‘Let us confine ourselves to the accusation that Macliau killed his mistress Argantken and is, in fact, the Dove of Death,’ demanded the bretat Kaourentin. ‘That is why this hearing has been called and that should be the first thing we do.’
An expectant murmur ran through the audience.
‘We cannot confine ourselves to that alone,’ retorted Fidelma. ‘However, let us put Macliau out of his misery. He was not guilty of Argantken’s murder any more than he was responsible for the outrages that have been committed under the flag of Brilhag. He was a victim of the Dove of Death, a victim of another outrage which would make people think that Brilhag was responsible. And when the last of these actions, the assassination of the King and his replacement, would occur, everyone would blame the family of Brilhag, so that the person responsible could be swept to the kingship on an hysterical wave of support.’
It was some moments before the hubbub died away.
For the first time Macliau raised his head and an expression of hope crossed his features.
Fidelma glanced at him with a satisfied smile.
‘I discounted Macliau’s involvement on several grounds. Primarily, while, with the right motive, we are probably all capable of killing someone, what motive did he have for killing Argantken? Macliau loves the good life. He loves wine and women. He is no warrior. He confessed as much to us when we arrived here. Importantly, he would never have killed his dog Albiorix. I think he loved that dog perhaps more than he did the women in his life. No, it is impossible to see Macliau in the role of the Koulm ar Maro. The Dove of Death is vicious, a ruthless killer with a fixed ambition – not the sort of person who would fall into a drunken stupor next to their newly killed victim and their pet dog. Finally, how would Macliau have succeeded as King? Even his sister, Trifina, and others have pointed out that he did not have the support to succeed as lord of Brilhag, let alone King. I am told the Bretons still adhere to choosing the most capable member of the bloodline, male or even female.’
‘If not Macliau then who…?’ began Lord Canao.
‘I can now name the person who gave direct orders to Taran: the pirate who, dressed all in white and wearing a mask, even went on some of their murderous raids and enjoyed the killing as much as those they led. The person who killed my Cousin Bressal and the captain of the Barnacle Goose was – Iuna.’
There was a thunderous noise of incredulity and surprise through the hall. Trifina turned from her seat with shocked features.
‘You must be jesting! Iuna, our stewardess?’ she cried over the hubbub.
Fidelma was calm.
‘Iuna was the person who actually led some of the raids. She is a ruthless and ambitious young woman. It was Aourken who first told me about that ambition. Her parents had been killed and she had been fostered by the lord of Brilhag.’
‘But she was content simply to be our domestic…’ began Lord Canao. ‘She was my foster-daughter. She had no ambition.’
‘On the contrary, she had great ambition,’ interrupted Fidelma. ‘Iuna came from a noble family that dwelt in Brekilian. Iuna’s parents had been slain. You knew that when you took her into your household.’
Lord Canao raised his arms in a helpless gesture. It was King Alain who, sitting back, was shaking his head with a sad smile.
‘Unfortunately, Fidelma of Hibernia, in your accusation of Iuna, you are forgetting one thing. I knew Iuna’s father, since he fought at my side against the Frankish incursions. He was a great noble and a great warrior. But he was not of the bloodline of Domnonia or Bro-Waroch. If the motive was to assassinate me and blame it on Lord Canao’s family, in order that she could claim my throne, that would have been impossible.’
‘True,’ conceded Fidelma. ‘But I did not say that she was aiming to be the direct beneficiary of these murderous acts. She was acting for someone else, someone who would be the beneficiary – in the mistaken belief that she would then join him as his Queen.’
‘But,’ replied King Alain, ‘if I died now, there is only…’
There was a sudden silence and then Fidelma spoke slowly and distinctly.
‘Yes. There is only your son by your first wife who is of the bloodline and would come to the throne without challenge. Budic would succeed you.’
Once again the rest of her words were drowned in the cacophony of voices throughout the great hall. Budic sat with a broad grin spreading over his features, shaking his head as if in disbelief.
Finally, Fidelma made herself heard again, speaking directly to King Alain.
