Our Lady of Darkness

by Peter Tremayne

  ‘Fearna is six or seven kilometres from here. Yes, I am a Fearna man, but I don’t know every nook and cranny in the kingdom.’

  Fidelma considered the explanation. While she found it questionable it was just possible. She decided that she could not pursue it without further information.

  ‘Having been side-tracked and returned to find Gabrán’s boat, what then?’

  ‘That was when we encountered Sister Fial,’ Mel explained. ‘We were riding along the river path when, totally without warning, the girl leapt out of the bushes in front of us and skidded to a halt. I think she recognised us but she started to scream and run off. Bishop Forbassach and I gave chase. The next thing we knew was when we came on you …’ He shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. ‘Well, the rest you know, Sister.’

  Fidelma pondered on his evidence for a while and then sighed deeply. She turned to the young girl, Fial. She had ceased sobbing but appeared ill and woebegone.

  ‘Fial, I want you to know that I mean you no harm. If you are honest with me, I shall be honest with you. Do you understand?’

  The girl did not reply but her eyes reminded Fidelma of a frightened animal. They had the same stark expression that an animal has when a predator closes in. Impulsively she went to place an arm around the girl’s gaunt shoulders.

  ‘There is nothing to be frightened of any more. I am not your enemy and I shall protect you from those who are your enemies. Do you believe me?’

  There was still no response. Fidelma tried some direct questions.

  ‘How long were you a prisoner on Gabrán’s boat?’

  The girl’s silence continued.

  ‘I know that you were there. You were held in a small cabin below and manacled.’

  It was not a question but a statement. Finally, Fial shuddered and responded.

  ‘I do not know how long I was there. This last time, I think it was two or three days. It was dark and I had no way of knowing.’

  ‘You are putting words into the girl’s mouth,’ protested Abbess Fainder.

  Fidelma took Fial’s hands in both of hers and held them out for the rest of the company to inspect.

  ‘Have I also made these marks on her wrists, Abbess Fainder?’ she asked quietly. There were sores around the girl’s wrists which showed where they had been constrained. ‘I think Fial could also show you the sores around her ankles as well.’

  Coba had already ascertained their existence.

  ‘Were you bound, child, on the boat?’ he demanded gruffly.

  When the girl did not respond, Fidelma gently encouraged her by repeating the question. Fial dropped her head a little.

  ‘I was.’

  ‘How could anyone do this to a novitiate?’ demanded Abbess Fainder, finally accepting the evidence of her eyes. ‘Whoever did it, they have a lot to answer for.’

  Fidelma shot her a look of cynicism.

  ‘Gabrán has answered for it, Abbess, if you will recall. The same manacle marks were present on Gormgilla, according to your physician, Brother Miach.’ Then she turned back to the girl. ‘However, Fial was never a novitiate at Fearna nor any other abbey. Isn’t that so?’

  Fial shook her head.

  ‘You told me—’ Abbess Fainder burst out, but was silenced by a gesture from Fidelma.

  ‘Let us hear your story, child. You and your friend Gormgilla were brought to Fearna on Gabrán’s boat some weeks ago, weren’t you?’

  ‘We were not friends until we came to know each other after Gabrán took us as prisoners on his boat,’ the girl replied.

  Abbess Fainder stared angrily at her. ‘This is not the story that you told the court during the trial of the Saxon.’

  ‘There are many tales that were told to that court which need to be changed,’ Fidelma replied waspishly. ‘Let the girl continue. Where did you come from?’

  ‘Our fathers both were daer-fudir and being only daughters it was our shame that they were enticed by Gabrán’s gold to part with us. Gormgilla and I spoke of this in the long dark periods we were together.’

  ‘Are you claiming that Gabrán was buying young girls and selling them along the river – to the abbey?’ cried Abbess Fainder aghast.

  ‘Not to the abbey,’ corrected Fidelma. ‘Gabrán probably took the girls downriver to Loch Garman and sold them to slaver ships who took them God knows where.’

  ‘But Gormgilla and this girl were supposed to be novitiates at the abbey,’ protested the abbess. ‘This girl herself claimed that she was a novitiate.’

