The tale of a journey that will shape the world for centuries to come... France, 1096. Crowds gather in Sens, Northern France, to hear the Hermit speak. He talks of a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a quest filled with promise for those Christian soldiers who march with him. Sybill knows the perils of the road ahead, but follow it she must. Her husband is a reckless gambler, easily swayed by the Hermit's words. For Odo, the pilgrimage provides the chance to demonstrate his unshakeable piety, while his brother Fulk craves adventure and excitement.Jeanne and Guillemette have been mistreated by the men in their lives and are desperate for this chance of redemption and a brighter future - but for the two women alone on the journey, life on the road will befull of perils... As the lines between love and hate, virtue and sin, good and evil become blurred, each must survive as best they can. Who will live to reach the holy city, and will the sacrifices they make to get there be worth the price they all must pay? The first instalment in a scintillating series on the crusades from a master of the genre!*An updated, amended edition of a previously published title.