Dancing With Demons

by Peter Tremayne

  At once Cenn Faelad leaped to his feet, his face angry. ‘This is a lie! As the holy cross is my banner and witness, I would not do such a thing!’

  Fidelma held up a hand to quench the tumult that had broken out. ‘I did not say it was you, Cenn Faelad,’ she rebuked mildly.

  ‘You said Sechnussach’s successor.’ Cenn Faelad was not mollified. ‘I am the tánaiste, the heir apparent. Who else would you mean?’

  ‘Your succession was not going to last long,’ she replied starkly. ‘The plot, in essence, was simple but its mechanics were complicated. Indeed, in all the cases that I have been involved in, this one has shocked me by the depth of intrigue and the convolution of its workings.’

  Taken aback, Cenn Faelad sat down abruptly.

  ‘This case has many layers of culpability,’ Fidelma said. ‘I will beg the forgiveness of this Great Assembly for taking them on a long journey through these layers of intrigue. The simplest layer was Dubh Duin, who was part of this sect devoted to bringing back the worship of Crom. Very well. Dubh Duin had tried to get some recognition for the Old Faith in this Great Assembly. When that failed, he turned to other methods. He was supported by the bands of brigands raiding the Christian centres. They were fanatics. But it was like the pricking of pins on a great bear. It did not even harm the body. So there had to be another way.

  ‘Dubh Duin did not dream up the plot himself. Who persuaded him that the way forward lay in the assassination of Sechnussach? Someone in the royal household? There was one fanatic already who served in the royal enclosure … ’

  ‘Cuan!’ declared Lugna loudly. ‘Because he acted as the decoy that took me from my post at the doorway of the royal house that night.’

  Surprisingly, Fidelma shook her head.

  ‘Not Cuan. He did not have the intelligence to think out this complicated plot. He was subverted later, and was ambivalent about religious beliefs anyway.’

  ‘So how was he subverted? By what means?’ demanded Brehon Sedna.

  ‘By means of sexual favours,’ Fidelma said. ‘His recruitment to the scheme was later on in the advancement of the plot after it had been thought out.’

  Gormflaith suddenly stood up. ‘I wish to make a statement to the Great Assembly,’ she said.

  Faces turned expectantly towards her.

  Brehon Sedna glanced at Fidelma.

  ‘I have no objection,’ she said.

  ‘You will doubtless hear from Fidelma that Dubh Duin was my lover,’ declared Gormflaith. ‘I shall not deny it … ’

  Once more they had to wait until the tumult died down.

  ‘ … But I deny that I was part of this so-called plot. I am a Christian. Dubh Duin never ever spoke to me, either of his faith or his lack of it. We did not discuss religion. Nor did Dubh Duin kill my husband to gain favour with me. I can present evidence that Sechnussach and I were estranged for three years from the royal servants, but I also can present a witness that I had agreed a divorce with Sechnussach and it was to be sealed on the day after I was due to return from Cluain Ioraird. But by then … ’She shrugged. ‘That witness is Brehon Barrán.

  Fidelma saw that Brehon Barrán was shaking his head, and she turned back to Gormflaith with a sad smile.

  ‘I am afraid that the Chief Brehon will not be your witness to this matter of the divorce agreement,’ she said softly.

  ‘Dubh Duin had no reason to kill Sechnussach on my account,’ Gormflaith repeated stubbornly. ‘We were going to be married and leave Tara.’

  In the shocked silence that followed, as Gormflaith reseated herself, Fidelma spoke clearly.

  ‘Regretfully, lady, Dubh Duin had no intention of marrying you. You were merely a means by which he could reach Sechnussach. As your lover, he could gain access to the royal enclosure almost at will, as the warrior Erc will state. Dubh Duin’s purpose was always the slaughter of Sechnussach. You were misled, lady, an innocent victim of the conspiracy.’

  Abbot Colmán cleared his throat. ‘But it has been pointed out that even with Sechnussach dead, Cenn Faelad would have succeeded. Cenn Faelad is known for his Christian piety and largesse to the Church. As he has already stated, he would not tolerate a return to idolatry and he has said so before this Assembly.’