  ‘Fial has just told you that they were not. Tell us, Fial, about that night when Gabrán’s boat arrived at the abbey while you were being taken downriver.’

  The girl blinked rapidly but she had exhausted her tears now.

  ‘Gormgilla was younger than me, only twelve. When we were brought aboard Gabrán’s boat he singled her out and …’ She let her voice trail off.

  ‘We understand,’ Fidelma assured her.

  ‘We did not know where we were going because we were kept in the dark cabin and shackled all the time. I knew the boat had halted, and that it had lasted for some time. Gormgilla and I were nervous as to how long we would be shut up in that filthy-smelling place. Then the door opened and Gabrán came squeezing in. We could smell alcohol on him. He unlocked Gormgilla’s shackles and she asked him where he was taking her.’ Fial paused for a moment, remembering the scene.

  ‘What did Gabrán say?’ prompted Fidelma.

  ‘He said that he was taking her to share some pleasure to help pass away the night. Then he dragged her struggling into the other, bigger, cabin and I was locked in darkness on my own. It was not long before I heard Gormgilla screaming. There were other sounds too – sounds like a struggle. Then all was silent.’

  She paused again as if trying to come to terms with her memories before continuing.

  ‘I do not know how much time passed. The hatchway opened suddenly. At first I thought it was Gabrán returning for me but it was another member of his crew – the same man who had brought us on board the boat. I do not know his name. He told me to be absolutely quiet and said that I would be free and rewarded if I did what I was told without question.

  ‘He took me into the adjacent cabin where the other boatmen slept, although Gormgilla and I never saw them; we saw only Gabrán and this particular crewman. I don’t think the others even knew that we were on board. In this cabin I saw Gabrán; he was stretched out on the deck and I thought he was in a drunken stupor — I had often seen my father in a similar way. I realised soon afterwards that there was blood on his clothes and he grasped a piece of bloody cloth in his hand. By him sat a man in the robes of the religious but with a heavy cowl over his face; in the darkness I could not see his features. He seemed nervous and one hand fumbled with his crucifix which hung around his neck beneath his robe.’

  ‘Is this another tale to discredit my abbey?’ Abbess Fainder’s tone was one of disbelief at the entire story.

  ‘I speak the truth,’ the girl protested with some spirit. ‘I can only say what I saw.’

  Fidelma patted the girl gently on the arm in encouragement.

  ‘You are doing well. What did he say to you, this religieux?’

  ‘He said nothing. The sailor did all the talking. I was told that there had been an accident. That Gormgilla had been killed and it was essential that the right man should be punished. At first I thought that he was referring to Gabrán for I had no doubt then that it was he who had killed my poor companion.’

  ‘But he did not mean Gabrán?’

  ‘No. He told me that Gormgilla had left the boat to go onto the quay. He said that there was a Saxon staying at the abbey. He had raped and strangled Gormgilla. The Saxon would not be caught unless I testified that I had seen him kill her.’

  ‘What?’ Abbess Fainder appeared astounded. ‘You say that you were told, with the approval of a religieux, to tell lies about something so important?’

  ‘I knew it was all a lie but I also knew that
unless I agreed to tell it, I would be dead as well. I was to say that I had stood behind some bales and had seen this Saxon attacking my friend. I could identify him by the fact that he wore a different tonsure to all other religious and this tonsure was described to me. I was also to say that I and Gormgilla were novitiates at the abbey.’

  ‘How could you make that claim if it was not true?’ sneered the abbess. ‘My mistress of novitiates would have denounced such a deception.’

  ‘Except that she had just gone on a pilgrimage to Iona,’ Fidelma reminded her.

  ‘I was told that no one would doubt my story,’ added Fial.

  Fidelma glanced at the abbess. ‘As I recall, you supported the story, Fainder,’ she said. ‘You identified the girls to your stewardess as novitiates, didn’t you?’

  There was a silence before Fidelma asked firmly: ‘Who else identified Fial as a novitiate?’

  Abbess Fainder fell silent, frowning in thought.

  Mel cleared his throat. He had been considering Fial’s story.

