Peter Tremayne - Dancing With Demons

‘Brother Rogallach is resting a moment. Given him a restorative. Superficial wound. Cut will heal in a day or two. Cleaned it. Bandaged it.’ He indicated a door into another chamber in the wooden building.

It was a small, simply furnished room with two wooden beds, a table and chairs. It was clearly where Iceadh treated his seriously ill patients. Brother Rogallach was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, holding his bandaged head in one hand while the other held an empty glass from which he had apparently been taking Iceadh’s medication.

The physician went to him, took the glass and nodded in satisfaction.

‘Good, good. You may return to your own chambers, Brother. Lie down a while. No work. Not until tomorrow. Might have a headache. No matter. Bad blow. You’ll be all right.’

Fidelma glanced at the pale face of Rogallach.

‘Can we speak with him a moment?’ she asked.

The physician shrugged. ‘If he wishes. I have things to clear up.’ He went out and Fidelma pushed the door shut behind him before turning back to the patient.

‘How are you feeling now, Brother Rogallach?’

‘Better, lady. Has the person who attacked me been caught?’

‘I am afraid not.’

‘But Mer is dead?’

‘Yes, I am afraid so. Did you know her?’ Fidelma asked.

‘Of course. Most people around Tara knew her.’

‘Do you know why she would be in the food cellar?’

Brother Rogallach gave a guffaw, then winced and put a hand to his head.

‘Mer would steal when she could not beg, and beg when she could not scavenge.’

‘So you think she had broken in to steal food?’

‘What other reason would there be?’

‘That is what I am trying to discover. We also have to place someone else in the seallad — the person who killed her.’

Brother Rogallach looked indignant. ‘I hope you don’t mean-’

‘What I mean is that I want to know who would be there and who would want to kill her?’

‘If anyone who worked in the ircha saw her, they would chase her out, certainly, but not without throwing her some bread or a piece of cheese, and she would go away cursing but content. They would not kill her nor attempt to kill me. It must have been some stranger.’

‘A stranger who infiltrated the royal enclosure in daylight?’ mused Fidelma.

‘If Dubh Duin could infiltrate the High King’s house at night, then anything is possible,’ replied Rogallach defensively.

‘Your point is a good one,’ agreed Fidelma. Then she added thoughtfully: ‘We either have Mer encountering a stranger in the uaimh or someone whom she knew and who did not want her to reveal that they were there. Since we are here, tell us about Bishop Luachan’s visit.’

Brother Rogallach looked startled. ‘I swore an oath to Sechnussach not to speak of it.’

‘Sechnussach is dead,’ Fidelma reminded him. ‘Maintaining your oath might be aiding his killer.’

Brother Rogallach examined her for a moment. Doubt and indecision were plain in his features. Then he shrugged.

‘Since you know that Bishop Luachan was here, then you must know all I know.’

‘Let us hear what happened, in your own words.’

‘It was the evening before the assassination. Sechnussach called me to him and told me that Irél, the captain of the Fianna, would arrive at the main gate around midnight. He would be escorting Bishop Luachan of Delbna Mór. I was to meet them at the gate and escort them to Tech Cormaic . Then I was to tell Irél to care for the horses, refresh himself and be ready to depart before dawn. I was to bring Luachan to Sechnussach in his bedchamber. I did so, and was told to wait outside and let no one in.’

‘Did the High King himself instruct you?’

Brother Rogallach nodded. ‘And not only that, but I was surprised when he closed his chamber door and locked it.’

‘So that was unusual?’

‘It was. Bishop Luachan was not a confidant of the High King. He never usually came to Tara. I would have known.’

‘You had no idea what business brought Luachan here?’

‘None at all.’

‘Was Luachan carrying anything?’

Brother Rogallach looked surprised. ‘You know that?’

‘Tell me.’

‘He was carrying a heavy saddlebag.’

‘Did you see the contents?’

Brother Rogallách shook his head, then winced and added: ‘Whatever it contained, he did not carry it away with him. The saddlebag was light on his arm when he left.’

‘So whatever the object or gift was, it was left in the possession of Sechnussach. Therefore, it should be in his chamber. But his chamber is empty. Who cleared it?’

‘I did,’ Rogallach said. ‘I cleared it with Brónach, but I can tell you there was nothing there that could account for the gift.’

‘It could not have been hidden somewhere?’

‘After Sechnussach had dismissed me, when Bishop Luachan had departed, it was approaching dawn. I had seen Irél and Bishop Luachan to the gate and then returned to my own chamber. I was just entering it when I heard the door of the High King’s apartments swing open. My room is at the far end of the corridor and I have a view of his door from there. I saw Sechnussach emerge and was about to call out to enquire if he needed me. But I noticed that he was carrying something heavy in his hands; I could not see what it was because it was wrapped in cloth. Something made me press back into my room for the manner in which he emerged was surreptitious. When I looked out, he had crossed the landing and disappeared down the stairs.’

‘Carrying the object?’

Brother Rogallach nodded.

‘You did not follow to see if you were needed?’

‘I concluded that he would have come to find me if he needed me. I believe that whatever it was Bishop Luachan had given him, he went to place it elsewhere than in his chamber.’

‘Did he have a special place for storing things? Treasures and the like?’ enquired Eadulf.

Brother Rogallach shook his head. ‘Not specifically. However, I did hear the door that led out to the kitchen open and concluded that he had gone outside.’

Eadulf leaned forward excitedly. ‘You suspect that he may have gone to the pantry … perhaps to the uaimh?’

‘It is not beyond the realm of possibility,’ agreed Brother Rogallach.

‘But it is speculation,’ Fidelma pointed out, turning her remark to Eadulf.

‘You’ve absolutely no idea what it was that Bishop Luachan brought to the High King that night?’ pressed Eadulf, ignoring her.

Brother Rogallach sighed. ‘Only that it was a circular object. The only other person who would have such knowledge is Bishop Luachan himself.’

Eadulf was disappointed.

‘Well,’ Fidelma said, ‘you need not worry further about it, Brother Rogallach. At least you are looking better.

‘Thanks to Iceadh’s noxious potion, my head is not aching as much,’ admitted Rogallach. He raised a hand to massage his brow a little and gave a rueful smile. Then he frowned. ‘What made you come to the pantry, lady? It was certainly a lucky thing for me that you and Brother Eadulf did so.’

‘We were actually looking for you,’ Fidelma told him.

‘Why me?’ asked the bollscari.

‘We have been questioning everyone who was there on the night that Sechnussach was slain,’ explained Eadulf.

Brother Rogallach nodded in understanding. ‘Of course. I was not thinking. I knew that you had arrived and were questioning witnesses. There is not much I can add to what you must know already. Like the others that night, I was roused by a noise … ’

‘A scream?’ suggested Eadulf.

‘Perhaps. It is hard to say. You know what it is like when a noise arouses you from your sleep. You don’t really know what it was and you spend a few moments trying to identify it. When I had all my senses, I heard others waking and there was movement in the corridor. I left my bed and went to see what the commotion was.’