  ‘And as I have said, he would not have lasted long in office even had he made it to his inauguration,’ replied Fidelma. ‘It was not Cenn Faelad who conspired with Dubh Duin. Indeed, as I have also said, it was the chief conspirator who suggested this plot to Dubh Duin. After Sechnussach was assassinated, Cenn Faelad would also be eliminated. That would lead to this chief conspirator taking control and returning the country to the Old Faith.’

  Brehon Sedna frowned. ‘So Dubh Duin was guided by another?’

  ‘Exactly. One person introduced Dubh Duin to Gormflaith, knowing Gormflaith’s emotional situation,’ Fidelma explained. ‘Sechnussach and she had already parted. The reasons why are not pertinent but they are known to me. Gormflaith was alone, unhappy and vulnerable. At the time of the birth of her last daughter, probably during her confinement, Sechnussach had taken a mistress. Dubh Duin was handsome and personable. He was told that he could make himself even more personable to Gormflaith and did so with inevitable results.

  ‘But the chief conspirator was not concerned with Gormflaith’s emotional happiness. While he had told Dubh Duin that such a relationship was a means of reaching Sechnussach, this chief conspirator had another reason. He wanted to deflect suspicion from himself and another conspirator so that no blame would fall on them … ’

  ‘Another conspirator?’ repeated Brehon Sedna with a helpless sigh. ‘How many conspirators were there in this plot?’

  ‘It is a very complicated plot,’ admitted Fidelma. ‘I apologise to the Great Assembly. It is like peeling away the skins of an onion. The person who involved Dubh Duin had a motive, which was purely power. His ambition was to be High King. But he was, in turn, motivated by a woman who also wanted power. She would share power with him if he were successful. Together, they worked on Dubh Duin, knowing his fanaticism for the old religion. He would, therefore, be the means of clearing the way to their taking power.

  ‘Dubh Duin knew that there were some in Tara who would help him – people who still worshipped the old gods and goddesses. People so placed that they could even steal the key of the High King’s chambers and make a copy in readiness for the attack.’

  ‘We have heard many assertions so far, Fidelma,’ Abbot Colman said, becoming impatient. ‘Perhaps you had better start stating facts and naming names of these conspirators.’

  Fidelma pouted in annoyance. ‘The assertions I have made, Abbot Colmán, are facts. The trouble is, as I have said repeatedly, this is a many-layered plot. I will try to make it all simple.

  ‘Knowing of Dubh Duin’s fanaticism, the chief conspirator and his lover introduced him into a plot where he was to assassinate the High King but in such a way that if he were caught, it would bring suspicion only on Dubh Duin and his lover, Gormflaith. What the chief conspirator and his lover had not realised was that Dubh Duin had his own band of followers in Tara, and when he struck it was, I think, at the wrong moment – and this has led to a loose skein with which this tangled ball can be unravelled. I will start this process of unravelling.

  ‘Why did Dubh Duin strike when he did? It has long been a legend among those of the Old Faith that when the “wheel of destiny”, crafted by the sun god of our forefathers, was found, it would be the instrument that would destroy the New Faith. It was thought that it would point the way to where the great Cauldron of Murias, the secret of all life, was hidden and with this sacred object in their hands, those of the Old Faith would be triumphant and drive out Christianity.

  ‘There was at Tara an old woman called Mer the Demented. Many of you treated her as a joke. But she boasted about the finding of the wheel of destiny even before I reached Tara.

  ‘Then I heard of Bishop Luachan’s visit to Sechnussach on the night before his death. Bishop Luac
han sits before you. He will tell you that he and Brother Diomsach discovered a circular object in a hidden manmade cave dedicated to the Old Faith. Bishop Luachan is learned in such things, and he believes the circular object he found to be an integral part of the wheel of destiny. Knowing the legend, Bishop Luachan posted Brother Diomsach to Tara to tell Sechnussach. Irél was sent from Tara to escort Bishop Luachan and the object here. The object was handed to Sechnussach the night before his death. Bishop Luachan then returned to Delbna Mór.’

  She paused and Abbot Colmán, who was leaning forward, trying to follow her story, cleared his throat.

  ‘What has happened to this wheel of destiny?’ he asked.

