‘What really happened was that the party had met up and then Riwanon and Budic had returned with their stories. Meanwhile, the two warriors and Ceingar had joined the others and even attacked a farmstead, killing a farmer and his family.
‘Bleidbara and Boric, and Boric is a first-class tracker, could find no signs of any attack along the forest track where it was said to have happened. Nor could Boric find tracks of Riwanon and Budic’s horses fleeing back to Brilhag, hotly pursued in the manner that had been claimed. Bleidbara and his men — Eadulf was with them — came across the camp of the raiders and Ceingar, the maid.’
‘They arrived there as Ceingar was being raped,’ Riwanon reminded her.
‘Indeed, they did. Either Ceingar’s lover was among these raiders or else she was a young lady of loose morals. From what Eadulf told me, she was not protesting against the man’s amorous attentions. When she was returned to Brilhag, she was scared. In her hysteria the truth might have come out, but she was sent to her chamber before I could question her.
‘Iuna realised the arrival of King Alain was imminent and nothing must go wrong with the plan. Perhaps even Budic gave the order. Ceingar had to be silenced. Iuna had already killed Maelcar and had no compunction about doing the same to Ceingar. Iuna is a cold-blooded killer.’
‘Then why didn’t she kill me then?’ demanded Trifina. ‘Why did she simply kidnap me after she had killed Ceingar?’
‘You were needed alive for the time being to mislead everyone into believing the Dove of Death was definitely a member of the house of Brilhag. King Alain was due to arrive: the conspiracy was about to come to fruition. Iuna and one of her followers from the Koulm ar Maro took you bound and gagged from your chamber down to a boat in the harbour. You were taken to The Barnacle Goose where you were placed as a prisoner, but were well treated and given free range of the captain’s cabin. They needed to keep you in good health for when Budic made his accusation against the house of Brilhag.’
Bleidbara was clearly chastened and his face reddened as he realised that his suspicions about Trifina had not been justified.
‘Iuna then returned to the fortress, perhaps to establish her own alibi. Budic was about to make his bid for power but Iuna, having set up the circumstances, was no longer needed. She had been useful to him and he had used her ambition to help his own cause. However, he also knew the dangers of that ambition and was determined that Iuna should never be his Queen. Indeed, while he had probably made all sorts of promises to her, such an outcome had never been his intention.
‘His plan for her was quite horrible. On her return, after Trifina was abducted, he went to her room. Whether by guile or by force, he got her to eat mushrooms which contained a Death Cap fungus. Once prepared, it is hard to spot the differences in fungi, so perhaps it was by guile. Budic did not count on the fact that Trifina, aware that the Koulm ar Maro was trying to discredit Brilhag, had an able spy watching. That was Iarnbud.’
‘How much more of this rubbish do I have to listen to?’ Budic demanded, the smile now gone from his features.
‘Iarnbud came ashore at Govihan alive and managed to tell us the story. He took Iuna from her chamber and carried her to his boat. His aim was to find Heraclius, Trifina’s apothecary, as he knew that he might be the only one with the skills to find an antidote for her.’
‘And did he?’ enquired Lord Canao quietly. The great hall of Brilhag had fallen silent since Fidelma had begun her summary.
‘A guard unfortunately saw Iarnbud as he carried Iuna to his boat. When challenged, he did not stop and therefore was shot at. An arrow found its mark but Iarnbud managed to get his boat out of the harbour. Unfortunately he was too weak — maybe he had passed out — and was unable to sail directly to Govihan. It was not until late the next day that he made landfall there, came ashore, told us the tale and then died.’
‘So everything you have to say is pure conjecture,’ observed the bretat Kaourentin, feeling it was about time he tried to take charge of the situation. ‘You have no witnesses.’
‘I am not given to making conjectures without means of supporting them,’ replied Fidelma in a dangerously soft tone.
‘Then where are your witnesses? Where is the evidence to-?’
Budic interrupted the bretat, full of arrogance again.
