Crusade (85 page)
Authors: Unknown
“I will,” breathed the young man.
“Then prove it!” snapped the figure, whipping back the cowl and dropping to a crouch before the young man, who recoiled from the grinning skull that was revealed, the candles on the floor up-lighting it, making the bone that much yellower and the huge, hollow eye sockets that much blacker.
Even though he knew it was just a mask, even though he caught a glimpse of dark human eyes through the sockets of the skull, his terror didn’t dissipate, and when a small gold cross was drawn from the folds of the fish-scale cloak and held in front of him, his heart seemed fit to explode in his chest.
“Spit on it.”
“W ... what?”
“Denounce its power over you. Prove you are loyal to me alone, that you speak as one with your brothers.”
The young man’s eyes darted left and right as the men moved out of the shadows. They too wore masks; blood red with the image of a white stag’s head painted on the front of each.
“Spit!” came the command again.
Feeling the men crowding in around him, blocking out the frail candlelight, the young man leaned forward over the proffered cross. He collected saliva in his dry mouth with difficulty. Closing his eyes, he spat.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre, The Kingdom of Jerusalem 28 SEPTEMBER ...
Chapter 2 - The Genoese Quarter, Acre 13 JANUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 3 - The Citadel, Cairo 17 JANUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 4 - The Temple, Acre 17 JANUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 5 - The Docks, Acre 17 JANUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 6 - The Temple, Acre 17 JANUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 7 - AL-Bira, Northern Syria 26 FEBRUARY A.D. 1276
Chapter 8 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre 12 MARCH A.D. 1276
Chapter 9 - The Citadel, Cairo 12 MARCH A.D. 1276
Chapter 10 - The Genoese Quarter, Acre 12 MARCH A.D. 1276
Chapter 11 - The Genoese Quarter, Acre 12 MARCH A.D. 1276
Chapter 12 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre 16 MARCH A.D. 1276
Chapter 13 - The Docks, Acre 15 APRIL A.D. 1276
Chapter 14 - Kabul, The Kingdom of Jerusalem 15 APRIL A.D. 1276
Chapter 15 - The Venetian Market, Acre 14 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 16 - The Citadel, Cairo 25 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 17 - The Pisan Quarter, Acre 26 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 18 - The Citadel, Cairo 26 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 19 - Assassins’ Stronghold, Northern Syria 26 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 20 - The Street of St. Anne, Acre 27 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 21 - The Royal Palace, Acre 27 MAY A.D. 1276
Chapter 22 - Fustat-Misr, Cairo 17 JUNE A.D. 1276
Chapter 23 - The Temple, Acre 8 JULY A.D. 1276
Chapter 24 - The Royal Palace, Acre 17 FEBRUARY A.D. 1277
Chapter 25 - The Docks, Acre 25 FEBRUARY A.D. 1277
Chapter 26 - The Royal Palace, Acre 26 FEBRUARY A.D. 1277
Chapter 27 - The Plain of Albistan, Anatolia 15 APRIL A.D. 1277
Chapter 28 - The Road Outside Mecca, Arabia 15 APRIL A.D. 1277
Chapter 29 - Damascus, Syria 9 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 30 - The Temple, Acre 14 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 31 - The Temple, Acre 14 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 32 - The Citadel, Damascus 17 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 33 - The Citadel, Damascus 17 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 34 - The Road from Damascus, Syria 17 JUNE A.D. 1277
Chapter 35 - The Temple, Acre 10 JULY A.D. 1277
Chapter 36 - Outside Bordeaux, The Kingdom of France 24 APRIL A.D. 1288
Chapter 37 - The Citadel, Cairo 31 AUGUST A.D. 1288
Chapter 38 - The Sands, Acre 20 OCTOBER A.D. 1288
Chapter 39 - The Docks, Acre 13 NOVEMBER A.D. 1288
Chapter 40 - The Citadel, Cairo 14 NOVEMBER A.D. 1288
Chapter 41 - Tripoli, The County of Tripoli 1 APRIL A.D. 1289
Chapter 42 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre 20 AUGUST A.D. 1290
Chapter 43 - The Citadel, Cairo 7 SEPTEMBER A.D. 1290
Chapter 44 - The Citadel, Cairo 20 OCTOBER A.D. 1290
Chapter 45 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre 30 MARCH A.D. 1291
Chapter 46 - The Docks, Acre 18 MAY A.D. 1291
Chapter 47 - The Venetian Quarter, Acre 18 MAY A.D. 1291
