Peter Tremayne - The Devil's seal

‘The horse that he is riding is the same one which Dego was riding the other day,’ Enda replied grimly. ‘I recognised it. I asked him how he came by it, but he just demanded that I fetch you at once.’

Eadulf was already out of the door. After swiftly advising Brother Conchobhar to keep the pallium hidden in a secure place, Fidelma hurried after him. They found Brother Berrihert, still covered in dust from his journey, standing by Dego’s horse in the courtyard. He lost no time in polite salutations.

‘I have ridden without stop from Eatharlach, Brother Eadulf, with news that you and your friends here should know.’ The man paused to clear his throat as his voice was cracking with dryness. Enda immediately fetched the man a beaker of water; Brother Berrihert drained it in gigantic gulps before handing the vessel back. ‘Sorry, lady,’ he said to Fidelma. ‘I am unused to such exertions.’ Then, before she could reply, he hastened on: ‘Yesterday, I found this horse wandering loose. It was still saddled and was grazing on the lower slopes of An Starracín.’

‘An Starracín?’ Eadulf gave a puzzled glance in Enda’s direction.

‘It is called the Pointed Peak — is one of the peaks of the Sliabh na gCoillte,’ Enda explained.

Brother Berrihert continued, ‘I began to examine the area. It was not long before I found the rider. . he was a warrior and he had been badly injured. It seemed that he had camped by a stream. There were signs that he had been fishing. I brought him and the horse to my cabin; the one which my brothers and I also use as a chapel. We are nursing him there. I recognised him as a warrior of Cashel since he wore a golden torc around his neck.’

‘He’s badly hurt, you say?’ Fidelma asked.

‘He had wounds to the back of his skull, but the worst wound was in his arm for he had lost blood as if gushing from a fountain. He had also been stabbed in the back — but that was no more than a flesh wound. He managed a period of lucidity, enough to tell me to search out Brother Eadulf.’

‘Dego!’ exclaimed Enda, having his fear confirmed. ‘It must be him.’

‘Dego was hunting in that area in the company of my brother,’ Eadulf burst out. ‘What of Egric? Where is he?’

Fidelma reached out a hand and placed it on Eadulf’s arm to steady him.

‘I saw no other person,’ Brother Berrihert said. ‘The warrior was alone and hardly able to speak. His wounds were grievous. I have left my brothers tending to him. But he was adamant, that I should come to find you, Eadulf.’

‘What did he say?’ Eadulf asked urgently.

‘All he could manage was “tell Eadulf, tell Eadulf”. Nothing else. So I took his horse and rode here straightway. There was no mention of any companion called Egric.’

‘Dego is at your cabin, you say?’

‘Yes, being nursed by my brothers, Pecanum and Naovan,’ the man repeated. ‘But nothing compares to his agitation in wanting you to be informed.’

Fidelma turned to Enda. ‘See that Brother Berrihert is given refreshment, and can you provide him with a fresh horse? He and Eadulf will return immediately to An Starracín.’ Eadulf regarded Fidelma in surprise but she went on: ‘You must go at once. You’ll be there before nightfall if you maintain a good pace. I think that you should also take Gormán and Aidan with you. Aidan is an excellent tracker and this could be invaluable if you need to search for Egric.’ She added this for Enda’s benefit because he was looking disappointed at not being included. ‘Enda, you must stay here to be in charge of the guard; you are senior in rank after Gormán. Now find Gormán and Aidan, and tell them what they must do.’

It was not long before Fidelma was watching the band of horsemen as they swept down from The Rock and through the township, south-west towards the distant glen of Eatharlach. Then she returned to her chambers to get ready to accompany Brother Conchobhar to the cabin where Beccan had said he had left his woman friend, Maon. Fidelma had barely entered the chamber when Muirgen, the nurse, knocked and entered.

‘Little Alchú is ready for his morning ride,’ she announced

Fidelma flushed. Events had been moving so fast that she had forgotten all about it. Muirgen pursed her lips reprovingly as she read Fidelma’s expression.

‘He likes his morning ride with one or other of you,’ she observed. ‘Brother Eadulf rode with him yesterday, so it is your turn today, lady.’

‘I know, I know,’ replied Fidelma testily. ‘But there is so much to do at the moment.’ Then she sighed. ‘Bring the boy in here.’

A moment later, Muirgen led the little boy in. ‘ Muimme says you are busy, so I can’t go riding,’ he said accusingly. The intimate form muimme or ‘mummy’ was always used for a nurse or fosterer, whereas mathair , the more formal ‘mother’, was used for one’s birth mother.

Fidelma bent down to the child. ‘She didn’t really mean that,’ she told her son with a forced smile. ‘I have some terribly important things to do for King Am-Nar so we have a little surprise for you.’

The word for a maternal uncle was amnair which Alchú had not been able to pronounce and so Fidelma’s brother, Colgú, was always simply ‘King Am-Nar’. The boy frowned slightly at her statement, wondering what the surprise could be.

‘I am going to take you to see your Aunt Della and ask her if you can ride in her paddock. She can show you many tricks with horses. You know just how well she feeds you when you visit.’

A broad smile wreathed the child’s mouth and he clapped his hands. ‘Aunt Della! Aunt Della!’

Fidelma looked relieved at his reaction.

In the stables, their horses were waiting and saddled. Fidelma and Alchu were joined moments later by Brother Conchobhar, with his lés or medical bag slung across his back. The rank of a physician entitled him to travel on a good horse, and the symbol of his status as a physician was the echlaisc — a riding whip. It was not for use but carried as a token and valued as part of a physician’s honour price which could be confiscated by law if he was found guilty of misconduct. Brother Conchobar might be aged but he was a good horseman and, indeed, he had often ridden with Fidelma when she was a little girl.

‘It will be good to call on your friend, Della,’ he said when she explained Alchú’s presence. ‘I need to collect some herbs that she has been gathering for me. The cabin that Beccan described to you lies not far up the hill from her place.’

‘It shouldn’t be too difficult to find,’ agreed Fidelma. ‘It is always a pleasure to see Della and find out how that girl Aibell is settling in.’

‘I hear that Gormán is much attracted to her,’ beamed Brother Conchobhar.

Fidelma smiled back. ‘He has been attracted to her ever since we found her hiding out in a woodsman’s hut near Della’s paddock. You may recall that we thought she might have had a hand in the attempted assassination of my brother.’

‘I heard she had a sad life as a bondservant among the Sliabh Luachra. I should have asked Deogaire if he had encountered her in that dark inhospitable country.’

It had never occurred to Fidelma to ask Deogaire about that connection. Now she was reminded that it would be a good opportunity to reassure the girl in case she encountered Deogaire and recognised him as being from the clan — the clan that had once held her as a bondservant after her father had illegally sold her to Fidaig, the Chief of the Luachra.

Mounted on her stallion, Aonbharr, with little Alchú on his pony at her side, and followed by Brother Conchobhar, the three set off at a sedate pace. Fidelma was keeping the pace slow not only because of her young son, but in order not to tax the old physician. While he was a good horseman, she knew that his age wearied him. Even so, it was not long before they crossed the main square of the township where, she could see, the warrior escort of the curious deputation were still passing the time with their dice games.