Peter Tremayne - Valley of the Shadow

His heart beating fast he peered up quickly. A shadow darted back before he could identify it.

He stood for a moment or two with the sweat standing out on his forehead. He had passed within a fraction of death.

Then he was aware of a figure hurrying down the steps from the battlement towards him. He stepped back to defend himself.

The figure was Rudgal. There was an odd expression on his features.

‘Are you all right, Brother?’ he asked anxiously.

Eadulf composed himself as the threat receded.

‘I seem to have put my heart in the place where my throat is,’ he admitted.

Rudgal was bending down and picking up the fallen law books.

‘It was a near thing, Brother. Such accidents can be dangerous.’

Eadulf’s eyes narrowed.

‘Accident you say?’

Rudgal’s expression was bland.

‘Wasn’t it an accident? Some of these stone blocks on the battlement are ill-placed and loose.’

‘There was someone up there on the battlement who gave that particular stone a helping hand.’

Rudgal was shocked.

‘Are you so sure, Brother? Did you recognise anyone?’

‘I saw no one that I could identify,’ confessed Eadulf. ‘But you were up on the battlement. You must have seen whoever it was?’

Rudgal shook his head.

‘There were a few people about. I was walking along and heard only your cry. When I peered over, I saw you and the stone at your feet. You seemed to be shaken. I saw no …’

He paused with a thoughtful frown.

‘You saw … what?’ prompted Eadulf.

‘Probably nothing. There was the young brother, what is his name — Dianach? Yes, I saw him walking in the other direction with Esnad and, of course, Artgal was walking nearby with Laisre, who was talking with him. Perhaps they saw something, though I do not think so otherwise they would have come to see what was wrong. No one else had apparently heard your cry of alarm.’

Eadulf shook his head firmly.

‘I do not think that will get us very far,’ he reflected, taking the books from Rudgal’s hands. ‘Artgal is the chief witness against Fidelma and young Brother Dianach made his dislike of me very clear this morning. No. We will not say any more about this.’

He left Rudgal and continued back to the hostel. Inside, he put the books carefully on the table and sat before them. He yawned and wished that he had had even more sleep. Then he thought of Fidelma in her cell and felt suddenly penitent for there would certainly be no sleep for her alone in that unfriendly place. But even the hostel was deserted. Neither Cruinn nor Brother Dianach had returned to the hostel. It was plain that they were avoiding him.

Slowly he began to turn the pages of the law texts.

Time passed, the characters on the pages began to take on a life of their own, twisting and swimming before his eyes. He seemed unable to take in the easiest of concepts. His eyelids felt heavier and heavier and his head began to droop.

He must have fallen asleep.

There was a sound at the door.

Eadulf jerked his head up from the manuscript, blinking rapidly and uncertain of where he was for the moment.

It was Rudgal who stood on the threshold.

‘What is it?’ Eadulf asked, yawning and feeling ashamed that he had dropped asleep. He pushed the law book away from him and turned to Rudgal.

‘I come with a message from Murgal, Brother. It is about the hearing which you requested.’

‘And?’ Eadulf was fully awake now and he rose to his feet. ‘Will he grant me a hearing tomorrow?’

‘Murgal says that you are within your rights to demand such a hearing before him as Brehon of Gleann Geis. I am to return the books to him — he said you would know which ones he wants. And, further, if you can assure him, through me, that you can cite procedure under law, he will accede to such a hearing. But the hearing must be held in the chieftain’s council chamber this afternoon before the evening meal.’

Eadulf was startled.

‘What hour is it now?’ Eadulf demanded, feeling that Murgal was playing cat and mouse with him.

‘Nearly an hour after the noon meal.’

‘That means I have only a few hours to prepare.’

Eadulf tried to quell his sudden panic. Rudgal’s face was expressionless as he watched him.

‘Murgal says that if you are unable to make your plea by this afternoon, then you have not comprehended the necessary law.’

Eadulf ran a hand distractedly through his hair.

‘At least Murgal is prepared to hold the hearing,’ he admitted. ‘You will have to tell him that I shall need another hour or so with these books. I shall return them later.’

He looked down at the open law book on the table in apprehension.

‘It seems my only hope is that he will accept the oath of Sister Fidelma, take into account her rank and her position as an Eóghanacht princess to free her until the hearing in nine days’ time.’

Rudgal smiled warmly.

‘It will be good for the Sister Fidelma to be released from the Chamber of Isolation, Brother. It is not fitting for one such as she to be incarcerated there.’

‘I wish I were optimistic about the outcome.’

Rudgal’s eyes narrowed.

‘You do not think that you are knowledgeable enough to secure freedom for Sister Fidelma?’ he demanded. He gestured to the books on the table. ‘What do these books tell you to do?’

Eadulf gave a painful laugh.

‘They tell me that my knowledge of law is poor and that the little that I do possess is not sufficient to ensure her release.’

‘Surely there is something you can do?’

‘There is only one thing other than Murgal’s acceptance of the oath of Fidelma as sister of the king of Cashel as guarantee for her appearing before him at the time of the trial.’

‘What is that?’ demanded Rudgal.

‘The other thing would be if I could show that Artgal is not a reliable witness.’

Rudgal rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

‘He is an ambitious man. A first-class blacksmith and a good warrior, I know that.’

‘Perhaps he has some secret. Maybe he betrayed a colleague in battle?’

Rudgal chuckled.

‘Look somewhere else, Brother. We fought together, side by side, at Hill of Aine against the Arada Cliach last year. He showed himself courageous in battle.’

Eadulf was staring at the man in surprise.

‘You fought there against the Arada Cliach? But that means that you fought against the army of the king of Cashel?’

Rudgal dismissed the matter with a grim smile.

‘We answered the call of our chieftain, Laisre, who in turn served Eoganán of the Uí Fidgente. But now Eoganán is dead and there is peace between the Uí Fidgente and Cashel again. So there is peace between Laisre and Cashel, too. But Artgal’s ambition lay not in wars. I know this, for he said his ambition was soon to be fulfilled in peace.’

‘I swear I do not understand your internal politics,’ muttered Eadulf. ‘Even if I did it still would not help me. Apart from Artgal’s prowess as a blacksmith and a warrior, is there nothing you can tell me about him? What is this you say about Artgal’s ambition?’

‘Ambition is no crime.’

‘But you said that he indicated that his ambition might be fulfilled.’

‘In fact, he swore as much this morning.’

‘What ambition?’ insisted Eadulf.

‘To expand his small farmstead and smithy and employ an apprentice, to be able to afford to have a wife. You’ll find nothing sinister in that.’

‘Indeed. Innocent enough. Why did it become an ambition?’

‘He had not been able to save enough to buy milch cows to form the basis of his stock. His smithy is inactive because Goban is the chief smith here. Most people go to him for more crafted work. Artgal’s farmstead is poor and he is always looking for work. He mainly ekes out an existence on the largesse he receives from Laisre as his bodyguard. But now he has been able to purchase two milch cows.’