While it is very much Guibert’s story, the column as a whole faces one challenge after another, and the people’s attention turns increasingly to the treasure stolen from the sacked city, which now weighs them down as they struggle to make their way along the old road through hostile territory. It is jealously guarded by the mutur. This tension is well captured in the conflicts between the leaders, all very distinct characters with different motives, and in the misery and frustration of the farm workers, tradespeople and religious zealots who now form the majority of this mixed mob. These are conflicts that Guibert finds himself negotiating as the story explores themes of greed, social status, cooperation and the steady descent of moral certainty in the face of violence, betrayal and desperation. As we follow the column down that dark forested road, the story holds us, making us wonder how much of Guibert’s nobility will survive the journey.
