Daoud shook his head, smiling. How kind this man was, but how sadly misguided.
"Saved? Of course I am saved. When a warrior dies fighting in defense of the faith, God welcomes him with open arms into paradise. I do ask your blessing. You are a holy man. And I ask your forgiveness for throwing you down those stairs."
"That was you!" De Gobignon's eyes widened.
"Of course. I wish I could tell you all the things I have done, good and bad. I have had a life of many miracles."
De Gobignon's face hardened. "You killed Alain."
Daoud hoped the realization would not turn de Gobignon against him. Sophia's life might depend on the count's forgiving him.
"Have I not admitted that I waged secret war on you in Orvieto? Yes, I killed your friend. I later was sorry I had done it, but he could have exposed me. I hurt Friar Mathieu. But I could not kill—a priest. All the things that thwarted you in Orvieto—they were my doing."
"I hate you for those things. For Alain especially."
"The princes of Europe and the Tartars would put countless men, women, and children to the sword. They still may do it. That is what I came here to fight against. To save my people."
De Gobignon shook his head. "How can you feel they are your people? You were not born a Muslim."