  Fidelma smiled briefly. ‘As soon as Bishop Luachan left, Sechnussach realised the weight of responsibility upon him and knew that he should not hide it in his chambers, but somewhere safer. In the early hours, he went down to the kitchen of the royal residence and hid it in the uaimh or souterrain where foodstuffs are kept. He was seen taking it from his chamber by Brother Rogallach, who thought little about it. Torpach the cook came upon Sechnussach in the kitchens early in the morning and the High King explained that he could not sleep and so had come to make a meal. That was a lie. Sechnussach had taken the object to the souterrain to hide it.

  ‘I think it was Mer who discovered where it was hidden and she went to the souterrain to find it. Cuan followed and, for whatever reason, he killed her and took the precious object. Before he could escape, Brother Rogallach entered and Cuan knocked him unconscious from behind. Rogallach did not see him. Cuan then fled to the territory to join those at Hag’s Mountain. He realised that there was little future with them and so escaped as we attacked their camp. He took the object and fled but we eventually caught up with him.’

  ‘So the wheel is still hidden somewhere?’ said Brehon Sedna.

  ‘It is not,’ Fidelma said with a quick gesture to Eadulf. The latter took a piece of sackcloth from his feet and removed something from it. There was a gasp around the Great Assembly as he held up a circular object, its bright silver reflecting the lights of the great hall. There was a solar motif in the centre and the edge of the object was engraved with many heads forming the outside circle. He placed it on the floor before Abbot Colmán.

  Fidelma had been watching the faces of the witnesses as he did so.

  ‘Just for the members of this assembly, Bishop Luachan, can you confirm that this was the object that you presented to Sechnussach?’

  The elderly bishop indicated it was.

  ‘Bishop Luachan’s visit to the High King in the dead of night was discovered by one of Dubh Duin’s fanatical conspirators. That was why the decision was made to strike at Sechnussach the next night. And that was also when things began to go wrong, for there was no synchronisation with the person who had put these events in motion in the first place. That person, whom I have called the chief conspirator, had wanted Gormflaith to be in Tara when Sechnussach died; and he had wanted his lover – who was his co-conspirator – to be away from Tara. But Dubh Duin and his religious faction was not interested in these conspirators’ plans. They were true fanatics.

  ‘The plan, as I said, went wrong because someone was with Sechnussach when Dubh Duin entered his chamber; someone whose scream alerted the servants and guards and led to Dubh Duin turning the knife on himself.’

  ‘An interesting story,’ snapped Brehon Sedna. ‘But we want names.’

  ‘And names you shall have.’ Fidelma turned to the witnesses.

  ‘Dubh Duin was to be the assassin, as you know. Mer the Demented played some part, perhaps identifying the fact that Sechnussach had possession of what to them was a sacred wheel. Cuan’s role was to take a key to the High King’s chamber and get a smith to copy it. Then, on the night of the murder, he was to distract his fellow warrior, Lugna, to remove him from his guardpost at the doors of the royal house. That left one other conspirator who worked in the royal house and who passed the key of Sechnussach’s chamber to the assassin for him to enter. It was this same female servant who, as I have said, used her sexual favours to ensure Cuan’s role in the plot. She was one of the central figures in this conspiracy.’

  ‘Who is it?’ demanded Brehon Sedna.

  Fidelma was grim. ‘Mer the Demented unintentionally told me her name before we even came to Tara. She referred to “the white one”. There is only one servant who bears the name – for what does Báine mean but “the white one”?’

  Báine was sitting back with a sneer of derision making her pretty features ugly.

  ‘Very clever,’ she hissed, ‘but cleverness will not save you and your kind when the sacred wheel leads us back to the Great Cauldron of Murias which has been touched by the hands of The Dagda himself. You will tremble and sacrifice before Crom.’

  Another cacophony of sound burst out in the Great Assembly chamber and it took several minutes before Abbot Colmán and Brehon Sedna could restore order.

  ‘So it was Báine who stole the key and gave it to Cuan to make a copy?’ asked Abbot Colmán. ‘It was she who persuaded Cuan to betray his warrior’s code.’

  ‘Yes. And Báine was the daughter of the priestess of Crom whose body now lies in a grave on Hag’s Mountain,‘added Fidelma. ‘It took Eadulf, Irél and I a while to recall where we had seen the features of the woman called the ceannard before. Báine is clearly the daughter of her mother.’

  Báine sat back, her arms folded defiantly, and stuck her chin in the air as if she was no longer part of the proceedings.

