Shadows on a Sword Read Online Free PDF

been carrying to hold the game, and bound it firmly in place over the wound. Their own grooms, who had been holding their horses in the clearing behind them, came to their aid. Theo helped Amalric to mount.
    “We’ll get you back to camp,” he said. Then, with a sudden mischievous look on his face, he turned to his groom.
    “William,” he said, “see that the boar is dressed and send it to Guy of Lorraine with my compliments.”
    Amalric snorted, almost laughing in spite of the pain. “Not a wise thing to do, my friend,” he said.
    Theo grinned.
    By the end of November, they had reached Semlin. Godfrey had kept order; there had been no trouble. The knights and men of Godfrey’s army knew very well that his were not empty threats. Thanks to King Coloman, food and supplies were plentiful, and this generosity helped to offset the resentment his troops caused. Still, Theo and Amalric, whose wound had healed well, hunted in the evenings—for the sport and companionship as well as for the food. Amalric had never actually brought himself to thank Theo for saving his life, but there was a respect in his manner now that made Theo feel he was safe from further teasing or humiliation. He still did not speak of Emma, though. The feelings he had for her were too private to share, even with Amalric. Besides, he had not yet figured out exactly what those feelings were. There would be time enough when he saw her again to try to make sense of them. Amalric, for his part, seemed to have forgotten Baldwin and his entourage entirely.
    Theo made a point of keeping out of Guy’s way. Guy, in turn, seemed no more inclined to meet Theo. He had never acknowledged the gift of the boar, but Theo doubted that he had eaten it. Thrown it to the dogs, more likely.
    They were on the Byzantine frontier now. As soon as they crossed the Save River, they would be out of Hungary, and the hostages would be returned. News had it that Baldwin and all his family were well taken care of, but the knot of unease in Theo’s mind still did not loosen. It would only unravel when Emma was free and he could see her again.
    Late in the afternoon of their last day in Hungary, Amalric suddenly appeared at Theo’s tent. William had just set flint to tinder to start the cookfire to boil the evening stew.
    “Don’t bother with that,” Amalric cried out to Theo as he strode onto the campsite. “I’ve heard there’s a tavern in town that serves a wondrous ale and stew. I shall treat you to a feast.”
    Theo hesitated for only a moment. The turnips and bit of meat in his pot suddenly looked much less appetizing. Besides, he had not yet had a chance to go into the town, although men had been allowed in, in small groups.
    “Done,” he agreed. “This stew is all yours, William.” He sprang to his feet to accompany Amalric.
    As they approached the town of Semlin, Theo looked up at the walls. Here, the arms and clothing of sixteen of Walter Sans-Avoir’s men, who had robbed a bazaar, had been hung as a warning to Peter the Hermit’s troops. The men had been driven out of the city, naked. It had been a futile warning. The story had been told all over camp before the crusaders had even reached Hungary: how it had only inflamed Peter’s followers, and how a dispute over a pair of shoes had escalated into a riot. Peter’s men had pillaged the city, leaving four thousand dead. Peter had only managed to save his army by beating a hasty retreat over the Save River, out of the Hungarian kingdom. It was no puzzle why King Coloman had been hesitant to let this new wave of crusaders through.
    “I wonder that we would be welcome anywhere within those walls,” Theo said.
    “A man with money to spend is welcome anywhere,” Amalric answered. “The widow who runs the tavern is a friendly sort, they say, and harbors no grudge as long as her customers pay their bills and keep the peace. Besides, she suffered no harm from the crusaders before us. She will make us welcome, be