‘Let her explain why I would poison Iuna if, as you say, she had helped me in this ridiculous plot and was my mistress? Your argument is full of flaws. You are better suited to take your place among the bards and storytellers, Sister Fidelma, than to plead before a court of law.’
‘You wanted to be rid of Iuna so that, after King Alain’s death, you could marry your real mistress, whose union with you would enhance your image when you claimed the kingship.’
‘And do you name her?’ demanded King Alain, in a terrible voice. It was now self-evident to most people where her logic led and whom she would name.
Fidelma raised her eyes to those of Riwanon.
‘You are Budic’s mistress, lady. It was a matter that puzzled me greatly. Why were you so keen to give me, a foreigner with a poor knowledge of your language, the responsibility of investigating the murder of Abbot Maelcar? With the murder committed under the same roof as where you were staying, as Queen, you had to be seen to be doing something. It would have otherwise been suspicious. Obviously, you did not expect me, with the disadvantages I have mentioned, to discover anything at all.’
Riwanon’s jaw was thrust out defiantly but it was Budic who replied with a laugh.
‘So where is your proof? Iarnbud died on the shore of Govihan — should we take the word of a dead man? This Taran of Pou-Kaer, the captain of the Koulm ar Maro, is at the bottom of Morbihan. The few survivors cannot identify the Dove of Death. So who else will support your fantasy?’
Fidelma turned towards him.
‘You forget that Iarnbud had brought Iuna with him to find Heraclius the apothecary so that he might administer an antidote to the poison. Iuna was alive when she was brought ashore on Govihan.’
For a moment there was a deathly silence in the great hall, broken only by the crackle of flames from the fire.
Then Budic sprang up; his chair went over backwards and his sword appeared in his hand as if conjured there from nothing. With a terrible cry of rage, he leaped towards his shocked father. As quick as Budic was, Bleidbara was faster — for his dagger flew swiftly from his hand and embedded itself in Budic’s sword wrist. The weapon dropped as he gave a scream of pain. Then the King’s bodyguard came forward to restrain him. Another guard appeared quickly at the side of Riwanon. She had slumped in her chair, pale and shaking.
King Alain rose unsteadily.
‘My son is condemned by his own actions.’ His voice was thick with emotion. He glanced down at the bretat Kaourentin. ‘I think the accusation against Macliau, son of Lord Canao, can now be dismissed. My son Budic will be punished under our laws for all the crimes he has committed against me and against my peoples.’ He turned to Riwanon. ‘Do you have anything to add to what we have heard?’
There was an imperceptible shake of the woman’s head and a suppressed sob.
‘Then know that you, too, must face the consequences for your part in this conspiracy.’ King Alain turned his back on her.
After the guards had taken them away, King Alain addressed Fidelma, his face still bearing the marks of shock and sorrow.
‘I am grateful to you, Fidelma of Hibernia. Thankfully, Iuna has survived to bear witness against my son, otherwise he might have continued to feign his innocence.’
Fidelma answered with a sad smile.
‘I am afraid that I was being frugal with the facts,’ she said in a tired voice. ‘It is true that Iuna was alive when we brought her ashore in Govihan and Heraclius administered to her. But she was unable to speak and, indeed, she died befores he could say anything to confess her guilt or to implicate Budic in her death. It was merely logical deduction that ensnared Budic and Riwanon. Their guilt produce
d their own confessions.’
King Alain gazed long and hard at her. For a moment he plucked at his lower lip. Then he sighed deeply.
‘You are an ingenious woman, Fidelma of Hibernia. Riwanon’s greatest mistake was in underestimating your ability and thinking you would be handicapped by a lack of knowledge of our language.’
Fidelma bowed slightly, a motion with her head only.
‘I was always taught vincit omnia veritas — truth conquers all things.’
Epilogue
All sails set, the Barnacle Goose was leaning into the wind, with the hum of the breeze in her rigging and the soft groaning of her wooden spars. Ribbons of cream-cap-waves spread from her plunging bow and trailed out at angles from either side of the large wooden vessel. It seemed odd to be back on the ship again. Everything seemed so familiar to Fidelma and Eadulf and yet, at the same time, so strangely alien. Instead of Murchad and Gulvan at the helm, there was the lean, fair-haired figure of Hoel the Briton. He stood easily balanced, with feet wide apart, his chin thrust forward into the gusting air, his keen eyes on the sails, noting every movement of the wind and adjusting the tiller accordingly.
