Free East of Ashes by Gideon Nieuwoudt

causing the sailor to jump in fright. "You have to make sure you double-knot those or they'll slip loose at the first sign of rough seas. Have you not sailed the Mediterranean before?" he bellowed in exasperation.
     
    The sailor quickly retied the equipment according to the captain's orders. De Lagery walked over to check his work. Satisfied that the ropes were tied securely, he continued pacing through the flurry of moving sailors, shouting orders as he went along.
     
    He was eager to get going, not only because of the tide, but because the Crusaders desperately needed their equipment and provisions. Grumble as he m ight , deep down he felt sympathy for the poor souls fighting in the pope's holy war.
     
    By now the Crusaders would have reached the walls of Antioch - arguably the biggest obstacle on their march to the Holy Land. Two years after Pope Urban II's call to take back Jerusalem from the Caracens, and a year and a half after the Crusaders set out from Europe, the Crusader army was rapidly dwindling in numbers. Antioch would probably be the make or break test. If it f e ll, the road to Jerusalem w ould be open. If not, any hope to take the holy city would disappear.
     
    Keeping an open supply route by land between Europe and Jerusalem was crucial to the Crusade's success. And Antioch lay right in the middle of that route.
     
    Wrestled from the Byzantine Empire by the Seljuks a mere 12 years ago through deceit, Antioch possessed formidable defences. Built at the foot of a mountain, the entire city was surrounded by impenetrable walls. Attacking it from the front would be a nightmare, while slipping in over the mountain at its back wa s made impossible by the wall that snaked up and over the ridge of the mountain, completely encircling the city.
     
    No wonder the Seljuks needed to use treachery to gain a foot inside the city walls , De Lagery thought ruefully.
     
    Word had reached Europe that the Crusaders would probably dig in for a lengthy siege - attacking the walls directly could prove catastrophic to the Crusade at this point. But, for the siege to be successful, they' d need the right equipment, such as which Captain De Lagery carried aboard his ship.
     
    His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sight on the quay. A man was standing next to his horse, eyeing the ship. Indecision was clearly edged on his face. De Lagery had seen that look on many young knights' faces this past year and a half and would normally have ignored the man, but something kept his attention.
     
    The man might have be en indecisive at th at moment, but De Lagery could tell by the way he cocked his head to the side that once he had ma de his decision, he would see things through to the bitter end.
     
    "Ahoy there! Can I help you?" he shouted down at the man, involuntarily doing a double-take when he saw the steel in the man's eyes.
     
    "Is this ship heading towards the Crusaders?" the man shouted back.
     
    "Indeed it is. We're heading towards St. Simeon, which is the closest port to Antioch."
     
    The man held his gaze for a few moments and then finally came to a decision.
     
    "Would you be willing to take another hand with you?" he asked.
     
    Normally De Lagery would have chase d him away, because his ship was overloaded as it wa s. Yet something about the man's bearing made him hesitate.
     
    "Come on board," he finally shouted. "You'll have to sell your horse though. There's no room for it. But you ’d better do it quickly as we're about to weigh anchor."
     
    Without a moment's hesitation the man led his horse to a nearby stable, conversed with the owner for a few seconds and then returned to the ship without the horse. He quickly scampered up the walkway and held out his hand to the captain.
     
    Taking the man's hand in greeting, De Lagery introduced himself: "Captain De Lagery."
     
    "Lamech."
     
    "Welcome aboard Lamech. I hope you've got your sea boots on because we're going to cut directly across the Mediterranean to