  ‘The girl did appear from behind the bales. She could have come from the boat. But she did tell me …’

  ‘Indeed,’ Fidelma interrupted impatiently. ‘She had been on the boat the entire time. It makes sense of the points that I made to you about the inconsistency of her position on the quay. However, let her continue the story. When it was realised that Gormgilla’s body had been found, some quick thinking had to be done.’

  ‘Not by Gabrán, he was drunk. The girl said so,’ interposed Coba with interest. ‘Who do you think arranged this elaborate lie?’

  ‘The person who employed Gabrán; the person in charge of this terrible trade in human suffering,’ replied Fidelma confidently. ‘It seems that by coincidence, that very person had arrived on the quay with one of Gabrán’s crew just as Gabrán had killed Gormgilla. They grabbed the drunken man, probably knocked him unconscious to be able to manage him properly. Then they dragged him back on board and dumped him in a cabin to sleep it off. Then one or both of them returned to the body, thinking to dispose of it. Yet another coincidence … they were just about to remove the body when Abbess Fainder came trotting out of the darkness on her horse. They scurried back to the boat wondering what to do. Then Mel arrived.’

  ‘Fainder has told her story of how she spotted the body,’ Coba agreed. ‘That fits into your theory.’

  ‘Except that the Saxon’s robes were covered in blood and he had a piece of …’ Abbess Fainder did not finish as she remembered what the girl had said about Gabrán’s state of clothing.

  ‘What happened to the bloody cloth that was grasped in Gabrán’s hand, Fial?’ Coba asked.

  ‘The boatman gave it to the religieux. He said that it could be put to good use if the religieux could get back to the abbey.’

  ‘In other words, it was to be planted on Brother Eadulf,’ muttered Fidelma. ‘But let us not get ahead of the story. With the arrival of the abbess there was panic. They heard Mel hailing Abbess Fainder as he approached the quay. Gabrán’s employer was cornered on the boat. They could no longer attempt to hide the crime. It therefore became imperative to allow Gabrán’s employer to fade into the darkness and for Gabrán not to be suspected. Someone came up with the idea of forcing young Fial to give false evidence on the assurance that she would be freed. Is that so?’

  Fial confirmed her surmise.

  ‘I kept my part. I told everyone what I was instructed to say. I identified the Saxon by his unusual tonsure. They told me that I had to be locked in a room in the abbey for my own safety until after the trial. Days passed then, two days ago, a religieux came and let me out.’

  ‘The same person who sat with the boatman who instructed you to identify the Saxon?’

  ‘Not the same. I had not seen this man before. He took me to Gabrán’s boat. Gabrán was on board. Before I could struggle, I was shackled as I was before. I heard the big man say to Gabrán, “You are to get rid of her”! That was all he said. Gabrán replied: “It shall be done.” The religieux left and Gabrán pushed me down into the same small dark cabin that I had shared with Gormgilla. He grinned at me and said: “It shall be done but at a time of my own choosing”.’

  Fial started to sob again. ‘I have been down there for all eternity. Gabrán came down last night and … and … he used me.’

  Fidelma wrapped the girl’s sobbing form in her arms and gazed towards Coba.

  ‘It was, sadly, my arrival at the abbey and my enquiries that caused the poor girl to be taken from there and returned to Gabrán.’

  Abbess Fainder, who was very pale, cleared her throat nervously.

  ‘How can we be sure that she is telling the truth this time? She admits that she has lied before, so maybe she is lying now? It seems too grotesque a tale to be real.’

  ‘Too grotesque to be made up by a thirteen-year-old child,’ replied Fidelma sharply. She turned back to Fial. ‘Just a few questions more, little one. While you were imprisoned in the darkness on the boat, you did not waste your time, did you?’

  Fial looked at her questioningly. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘You managed to get a sharp piece of metal and you started digging out the fixture of the metal chain that bound your ankle.’

  ‘I don’t know how long it took me. Ages.’

  ‘And when you were free …?’

  ‘I could only free my leg iron. I still had manacles on my wrists.’

  ‘Just so. But you were able to climb up through the small hatch into Gabrán’s cabin? The hatchway into the main cabin was locked, of course.’

