Free Shadows on a Sword by Karleen Bradford

away, but in its place rose a vast emptiness.
    He felt—cheated

S IX
    I n the aftermath of this debacle, Godfrey finally consented to take the oath of allegiance to Alexius. The ceremony was held on Easter Sunday. Godfrey, Baldwin and their leading lords swore to acknowledge the emperor as overlord of the campaign, and to hand over to the Byzantine officials any reconquered land that had previously belonged to the emperor. Theo saw Baldwin’s mouth twist at that pledge, and remembered Emma telling him of Baldwin’s greed. No land would be relinquished by the duke’s brother if he could help it, oath or no oath, Theo thought.
    Following the ceremony, the emperor organized a mammoth celebration. Even though Alexius had been horrified by Godfrey’s attack during Holy Week itself, he showered gifts and money upon the assembled knights, and ended the festivities with a banquet of huge proportions. Then Godfrey and all his troops were transported across the Bosphorus, the narrow stretch of water that separated Constantinople from the lands to the east. They marched on to an encampment at Pelecanum, on the road to Nicomedia. There they would wait for the other crusading armies to catch up with them.
    The weather melted into spring. One fine morning, Amalric and Theo stood together on a rise that danced with scarlet poppies and white and yellow daisies. The long grasses whispered around their legs. In the distance, toward Constantinople, a cloud of dust arose.
    “That will be Bohemond of Taranto,” Amalric announced with satisfaction. “Finally. They say he did not hesitate to give his oath to Alexius, but demanded to be named commander-in-chief of all the imperial forces in Asia.”
    “And did he get his wish?”
    Amalric made a face. “Alexius waffled, what else? Gave him some vague assurances. Bohemond’s brother, Tancred, was more clever. He slipped by Constantinople at night and avoided Alexius altogether. But wait until Raymond arrives. Then we’ll see the fur fly.”
    “Why?” Theo asked. These political wranglings irked him more and more. The crusaders were all sworn to the same cause; why did there need to be so much dissention?
    “Raymond is the count of Toulouse. Connected to the royal houses of Spain, and very full of himself, he is. Lord Godfrey says Raymond is immensely jealous of Bohemond and feels he should be the leader.”
    Theo shrugged his shoulders irritably.
    The powerful Bishop Adhemar of Le Puy was next to arrive with all his forces. Theo had heard many stories about this man. A holy cleric he was, but also a formidable soldier. Theo watched with interest as the bishop rode into the encampment. He sat tall in his saddle at the forefront of his army, helmetless, his iron gray hair flowing to his shoulders. An impressive man, even from this distance. He radiated strength and assurance.
    Raymond sent word that he would join the crusading armies later, as did Robert, duke of Normandy, the final lord for whom they waited.
    “Now,” Amalric exulted, “now we can go!”
    They left by the end of April on a bright and golden day. Loaded down with supplies and equipment, they put all resentments behind them. Nearly a hundred thousand strong now, scarlet crosses of Christ vivid on their chests and shoulders, the crusaders felt their spirits rise, and the mood throughout the ranks was again one of optimism and wild excitement. The heavy, bone-shaking gait of the warhorses was too uncomfortable to bear for long periods of time, so Theo and the other knights rode lighter palfreys. Their grooms and squires, mounted on nags or mules, led the more formidable, heavier animals. Behind them was a special detachment of engineers provided by the emperor Alexius.
    Pennants flew in the brisk spring breezes. There was a smell of fresh earth and a newness to the air. The jangling, clanging sounds of an immense army on the march and all its followers echoed back from the hills on the one side, and over the shining blue