Fidelma knew and trusted him as a capable seaman. She had no concern that the passage home would be anything but safe in his able hands. But the strangeness was due to the fact that she had been so used to Murchad’s predictable mannerisms and Gulvan’s stoic responses. They had been such an integral part of the ship, as much a part of it as the carved figure of the goose at her bows or the tall oak masts or beams. It was just hard to imagine that the Barnacle Goose could ever sail without them.
Yet everything else was the same. Or was it? Wenbrit seemed quieter, older, somehow not the same carefree child that he had once been, running eagerly to do her bidding. He had become — what was the word that she was looking for? — mature. That was it. He had become mature. And even Luchtigern, the Mouse Lord, the black cat that had been such an essential feature of the life on shipboard, had become more reclusive, preferring to stay in the dark shadows of the vessel rather than venturing out into the sunlight. Hoel too seemed taciturn and had taken refuge in his task of captain.
Once, the ship had been manned with a light-hearted quality among the crew. Sadly, there was no longer the occasional jest among them, the bluff, good-natured ripostes. All the crew had been marked by their recent experiences.
Fidelma leaned against the taffrail and stared solemnly at the receding headlands that marked the dangerous entrance to Morbihan. At her side, Eadulf seemed to read her mind.
‘I shan’t be sorry to see the last of that place,’ he said tightly.
‘It will be good to sight the coast of Muman again,’ she agreed. ‘Even better to see Cashel rising before us and to embrace our little Alchú again.’ She suddenly gave a deep sigh. ‘But there is also regret at leaving Brilhag. Travelling and meeting people, getting to know them, surely enhance one’s experiences in life? Yet establishing such friendships also makes parting a sad experience when the time comes that we must travel on. Leaving such new friends behind is always a matter of regret. I hope things work out with Trifina and Bleidbara.’
‘I am sure they will. Bleidbara’s suspicion was natural. She will forgive him.’
‘But he should have had more trust in her if he truly loved her,’ Fidelma objected.
‘It’s hard to say. He is a man much concerned with duty. With some people, duty is often paramount rather than obedience to the heart.’
Fidelma looked at him closely, wondering if there was a hidden meaning somewhere.
‘It seems that Brother Metellus will come well out of this,’ went on Eadulf, apparently oblivious of her glance. ‘He now stands to be elected Abbot of the community of Gildas. That was something he never expected.’
‘And, perhaps, never wanted. Also, this adventure might be a means of making a man of Macliau.’
‘Perhaps.’ Eadulf did not seem sure. ‘I gather he has left Brilhag to study poetry and music and, in that, he will have plenty of opportunity to pursue his libertine existence.’
‘He was shocked by what occurred. He told me that he feels the need to redeem himself. I hope he succeeds.’
Eadulf sighed, then admitted, ‘Well, I am quite happy to leave behind some of our new friends. Unfortunately, we always seem to get acquainted with the bad people of the world.’ He glanced at her. ‘I know, I know. It is your task in life to seek out the wrongdoer and secure their punishment. So it is inevitable that we must encounter such people as Iuna — the Dove of Death.’ He shivered suddenly. ‘Such evil in a woman and in one so young.’ Then he said awkwardly to Fidelma, ‘Tell me, when you embarked on outlining the case against Budic and Riwanon, did you really do so knowing that you could not prove anything conclusively? That it was mostly circumstantial evidence?’
‘You will find in the Law of the Fénechus that indirect evidence can be used to argue before a Brehon. You can present this circumstantial evidence, and if the accused has a physical reaction to the evidence, whether he may tremble, blush, turn pale, develop a dry throat or display any other symptoms of nervousness, then the suspicion of guilt is strong.’
