Peter Tremayne - Act of Mercy

Murchad interrupted harshly.

‘More pressing is the fact that you now have to answer to the charge of killing Toca Nia.’

Fidelma found herself in agreement.

‘In fact, unless another witness comes forward to accuse you, Toca Nia’s accusations have died with him. We cannot restrain you nor make you answerable to those accusations, for he made no legal record of them.’

Cian was totally astonished.

‘You mean that the accusation about Rath Bile is dropped?’

‘Toca Nia made no official charge; no charge was written down nor witnessed. A dead man’s oral accusation, unless it is his dying testimony, and witnessed as such, cannot be adjudged as evidence against you.’

‘Then I am free of that charge?’

‘Unless there are other witnesses from Rath Bile who appear to testify against you. As there are none here, you are free of that charge.’

Brother Cian’s features broadened into a smile and then, as he realised the implications, he grew serious again.

‘I swear by the Holy Trinity that I did not kill Toca Nia.’

Fidelma heard the ring of truth in his voice, but her personal scepticism made her doubt his protestations of innocence. What was it that Horace had said? Naturam expelles furca tamen usque recurret — you may drive out nature with a pitchfork, but it always returns. Cian was a natural deceiver and his truth was always to be doubted. Then she realised, with a sudden pang of guilt, that she was once again letting her personal feelings condemn him.

She was about to speak when there came a fierce shouting from nearby.

Father Pol looked up with a frown as one of the islanders, a thin, wispy fellow in the garb of a fisherman, came running around the corner of the church building. He drew up sharply at the sight of them and stood gasping for breath.

‘What is it, Tibatto?’ demanded Father Pol disapprovingly. ‘You know better than to come to the House of God in such turmoil.’

‘Saxons!’ grunted the man, breathlessly. ‘Saxon raiders!’

‘Where?’ demanded the priest, as Murchad jerked around in consternation, his hand going to the knife in his belt.

‘I was on the point above Rochers …’

‘It is our northern coast,’ explained Father Pol in a swift aside to them.

‘And I saw a Saxon ship beating southward around into the bay. It is a warrior ship with a lightning symbol on its mainsail.’

Murchad exchanged a quick glance with Fidelma, who had risen to her feet with Cian.

‘How soon will they be in the bay?’ the priest demanded, his face grim.

‘Within the hour, Father.’

‘Sound the alarm. Let’s get the people into the interior,’ he said decisively. ‘Come, Murchad, you’d better get your crew and thepilgrims ashore. There are caves where we can hide or, at worst, defend ourselves.’

Murchad shook his head firmly.

‘I’ll not abandon my ship to pirates, Saxon, Frank or Goth! The tide is only just on the turn. I am sailing out of the bay. If any of my passengers want to come ashore, then it will be up to them.’

Father Pol stared at him aghast for a moment.

‘You will never have time to get underway before they close off the mouth of the bay. If they are off the Rochers they will be around the headland within half an hour.’

‘Better to be on the ship than sitting on this island waiting for them to land and slaughter everyone,’ Murchad replied. He turned to Gurvan. ‘Is anyone else ashore apart from ourselves?’

‘No one else except us, Captain.’

‘Will you come, lady?’ he demanded of Fidelma.

She did not hesitate.

‘If you are going to make a run for it, then I am with you, Murchad.’

‘Let’s go!’

Cian had been standing by while they discussed the position. Now he took a step forward.

‘Wait! Let me come with you.’

Murchad stared at him in surprise.

‘I thought you were seeking sanctuary,’ he sneered.

‘I told you, I only sought sanctuary to give me time to prepare to defend myself against the accusations of Toca Nia.’

‘But now you may have to defend yourself against an accusation of his murder,’ Fidelma reminded him.

‘I’ll chance that. But I don’t want to be caught here without defence by these raiders. Let me come with you.’

Murchad shrugged. ‘We have no time to waste. Come or stay. We go now.’

There came the sound of a horn being blown. An angry warning note. As they left the church, they saw people running in all directions, women holding screaming children, men grabbing what weapons they could.

Murchad grasped the priest’s hand and shook it.

‘The best of luck, Father Pol. I think you will find that these particular Saxons are looking for us, rather than raiding your island. We escaped them once; perhaps we will do so again.’

Murchad speedily led the way along the path to the cove below.

Fidelma glanced behind and saw Father Pol’s arm raised in ablessing and then he was gone. His duty now was to ensure that his people were taken to a place of safety.

No word was spoken as the four hurried down the winding path to the quay where they had left their skiff. Only when they were in the boat, with Gurvan and Murchad pulling strongly towards The Barnacle Goose , did Cian meet Fidelma’s quizzical green eyes. He held their gaze and did not flinch.

‘I did not kill Toca Nia, Fidelma,’ he affirmed quietly. ‘I did not know he was dead until you came to Father Pol’s house to tell me. I swear it.’

Fidelma found herself almost believing him but she wanted to be sure. She could never trust Cian: she had learnt that lesson a long time ago.

‘There’ll be plenty of time to make your pleas of innocence later,’ she replied brusquely.

They were alongside the ship. Fidelma was almost the last on deck, for Murchad had already leapt on board and was bellowing orders. Gurvan followed her, bringing up the rear to secure the skiff.

‘Is everything squared away?’ demanded Murchad, as Gurvan joined him on the stern deck. The crew had already been roused by Murchad’s hail as they approached the ship.

‘Aye, Captain,’ called the mate, taking charge of the steering oar with the sailor called Drogon.

Fidelma went to take a stand by Murchad’s side. It seemed natural that she should.

‘What can we do, Murchad?’ she demanded, glancing towards the entrance of the bay.

His face was an emotionless mask, his sea-grey eyes narrowed as he gazed along the deep inlet. They could see the dark outline of the Saxon shipping coming around the southern headland, determined to block off their escape from the inlet. From their anchorage it was three kilometres to the mouth of the bay which was hardly more than a kilometre at its widest point. The sea raider had plenty of time to cut off any attempt they might make to escape.

‘They are tenacious, these Saxon devils,’ Murchad muttered. ‘I’ll say that for them. Their captain must have had some good sea sense to realise that we had doubled back past him the other night. That he was able to follow us here says much for him.’

‘There is no darkness now to hide us,’ Fidelma pointed out.

Murchad paused to shout orders that the pilgrims should remain below as he noticed that Cian, left to his own devices, had gone below to rouse his fellows with news of the arrival of the raider. Nowhe glanced ruefully up at the hazy blue sky with its tiny individual beads of white cloud, rippling along in high lines.

‘That’s for sure,’ he answered Fidelma. ‘That’s a mackerel sky up there — clear but unsettled. It’s not going to swallow us up either in darkness or in fog. If there was a mist, I might try to run out past him. Ha! That’s the first time you will find a sailor praying for a fog!’