‘I did not know that Budic was your son and possible heir until you confirmed it last night. I should have realised it before, when Abbot Maelcar arrived in answer to what he believed was a command from you as King. Abbot Maelcar asked Budic if he had sent the message on behalf of his father. Of course, Abbot Maelcar knew you were Budic’s father. Not picking up on that was a serious error on my behalf.’
Budic was actually laughing now.
‘And not the only one. You are accusing me of attempting to murder my own father?’ He turned to King Alain. ‘The woman is mad. When these attacks started to occur I can prove I was not even in this province.’
‘I am sure you can because you were working with Iuna, the Dove of Death.’
Budic gazed at Fidelma with a cynical smile. ‘You still have to prove all these accusations, and foreigner or not, a King’s sister or not, you will have to account for them.’ The vehemence in his voice belied the smile.
‘Silence!’ King Alain snapped. ‘This is not the place to make threats. Fidelma of Hibernia is under my protection and may present her accusations here without fear. But I have to say that these same accusations are wild and unreasonable. You will have to present proof that Iuna and Budic are in such a conspiracy.’
‘Indeed,’ sneered Budic. ‘And where is Iuna? Will she come forward to confess this? I think not. And for what reason am I supposed to have killed Abbot Maelgar, the girl found with Macliau and heaven knows who else?’
‘Iuna killed Abbot Maelcar,’ went on Fidelma confidently. ‘The Abbot was from Brekilien and had been fostered in an abbey – I believe it is called Pempont. Next to it is the royal court. On a visit recently, he chanced on Iuna in a compromising position with Budic. He came back muttering about loose morality at the court – about a provincial servant fornicating with the King’s offspring. Aourken told me that. Alain has only one offspring. Abbot Maelcar considered Iuna a provincial servant. And Iuna let slip that Abbot Maelcar used to call her that as an insult. She also said he was a man who looked at women through cracks in curtains. She was about to tell me what had happened at Brekilien when she realised that it would incriminate her. Indeed, she realised that Abbot Maelcar could be witness to her relationship with Budic. That was why he was invited here and killed by her. She grew more vicious as the time for the fruition of the conspiracy grew close.’
During this recital, Riwanon had turned to regard Budic with an expression of distaste, but the young man was still sneering at Fidelma.
‘But I am told that Budic himself was nearly slain in an ambush by the followers of this Dove of Death,’ King Alain objected. ‘They attacked Riwanon and killed members of their escort. Budic saved her life.’
‘Explain that, foreigner!’ Budic taunted her.
‘The ambush was faked,’ answered Fidelma flatly.
Riwanon coloured and leaned forward, her cheeks aflame.
‘But I was there,’ she said. ‘Bleidbara and your companion went out after the attackers and found them, rescued my maid while she was being raped, and killed them. How was that a fake?’
‘I’ll tell you what really happened,’ Fidelma said. ‘Budic and yourself rode out with Ceingar, your maid, and two warriors. Budic needed such an event to enhance his position when the time came to present himself as a hero who had escaped death from the evil machinations of Brilhag. Iuna had arranged for one of the raiding parties from the Koulm ar Maro to meet up with Budic and his party.
In fact, I suspect the two warriors who accompanied Budic were either part of the conspiracy or mercenaries from the Koulm ar Maro. I found it curious that Budic and Riwanon had decided to go to the oratory that morning when the countryside was in such uproar. When they returned to Brilhag with the story of two warriors and their maid dead or captured and their own miraculous escape, I became very suspicious.
‘What really happened was that the party had met up and then Riwanon and Budic had returned with their stories. Meanwhile, the two warriors and Ceingar had joined the others and even attacked a farmstead, killing a farmer and his family.
‘Bleidbara and Boric, and Boric is a first-class tracker, could find no signs of any attack along the forest track where it was said to have happened. Nor could Boric find tracks of Riwanon and Budic’s horses fleeing back to Brilhag, hotly pursued in the manner that had been claimed. Bleidbara and his men – Eadulf was with them – came across the camp of the raiders and Ceingar, the maid.’
‘They arrived there as Ceingar was being raped,’ Riwanon reminded her.
