HIS VISOR WAS UP, a cold expression on his scarred face. I fastened on the hard-set eyes of Black Cross, the man I hated more than any other in this world.
Twice what, innkeeper?
Twice I have to rid the world of the scum who killed my wife and child.
I rushed toward him, hurtling my sword at his neck.
The Tafur put his visor down and stood his ground, pinning back my strongest thrust with ease. I hacked2 at him again and again. Each time he parried my blade.
You have caused meshame , Black Cross said. Through his visor's narrow slits3 I could see his pupils darting4 from side to side.
With a ferocious5 howl, he leaped and swung his blade down on me with the power of a mangonel. I darted6 backward, the wind from his blade only inches from my face.
The Tafur did not even stop to regain7 his breath. He swung again, backhanded, aiming to slice through my legs. The mighty8 force of his blow almost drove my own blade into my thigh9.
Slowly I forced his blade upward, but it took all of my strength. I felt like a boy straining against the power of a fully10 grown man.
You are every bit the fool your reputation speaks. Black Cross chuffed. When I kill you, Stephen will take the lanceand the lives of your men. Your severed11 head will be at the foot of your whore's bed.
He sliced at me again, each blow harder to fend12 off. I darted to the left, trying to catch my breath. Only my speed prevented me from being cut in half. But my quickness was waning13. I couldn't beat Black Cross, I realized.
He butted14 me, helmet into my forehead. I staggered back, the crash reverberating15 through my skull16. The breath was heavy in my chest. A voice inside me pleaded,Please ,God , show me the way.
The Tafur pressed closer and I stumbled, trying to scamper17 away. I crawled along the bank of the river, knowing my death was only seconds away. Stephen would end up with the holy lance after all.
Black Cross stood in front of me. There was no escaping him now. He put up his visor and let me see his awful, scarred face.
He sniffed18. Your soul is already lost. I only do God's dirty work by delivering your corpse19 to Him.
For a moment I blinked, disoriented, the sun glinting off his armor. I felt in another place, Antioch, staring up at the Turk, sucking in the last, precious breaths of my life.
Once again, the craziest urge took hold of me.
I began to laugh. I did not know at what. That I had come full circle, back to the moment of my death? That despite all my hope, life in the duchy would remain as it was? That I would die in the patchwork20 clothing of a fool?
Something crazy had come into my head. A line from a stupid joke. I don't know why it seemed funny to me, but I could not help myself. I was a fool, wasn't I?
It sure is deep, I said. Then I started to laugh again, twisting up my legs and rolling on my side.
You die witless, jester. Tell me, what image is so funny that you will carry it to your grave?
Oldest joke in the book. I caught my breath. I did not know if it was cunning or total lunacy that was in control. Two men pissing off a bridge. Each trying to prove to the other who's bigger. One rolls out his pecker.`Bbrrr...this water's cold,' he says. `Yeah,' goes the other, `and it sure isdeep.'
Black Cross looked blank, not understanding. He stood on the bank of the river, ready to dispatch me to Hell.
It sure is deep, I said again, this time a renewed certainty in my voice.
It was only a flash, but I was sure I saw on his face the subtle recognition thatall was not what it seemed , that he had misjudged something.
Before he could figure it out, I kicked my legs and struck him squarely in the midsection. The blow sent him stumbling to the very edge of the riverbank.
Black Cross struggled to keep his balance. And he did! He smiled disdainfully, as if to say, You little man. That's all you have?
Then his boots could not hold the ground. He teetered, his armor dragging him backward. And still his look was not of peril21 but merely annoyance22.Little man , little problems.
But then he began to fall. A clang of metal the armor dragging him, picking up speed like a boulder23 until he rolled, grasping at rocks and weeds, all the way down the embankment and tumbled into the river.
He slid under the surface. I am certain that what flashed through his mind was that he would pick himself up and climb back and finish me off. Moments passed. I could not believe what was happening myself. The Tafurdid not rise. A gloved hand broke the surface and thrashed in the air, struggling for something to grasp on to.
More time passed. Air bubbles rose to the surface. His glove flailed24 back and forth25. But the Tafur never rose again. Black Cross was done, drowned, dead.
I forced myself to crawl over to the edge of the embankment. The fighting had wound down. Stephen's men were kneeling, groaning26, hands in the air. Some of our men were beginning to cheer, hoisting27 their swords above their heads.
Then they were all cheering, jubilant faces reflecting the same incredible thing. We had won! Stephen was defeated. We had actually won!
All around, people came rushing up to me. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Finally, tears bit at my eyes, tears of joy and exhaustion28. People shouted my name as if I were a hero.
I reached behind me for the holy lance. With whatever strength was left in my body, I thrust it high into the air.
Toward Heaven.
1 spat | |
n.口角,掌击;v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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2 hacked | |
生气 | |
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3 slits | |
n.狭长的口子,裂缝( slit的名词复数 )v.切开,撕开( slit的第三人称单数 );在…上开狭长口子 | |
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4 darting | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的现在分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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5 ferocious | |
adj.凶猛的,残暴的,极度的,十分强烈的 | |
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6 darted | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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7 regain | |
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复 | |
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8 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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9 thigh | |
n.大腿;股骨 | |
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10 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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11 severed | |
v.切断,断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 );断,裂 | |
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12 fend | |
v.照料(自己),(自己)谋生,挡开,避开 | |
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13 waning | |
adj.(月亮)渐亏的,逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 );(月)亏;变小;变暗淡 | |
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14 butted | |
对接的 | |
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15 reverberating | |
回响,回荡( reverberate的现在分词 ); 使反响,使回荡,使反射 | |
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16 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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17 scamper | |
v.奔跑,快跑 | |
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18 sniffed | |
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 | |
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19 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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20 patchwork | |
n.混杂物;拼缝物 | |
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21 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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22 annoyance | |
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼 | |
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23 boulder | |
n.巨砾;卵石,圆石 | |
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24 flailed | |
v.鞭打( flail的过去式和过去分词 );用连枷脱粒;(臂或腿)无法控制地乱动;扫雷坦克 | |
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25 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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26 groaning | |
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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27 hoisting | |
起重,提升 | |
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28 exhaustion | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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