‘But not conclusive. Anyway, that may be so in Hibernia but what if Budic had not confessed?’
Fidelma smiled thinly, saying, ‘I am a lawyer and have to use the tools that the law allows me. In these circumstances, my strategy worked.’ She turned to regard Eadulf with her brows drawn together. ‘I thought that the law was also the task you were born to,’ she reproved softly. ‘You were a gerefa, a magistrate of your people. You had to dispense the law among them. Remember that was how we first met? It was because you were a gerefa of your people and I a dálaigh of mine that we were brought together in Hilda’s abbey.’
‘I abandoned being a gerefa when your countryman, Fursa, converted me to the Faith and I went to study in Tuam Brecain. I am a member of the religious now.’
She hesitated, wondering whether Eadulf was implying a censure for, technically, she too was a religious. But she would always describe herself as an advocate of the laws of her country first. Indeed, that had been her inward struggle for many years. She had never ceased to ask herself whether she should give up the symbols of religious life. That would not be difficult for her, as she had never really been committed to them. She decided to ignore his remark and return to her previous point.
‘Remember, in these travels, we meet not only the bad but also the good. We see not only the guilty but also the innocent.’
‘What concerns me is that even the good can produce evil,’ Eadulf announced reflectively, drawing himself up from the taffrail and staring towards the billowing sails above him.
‘What are you thinking about?’ she enquired, not sure of his meaning.
‘I was thinking of young Heraclius.’
‘Heraclius? I don’t understand. I thought that he was a very moral young man.’
‘But that invention of his, that thing that he calls the pyr thalassion or liquid fire — that is evil.’
‘He told me that it was really the invention of his father, Callinicus of Constantinopolis. That he merely tried to remember the formula.’
‘If an invention can be called evil, then this liquid fire is evil,’ repeated Eadulf.
‘It is not the invention that is evil, Eadulf, but merely the use men put it to.’
‘I suppose that is a philosophical argument. Yet if it had not been invented, men would not use it. I will agree that we could argue that when the first stick was sharpened into a point to use as a weapon, that was an evil thing. But the idea of hurling fire onto a ship — well…’He shuddered. ‘That must be the ultimate weapon.’
‘But not a new one,’ Fidelma replied. ‘I had a long talk with Heraclius. While his weapon was more efficient, he told me that another countryman of his called Proclus Oneirocrites, set an entire fleet on fire when he was helping his King, Anastasius, to defeat a rebellion against him. It happened nearly a century and
a half ago. Some say that he used the power of the sun, directed by mirrors, and some say that he used sulphur and hurled it burning onto the ships.’
‘Well, this Greek Fire frightens me — the idea of the mass destruction that it can cause. Let us hope its knowledge will remain with those of good intent, for if it ever falls into evil hands…’
‘There can never be a guarantee of that,’ Fidelma replied. ‘At least, it is not something we have to worry about in the Five Kingdoms. So let us relax and enjoy the voyage back to Aird Mhór.’
‘And how long will it be before we have to start our travels again?’
Fidelma had the impression that Eadulf spoke the words without meaning to. They had come automatically to his lips.
She turned and placed a hand on his arm, saying, ‘I am hoping that we shall be there a while. I know we have been a long time travelling, so long that I wonder if we will recognise little Alchú.’
Eadulf’s voice held bitterness in its tone.
‘It is not our recognition of the boy that concerns me,’ he said. ‘It is whether the boy will recognise us.’
Fidelma bit her lips. Eadulf was right, of course; she knew it and resented it. She was aware that she always placed her calling as an advocate of the laws of Éireann before all other considerations. But that had ever been, since she had left the school of the Brehon Morann to make her way in the world. Her cousin, Abbot Laisran, had persuaded her to join the religious at Cill Dara. Most of those who followed the professions had entered the religious, for they saw it as indispensable security to their callings — doctors, lawyers, chroniclers and so on. But when it came to a choice between obedience to the Abbess and obedience to the law, Fidelma chose the law. She was no religious at heart. She knew it. She even challenged some of the basic dogmas of the Faith where she felt they needed it.
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