‘Indeed, they did. Either Ceingar’s lover was among these raiders or else she was a young lady of loose morals. From what Eadulf told me, she was not protesting against the man’s amorous attentions. When she was returned to Brilhag, she was scared. In her hysteria the truth might have come out, but she was sent to her chamber before I could question her.
‘Iuna realised the arrival of King Alain was imminent and nothing must go wrong with the plan. Perhaps even Budic gave the order. Ceingar had to be silenced. Iuna had already killed Maelcar and had no compunction about doing the same to Ceingar. Iuna is a cold-blooded killer.’
‘Then why didn’t she kill me then?’ demanded Trifina. ‘Why did she simply kidnap me after she had killed Ceingar?’
‘You were needed alive for the time being to mislead everyone into believing the Dove of Death was definitely a member of the house of Brilhag. King Alain was due to arrive: the conspiracy was about to come to fruition. Iuna and one of her followers from the Koulm ar Maro took you bound and gagged from your chamber down to a boat in the harbour. You were taken to The Barnacle Goose where you were placed as a prisoner, but were well treated and given free range of the captain’s cabin. They needed to keep you in good health for when Budic made his accusation against the house of Brilhag.’
Bleidbara was clearly chastened and his face reddened as he realised that his suspicions about Trifina had not been justified.
‘Iuna then returned to the fortress, perhaps to establish her own alibi. Budic was about to make his bid for power but Iuna, having set up the circumstances, was no longer needed. She had been useful to him and he had used her ambition to help his own cause. However, he also knew the dangers of that ambition and was determined that Iuna should never be his Queen. Indeed, while he had probably made all sorts of promises to her, such an outcome had never been his intention.
‘His plan for her was quite horrible. On her return, after Trifina was abducted, he went to her room. Whether by guile or by force, he got her to eat mushrooms which contained a Death Cap fungus. Once prepared, it is hard to spot the differences in fungi, so perhaps it was by guile. Budic did not count on the fact that Trifina, aware that the Koulm ar Maro was trying to discredit Brilhag, had an able spy watching. That was Iarnbud.’
‘How much more of this rubbish do I have to listen to?’ Budic demanded, the smile now gone from his features.
‘Iarnbud came ashore at Govihan alive and managed to tell us the story. He took Iuna from her chamber and carried her to his boat. His aim was to find Heraclius, Trifina’s apothecary, as he knew that he might be the only one with the skills to find an antidote for her.’
‘And did he?’ enquired Lord Canao quietly. The great hall of Brilhag had fallen silent since Fidelma had begun her summary.
‘A guard unfortunately saw Iarnbud as he carried Iuna to his boat. When challenged, he did not stop and therefore was shot at. An arrow found its mark but Iarnbud managed to get his boat out of the harbour. Unfortunately he was too weak – maybe he had passed out – and was unable to sail directly to Govihan. It was not until late the next day that he made landfall there, came ashore, told us the tale and then died.’
‘So everything you have to say is pure conjecture,’ observed the bretat Kaourentin, feeling it was about time he tried to take charge of the situation. ‘You have no witnesses.’
‘I am not given to making conjectures without means of supporting them,’ replied Fidelma in a dangerously soft tone.
‘Then where are your witnesses? Where is the evidence to—?’
Budic interrupted the bretat, full of arrogance again.
‘Let her explain why I would poison Iuna if, as you say, she had helped me in this ridiculous plot and was my mistress? Your argument is full of flaws. You are better suited to take your place among the bards and storytellers, Sister Fidelma, than to plead before a court of law.’
‘You wanted to be rid of Iuna so that, after King Alain’s death, you could marry your real mistress, whose union with you would enhance your image when you claimed the kingship.’
‘And do you name her?’ demanded King Alain, in a terrible voice. It was now self-evident to most people where her logic led and whom she would name.
Fidelma raised her eyes to those of Riwanon.
‘You are Budic’s mistress, lady. It was a matter that puzzled me greatly. Why were you so keen to give me, a foreigner with a poor knowledge of your language, the responsibility of investigating the murder of Abbot Maelcar? With the murder committed under the same roof as where you were staying, as Queen, you had to be seen to be doing something. It would have otherwise been suspicious. Obviously, you did not expect me, with the disadvantages I have mentioned, to discover anything at all.’
