Chapter 93: Ashes and Judgment
May 25, 1180 – Aleppo, Evening, Baldwin IV's Command Pavilion
The torchlight flickered against the oiled canvas walls, casting long shadows over the faces gathered inside Baldwin's command pavilion. The men were silent as the king entered—his gait slower than usual, shoulders stiff, the linen wraps from Brother Thomas hidden beneath a heavy mantle. No one dared remark on it. They stood as one.
"Sit," Baldwin said as he reached the head of the war table. "We've won our battle. Now we prepare for the next."
A scribe unfurled a wide parchment map over the table's surface—Aleppo near the center, the Orontes River winding south, and beyond it the road toward Hama and Homs. Baldwin stood for a moment, surveying it, then nodded once and turned his gaze to the men seated around the table: Raymond of Tripoli's former lieutenants, now sworn to Jerusalem, Balian of Ibelin, Humphrey of Toron, the Grand Masters of the Templars and Hospitallers, and a handful of trusted captains.
"Report," Baldwin said. "What do our losses amount to?"
A young knight—Sir Amalric of Caesarea—rose with a stiff bow, his hand still wrapped from a gash he'd taken in the melee. He held a sheaf of blood-spotted parchment.
"Christian losses stand at three thousand, Sire. Twelve hundred dead. The remainder are wounded, some gravely. The Hospitallers are tending them as best they can. We've burned the infected bandages, applied what salves we could. Brother Thomas's compounds help, but supplies are thin."
Baldwin gave a slight nod. "And the enemy?"
Amalric hesitated. Then, "We count nearly twelve thousand Saracens—killed, wounded, or captured. Our cavalry rode them down for nearly an hour before the sun fell. The left wing collapsed entirely once Bohemond's charge broke their line."
The mention of Bohemond drew a respectful silence. Baldwin allowed it to stretch a moment before speaking again.
"How many prisoners?"
"Between 3,000 and 4,000, Sire. Mostly wounded, a few who surrendered outright after their officers fell. The knights are holding them outside the southern gate. They've eaten through what rations we gave them yesterday. We don't have enough to feed them long."