Peter Tremayne - Master of Souls

‘Well, we might soon be able to resolve that matter,’ Fidelma encouraged him. ‘But now we need your help. Do you have a work on the genealogy of the Ui Fidgente?’

The young assistant librarian answered at once.

‘Of course. As one of the best libraries in the kingdom, we keep all the records of our great chiefs and nobles.’

‘May we look at the genealogy?’

‘Oh, we don’t have it at the moment. It has been borrowed.’

Their faces fell. Fidelma asked: ‘By whom has it been borrowed?’

Brother Faolchair smiled. ‘That’s another easy one — Brother Benen came this morning and asked for it on behalf of the Venerable Mac Faosma. He has it.’

Eadulf exchanged a quick glance with Fidelma but she did not appear to have been surprised or to have seen any significance in the fact.

‘There was another thing I wanted to make sure of, Brother Faolchair,’ she went on. ‘The last book that Cinaed appeared to have finished and gave you to copy was…?’

‘De ars sordida gemmae. ’

‘Exactly so. Do you remember it?’

‘I remember it very well. It was one of the books that were destroyed in this very library.’

‘When had he given it to you to copy?’

‘A few days before his death.’

‘I think you said that you had not finished the copy?’

‘I had not. Those pages that I had copied were destroyed along with the original.’

‘Do you remember anything at all about the book? What were its arguments, its conclusions?’

Brother Faolchair shrugged. ‘I did not read it.’

Fidelma was astonished. ‘But you had started to copy it? You must have read it through first?’

The assistant librarian shook his head. ‘When you are a copyist, Sister, you learn that the first rule is never to read the manuscript that you are copying. You follow line by line copying what you see otherwise you will find yourself making mistakes.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘If you think that you know what is written, you will find yourself racing ahead; putting down what you think is coming next instead of what

‘So you have no knowledge of the text?’

The young man shrugged. ‘I recall that it started with the idea that wealth is needed to create and sustain wars, justly or unjustly. It went on about the wealth of this land being used to sustain the Ui Fidgente chieftains in their wars against Cashel and then argued that it became a never-ending cycle. That wealth was needed to create wars and the more wars that were fought the more wealth was needed. Wealth created wars and wars created wealth. So the more land one had to conquer to extract the wealth to pay for the wars that needed that wealth the more wars had to be fought. He called it the unending circle.’

Eadulf raised his head quickly.

‘The Unending Circle,’ he repeated softly, with a meaningful look at Fidelma.

‘What else?’ prompted Fidelma, ignoring him.

‘The Venerable Cinaed went on to develop a theme about the extracting of gemstones to raise money… no, to say this was being done to finance a war…’

‘And?’

‘That is as far as I remember. I was still working on copying the thesis.’

A nervous look entered his eyes. Fidelma turned and saw Brother Eolas entering the library.

‘Thanks, that is all we need. You have been helpful as always, Brother Faolchair.’

Outside the library, Eadulf was almost beside himself with excitement.

‘The Unending Circle. Do you see the connection? It is the songmaster who must be behind this. That is the name of his organisation. Remember what the chorister told me at Daingean?’

‘You have frequently remarked on it,’ Fidelma observed drily.

‘Then we should go to see Brother Cill n?’

He was disappointed when she shook her head.

‘We will go and see the Venerable Mac Faosma and ask to see this genealogy. I think that will answer my question.’

Eadulf sniffed in disapproval. ‘I fail to see how.’

Fidelma exhaled softly. ‘Well, it does not need the two of us to do this. While I am talking to the Venerable Mac Faosma, why not go and find out what you can about Brother Cillin and any other information about

Eadulf drew himself up with injured pride. ‘My inquiries are always done carefully. You know that.’

Fidelma patted his arm. ‘Of course I know it. But we must be careful now, though, being so close to our prey.’

Slightly irritated, Eadulf left Fidelma and made his way through the covered walkway from the library towards the hospitium, wondering how best to approach the subject. Conri suddenly appeared before him, hurrying along with a preoccupied look. He nearly collided with Eadulf, stopped and then recognised him.

‘Where is the lady Fidelma?’ he asked quickly.

‘You look apprehensive, Conri.’

‘I need to speak to her at once,’ the warlord of the Ui Fidgente said. ‘We have had some unexpected visitors at the abbey gates.’

Eadulf raised an eyebrow in query.

‘Slebene and a warrior escort have just arrived,’ Conri explained. ‘We know that he was mixed up in this matter. His arrival means trouble. Where is Fidelma?’

Eadulf was startled at the news.

‘She has gone to see the Venerable Mac Faosma,’ he replied. Before he could question Conri further, the warrior was moving at a swift trot in the direction of the scholar’s chambers.

Eadulf stood looking after him in indecision. He was wondering whether he ought to join Conri when a voice called to him.

‘Brother Saxon! So you are here as well?’

He swung round and it was a few moments before he recognised the chorister who had been at Slebene’s fortress of An Daingean. The very chorister who had spoken to him of the Unending Circle. A coincidence indeed!

The chorister was smiling at him.

‘Remember me? I have just arrived in the company of lord Slebene. A fortunate chance as you must know.’

‘I am sorry?’ muttered Eadulf, not understanding.

‘Why, surely you are at Ard Fhearta for the same reason as I am? The meeting of the Unending Circle?’

After she left Eadulf, Fidelma found her way to the chambers of the Venerable Mac Faosma. This time there was no muscular Brother Benen between her and the oak door and she knocked boldly.

The Venerable Mac Faosma greeted her with a hostile eye as he opened the door and recognised her.

‘Have you come to bother me yet again?’ he demanded irritably before she had time to say anything. ‘I would have thought that you had better things to do.’

Fidelma smiled sweetly at the old scholar.

‘I am engaged in those things that I should be engaged in,’ she replied, her icy tongue not matching the sweetness of her smile.

‘Indeed?’

‘I am told that you borrowed a genealogy from the library.’

Mac Faosma’s forehead furrowed.

‘You take a curious interest in the books that I borrow from the library?’ he said, inflecting the words to form a question.

‘I do, don’t I?’ she responded innocently. ‘Perhaps that it is because you borrow some very interesting books. However, I would like to see this one, if I may… that is, if it has not perished in the same way as did the book of Cinaed?’

Mac Faosma stared at her and if looks had the ability to kill, her life was worthless. Then he shrugged and stood aside, motioning her to enter.

‘I do not want you to be sitting troscud outside my door to impel me to show it you,’ he sniffed. ‘Time is too precious without wasting it on melodramatic gestures.’.’

She entered his chamber and he closed the door behind her, before leading her to a corner of the room.

‘I cannot think why you want to see the genealogy of the Ui Fidgente,’ he said, drawing the manuscript across the table.