Peter Tremayne - Penance of the Damned

‘I presume, Ceit, that you will eventually come to the point.’ Conri’s voice was slow and studied.

‘I am telling you,’ complained Ceit. ‘Brehon Faolchair demanded to see Gorman as it was his duty by right of law. Brother Eladach appeared to agree with him on his rights as a Brehon but could not let him pass. Abbot Nannid had issued strict orders. He had declared governance of the community by the rules of the Penitentials. Therefore, Brother Eladach said he could admit neither the Brehon nor me.’

Fidelma was almost speechless. ‘He refused a Brehon entrance?’

‘At that moment,’ went on Ceit, ‘the abbot’s steward arrived – a smirking man whom I dislike. He confirmed that Brother Eladach was obeying the wishes of the abbot, who was then resting from the ardours of his journey. When Brehon Faolchair pressed him about Gorman, he replied that – I quote his words – “the murderer was being held under guard until such time as the abbot disposed of him”.’

Aibell almost fainted and would have fallen, had not Eadulf caught her.

Fidelma turned to Eadulf and said, ‘Take Aibell to our chamber and see she is attended to. Don’t leave her.’ She watched as he helped the girl across the courtyard and then turned back to Ceit. ‘In what way did he mean “disposed of”?’ she asked.

Ceit grimaced. ‘I only tell you what was said. The abbot’s steward added that the abbot would explain matters to Prince Donennach after he had rested from his trip. Brehon Faolchair felt there was nothing to be done until the abbot makes an appearance and explains himself.’

Conri was grim-faced. ‘It seems we must prepare.’

‘Prepare?’ Ceit echoed uncertainly. ‘For what?’

‘You saw the four men who provided escort for Abbot Nannid?’ Conri said. ‘We have told you they were brigands. Well, Abbot Nannid met with their leader at Sliabh Luachra.’

The guard commander looked from Fidelma to Conri, an expression of bewilderment on his face.

Conri put it in simpler terms. ‘I think we are going to be attacked by the men of Sliabh Luachra. We know they are now within the vicinity of this township.’

‘What? You really believe that Glaed intends to attack us?’ Ceit was incredulous. ‘Even my lucht-tighe , the household guard, could defeat the brigands of Sliabh Luachra if they come out of their lairs.’

‘I do not question your training or your courage, Ceit,’ said Fidelma. ‘However, I do question the fact that we do not know exactly how many men Glaed has, nor his exact purpose; nor – which is worse – who else he is in league with in this fortress other than, it seems, Abbot Nannid.’

‘How many men do you have here, Ceit?’ Conri enquired.

‘The household guard are not currently up to full strength but are a company of maybe fifty. The rest are posted on the hills as sentinels.’

Conri was worried. ‘And I have fewer than ten fighting men.’

‘Should we ask the prince to issue a summons for a sluagud ?’ asked Ceit.

The sluagud was the general summoning of clansmen raised by individual chieftains when the territory and its prince was under threat.

‘I doubt there is time for that,’ Conri said. ‘But as we know where Glaed’s marauders are, I would advise that sentinels be doubled.’

They left Ceit as the guard commander set about following the orders of the warlord, and they went to the great hall.

Prince Donennach and Brehon Faolchair were just entering the hall as they came in.

‘Have you heard?’ were Brehon Faolchair’s opening words.

‘I have,’ replied Fidelma grimly. ‘Abbot Nannid has imprisoned Gorman in the abbey and refuses to hand him over.’

‘For the time being,’ Prince Donennach added.

‘Eadulf has just told us that Abbot Nannid had a secret meeting with Glaed and his marauders, and that it was Glaed himself who handed over Gorman as prisoner to him,’ said the Brehon.

‘The escort that Abbot Nannid brought into this township were four of Glaed’s men,’ Conri said curtly. ‘We should prepare for the worst.’

Prince Donennach slumped into his chair. His pale and strained features showed his apprehension.

‘How do you know this?’ he asked.

‘We saw them together,’ replied Conri.

‘We have witnessed the destruction wreaked by his marauders,’ Fidelma told the prince. ‘A woodsman was killed and his cabin burned. A farm was likewise fired, animals stolen for food for the band, and the farmer and his wife both killed. We managed to rescue Aibell, but Gorman was captured by Glaed and then handed over to Nannid, who seemed most friendly with the robber chief.’

‘And the guard who was bribed to help Gorman escape from here, and then escaped himself, is also one of Glaed’s men,’ put in Conri.

‘So Abbot Nannid is working in collusion with Glaed to overthrow Prince Donennach?’ It was a terrible shock. Brehon Faolchair was aghast.

‘The abbot has the right to be called to account and explain his own involvement,’ Fidelma stated. ‘He must now release Gorman to the custody of Brehon Faolchair.’

‘I have already been to the Abbey of Nechta to demand custody,’ Brehon Faolchair said helplessly. ‘He refused.’

‘I heard the story from Ceit.’ Fidelma was angrier than she had ever been in her entire life.

Brehon Faolchair’s cheeks assumed a red glow of mortification as Fidelma ignored him and spoke directly to Prince Donennach. ‘I suggest that you send your bodyguard to disturb Abbot Nannid’s rest.’ Without waiting for an answer, she added: ‘I will withdraw so that my companions and I can refresh ourselves after our journey here. On my return I shall expect to see Abbot Nannid and his steward here before you, explaining themselves, and Gorman placed in your custody.’

She did not even wait for an acknowledgement from the depressed-looking prince but stormed out of the hall and made for the guests’ rooms. Eadulf and Aibell were waiting for her; they had been joined by Enda. A young female attendant was standing by, looking nervous.

‘We want water for washing,’ Fidelma demanded in ill-humour and when the girl had hurried off, she said to her companions, ‘Eadulf, you and Enda will share the room next to mine. Aibell will stay here with me. I do not want any of us separated until we have sorted out this mystery.’

They had washed and changed by the time there came a discreet knock on the door of their chamber. It was the young girl attendant.

‘If it please you, lady,’ the young girl mumbled, ‘Prince Donennach requests that you and Brother Eadulf join him in the great hall.’

‘Is Abbot Nannid in attendance?’ she asked.

‘He is, lady,’ confirmed the girl.

‘Is the warrior Gorman there also?’

‘I overheard Ceit saying that Abbot Nannid has refused to hand him to the custody of Brehon Faolchair. But will you come, lady? They are waiting.’

‘We’ll be there directly.’ Fidelma turned to Enda, saying, ‘Aibell had better stay out of the way. If Abbot Nannid has presented himself without Gorman, then he must have some secret plan, so if you think there is any danger, I’ll leave it to you to exercise good judgement.’

‘You may trust me, lady,’ the young warrior replied.

As they went down to the great hall, Fidelma confided in her husband, saying, ‘I am not sure what astounds me more – the fact that Abbot Nannid has the boldness to present himself before Prince Donennach or that he apparently defies him.’

‘Something is not right,’ Eadulf agreed. ‘As you say, it seems that he has some strategy of which we are ignorant.’

The atmosphere of the gathering in the great hall was tense.

Prince Donennach, still looking exhausted, slumped in his chair of office. His sister, Airmid, sat next to him; Brehon Faolchair in front and just below the dais as protocol dictated. Conri stood behind his prince as usual, but there were several other warriors stationed in the hall, with Ceit among them. At the table, predictably, were Prior Cuan with his steward, Brother Tuaman, seated to the left, while to the right sat Abbot Nannid and his steward, Brother Cuaneain. The abbot did not seem a whit abashed and wore a complacent smile on his thin features.