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Page 416
her as if he wanted to bury his head or hide it. "I am hardened in war, Alinor. I have taken keeps and put the defenders to the sword. I have raped and looted. I have myself hung hostages as a lessoning to those who break treaty, butbut three thousand? Three thousand, chained, slaughtered like a herd of pigs? It was rightly done and fairly. We could not leave them behind. So many were dangerous. And it soon became plain that Saladin had no intention of fulfilling the terms he had made. He was using the hostages to delay us from beginning an attack on his other strongholds. But three thousand? The menour menwere wetted with blood to the middle of their calves."
Alinor bent and kissed Simon's hair and his temple. If the King had put Simon to such work, she would never forgive him. He should have known that this man was not a butcher. What now to do or say to comfort him? She could think of nothing except to keep him talking.
"My heart, light of my eyes, how did you come to be all bloodied?"
"They fell upon us when the men began their work."
"Who?"
"The Saracens had gathered in the hills above to laugh at us for being dupes, for performing our part of the bargain twice and thrice over while they had no intent to satisfy us." He pulled a little away from Alinor to look up at her, his eyes angry instead of dead. "As I said, they hoped to delay and delay, keeping us at the place of meeting while they built up their forces. When they saw that we would hold the hostages no longer, no matter what excuses and fine gifts were sent, they purposed to win their pledge free from us by battleanother violation of the truce. Well, I do not blame them altogether for that. However wrong they were in failing to keep their pact, it is not so easy to sit and see your countrymen butchered."
"You fought the attackers?"

 
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