The Second Death (Sister Fidelma Mysteries)

by Peter Tremayne

  ‘Very well. I am afraid, Aidan, you have the most tedious task of all – to watch that candle here. Come and tell me when the pin falls out.’

  ‘It shall be done, lady,’ the warrior replied.

  Fidelma turned to Eadulf. ‘Now let us join the others and I’ll tell you my plan.’

  Eadulf was smiling as he had finally guessed what she was about. ‘I still don’t approve,’ he commented. ‘You don’t really think that you will scare a man like that into talking.’

  ‘Scare?’ Fidelma voice was almost innocent as she led the way back to the hall.

  ‘You mean to frighten him by pretending to bury him alive; allowing him to go mad with fear in the darkness so that when you release him, he will start babbling his confession to you.’

  Fidelma merely smiled broadly but did not reply. As they came into the hall, Enda and the girl were re-entering.

  ‘The horses are all ready. I persuaded the stableman that this was on the express order of Feradach and Abbot Saran.’

  ‘Excellent. I think we shall soon be embarking on the last phase of our investigation.’

  ‘You mean that Failge will tell us where to find this mysterious lord who leads the Fellowship of the Raven?’ Eadulf was still trying to make sense of her actions.

  ‘And now,’ Fidelma did not answer him but turned to Ríonach, ‘are you content to come to Cashel?’

  The girl looked very happy indeed. ‘I would like nothing better, lady.’ Then a cloud crossed her features. ‘But don’t forget I killed my husband. I have to do penance …’

  ‘Penance?’ Fidelma made the word one of disgust. ‘We will relate your story to the Chief Brehon of Muman and I will represent your case. Even as Eadulf has done in theory, I shall do in practice, and all shall be well. And should you want to stay in Cashel, then we shall find you some means of security.’

  ‘You can rely on Aidan and me to do what we can to help Ríonach, lady,’ Enda added enthusiastically.

  Eadulf saw Fidelma smile to herself and knew he was missing something.

  At that moment, Aidan hurried into the hall. ‘The pin has fallen, lady.’

  Fidelma stood up with a decisive motion. ‘Excellent. Let us now see if I was right.’

  ‘Right?’ queried Eadulf curiously, but she was already striding after Aidan. She had reached the door of the chapel when Eadulf and the others started to follow.

  ‘Aidan, give Feradach a hand with the altar.’

  The two muscular warriors leaned their weight on the heavy altar stone after removing the catch and were soon pushing it in the curious motion on its pivot to reveal the entrance to the underground chamber.

  ‘You’ve been here the whole time?’ Fidelma asked Aidan.

  ‘All the time, watching the candle-grease dripping,’ he assured her.

  ‘Very good. The candle if you please, Aidan.’

  She was peering down into the darkness. Aidan took a new candle, lit it from the one which had been burning, and joined her.

  ‘Right, give it to me,’ she instructed.

  ‘I shall go first again,’ Aidan said. ‘He might be ready to pounce on you. Just because his stub of candle is out, it doesn’t mean to say that he is unconscious.’

  Without waiting for a response, Aidan was descending the narrow stairs into the subterranean chamber.

  He had hardly got to the bottom of the steps when he gave a cry.

  ‘He’s gone, lady! He is not here!’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  ‘I thought as much.’ Fidelma seemed completely unperturbed; in fact, she was smiling at their staring faces. Then she called down to Aidan. ‘Stay there! Feradach and I will join you.’ She turned to Eadulf. ‘I want you and Enda to take all the horses and meet us on the main highway on the western side of the township. Enda, do you recall there is a point where a track leads off to the rear of this hill towards an isolated group of buildings? It looks like a smith’s forge. I pointed it out when we came here.’ When Enda nodded, she went on: ‘Wait there with the horses because I am sure that Failge will be heading in that direction.’

  Eadulf was shaking his head. ‘You knew all along that there was a secret exit? You incarcerated him, knowing he would get out and maybe lead us to this mysterious “lord”?’

