Dancing With Demons (34 page)

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Authors: Peter Tremayne

Tags: #_NB_Fixed, #_rt_yes, #Adult, #blt, #Clerical Sleuth, #Fiction, #Historical, #Mystery, #Suspense, #Medieval Ireland

BOOK: Dancing With Demons
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‘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 Luachan 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 promises 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.’
When she looked at Fidelma, the latter smiled encouragement and motioned for her to continue.
‘Fidelma said that Brehon Barrán was working with someone else, his lover, someone who wanted to share the power with him and was as ambitious for it as he was. So when Báine charges Barrán, let us remember the full extent of the part she played. She obviously led Barrán on. She was his lover.’
But Fidelma was already answering her. ‘Lady Gormflaith, I would have spared you this with the best will in the world. However, you are right in your reminder to the Great Assembly that there was someone else working with the Chief Brehon. But it was not Báine, a lowly servant in the royal house, who was Barrán’s lover and co-conspirator – someone eager to share power with him as High King.’
‘Then name the woman, if you know it,’ instructed Brehon Sedna.
‘I am afraid that there was one other person who helped bring Dubh Duin into your life, Gormflaith. One other person who gave their authority to ask the guards to pass Dubh Duin into the royal enclosure at night, and finally gave instruction to the guard Erc to allow Dubh Duin free access at night so that he could pass in when the time came for the assassination … ’
Muirgel, with a scream, had leaped up and seemed for a moment to be trying to escape but Irél had seized her.
Gormflaith gazed ashen-faced at her eldest daughter.
‘It’s not true!’ shouted Brehon Barrán, springing up, and found the hand of one of the Fianna on his shoulder restraining him.
‘Of course it’s true,’ jeered Báine from her seat. ‘Muirgel was in this plot from the start. Again, I will bear witness to it.’
‘But in a plot to … to kill her own father!’ Brehon Sedna was horrified.
‘Ambition destroys the feelings of its possessor,’ muttered Abbot Colmán, using an old saying.

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