The Day God Wept

The Siege

JULY 14th, 1097

Siege of Jerusalem

"The south siege tower has fallen!"

Edric felt rather than saw the enormous wooden tower fall. The fifty-foot tall tower leaned slowly back, groaning and crackling with the weight of all the men trapped inside, and the fire now licking hungrily across its sides. Despite their best efforts to fire-proof the tower, it seemed the defenders had managed to take it down. As he watched, the massive structure fell backwards away from the looming wall ahead of them in the dark, crashing thunderously to the ground on a section of the Crusaders' own forces. Cries and shouts were cut off abruptly as the timbers crushed at least two dozen men.

All was a mass of confusion and panic around Edric. Chaos reigned supreme. The night was dark, clouds covering the moon. Only the flickering of torches on the wall ahead, and the blazing light of torches amongst the men around him kept him on target. The ocean of soldiers and knights surging around him made it hard for him to remain on his feet. Running to the side, he made for the one remaining siege tower. Raising his large kite shield, he felt a powerful impact, followed by a thud, as an arrow slammed into the surface of his shield. Around him, men screamed and shouted, either hurling war cries and abuse at the defenders on the walls ahead of them, or falling in pain or death. Arrows hailed down on them in clouds. Rocks and boulders were dropped from the walls at any Crusaders who came close enough to the walls to be a problem. Burning bales of hay were occasionally seen flying through the air, only to crash to the ground amidst the attackers, sending men reeling as their hair or tunics caught afire.

"Rally to the north-western siege tower!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Around him, men heard his cry and began to move to their left in groups, making slow progress toward the one remaining siege tower.

Edric ran by a group of two catapults just as they lobbed their payloads at the walls. He heard distant thuds, accompanied by screams and cries, and smiled to himself grimly. Less pagans to deal with, he thought to himself.

He made his way slowly to the tower, receiving the occasional arrow or stone to the shield as he did. As he approached, he realized with excitement that the siege tower was nearing the north-western wall. Seized by a burst of energy, he dashed toward it, the sounds of battle ringing in his ears.

Around the base of the tower, a ring of defenders held up shields and large timbers frames, which collected the brunt of the missiles hurled by the defenders. Rocks, arrows, spears, and firebombs bounced off shields. Occasionally one would find its mark, and a Crusader would fall, screaming in agony. But for any one that fell, another was ready to take his place, all screaming in unison as they moved ever so slowly forward, "God wills it!"

The back of the siege tower, as was tradition, was cut away, and Edric could see multiple stacked floors on top of one another, with ladders leading in between each one. As soon as the tower was close enough, Duke Godfrey would order the knights and Paladins to mount the siege tower. There, they would wait at the top platform, ready to bring it swinging down on top of the wall, creating a bridge.

Duke Godfrey was there now, standing at the base level of the tower. He saw Edric, and the Paladin saw the Duke's arm raise, beckoning him over.

"Many of your Paladin comrades are already climbing the tower, Edric!" he called, as a firebomb exploded just to the right of the tower, throwing debris and dirt in all directions. "You'd best be joining them! Tonight is the night we take back the Holy City, and I won't have you missing out on it!"

Edric grinned beneath his duck bill helm. All men of the Crusade, regardless of rank or status, respected and loved Duke Godfrey. He was a sporty nobleman with an inextinguishable sense of humor. His sharp intelligence was matched, if not exceeded, by his skill with the blade. Godfrey was an excellent tactician and exceptional fighter, with a good head for troop morale. That made him an invaluable leader at this crucial moment. All the hard work of the last few years rested on this pivotal siege. If they succeeded, the Crusaders would retake Jerusalem for the Christian faith, and would show the Muslim pagans that they were not to be trifled with. If they failed, it would be another few years of planning and preparation before another Crusade even began. God's will and desire would before stalled once again.