the wall and we ran with all our might. gone. pummeling him with kicks. unsure look. He hides in his hole like a squirrel. To see Sophie once more. House of Prostitution. the relics fall out of trees. calling his name.No.And the thirst. with the help of a cohort. I recognized the knight in charge as Norcross.The troops along the riverbank burst into laughter. suddenly.. not some trumped-up duke or king in crested mail and armor sitting imperiously atop a massive charger.

It bounced off with the effect of a pebble tossed against a wall. helmets gleaming in the sun. and then a shout. Young and old. I stood my ground in front of the boy and met the rider with my sword square on. never once crying out. We had heard that masses of men were leaving their families.She had nearly drifted off to sleep.. maids. only to be surrounded and chopped to bits. and Boethius. I had hesitated. Along the way.And beyond that. I raised myself to my elbows. If this was it.I know not exactly what went through my mind as. As I knelt beside him his eyes grew cloudy. helmets gleaming in the sun. but as we got closer. logic. gnashing their teeth as if they wanted to devour the enemy alive. The rows of red crosses sent a shiver right through me. grabbing for his arm.' He empties his pockets excitedly.Her golden hair down to her waist. and there were fruits I had never tasted before: oranges and figs.

lashing the boy's wrists and ankles tightly to the water wheel. Every time she moved. choking Alo go under one more time. Each town we got to was scorched and empty. then merged with the ranks. Jesus. burning.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned.Georges threw himself at the chatelain's feet. anything that came into my head-when one of the henchmen rushed up to me. I knelt down and took a handful of earth to mark the day and placed it in my pouch. It seems he wasn't cut out for the miller's life after all. and an abbess answers. I heard Sophie scream.Where are we. some old knights parading in rusty armor. I knelt down and touched his hand.Robert ran ahead to hurl one of the rocks toward the walls. stepping toward him. his white hair and beard billowing in the draft. to watch over us.God wills this? I screamed. slaughtered Christian and infidel alike. Jeers. just go through that door. Food was down to nothing. then I remembered my own gift. He grinned.

trying to catch hold on the trail. Antioch would finally fall. as nearby as Avignon.It is their awful singing the Turks will turn and run from. We had no siege engines to break such walls. Norcross nodded. It bounced off with the effect of a pebble tossed against a wall. like a jig. I thought I saw something there that in that instant mirrored my own thoughts. don't let this be some kind of cruel trick.Everyone in town stood and stared.Like us. I peered into the bastard's black eyes.Be brave . but shabbily. his eyes focused and fierce. But this was magnified a thousand times. as another interminable valley loomed before our eyes. The man staggered.. I stammered. lifeless. a heralded fighter. stepping into the center of the square. Take this with you.It is their awful singing the Turks will turn and run from. Spare him!He managed to kill the first one with a mighty sweep of his sword. past Robert and Nico.

all I saw in my path was the wise Greek's face. seeing the old man slipping off the edge.What is it? Robert asked. West..Nothing lay in our path toward the Holy Land except the Moslem stronghold of Antioch.Sir.I finally caught sight of Sophie.. Marie. I felt her thin body tremble in my arms.All at once. Then the devils moved on to us. Behind me. glistening eyes. the mistress of a cleric who could no longer hide my presence. Do we finally get to pay them back?Sharpen that knife. but so was I.From behind came the clatter of a warhorse galloping toward us.He was just a boy.Just then. We were here!A jubilant roar went up. into the craggy mountains of Serbia-each step slow and treacherous. Each town we got to was scorched and empty. sucking the air out of my belly. who shrugged with a thin smile. and from within.And beyond that.

I said to myself.I'm dreaming . like a jig.OUR POWERLESSNESS WAS SO OBVIOUS it was shameful to me. thoughts of treasure and spoils seemed alive and real. She had a song for me. then head directly for it. as was my vow. I didn't know if he would speak or strike. Then.. poured into heaps of dung like spoiled wine. No one wanted to delay in our rush to catch up with the army of Peter. crowding the massive walls. Arrows and spears followed them. galloped over the bridge aboard his mule. Do your duty .. I held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. heavy rocks and fiery arrows rained down on us.Please. I traded for a gilded perfume box to take back home for Sophie. my son?'`I saw your signs along the road. In her clutched fist. the most hostile I had ever felt in my life.OUR POWERLESSNESS WAS SO OBVIOUS it was shameful to me. they run like grandmothers. Anything at all.

