Peter Tremayne - The Council of the Cursed

‘My suspicion about Inginde was finally reinforced in that I went to get a dress from a seamstress. I wanted to disguise myself while I looked at Beretrude’s villa. Brother Budnouen had told me that this woman was related to a member of the women’s community. Sister Inginde was in this place and told me that the seamstress was her aunt. She was helpful in selecting clothes for me. Thinking I was disguised, I was seized by the warriors of Beretrude and thrown into the cellar to await my fate with the others. I realised that Inginde had somehow informed Beretrude of what I was wearing and where I might be found. In fact, I believe I even heard Inginde running to the villa to inform Beretrude and her guards. It was remiss of me not to check.’

Nuntius Peregrinus interrupted again.

‘One thing I must ask-the reliquary box of Benignus. Where is it now?’

‘It is safe.’ Fidelma nodded to Abbot Ségdae who took a sack from beneath his seat and drew out the box, holding it up.

‘This is the reliquary body of the Hibernian teacher Benén Mac Sesenén whom we also call by the name of Benignus,’ he said. ‘He had no relationship with the Benignus of Burgundia that you know here.’

‘This is all very well,’ interrupted Bishop Leodegar impatiently. ‘You say Abbot Dabhóc was killed, not in Ordgar’s chamber but in his own, and this reliquary box was stolen. You have said why. You have also stated that two of the killers were Andica and Inginde. But you have yet to name the last of the killers, the head of the conspiracy, this second son of Beretrude whom you say is already in this abbey in disguise.’

‘Guntram, tell us again what was the name of your younger brother before he was taken to be given to the religious life?’

The young man shrugged. ‘It was Gundobad. But don’t ask me if I would recognise him now. I have not seen him since he was a few years old.’

‘But you told me that your mother had a pet name for him.’

‘That will not help you either. She used to call him Benignus-the good one.’

‘Of course, Benignus .’ Fidelma smiled.

Bishop Leodegar sniffed in annoyance. ‘We have no Brother Benignus here.’

‘Think again. Think of someone with…’

With a sudden cry-‘ Sic semper tyrannis! ’-Brother Benevolentia had drawn a knife and was running towards Clotaire.

There were two sounds, a swift whistling followed by a thud. Two arrows, loosed by warriors, had embedded themselves in the chest of Brother Benevolentia. He halted and, for a moment, it seemed he had turned into a statue. The knife dropped from his fingers and he slowly sank to his knees before toppling over sideways. Beretrude gave one long shriek and collapsed. One of the warriors raced to his side, pulled him over on his back and then spoke to Clotaire.

‘Dead, Majesty.’

Clotaire, who had started from his chair, sat back and exhaled deeply in relief.

‘A pity,’ Ebroin commented dryly. ‘We are cheated of a ritual execution. A quick death was too good for someone who likened himself to Brutus slaying Julius Caesar.’

‘I do not follow.’ Clotaire frowned.

‘His last words, Majesty-words supposedly used by Brutus when he plunged his knife into the great Caesar. Thus ever to tyrants!’

Clotaire looked sad for a moment. ‘I mean to govern justly, not as a tyrant.’

‘Of course, Majesty,’ Ebroin assured him. ‘But remember that you are dealing with Burgunds. You must also be a strong and firm ruler.’

Bishop Leodegar strode forward to look down at the corpse of the young religieux. He glanced up at Fidelma.

‘You knew it was Brother Benevolentia all the time?’

‘I suspected him for a while. His features had remarkable similarities to those of Beretrude, Guntram and even Radegund-the same dark hair and blue eyes. He was also the only other person who had a real opportunity to drug Ordgar’s wine-indeed, to carry out the entire deed. But I really began to suspect him when he turned up in the gallery, which was forbidden to the brethren, when Andica tried to kill us with the toppling statue. Why would he be there, and how did he know all about the statues and how long they had stood there? Then, of course, there was his name.’

‘Benevolentia is another form of saying Benignus,’ Bishop Leodegar muttered almost wonderingly.

‘A synonym,’ Eadulf confirmed, speaking for the first time since Fidelma’s explanation had begun. ‘Indeed, both names have the same meaning.’

Bishop Ordgar came to stare at the body of his former steward in bewilderment.

‘I don’t understand any of this. He was my steward. I chose him.’

‘You told us,’ Eadulf pointed out, ‘that you had gone to Divio and that your own steward had died on the journey. You found your new steward, Brother Benevolentia, in the abbey in that city.’

‘That is true.’

‘But I wonder if you chose him or did he come to you to volunteer his services?’

‘Why, he…yes, I suppose he sought me out,’ admitted the Saxon bishop.

‘So Gundobad or Benevolentia, a fervent Burgund and heir to the line of Burgundian kings, came here with his plan to assassinate Clotaire and lead an uprising,’ Eadulf explained. ‘Then, as Fidelma has told us, he heard about Abbot Dabhóc’s gift of the Benignus reliquary. What a symbol he thought it would be! It didn’t matter if the two holy men were confused. It was not the reality of the relics that mattered, but their symbolism.’

‘An amazing story,’ muttered Bishop Leodegar. ‘A convoluted one, too.’

‘Life is never simple,’ Fidelma sighed.

‘Those people who attacked me in the forest and killed that Gaulish Brother were Beretrude’s warriors?’ asked Clotaire, standing up and coming forward.

‘They were warriors of Beretrude’s house who were probably instructed to follow Eadulf and myself. Their leader carried the symbol of the cross of Benignus, the same symbol that is displayed on the pillars of Beretrude’s villa. The warriors were probably going to ambush Eadulf and myself. It was clear that Benevolentia and his mother were worried that we had become a threat to their plan. Clotaire, you either disturbed them or they recognised you hunting in the forest and so took their chance to pre-empt the assassination plan.’

‘So who are we left with so far, as the guilty ones?’ demanded Ebroin. ‘Beretrude and Inginde? Beretrude’s warriors-and no one else? What of Guntram?’

The young lord was white faced with apprehension. Two warriors were still guarding him. Fidelma felt sorry for him.

‘The only thing that Guntram is guilty of is being a bad lord; a young man more interested in self-indulgence than in the welfare of his people. But he had no design to overthrow you, Clotaire. His only concern was that his people continued to pay tribute to help him maintain his lifestyle.’

‘And the Abbess Audofleda?’

‘I accuse her of simply being unsuited to be head of a religious house, that is all. But that is a matter between her and her bishop.’ She addressed Bishop Leodegar. ‘You may now hold your council, Leodegar. Truly your ways are not the ways of my people, your laws not our laws, and the concepts you wish to promote as ideas by which our Faith can come under one universal Rule are not those that I would agree with. I can see those things that you support leading to great suffering rather than a universal brotherhood and sisterhood among the religious. Personally, I cannot wait to return to my own land.’

Bishop Leodegar had regained some of his former aplomb.

‘I ask no more from you than what you have done.’ He turned to Clotaire. ‘Majesty, you may order your prisoners to be removed for punishment, and then I will declare the resumption of the council to start its deliberations tomorrow. I do not think that our debates will last long now.’