  She shrugged. ‘I saw the scuff-marks where a stone had been removed from its base: they ended at the wall. Now even the most superstitious would find it hard to believe that the stone could be dragged through a wall, so my conclusion was that there must be a secret door through which it was taken. Whoever stole the Golden Stone forgot that stone scraping on stone leaves marks. Yes, Failge is going to lead us to this “lord” of the Fellowship of the Raven and also to this pagan icon. I believe the passageway will come out on the western side of this hill.’

  Eadulf wasted no time but left the chapel with Enda and Ríonach, with Rían the terrier trotting after them.

  Fidelma said to Feradach, ‘You go first and I’ll follow.’

  The Osraige warrior grinned wryly at her. ‘So you knew about the secret passage while you were pretending to entomb Brother Failge alive? There was I, thinking you had a merciless heart, lady. You must be very clever.’

  ‘No, I am merely logical. I was sure that he knew the secret way out and gave him time to leave. And now he will lead us to the lair of this conspiracy – to the very heart of it. The sooner we start after him, the sooner we can catch up with him.’

  With a shrug, Feradach started down the narrow steps into the gloom of the secret room.

  ‘What now?’ Aidan was holding his candle high and examining the walls.

  ‘Straight ahead,’ Fidelma said. ‘See the alcove in which the stone stood? I think the back of it is actually the secret door.’

  ‘I can’t see any means of opening it,’ replied Aidan.

  ‘Perhaps you are wrong, lady,’ Feradach said.

  Fidelma moved forward with her candle and examined it. ‘I noticed something that might be the mechanism when I was down here before. Ah, yes … Whoever built this place knew all about secret mechanisms.’

  There were carvings of mythological beasts and icons throughout the small underground room. But to one side of the alcove was a bird image with extended wings. Fidelma began to prod the stone icon. There was a subtle change of texture about the head. She realised that it was fashioned of metal, a smooth brass, whereas the rest of the body was stone. With a grunt of satisfaction, she pulled and twisted the head and, after a few moments, she felt it give and heard a click. There was a moment of disappointment, for nothing happened: the wall was still in place. With a frown, she moved forward and pushed against it. Then it swung backwards easily. It was a surprising piece of craftsmanship – a wooden door but with the front covered by a thin layer of stones. From the interior of the room, it gave the impression of being solid stone.

  Beyond it was now revealed a narrow, dark passageway.

  ‘You lead the way, Feradach. We’ll follow,’ Fidelma said, trying to keep the triumph out of her voice.

  The Osraige warrior said nothing but set off into the passage holding his candle aloft. Fidelma followed, leaving Aidan to come behind.

  The passage was an old one, for the odours of the earth were stale and the floor was well-worn. It seemed to twist and turn a little bit. This worried Fidelma because she had estimated that it would lead through the hillside on which the abbey had been built to emerge west of the township where she had seen the smithy. It had been on that basis that she had instructed Eadulf, Enda and Ríonach to wait for them there with all the horses. Now and then the roof of the passage dipped so that they had to duck and, at one point, wade through a flooded area where the water rose above their ankles.

  It seemed as though they had been walking for quite a while before they entered a small cave. They could hear the nearby sound of metal ringing against metal. A faint light trickled through an exit sealed off by a wooden door. Feradach went ahead and drew the door open, for it was not loc
ked. They emerged at the rear of a small complex of buildings that obviously constituted a smith’s forge. A fire was roaring in the forge itself; the smoke and fumes were all-pervasive. Fidelma experienced a moment of satisfaction as she realised that her guess had been correct.

  A burly man who had been in the act of hammering metal over an anvil had noticed them and he turned in their direction. There was surprise on his face as Feradach led the way forward.

  ‘My lord,’ gasped the man. ‘What …?’

  ‘You recognise me as the commander of the guard in this township?’ snapped Feradach. ‘We are following a religieux who has just come from this tunnel and need to know where he is gone.’

  The smith stared from Feradach to Aidan, and then to Fidelma. He seemed to be trying to gather his thoughts.

  ‘Come, man,’ prompted Aidan harshly. ‘We know he came this way, so you must have seen him.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Feradach added. ‘Speak the truth and nothing will happen to you.’

  The smith nodded reluctantly. ‘The man came by and took a horse.’