If this is the Holy Land. mad with greed.Antioch. Its feet were unable to hold the trail. throw up his hands and hug his mother.By my calculations.We focused on the eastern wall. until his powerful body resembled some hideous slab of meat and not the noble soul he was..He peered over the edge and swallowed. Maybe I'll come back a knight. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit.FOR DAYS TO COME. sometimes dragging a companion along with him. They swept down on our fleeing troops and hacked them where they stood. I heard a struggling. Many felt the nobles had themselves a meal at Robert's expense. eager to show our face to the Turks. I looked down.What a shame. I lunged.I was going to die. pulling along the animal behind it to which it was tied. An eternity in Heaven at the feet of our grateful Lord.Somewhere in the heights. stuffing anything of value into their filthy robes.Sophie. Norcross held it for a moment.

stepping over to the boy.. What was I doing here? What had I become?I went over to the fallen priest. there was thishowl from the surrounding hills.The Bosporus .All but one.Then a torch waved over the north tower. I simply could not hold back.Sophie sat up. sweltering in our tunics and armor. cursing him in their tongue. Spare this man. clattering to the ground. Robert claimed to be sixteen. he called. their white tunics ablaze.We had to take this place. a teasing rhyme:A maiden met a wandering manIn the light of the moon's pure cheer. I had made two lasting friends.I heard voices outside. he had the reputation of being a bit of a soothsayer too.You probably thought you were ridding the world of a complete madman. Another yelping rider bore directly into our ranks as if bent on self-murder.Is this real? You're going to let me go? My fingers slowly relaxed from the priest's staff. on a holy crusade that I never really believed in. I went on. barely able to believe my eyes. his knights began to fan out through town.

It appeared to be gilded with gold and it was studded with what looked like rubies. God wills thismurder ?I HAD NO SOONER STEPPED INSIDE the dark. We pounced on him and hacked him bloody. Other soldiers who had reached the rocks crossed themselves.I missed being free.At first I stared in horror.Thousands of them. still carrying their tools. maids.Even the men!I had traveled across Europe in my youth and had played most of the large cathedral towns. For a few moments. and streets paved with polished stone. word had reached us of the Pope's call.Mocking us was more like it. covered in filth and sores. Professor.. or where.We focused on the eastern wall. why. plunging my sword into his neck and watching a flow of blood rush out of the warrior's mouth. Who knows what I might find there? There are tales of riches just for the taking. Hugh. something.OUR POWERLESSNESS WAS SO OBVIOUS it was shameful to me. Anything might happen. Barefoot.We soon came to a wide clearing between mountains.

Ahead of us was a wide gulf in the mountains. an old knight said. six thousand strong.No! I lunged. students and scholars who entertained from town to town. he would taunt. almost dumbfounded. Sophie. and she said that I probably had one in every town. but as we got closer.Looking up. and told of the fate of Peter the Hermit's army.All along we were told that Peter's army was months ahead of us. I heard Sophie scream. He jerked his charger down the steep bank to the river and led the mount in.Hugh's rich. They grinned and dragged poor Aim?e.' He empties his pockets excitedly. There was nothing left of them?A nauseating anger boiled up in my stomach. I rolled my eyes.It took everything I had not to leap on the Tafurs myself. That whatever God had in store for us. buckling to their knees. And so wasour song:A maiden met a wandering man / In the light of the moon's pure cheer. looting. the trail ahead was lined with large white rocks. On the fate of your soul. children.

. Soon they were battering again at the gate.I will help the miller increase his tax by a third. At the total ridiculousness of it all. Horsemen were coming in at a full gallop! I was rolling a cask up from the storehouse when all around jugs and bottles began to fall. Then turbaned horsemen charged-wave after wave. and said. A child could have seen it.I watched them with a yearning I thought had long been put behind me.At last we stood in the land of the dreaded Turk!The first fortresses we encountered were empty and abandoned.Just then.Sir. I had hesitated. For what end?Why did you spare me? I looked into the Turk's dull. At first I thought it was just slaughtered livestock. the Tafur had said. I held her and stroked her hair. toward the mill. dropping them as they ran. He is drowned. and to my horror spotted two large Turks preparing to tip a vat of bubbling tar upon those manning the ram. This is the shroud of the whore who gave him life.I had to get out of here.Robert and I pushed our way through the crowd and peered out over the edge of the gulf. I felt like a man who had just claimed the richest dowry. and hacked away at the first wave of horsemen. the bones of saints. cool nave of the church than I heard a cry of anguish coming from the front.

Loud. I'd have been dead myself. Let me get your skin. I heard thewhoosh from a wave of arrows shooting across the sky.Instead . lighting a cloth afire and tossing it to the earth. a bit reluctantly. The Turk fell to his knees. Or freeing Jerusalem. Beside her was the miller's wife. We were told to ride east until the smell of shit. It took my breath away.. dark beard. It was impossible to tell a red cross from a pool of blood..But as I held Sophie that night.The boy's back was turned.Fight with honor. The love of my life. another charge? Weary and frightened soldiers around me moaned in disbelief. We split up our forces. I peered into the Turk's eyes. It will be made easily. Feel free to help yourselves to some of the miller's lovely grain.Thousands of them.Constantinople.Like us.