Peter Tremayne - The Council of the Cursed

Clotaire nodded absently, glancing to where Lady Beretrude and Sister Inginde had been placed under guard with the dozen or so warriors loyal to them.

‘See to the prisoners, Ebroin.’

‘Do you want them removed for trial, Majesty?’ asked his chancellor.

‘Trial?’ Clotaire stared at the man as if he had made an improper suggestion. ‘They have already received a trial. No! Take them out and execute them, and don’t bother me with the details.’ He swung round to the white-faced Guntram. ‘You may go back to your fortress and your pursuits, but never let me hear that you have taken an interest in the governance of this province.’

He turned to look for Fidelma but she and Eadulf were gone.

Nuntius Peregrinus was standing talking with Abbot Ségdae.

‘The sister of your king is an amazing woman,’ Clotaire said to the abbot.

‘She is certainly held in high regard, Imperator,’ Abbot Ségdae informed him.

‘I suppose you agree with her views about our laws and what Bishop Leodegar hopes to achieve here for the Faith?’

‘At the risk of impertinence, I do, Sire. And I think you will find that those delegates from the churches of the Britons, Armoricans and Gauls will join us in that outlook, for we all share similar values.’

Clotaire started to chuckle and clapped the abbot on the shoulder.

‘I suppose that is why the good bishop has ensured that there are twice as many representatives of the churches of Neustria and Austrasia attending here as those from the other lands.’

‘We will make our protest,’ Abbot Ségdae solemnly assured him, ‘and then we will return home to what we know and feel comfortable with. There is an ancient saying in my land. Níl aon tintean mar do thintean féin .’

‘Which means?’

‘There is no hearth like your own hearth.’

Autumn had cast its russet and yellow colourings across the countryside surrounding Cashel. Clouds of grey smoke from chimneystacks showed that already the fires were constantly alight. Heavy woollens and animal furs had replaced the lighter linen and silks affected by those who served at the court of Colgú, King of Muman. Fidelma was stretched lazily in a chair before a blazing log fire. There was a lantern on the table to give extra light, for the day was dark even though the sun, had it been able to shine through the dark scudding clouds, had not yet set. Fidelma was trying to read a letter that had just been delivered by a returning religious who had spent two years wandering among the Franks.

Fidelma was excited when she saw the name of the writer, so excited that she could not wait for Eadulf to return from the business that had taken him to the abbey of Imleach. Breaking the seals, she spread out the vellum on her knees, seeing-with gratitude-that it was written in Latin. The letter was dated four months earlier, and was sent from the city of Nebirnum. She frowned. Why not Autun? But it had been over five years since she and Eadulf had departed from Autun.

‘From Sigeric and Valretrade, servants in the Faith of Christ Jesus, to Fidelma of Cashel and Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham, her faithful companion, greetings.

‘We pray this finds you both dwelling in peace and happiness and in the contentment of our Faith. We send you greeting in remembrance of the great services that you rendered to us and our people at Autun.

‘Since you departed our land, a great unhappiness has overcome it and all within the space of two years. Firstly, it was in the spring two years ago that Clotaire our young King died, acknowledging the Faith in his last breath, and he lies buried in the basilica dedicated to the blessed bishop and martyr, Dionysius of Paris. Clotaire’s brother, Theuderic, succeeded him as King, but treachery struck as many suspected it might. Bishop Leodegar conspired with others to place another brother, Childeric, on the throne. Theuderic was arrested and imprisoned in an abbey, while Ebroin, who had continued as adviser to Theuderic, was also imprisoned. Ebroin eventually escaped to exile.

‘There followed such horrors that we can only thank God for our decision to remove ourselves from the cursed abbey of Autun and for our safe delivery from such Fate as befell friends and family. Leodegar and Audofleda enforced their Rule and those who disobeyed were physically degraded, and not just those among the religious communities suffered. All throughout the kingdoms, even those nobles who did not obey Childeric, a young, intolerant ruler guided by the ambitious Leodegar, were mutilated or hanged.

‘It was inevitable that Childeric and his wife Bilichild, both the subject of such hatred for the hurt they were inflicting, would attract the desire for vengeance. Whilst out hunting one day they were assassinated and no one claimed to know by whom.

‘With Childeric’s death, Theuderic was released from his monastic prison and he sent for Ebroin to become his adviser again.

‘Ebroin was not a man of forgiveness for he raised an army and marched on Autun, which was still under the control of Bishop Leodegar. The attack on Autun was fierce and the suffering great. Abbess Audofleda perished, as did her companion Sister Radegund. Many of the religious died in the onslaught on the abbey. Finally Bishop Leodegar surrendered to Ebroin.

‘Leodegar was not treated with courtesy. We are told that his eyes were put out with red-hot pokers and that his tongue was torn out and other unspeakable things were done to him. Yet he survived and was dragged for trial before the court of Theuderic. There, he was further degraded and condemned, albeit, we must in fairness say, as he had so often condemned others without compunction. On Ebroin’s orders he was taken to a forest and hanged.

‘There is a rumour that many of the religious claim him as a martyr. There are now several places that would follow his Rule; indeed, that same Rule decided at that now infamous council in the city of Autun. Even in Autun there are some who are asking that his relics be placed with them as objects worthy of worship. Alas, how short memories are.

‘Valretrade and myself, with our two little ones, were saved from the worst of these atrocities for we were away from the city at the time of Ebroin’s attack. Yet of her sister’s family, only poor Magnatrude survived.

‘So what does the future hold for us? We, together with

Magnatrude, have decided to commence our journey westward. We are already at Nebirnum. We are going to seek a new home, a new life, in the land of the Armoricans. We are told that there is a land called Domnonia, a land by the sea, in the north of that country, where we shall start our new life. Perhaps we shall find a plot of land to farm or an inn to run for pilgrims.

‘All we know is that we can no longer serve these new religious communities that are now following the ideas propounded by Leodegar.

We maintain our Faith in the Christ Jesus but not in men who would try to claim dominion over us and regulate our lives with petty rules that are unnatural to human life. We deny those disciplines for we are human, no more but certainly no less. We are as the Creator made us and, if there is truth in religion, we are as we were meant to be.

‘If Fate and Our Lord Jesus are kind to us, we will meet again with you. If not, accept forever our sincere and dearest wishes for peace and goodwill to attend you all the days of your lives.’

There followed a list of the names of the family of Sigeric and Valretrade.

Fidelma sighed deeply and found herself wiping away a tear.