  ‘So she killed him!’ cried Abbess Fainder, realising where this was now leading. ‘She stabbed him at the time that I came aboard. Why,’ she paused, wondering, ‘she must have been in the very process of killing Gabrán. I knocked at the cabin door and the girl slid back through the hatch. Then, while I was bent over the body, she escaped through the cabin and went over the side of the ship. That was the splash I heard.’

  ‘You are nearly right, Mother Abbess,’ agreed Fidelma.

  ‘Nearly right?’ The abbess was belligerent.

  ‘When Fial climbed into the cabin she found that Gabrán was dead already. He had been killed by a sword blow which had been delivered with a terrific force. Am I right, Fial? Shall I continue?’

  The girl seemed stunned by her apparent omniscience. When she did not speak, Fidelma continued: ‘Fial knew where Gabrán kept his keys and released herself from the wrist manacles. She was about to leave when a desire came over her for revenge; revenge for the terrible injury that this brute had done her. It was, perhaps, an instinctive adolescent reaction. She grabbed a knife that lay nearby and pulling Gabrán up by his hair – she grasped the hair so tightly in her rage that some of it came out by the roots – she plunged the knife half-a-dozen times into his chest and arms. The wounds were superficial. Then the abbess knocked on the cabin door. Fial dropped the knife and let go her hold on the body. That, indeed, was the soft thud that Fainder heard.

  ‘Fial knew that she had to escape. The only way lay below but the door was locked. She grabbed at some keys in Gabrán’s cabin. There were four of them. She knew one of them had to fit the lock of her prison below. It was her only means to escape. She scuttled back into the cabin. The rest is obvious.’

  Fidelma paused and placed her hands either side of the girl’s face and drew it up so that Fial was forced to look directly into her eyes.

  ‘Have I told it correctly, my dear? Is that how it happened?’

  Fial let out a great sob.

  ‘I would have killed him if I could. I hated him so – what he did to me! What he did to me!’

  Fidelma dropped her arms around the child to comfort her.

  Coba leaned backwards in his chair, closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long sigh.

  ‘Do I understand this correctly? While the abbess was in Gabrán’s cabin, the girl made her way up on deck and jumped into the torrent? The current of the river is strong there. Why n
ot simply go ashore?’

  ‘It was a point that confused me at the time,’ Fidelma confessed. ‘However, I did not take into account how strong fear is as a means of compulsion. Poor Fial was scared for her life. She did not know where she was. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself by walking off the ship onto a jetty. She did not know if her enemies were there. She obviously could swim well and took that route. Then shortly afterwards, on shore, when she encountered Fainder and Mel …’

  ‘ … She thought that we were part of this slave conspiracy,’ Mel supplied.

  ‘Conspiracy is a good word, Mel. For there are many mysteries here yet to be solved.’

  Abbess Fainder sniffed disdainfully.

  ‘That is very true, Sister. For if Fial did not kill Gabrán, and you finally seem to accept that I did not – then who did kill him?’ Her eyes suddenly glistened. ‘Or are we to conclude that your Saxon came looking for revenge?’

  Fidelma’s eyes flashed angrily.

  ‘I hope this poor child’s testimony has demonstrated that Brother Eadulf was not guilty of the rape and murder of Gormgilla, and that another hand guided that outrageous conspiracy!’

  ‘Even so, Sister,’ Coba interposed, ‘where are you leading us? You say Gabrán was murdered but not by Fial nor by the abbess. I cannot see who else could have killed him, nor even why he was killed.’

  ‘Gabrán was merely a tool. He was the means by which the trade in human beings was carried out, the means by which they were transported down to the sea port. Gabrán did not have the brains to plan and sustain this vile commerce. Have you forgotten Fial’s words already? She spoke of the cowled religious who ordered her to falsely identify Brother Eadulf.’

  Mel rubbed the back of his neck. ‘She also mentioned another crewman who helped him when Gabrán was lying drunk. So who was the other crewman? Did he turn on Gabrán?’

  Fidelma made a quick, impatient motion of her hand.

  ‘No. Gabrán turned on him. That crewman was the man who was killed the next day – the one that poor Brother Ibar was wrongly executed for murdering.’

  Abbess Fainder blinked rapidly. ‘Are you saying that Ibar was innocent?’