  Cuan stood up and said nervously: ‘If I confirm all this, lord, may I plead for clemency? She bewitched me, I swear it.’

  Brehon Sedna scowled at him. ‘It is neither the place nor time to hear such pleas,’ he declared. Then, returning his gaze to Fidelma, he added: ‘Apart from Dubh Duin, Báine, Cuan and Mer, you have claimed – if I understand correctly – that there was a chief conspirator, someone motivated by power and not by religious fanaticism?’

  ‘I did. The person who thought they would succeed to the High Kingship – and I did not mean Cenn Faelad.’

  ‘And you will name him?’

  ‘He has named himself. He was the one who introduced Dubh Duin to Gormflaith, engaged himself in supporting Gormflaith’s relationship with him, and, knowing how he could win the support of Cenn Faelad to nominate him as tánaiste, promised Dubh Duin that when he took over as High King, after deposing Cenn Faelad sometime in the future, he would bring about the changes to recognise the Old Faith once more. Whether he would have done so, once firmly in power, I do not know. I doubt it. But promises are cheap. The Old Faith was his route to the High Kingship.’

  All eyes in the Council had turned on the urbane figure of Brehon Barrán who had been sitting without any reaction to Fidelma’s recital.

  Brehon Sedna looked troubled. ‘You deny this charge, of course, Brehon Barrán?’ he asked, albeit without conviction.

  Brehon Barrán looked across to Fidelma. ‘I have seen this dálaigh presenting her cases several times before. I do not doubt that she can produce evidence in support of her claims.’

  ‘I would be the last person to remind you, Barrán, that the law-texts state how guilt may be judged other than by direct evidence,’ Fidelma said. ‘The law acknowledges that indirect or circumstantial evidence can be applied, provided it is strong. I think that Báine and Cuan will be persuaded to speak against you.’

  ‘To save themselves,’ Barrán sneered. ‘I suppose you feel that you have a strong case?’

  ‘Oh, I know I have a strong case, Barrán,’ replied Fidelma. She gestured at Báine. ‘I am sure that Báine will be persuaded to come forward as a witness to the conspiracy, especially when she understands that you had no intention of fulfilling your promises to Dubh Duin to recognise the old religion. You fully intended to betray him.’

  ‘Your saying so does not make it so,’ Brehon Barrán replied.

  ‘Then my saying so does!’ came Báine’s sharp tone. ‘I know the promise
s you made to us. I was with Dubh Duin when you made them. But it seems that it was all a plot just to prepare your path to power. You will be the first to suffer the wrath of Crom when we arise … Already the warriors of my mother’s people are raiding and destroy your churches, and soon they will sweep into Tara and destroy … My mother’s … ’

  She suddenly dissolved into tears. Whatever else she was going to say was lost in her grief-stricken realisation of her mother’s death on Hag’s Mountain.

  In the tumult that broke out in the Great Assembly, Irél had motioned to several of his warriors who, according to Fidelma’s prearranged instructions, had moved into various positions around the conspirators.

  When order was restored, Fidelma stared across at Brehon Barrán, who now looked less confident.

  ‘I suggest that this crime is so heinous that it has to be retried before a court. I am sure that the members of this Great Assembly will agree,’ she said.

  ‘We can accommodate you on that,’ Cenn Faelad replied with satisfaction. ‘Is it the wish of this assembly that Barrán and Báine be tried as soon as arrangements can be made? And, at the same time, the lesser conspirator Cuan should be tried with them?’

  The Great Assembly vocally signified its agreement.

  It was Gormflaith who now rose and demanded to be heard again.

  ‘You are all forgetting one thing,’ she said.

  A silence descended and Brehon Sedna turned a disapproving look on her.

  ‘What do we forget, lady?’ he asked coldly.

  ‘I accept that I have been a dupe, a fool, that Brehon Barrán did, indeed, manoeuvre me into the company of Dubh Duin who purposefully made himself attractive to me. Lonely women can be misled by kind and gentle words from honey-tongued suitors. It is true that all along I confided in Barrán, who promised to draw up the agreement for my divorce from Sechnussach and now denies it was so. I see now how he was putting the blame on me. But there is something the lady Fidelma said that we have all overlooked.’