The reluctant lord stood clutching the document, but made no move to unfold it. Instead, he looked helplessly to Stephen.

'As it happens, Lord Emperor,' Count Blois began hesitantly, 'I was meaning to suggest that Lord Raymond should be allowed to pledge an oath of his own devising.'

Alexius stared at the two noblemen. Was there no end to their impudence? At last, he said, 'We should have you bound in chains and dropped in the Bosphorus, except that we are curious to know why you think Raymond should be allowed this singular distinction -his voice rose as he spoke, 'when all the other lords, including yourself, have seen the wisdom of compliance. Illuminate us if you can.'

Stephen shifted uneasily on his feet. 'The suggestion arises out of the unique position which Lord Raymond enjoys as leader of the pilgrimage. If I may speak for him, it is that he feels placing himself under loyalty to the emperor would be an abrogation of the fealty already sworn before the papal throne.'

'So we have heard.' Alexius waved the objection aside with an impatient flick of his hand.

'Therefore,' Stephen continued hurriedly, 'I have proposed to Count Toulouse that he make the pledge his countrymen use when affirming their devotion to an acknowledged superior.'

The Emperor of All Christendom, Elite of the Elect, and Equal of the Apostles, frowned as he contemplated his choices. If he sent the bothersome lord away, he would only make more trouble for the empire – more than two thousand citizens had been inadvertently killed on the march already, before the Pecheneg escort put a stop to it. On the other hand, if Raymond and his rabble were allowed to resume the pilgrimage, the problem might go away-at least for a time, and perhaps forever, if the Seljuqs defeated them, which in all likelihood they would.

If, by a miracle, the crusaders should emerge victorious, the cost of exterminating the Seljuq pestilence would have been well worth the price-although, Alexius concluded gloomily, the more he saw of the pilgrims passing through his realm, that miracle seemed ever more remote. So far, it appeared he was merely making the best of an increasingly poor bargain.

The emperor regarded the tall, gaunt nobleman before him. Hard-eyed, his jaw set, doubtless he had never willingly surrendered anything to anyone in all his life and was not about to begin now. Thus, Stephen's suggestion represented the best offer Alexius would receive from the proud and principled Count of Toulouse and Provence. With an air of weary resignation, he wisely accepted. 'What is this oath of his countrymen?' Alexius asked, wanting nothing more than to see the backs of the pilgrims once and for all.

'Allow me, Lord Emperor,' Raymond interrupted, and began to speak out a wordy vow which amounted to a promise to honour the emperor, respecting his life and rank, never maligning him, nor causing him to come to injury or harm, whether in word or deed, through any action, or inaction, on doughty Lord Raymond's part.

'Do you also pledge to honour the interests of the emperor in all matters pertaining to the recovery of lands, properties, treasures, and relics belonging to the empire?' demanded Alexius when the lord had finished.

'This I also pledge,' answered Raymond solemnly.

'And do you make this vow in fear of forfeiting your soul's eternal happiness, should you fail to discharge it faithfully?'

Bishop Adhemar opened his mouth to object, but Stephen wisely prevented him, grasping the disagreeable cleric by the arm and squeezing hard.

'I do so right and well, Lord Emperor,' answered Raymond readily, and without guile.

'Then we accept your vow in place of the oath which all other Christian noblemen have sworn,' the emperor said, unable to keep the reprimand to himself. 'Go now and assemble your troops. The commander of the fleet will be informed to begin the transport of your armies. The charge will be assessed at a cost of twenty marks a day for each ship required; this you will repay to the imperial treasury. Further, we will assemble a company of Immortals under the command of Taticius, who will serve as our emissary to offer counsel and look after our interests in our absence. You are to treat our envoy as you would the emperor himself. Do you understand?'

'Perfectly, Lord Emperor,' answered Raymond, much relieved to have settled the matter satisfactorily.

'Then we wish you God's speed, and swift victory over our common adversaries,' Alexius said. 'My lords, we commend you to your course.'

'Pax Vobiscum,' replied the western lords.

Before they stepped away from the throne, the emperor said, 'May we offer you a word of friendly warning?'

'Of course, Lord Emperor,' replied Stephen happily. 'Your instruction would be most welcome.'

'The Seljuqs are formidable, and they are fearless,' Alexius said, becoming the wily commander once again. 'They fight on horseback using the bow; they will harry you all day with feints and charges, seeking to wear down your numbers with their incessant arrows. Yet, they will not stand to battle. Do not mistake this for cowardice; it is nothing of the kind. Rather, it is their nature.

'We advise you, therefore, that when you are attacked you must close on them at once. Make them fight. Most likely, they will retreat, rather than meet you face to face. Should they flee, you must not give chase; their horses are faster than yours and they will easily outdistance you. Under no circumstance must you allow your mounted soldiers to become separated from those on foot. The Arab races are skilled horsemen, and can regroup in the twinkling of an eye. They like nothing better than turning on their pursuers, and taking them unawares, or circling back to attack the unguarded infantry. The same can be said of ambush and treachery.'

He watched the lords and saw that his words were having little effect on the two before him, so he concluded, saying, 'We beg you to remember, it is not courage which will win against the Seljuq, it is cunning.'

A sneer of disdain appeared on Raymond's face. 'We have heard your counsel, and thank you for it. But with all respect, Lord Emperor,' he replied, 'the Saracen will soon learn to fear crusader steel. With God and truth on our side, we have no need of cunning.'

'Then go with God, my friends.' The emperor dismissed them, and watched as they backed away from the throne. When the two had gone, Alexius turned to his kinsman, and said, 'What do you think, cousin?'

'I think the imperial treasury will soon flow with pilgrim gold,' Dalassenus replied. 'But why send the troop ships away, only to return them at hire? I cannot think you did it to save the cost of transport.'

'That?' wondered Alexius with mild surprise. 'I merely wished to teach them something about power, and their dependence on the empire. Whether they like it or not, they need us if they are to successfully achieve their conquest of Jerusalem.'

'I see,' answered the commander. 'I was thinking you had a different reason: that the gold was better given to you now, than plundered by the Seljuq later.'

'You hold their chances as poor as that, do you?'

'I am being optimistic, Basileus,' the commander assured him. 'How they have made it this far is a mystery to me. But, from what I have seen of the Seljuqs, I know these pilgrims will never set foot in Jerusalem. As you have said, if courage alone had sufficed, we would have conquered them long ago.'

Alexius, brooding now, folded his hands beneath his chin and stared before him, as if into a dark and frightening future.

'These men – these commanders know nothing of what awaits them. They do not know the land; they have no idea of distances or terrain. They lack all understanding of the Arab-none of them have even seen a Seljuq, let alone fought an amir's army. To say that they will never see Jerusalem is, I think, no more than a realistic assessment. Taking all they lack in knowledge and provision, I believe most will never even see Antioch.'