  There was a small paddock next to the smithy containing several animals. Nearby was a track which must lead towards the main highway, as Fidelma had observed on their journey into the township.

  ‘I presume that links up with the great highway, west to Cashel?’ she demanded.

  ‘It does, lady.’

  ‘How long ago was it when this man left?’

  Once again the smith looked helplessly from one warrior to another before returning to Fidelma. ‘Not very long, lady.’

  ‘It’s not the best place to site a forge,’ she commented, looking around. ‘You are very isolated here.’

  ‘I get by,’ mumbled the smith. ‘The forge has been here for as long as I remember.’

  ‘As has the secret tunnel into the abbey?’ she replied without humour.

  ‘Remain here, smith, for when I return I will have questions for you,’ Feradach warned him. Then he said to Fidelma, ‘It will take some time to reach the main highway. I fear we have lost Failge.’

  Aidan then stepped forward and, without explaining, took his hunting horn from his belt and blew several curiously timed blasts on it.

  ‘It will save us a walk,’ he told Fidelma, and smiled grimly. ‘A member of the Nasc Niadh will know what is to be done.’

  Only moments passed before they saw a rider leading three horses – one of them Fidelma’s mount, Aonbharr – cantering along the track towards them. It was Enda.

  He halted, grinning. ‘I heard the old signal, Aidan.’

  ‘Well done,’ Fidelma approved as she mounted up. ‘Did you see any sign of Failge?’

  ‘As we approached the junction with this track, lady,’ Enda replied at once, ‘we saw him on horseback, heading towards the Mountains of the High Fields. We were too far behind to catch him and he was going at some speed, but I marked his passage.’

  She pointed to the gate of the paddock. ‘You’ll find tracks of a horse coming out of that paddock a short while ago. Observe them and see if there is anything that sticks in your mind that you can track if the need arises, but I am sure I know where he is heading.’

  Enda, who was famed for his ability to track, swung off his horse and made a quick examination of the ground. Then he smiled and remounted.

  ‘The shoe on the left foreleg has a bent nail,’ he replied. ‘He should be easy to track.’

  ‘Then let us go,’ replied Fidelma, urging her mount forward.

  ‘Where to?’ Feradach asked as they began to trot towards the main highway. ‘Where do you think he is going?’

  ‘Where else but to the homestead of Brehon Ruán?’

  With no further explanation, they rode towards the junction where Eadulf and Ríonach were waiting impatiently for them.

  ‘Westward?’ called Eadulf unnecessarily, for Fidelma had already turned and was heading along the road towards Cashel.

  ‘Westward, indeed,’ she affirmed as she passed him. She kept the pace at a canter. It was no use tiring the horses to try to overtake their quarry.

  No one spoke as they moved in a single body along the highway towards the distant mountains. Now and then Enda rode on alone to observe the tracks in the dust of the road. Eventually, as the hills drew nearer, Fidelma slowed the pace to a walking speed. Eadulf was grateful and managed to manoeuvre his horse alongside her.

  ‘If we are to confront the thugs of this Fellowship it would be better to approach carefully,’ he advised. ‘We don’t know how many are involved in this Fellowship of the Raven. Apart from Failge, there are Duach and Cellaig and that woman called Dar Badh – and there may be others. After all, two of them are already dead, I mean the farmer Rechtabra and his companion.’

  Fidelma nodded absently and glanced at the sky. ‘It will soon be dusk. It might be wise to come upon the place at nightfall.’

  Feradach overheard and called: ‘People in these areas usually loose their hounds at nightfall. The wolves are still plentiful and they need to protect their livestock. Better to ride up while there is still light and chance how many men he has. I am sure that they won’t be expecting us to follow so soon.’

  It was a point to consider.

  ‘Very well,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘There are six of us and three warriors among our six. If we are on our guard, we should be safe enough. We’ll go directly to confront Ruán.’

  They had come to a small pass with hills on either side. Fidelma called a halt for a moment to rest the horses. Enda had already said that he had passed along this route before, and now he pointed at a small hill to the south.

