Peter Tremayne - Dancing With Demons

‘Why did Dubh Duin strike when he did? It has long been a legend among those of the Old Faith that when the “wheel of destiny”, crafted by the sun god of our forefathers, was found, it would be the instrument that would destroy the New Faith. It was thought that it would point the way to where the great Cauldron of Murias, the secret of all life, was hidden and with this sacred object in their hands, those of the Old Faith would be triumphant and drive out Christianity.

‘There was at Tara an old woman called Mer the Demented. Many of you treated her as a joke. But she boasted about the finding of the wheel of destiny even before I reached Tara.

‘Then I heard of Bishop Luachan’s visit to Sechnussach on the night before his death. Bishop Luachan sits before you. He will tell you that he and Brother Diomsach discovered a circular object in a hidden manmade cave dedicated to the Old Faith. Bishop Luachan is learned in such things, and he believes the circular object he found to be an integral part of the wheel of destiny. Knowing the legend, Bishop Luachan posted Brother Diomsach to Tara to tell Sechnussach. Irél was sent from Tara to escortBishop Luachan and the object here. The object was handed to Sechnussach the night before his death. Bishop Luachan then returned to Delbna Mór.’

She paused and Abbot Colmán, who was leaning forward, trying to follow her story, cleared his throat.

‘What has happened to this wheel of destiny?’ he asked.

Fidelma smiled briefly. ‘As soon as Bishop Luachan left, Sechnussach realised the weight of responsibility upon him and knew that he should not hide it in his chambers, but somewhere safer. In the early hours, he went down to the kitchen of the royal residence and hid it in the uaimh or souterrain where foodstuffs are kept. He was seen taking it from his chamber by Brother Rogallach, who thought little about it. Torpach the cook came upon Sechnussach in the kitchens early in the morning and the High King explained that he could not sleep and so had come to make a meal. That was a lie. Sechnussach had taken the object to the souterrain to hide it.

‘I think it was Mer who discovered where it was hidden and she went to the souterrain to find it. Cuan followed and, for whatever reason, he killed her and took the precious object. Before he could escape, Brother Rogallach entered and Cuan knocked him unconscious from behind. Rogallach did not see him. Cuan then fled to the territory to join those at Hag’s Mountain. He realised that there was little future with them and so escaped as we attacked their camp. He took the object and fled but we eventually caught up with him.’

‘So the wheel is still hidden somewhere?’ said Brehon Sedna.

‘It is not,’ Fidelma said with a quick gesture to Eadulf. The latter took a piece of sackcloth from his feet and removed something from it. There was a gasp around the Great Assembly as he held up a circular object, its bright silver reflecting the lights of the great hall. There was a solar motif in the centre and the edge of the object was engraved with many heads forming the outside circle. He placed it on the floor before Abbot Colmán.

Fidelma had been watching the faces of the witnesses as he did so.

‘Just for the members of this assembly, Bishop Luachan, can you confirm that this was the object that you presented to Sechnussach?’

The elderly bishop indicated it was.

‘Bishop Luachan’s visit to the High King in the dead of night was discovered by one of Dubh Duin’s fanatical conspirators. That was why the decision was made to strike at Sechnussach the next night. And that was also when things began to go wrong, for there was no synchronisation withthe person who had put these events in motion in the first place. That person, whom I have called the chief conspirator, had wanted Gormflaith to be in Tara when Sechnussach died; and he had wanted his lover — who was his co-conspirator — to be away from Tara. But Dubh Duin and his religious faction was not interested in these conspirators’ plans. They were true fanatics.

‘The plan, as I said, went wrong because someone was with Sechnussach when Dubh Duin entered his chamber; someone whose scream alerted the servants and guards and led to Dubh Duin turning the knife on himself.’

‘An interesting story,’ snapped Brehon Sedna. ‘But we want names.’

‘And names you shall have.’ Fidelma turned to the witnesses.

‘Dubh Duin was to be the assassin, as you know. Mer the Demented played some part, perhaps identifying the fact that Sechnussach had possession of what to them was a sacred wheel. Cuan’s role was to take a key to the High King’s chamber and get a smith to copy it. Then, on the night of the murder, he was to distract his fellow warrior, Lugna, to remove him from his guardpost at the doors of the royal house. That left one other conspirator who worked in the royal house and who passed the key of Sechnussach’s chamber to the assassin for him to enter. It was this same female servant who, as I have said, used her sexual favours to ensure Cuan’s role in the plot. She was one of the central figures in this conspiracy.’

‘Who is it?’ demanded Brehon Sedna.

Fidelma was grim. ‘Mer the Demented unintentionally told me her name before we even came to Tara. She referred to “the white one”. There is only one servant who bears the name — for what does Báine mean but “the white one”?’

Báine was sitting back with a sneer of derision making her pretty features ugly.

‘Very clever,’ she hissed, ‘but cleverness will not save you and your kind when the sacred wheel leads us back to the Great Cauldron of Murias which has been touched by the hands of The Dagda himself. You will tremble and sacrifice before Crom.’

Another cacophony of sound burst out in the Great Assembly chamber and it took several minutes before Abbot Colmán and Brehon Sedna could restore order.

‘So it was Báine who stole the key and gave it to Cuan to make a copy?’ asked Abbot Colmán. ‘It was she who persuaded Cuan to betray his warrior’s code.’

‘Yes. And Báine was the daughter of the priestess of Crom whose body now lies in a grave on Hag’s Mountain,‘added Fidelma. ‘It took Eadulf, Irél and I a while to recall where we had seen the features of the woman called the ceannard before. Báine is clearly the daughter of her mother.’

Báine sat back, her arms folded defiantly, and stuck her chin in the air as if she was no longer part of the proceedings.

Cuan stood up and said nervously: ‘If I confirm all this, lord, may I plead for clemency? She bewitched me, I swear it.’

Brehon Sedna scowled at him. ‘It is neither the place nor time to hear such pleas,’ he declared. Then, returning his gaze to Fidelma, he added: ‘Apart from Dubh Duin, Báine, Cuan and Mer, you have claimed — if I understand correctly — that there was a chief conspirator, someone motivated by power and not by religious fanaticism?’

‘I did. The person who thought they would succeed to the High Kingship — and I did not mean Cenn Faelad.’

‘And you will name him?’

‘He has named himself. He was the one who introduced Dubh Duin to Gormflaith, engaged himself in supporting Gormflaith’s relationship with him, and, knowing how he could win the support of Cenn Faelad to nominate him as tánaiste, promised Dubh Duin that when he took over as High King, after deposing Cenn Faelad sometime in the future, he would bring about the changes to recognise the Old Faith once more. Whether he would have done so, once firmly in power, I do not know. I doubt it. But promises are cheap. The Old Faith was his route to the High Kingship.’

All eyes in the Council had turned on the urbane figure of Brehon Barrán who had been sitting without any reaction to Fidelma’s recital.