_But what a waste. I will kill him, the other Franks will kill me, and both of us will be dead. All loss. No gain._ The sun hurt his eyes. It was low in the west, almost touching the hills that bounded the valley of Benevento. _Even if I spare him, the Franks will not let me live. For what I have been, for what I have done to them, they will burn me, as de Verceuil said, or worse. Could I trade Simon's life for a decent death for myself?_ He opened his mouth to speak. A crushing blow to his chest jolted his body, throwing him back. He heard the clang of metal punching through his chest armor. An instant later a thunderbolt of pain struck just beneath his ribs and spread through his body. He cried out in agony. Somewhere nearby a woman's voice screamed. He sank to his knees, dazed. _What happened to me?_ He still had his sword in his hand. In his blurred vision he saw de Gobignon, his mouth open in surprise, sitting up, crawling toward him. Warningly, he raised his saif, but the terrible pain in the middle of his body drained the strength from his hand, and the sword fell from his fingers to the ground. _God help me. I have been arrow-shot. I am going to die._ Fear worse than he had ever felt turned his body to ice. So total was its power over him that the fear became a greater enemy than death itself, and he gathered his forces to put it down. After a moment of struggle, though he still quaked inwardly, he began to take command of himself. De Gobignon was looking down at him, and his face was full of shock and grief. Someone else was standing over him. He saw a pair of leather leggings tucked into heavy boots, archer's dress. His head fell back, and he was looking up at Sordello. The bravo squatted down, bringing his face close to Daoud's. "I am glad to see you still alive, Messer David," he said in a soft, grating voice. "So I can tell you that this repays you for teaching me about paradise." The pain felt as if rats had burrowed into his chest and were eating their way out. He wanted to scream, but he managed to smile. "Thank you, Sordello. You are sending me to the true paradise." There was justice in it. He had forced Sordello to undergo the Hashishiyya initiation. He had always felt that an evil thing to do. Now he was repaid. Just as Sordello said. _But when I die, God will welcome me._ A hand clamped on Sordello's shoulder and jerked him away. "You filthy, stinking, cowardly bastard! You killed the best man on this field." Daoud could not see Sordello, but he could picture the expression that went with the injured tone. "Your Signory! I save your life and you call me a bastard? The point of his sword right at your eyeball?" "He was not going to kill me. I could see it in his face."