Peter Tremayne - The Dove of Death

‘I suppose it is worth a try,’ he admitted. ‘I certainly have no better idea.’

On the quayside Boric joined them. He seemed excited.

‘One of my men saw something, just before dawn,’ he told them. ‘He observed a man carrying the body of a woman on his shoulders, place her into a boat and sail off.’

Bleidbara stared at him, astounded. ‘Then why didn’t he report it immediately?’ he almost shouted.

Boric spread his hands. ‘The man was fearful lest he get into trouble. He shouted a challenge and when the man carrying the body did not stop, he loosed an arrow — which he was sure hit him. However, this man did not stop or release his burden. He climbed into the boat, hoisted sail, and away went the boat before the guard could reach it. It was then that the sentinel realised his mistake — and this is why he failed to report the matter.’

‘Mistake?’ Bleidbara stared at him. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘The man he shot at was Iarnbud, and the orders of the lord of Brilhag are that Iarnbud is his bretat and has the right to come and go as he will. My guard only mentioned this to me just now when he heard the news of the disappearance of Trifina and Iuna. He is still afraid of being punished for shooting at the bretat .’

Bleidbara was angry. ‘The man is an imbecile and shall answer to me when I return. He is sure that Iarnbud was carrying the body of a woman? In what direction did his boat go?’

‘To the islands — he is not sure where.’

Fidelma looked grimly at Bleidbara. ‘We will try Govihan first,’ she said.

The young apothecary from Constantinopolis greeted them on the island of Govihan. He looked shocked when Fidelma told him the purpose of their visit.

‘We have not seen Trifina since she returned to Brilhag with you, lady, the day before yesterday,’ he said. ‘As for the lady Iuna, she scarcely visits here.’

‘I thought it was too simple,’ Bleidbara said glumly, turning to Fidelma ‘But we had better search the villa now we’re here.’

‘We will do what we can to find the lady Trifina,’ Heraclius said, calling one of the maids to gather the servants together.

The search of the villa proved futile; even Heraclius, under Bleidbara’s instruction, unlocked his stone-built hut so that they could look inside, but on condition that they touched nothing. As they came out, and Heraclius relocked it and disappeared through the walled garden to find out how the other members of the household were proceeding, Bleidbara, Fidelma and Eadulf stood on the clifftop, surveying the sea before them.

‘There are a lot of islands out there,’ Bleidbara said heavily. ‘It’s an impossible task to search them all.’

‘If they were taken on board this sea raider — let’s call it the Koulm ar Maro — from Brilhag, why did no one notice the ship in the bay?’ demanded Eadulf. ‘Surely you have lookouts on the Morvran who would have noticed such a large ship come into the inlet below the fortress — even at dead of night?’

Bleidbara was defensive.

‘The Morvran was anchored in the bay under the fortress walls,’ he said. ‘They would not see anything if the Koulm ar Maro came to anchor on the other side of the headland.’

Eadulf flushed a little at the rebuke because he had no sooner made his comment than he realised the answer.

‘The question is — what now?’ Bleidbara went on. ‘I have sent men around the island to ensure that there is nowhere we have overlooked — caves or undergrowth, for instance. We have searched the villa, so there seems no way forward.’

Fidelma suddenly gave an exclamation of surprise.

She pointed downwards at the rocky coast below them. A little boat was bobbing on the water and a tiny figure was desperately trying to make it to shore. The surging waves brought the little boat tantalisingly close, but then pulled it back. The figure seemed to have no oar to guide the boat in. Then a larger wave than the rest suddenly propelled the boat right up the beach, and when the water receded, the boat remained there, held fast by the pebbles and rocks. The figure seemed to fall over the side of the boat into the still-frothing water and crawl using only one arm for a short distance before collapsing face down.

All those present on the clifftop shared the same thought: there was something very familiar about this lone sailor.

When Fidelma turned to speak to the others, she found Bleidbara and Eadulf already running down the grassy knoll which led to the shoreline below.

By the time they all reached the spot, one of Bleidbara’s men was approaching, hurrying from the other direction. He, too, had seen the boat and its occupant.

Iarnbud lay face down in the shallows where he had fallen from the boat, trying to drag himself up above the tidemark. The shaft of an arrow was still embedded in him, close to his spine.

Bleidbara and his companion waded into the shallows, reached forward and dragged the bretat up beyond the clawing waves.

Iarnbud let out a pitiful groan.

‘Mercy! He still lives,’ muttered Eadulf, bending down to the man. But after examining the wounds, he rose and shook his head at his companions. The man was beyond help.

Iarnbud opened his glazing eyes, peered round and tried to focus on Bleidbara. His mouth moved, but all that came from it was a dry rasping cough and a trickle of blood.

‘What is it, Iarnbud?’ Bleidbara encouraged softly.

The man spoke incoherently. They could discern the name ‘Heraclius’ repeated several times clearly, but the rest they could not understand.

‘He wants the apothecary,’ said Bleidbara. ‘He asks for Heraclius.’

Then, with an apparent summoning of strength, Iarnbud grabbed hold of Bleidbara’s shirt and dragged his head nearer. Of the words that poured forth from the thin, bloodstained lips, all they could distinguish were ‘ Koulm ar Maro ’.

‘The ship?’ demanded Fidelma quickly. ‘What does he say about it?’

The warrior bent his ear to the man’s lips. They moved feebly, whispering softly and then, without warning, in the middle of a word, Iarnbud’s head fell back and he was dead.

Bleidbara gazed down at him for a long time and then exhaled softly.

‘Well, he won’t need Heraclius now.’

‘What is it?’ Fidelma asked urgently. ‘What did he say?’

Bleidbara lowered the dead man’s shoulders to the ground and looked at them. His expression seemed torn between sorrow and triumph.

‘He found the ship, the Koulm ar Maro . He managed to overhear their plans. Apparently, those plans will come to fruition tomorrow.’

‘Tomorrow? What happens then?’ Fidelma wanted to know.

‘The Koulm ar Maro is due to sail out into the Big Sea, using the morning tide. It will then make a rendezvous off the coast near the abbey, by which time the success of their plan will be complete.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Eadulf said.

Bleidbara shrugged. ‘That’s all he said. Apart from something about food and Heraclius, which made no sense at all.’

‘Trifina said that Iarnbud was working for both of you. Is that right?’

Bleidbara nodded, saying, ‘He was loyal to the family of Brilhag. During these last few weeks, he travelled around, trying to pick up news of this Koulm ar Maro . Now he’s given his life for the little news that he could garner for us.’

‘If only he could have told us what the completion of their plan meant,’ muttered Eadulf. Suddenly noticing that the small boat was drifting, he waded into the sea to grab hold of the gunwale and draw it back up on shore. As he did so, he glanced inside and let out an exclamation.