Riwanon’s jaw was thrust out defiantly but it was Budic who replied with a laugh.
‘So where is your proof? Iarnbud died on the shore of Govihan – should we take the word of a dead man? This Taran of Pou-Kaer, the captain of the Koulm ar Maro, is at the bottom of Morbihan. The few survivors cannot identify the Dove of Death. So who else will support your fantasy?’
Fidelma turned towards him.
‘You forget that Iarnbud had brought Iuna with him to find Heraclius the apothecary so that he might administer an antidote to the poison. Iuna was alive when she was brought ashore on Govihan.’
For a moment there was a deathly silence in the great hall, broken only by the crackle of flames from the fire.
Then Budic sprang up; his chair went over backwards and his sword appeared in his hand as if conjured there from nothing. With a terrible cry of rage, he leaped towards his shocked father. As quick as Budic was, Bleidbara was faster – for his dagger flew swiftly from his hand and embedded itself in Budic’s sword wrist. The weapon dropped as he gave a scream of pain. Then the King’s bodyguard came forward to restrain him. Another guard appeared quickly at the side of Riwanon. She had slumped in her chair, pale and shaking.
King Alain rose unsteadily.
‘My son is condemned by his own actions.’ His voice was thick with emotion. He glanced down at the bretat Kaourentin. ‘I think the accusation against Macliau, son of Lord Canao, can now be dismissed. My son Budic will be punished under our laws for all the crimes he has committed against me and against my peoples.’ He turned to Riwanon. ‘Do you have anything to add to what we have heard?’
There was an imperceptible shake of the woman’s head and a suppressed sob.
‘Then know that you, too, must face the consequences for your part in this conspiracy.’ King Alain turned his back on her.
After the guards had taken them away, King Alain addressed Fidelma, his face still bearing the marks of shock and sorrow.
‘I am grateful to you, Fidelma of Hibernia. Thankfully, Iuna has survived to bear witness against my son, otherwise he might have continued to feign his innocence.’
Fidelma answered with a sad smile.
; ‘I am afraid that I was being frugal with the facts,’ she said in a tired voice. ‘It is true that Iuna was alive when we brought her ashore in Govihan and Heraclius administered to her. But she was unable to speak and, indeed, she died befores he could say anything to confess her guilt or to implicate Budic in her death. It was merely logical deduction that ensnared Budic and Riwanon. Their guilt produced their own confessions.’
King Alain gazed long and hard at her. For a moment he plucked at his lower lip. Then he sighed deeply.
‘You are an ingenious woman, Fidelma of Hibernia. Riwanon’s greatest mistake was in underestimating your ability and thinking you would be handicapped by a lack of knowledge of our language.’
Fidelma bowed slightly, a motion with her head only.
‘I was always taught vincit omnia veritas – truth conquers all things.’
Epilogue
All sails set, the Barnacle Goose was leaning into the wind, with the hum of the breeze in her rigging and the soft groaning of her wooden spars. Ribbons of cream-cap-waves spread from her plunging bow and trailed out at angles from either side of the large wooden vessel. It seemed odd to be back on the ship again. Everything seemed so familiar to Fidelma and Eadulf and yet, at the same time, so strangely alien. Instead of Murchad and Gulvan at the helm, there was the lean, fair-haired figure of Hoel the Briton. He stood easily balanced, with feet wide apart, his chin thrust forward into the gusting air, his keen eyes on the sails, noting every movement of the wind and adjusting the tiller accordingly.
Fidelma knew and trusted him as a capable seaman. She had no concern that the passage home would be anything but safe in his able hands. But the strangeness was due to the fact that she had been so used to Murchad’s predictable mannerisms and Gulvan’s stoic responses. They had been such an integral part of the ship, as much a part of it as the carved figure of the goose at her bows or the tall oak masts or beams. It was just hard to imagine that the Barnacle Goose could ever sail without them.
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