  ‘There is an ancient fortress up there. You should be able to see across the plain to Tulach Ruán where the road turns north between the mountains before turning west again through the marshes and on to Cashel. From up there, we could see the lie of the land and check that the way ahead is clear.’

  ‘That might be a good idea,’ Fidelma agreed.

  ‘I don’t think it will help us,’ Feradach disagreed. ‘Even if the way is clear, we can still be spotted from Ruán’s Hill as we approach. I suggest we move on immediately and reach Ruán’s homestead before dusk.’

  ‘It’s always best to be prepared,’ Fidelma decided. ‘You, Feradach, and Aidan, wait here with Eadulf and Rionach. I’ll go with Enda up that hill and scout the terrain ahead.’

  Eadulf and Aidan exchanged an anxious look, but they knew that Fidelma never did things arbitrarily or without forethought.

  They rested their horses and allowed them to drink at a small roadside stream while Fidelma and Enda climbed the hill. The two returned after only a short while and pronounced that the way ahead was all clear as far as they could see. Then they all remounted and moved off.

  The homestead of Ruán had been built atop a small hillock and seemed to be a converted rath or fortress. It was still as intimidating as when Eadulf had first seen it, dominating as it did the pass through the mountains. Close up, he saw various buildings around the main structure. There were several field enclosures, including the one in which Eadulf had spotted his cob. As they approached, they could see that many of the buildings were actually deserted. Feradach moved closer to Fidelma.

  ‘Allow me to go first in case there is danger,’ he suggested.

  ‘We already know there is danger,’ she replied firmly, ‘so it will not be necessary.’

  Feradach made to protest but decided against it.

  ‘I think he is right that we should approach more cautiously,’ Eadulf advised quietly. ‘We don’t know how many belong to this Fellowship. But we do know that they are prepared to kill any that they see as enemies. Being a dálaigh and the King’s sister will mean nothing to them.’

  ‘Trust me, Eadulf. I am not under-estimating my enemies,’ she replied.

  They moved up a broad path to the main gates of the fortified building.

  ‘I’ll let you announce our presence, Feradach,’ she invited. ‘You have a powerful enough
voice.’

  The Osraige warrior gave her a curious glance, followed by a half-shrug, and then lifted his voice and thundered: ‘Open the doors! It is Feradach of Osraige with Fidelma of Cashel, who seeks the presence of Ruán, Brehon to Coileach, Lord of the Marshes!’

  There was a pause and then the gates opened. To Eadulf’s surprise, it was a portly woman who had opened them. They rode into the courtyard and she shut the gates behind them. Now she stood glaring at them as they dismounted. Fidelma threw a quick glance around the enclosure but there was no sign of anyone else.

  ‘The horses can be left here,’ Feradach said, as if he had taken command. ‘Go, woman, and announce our presence to your master, Ruán. Tell him we come in search of Brother Failge. Understand?’

  The woman seemed to be staring at the warrior with a surprised expression. Then she gave a bob of her head and hurried off.

  Feradach followed her, hand on his sword hilt, as she entered the main door of the building on the far side of the courtyard.

  ‘Be careful,’ Eadulf warned him.

  ‘This is my job, Brother Eadulf,’ the warrior assured him.

  They had entered into a large hall with three doors leading off from it. It was an austere sort of place with a few tapestries and trophies of the hunt displayed around it, and a central circular table with a few chairs but no ornaments upon it. The portly woman seemed to have disappeared. They stood undecided until one of the doors suddenly opened and the woman reappeared.

  ‘Brehon Ruán will receive you now,’ she said, addressing Feradach with lowered eyes.

  The warrior turned quickly to Fidelma, drawing his sword. ‘This may be a trap, so I will go first with Aidan and Enda. We will make sure all is safe before you follow.’

  Led by Feradach, the warriors stepped through the door that the old woman had indicated. There was a sudden grating sound, and although the door to the room still stood wide open, it was as if a sheet of iron had dropped behind the door. Fidelma, Eadulf and Ríonach could hear the shouts of surprise and anger from the warriors trapped beyond.

  The woman, still standing in the room with them, was chuckling and making no attempt to run from her duplicity.